Shudde Bess Bryson Fath

Shudde Bess Bryson Fath passed on December 9, 2022, at age 106 after enduring some years with spinal stenosis, diabetes, breast cancer and limited vision. Shudde was grateful for the good doctors who cared for her so many years. She was born on January 11, 1916, the third of six children of Lily Shuddemagen and James Gordon Bryson, M.D., Bastrop, Texas.

She graduate from Bastrop High School as valedictorian in 1933 and received a BBA degree with highest honors from The University of Texas at Austin in 1937. She was President of Cap and Gown, U.T. Sports Association, and Racquet Club, and was a member of Mortar Board, Judiciary Council, Beta Gamma Sigma, Alpha Lambda Delta, Zeta Tau Alpha, and intramural teams.

She met Conrad Fath in 1935, married him in 1938, and helped celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1988. Their beloved daughter, Betsy, was born in 1951.

In 1938 she began 42 ½ years of employment (at $90 a month) with the Texas Employment Commission (now Texas Workforce Commission). In 1980 she won a landmark settlement (out of court) on a sex discrimination claim filed five years earlier. Without the skills and dedication of the late attorney Broadus Spivey, this would not have happened. When asked by a reporter, she said she wanted to use her settlement to “try to make the world a better place.”

As sex discrimination claim moved slowly through the Federal bureaucracy, Broadus was faced with a decision on whether to allow the Feds to file a lawsuit or to file it himself. After deciding to file the lawsuit himself, it occurred to Shudde that a news item could appear in the Austin newspaper. Concerned that her 94-year-old widowed mother living in Bastrop might be embarrassed by such publicity, she and Connie briefed her on what had been started earlier. Her mother’s only comment was: “Well, somebody had to do it.” On August 16, 1977, the lawsuit filing was reported in the Austin paper.

When the settlement appeared on the front page of the November 27, 1980 Austin paper, Shudde received a number of telephone calls. One of her favorites was from Terrell Maverick Webb (Mrs. Walter Prescott Webb, widowed in 1963) who said, “Shudde, I’m sitting here crying tears of joy over your victory.”

In 1977 she began 40 years of volunteer service as a member of the citizens’ advisory Electric Utility Commission, where she always worked to achieve fair and equitable electric rates for residential and small business customers—and she lost that battle in the 2012 electric rate case. Beginning in 1981, she served 29 years as Treasurer of Save Barton Creek Association, and then was named Treasurer Emeritus. In 1984 she received Dedicated Service award from the Travis County Democratic Party. In 1988 she received the Lucadia Pease Award from We Care Austin “for outstanding civic leadership through research, education, and action for the creation of a quality environment in Austin, TX.”

In 1989 she shared with Betsy the Keep Austin Beautiful “1988 Volunteer of the Year” award. In 1991 she receive a Yeller Dawg Award as environmentalist from South Austin Democrats; in 1993 and 2002 she received Yeller Dawg Awards from that same organization. In 1993 she received the Beth Brown Boettner Award from Environmental Board, Resource Management Commission, and Solid Waste Advisory Commission, and shared with Molly Ivins the Best Local Visionary award from The Austin Chronicle. In 1994 she received the Senior Volunteer Award “for devoted and sustained service” from Retirees Coordinating Board, Travis County Extension Service, and Southwestern Bell. In 1996 she received a Distinguished Service Award from the Austin City Council. In 2000 she received a Barton Springs Hero certificate from Save Our Springs Alliance and Save Barton Creek Association. In 2009 Shudde, with Save Barton Creek Association, received from Liveable Cities the award for Environment, one of five Vision Awards given annually. She considered all these as awards for simply “hanging in there.”

One of her favorite quotes was, “It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.” Her later-life mantra was: You gotta give a damn about something and work to make it happen: you can’t do it alone, you need help from others; you don’t win ‘em all, but things might be worse if you hadn’t tried.

