In Memoriam

An obituary for Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) member Fane Downs, who died on Dec 11, 2019, is presented. Downs not only earned a PhD in history from Texas Tech University in 1970, but received an M. Div. from Austin Presbyterian Seminary in 1988. Between those years she taught at McMurry University and was chair of its history department. She served on the Executive Council of the TSHA, and she was the advisory editor for women's history for the revisions and update of the Handbook of Texas in the 1980s and 1990s. By that time, she had established herself as a leading authority in the then-emerging field of women's history. At McMurry, Fane was twice named an Outstanding Faculty member. She also helped usher in a more serious and consistent study of the history of women in Texas through her articles and book chapters.