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El Paso Community College
Library Research Guides

Frontera: Women in Law and Law Enforcement

Centralized guide to all EPCC's local history publications, videos and guides and sources for local history topics

Women in Law

Abbott, Ethel Shirley  pioneer lawyer

Chew, Linda  Retired District Judge, granddaughter of Herlinda Wong Chew

El Paso Women's Bar Association 

Fernandez-Campo, Elisa    pioneer lawyer, the only Mexican and one of 3 women in her 1930s University of Chicago law class

Guinn, Mary Vance  pioneer lawyer

Kanof, Deborah Assistant U.S. Attorney 

Kelso, Christine woman lawyer.  Interviewed in #744 and mentioned in the other three interviews below.

Kern, Ruth   pioneer lawyer, radical, activist, active in local ACLU with John Karr and Melvin Strauss.  John's daughter Stephanie Karr Dodson is also on our list to research. 

  • mentioned in the other Institute of Oral History interviews. 
  • Team taught Literature and the Law with Mimi Gladstein at UTEP in the early 1970s per book:  Politics of Women's Studies
  • Researching involves looking up newspaper articles in the historical El Paso Times database below. 

McClure, Ann Crawford Celebrated judge on 8th Court of Appeals. 

Mendez, Virginia first policewoman 1911-1923, at that time no other Mexican city workers. politically active

Palafox, Pat pioneer lawyer, descendant of historic Ysleta family.

Pennock, Carol    pioneer lawyer

Rodgers, Elizabeth lawyer

Rodriguez, Carmen  lawyer who founded what became Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

Ruesch, Janet pioneer lawyer

Schild, Kitty pioneer lawyer

Webster, Emma Mrs. juvenile probation officer and deputy sheriff from the 1910s-1930s

Research tips

Note details that might seem insignificant at first glance, in case one finds other information later.

Women's information is often found through researching the men in their lives (i.e. husband, fathers, etc.) so the notes here might only state that Mrs. X was married to Mr. X who was important for some reason, but in researching him, there might be information about his wife found later.

Research full text of local newspaper articles back to 1881 in this database available to EPCC users and in person in EPCC Libraries: 

EPCC Web site || EPCC Libraries Web Site || EPCC Library Catalog
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