She especially appreciated later-life “flowers to the living” including the Austin City Council naming 77 acres near the northwest corner of the Loop 360/Mo-Pac South intersection the Shudde Fath Tract in 2005; Austin Energy naming the assembly room at Town Lake Center the Shudde Fath Conference Room in 2007; the Austin City Council naming June 22, 2007 as Shudde Fath Day: and the YWCA of Greater Austin honoring her as 2007 Woman of the Year in Government Service/Public Policy. Then there was the moment in August 2007, after Shudde was introduced to the crowd following a Zilker Hillside Theatre presentation; a young woman in management at Texas Workforce Commission walked up and said, “You are our hero” (27 years later!.)

After turning 90, she often said, “Every day is a blessing.” In 2012, she was one of four women inducted into the Austin Women’s Hall of Fame by the Austin Commission for Women; and she received a Lifetime Conservation Community Hero Award from Save Barton Creek Association. In November 2017, after retiring from the Electric Utility Commission, she received a Distinguished Service Award from The City of Austin, Texas.

In 2011, Shudde and Betsy compiled The Greatest Generation as Reported in the Weekly Bastrop Advertiser during World War II. The book is a unique microcosm of WWII history told through more than 700 articles about 395 men and women (34 killed in action; 8 prisoners of war) whose names appear in one small-town newspaper (and whose woman editor stayed closely in touch with those in the military and their families.) Although blessed with manual skills, she was a lifelong techno-phobe who would have accomplished none of this without the indispensable help of her keyboard whiz daughter and Googling son-in-law, Jeff Hiller.

In November 2017, Shudde and Betsy co-authored a book, Russell Lee in Color, containing 162 never-before-published color photographs shot by acclaimed photographer Russell Lee from a moving boat in 1963. Over 31 days, he and Conrad Fath brought a yacht from above New York City to Texas. The book also contains 27 never-before-published photos by or of Russell Lee, who was Conrad Fath’s fishing buddy and best friend.

Whatever other productive writing Shudde did during the later years of her long life was made possible by the luxury of a priceless private secretary. Without owning a computer, Shudde would give handwritten pages to Betsy, who produced a draft that was edited until finally Shudde received a beautifully printed product. Shudde was a pathetic on the keyboard.

She was so appreciative and surprised by successive celebrations of her 100th birthday; celebratory remarks by Congressman Lloyd Doggett and others at the annual meeting of Save Barton Creek Association, plus Proclamations by Representative Elliot Naishtat for House of Representatives, Brigid Shea for Travis County Commissioners Court, Delia Garza for Austin City Council: subsequent Proclamations came from State Senator Kirk Watson and the Zilker Neighborhood Association; celebration of Shudde’s birthday at an Electric Utility Commission meeting; plus dinner party with 140 of her dearest and nearest hosted by Betsy and Jeff. And then there was the Paramount Theatre’s marquee message: HAPPY 103RD BIRTHDAY SHUDDE FATH; CHEERS TO OUR GRANDE DAME OF AUSTIN.

She was preceded in death by her husband Conrad Fath in 1990, “after fifty-two years of the best marriage I know of.” Conrad earned degrees in Liberal Arts and in Music at UT, was a Certified Financial Planner, Evinrude marine dealer, outdoorsman, musician, fencing champion, Democrat, civic leader, lots of fun, and his wife’s “rock’, sounding board, and best critic.” She was also preceded in death by her parents (Lily was B.S. at UT in 1906 and “Doc” was MD at UT’S Galveston Medical School in 1910) and all five siblings (with six more UT degrees): Dorothy Ann Bryson; J. Gordon Bryson, Jr. MD; La Verne Bryson Holt; John Bennett Bryson, MD; and Mary Evelyn Bryson Loomer, and by in-laws Martha

Louise Bryson, Pat Holt, Perry Loomer, Creekmore and Adele Fath.

She is survived by her precious caregiver daughter, Betsy Fath Hiller (B.J. at UT) son-in-law Jeff Hiller, plus a number of beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. As one may have guessed, Shudde wrote her own obit, after discussions with her daughter.

A celebration of Life will be held at 2PM Sunday December 18th, 2022 at Weed-Corley-Fish at 5416 Parkcrest Drive in Austin, Texas . Memorial contributions may be made to Save Barton Creek Association, Save Our Springs Alliance, or to Austin Pets Alive.

Obituary and guest book available online at www.wcfish.com

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the Bryson Fath family.