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A Prescription for
Change:
Texas State Senator
Leticia Van de Putte
Combine a nurturing
family, a can-do
attitude, and a healthy
dose of organizational
skills—instilled by two
working parents raising
five kids—and a
successful leader
prepared to face any
obstacle will emerge.
Texas State Senator
Leticia Van de Putte was
born in Tacoma, Wash.,
but returned to her
parents’ native Texas
and was raised in San
Antonio. Her parents
were teachers, and her
father later became an
investigator. She and
her two sisters and two
brothers grew up just a
few blocks away from
uncles, cousins and
grandparents. “My
childhood was wonderful
and chaotic,” Van de
Putte recalls. “I knew I
was loved, and I grew up
with a lot of
involvement from the
grandparents.”
An Early Calling
She may not have
realized it at the time,
but spending time with
her grandparents helped
propel her toward her
career. Van de Putte’s
grandfather, a
pharmacist who learned
the trade by
apprenticing during the
1800s, owned a
neighborhood pharmacy.
Although Van de Putte
fondly remembers the
distinct smells and
sounds of the pharmacy,
it was the esteem her
grandfather received
from the patrons that
made an impression. “It
was about respect and
validation,” she says.
“I saw the look of
respect he got, and I
wanted that.” At a very
young age she knew she
wanted to be a
pharmacist, just like
her abuelo.
But, when she was born
in 1954, career
expectations for young
women were limited, and
becoming a pharmacist
seemed little more than
a dream for a young
Latina in Texas. Still,
Van De Putte’s parents
always encouraged her to
excel. They told her,
“Mi’jita, you can do
whatever you want,” and
they backed up the
message by fighting the
school to enroll Van de
Putte in the Algebra 1
class during her 9th
grade year while other
girls took economics as
their math credit. She
excelled in school, and
set out to fulfill her
dream by attending the
University of Houston.
Even though she would
have to leave home and
break traditions, her
parents encouraged her
ambition. They did,
however, consider
sending Van de Putte’s
grandmother to live with
her in Houston. “I was
still la niña, la
señorita,” she says.
Instead, her parents
settled on an all female
dormitory.
Although blazing a new
trail, Van de Putte
never doubted herself.
“I knew I was smart. I
never doubted that I
could academically
complete the work.
Financially, I was
worried,” she says. “I
worked all through
school and the dream of
owning a pharmacy and
being independent
encouraged me.”
Van de Putte’s parents
divorced when she was 20
years old, but this
didn’t stop her from
moving on. Instead, she
built on strength and
courage. She had many
reasons to continue
working for her dream
job, and she wanted to
succeed. “I wanted a
career. I didn’t want to
have to depend on any
man.” |
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Texas State Senator
Leticia Van de Putte as
a pharmacist.
Photo by Victor Cavazos |
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Senator Van de Putte on
the Senate floor during
the 79th legislative
session.
Photo courtesy of Texas
Senate Media Services |
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Dreaming Bigger
After pharmacy school,
things were falling into
place for Van de Putte.
She worked at a pharmacy
and eventually opened
her own. With a husband,
children and her own
pharmacy, she had
fulfilled her dreams.
Her hands were always
full, but she still
found time to be active
at various professional
organizations, which
according to her is
crucial for success,
especially for Latinas.
As an active member of
organizations tied to
healthcare,
entrepreneurship and her
Hispanic heritage, Van
de Putte wore many hats
at once and became
familiar with
legislation and the
inner-workings of
politics. She also
became increasingly
aware of ineffective
policies and red tape.
“I was frustrated when I
went to Austin or
Washington to talk about
small business or
healthcare and I would
think, ‘who is making
these rules?’” Perturbed
as a business owner, a
healthcare professional
and as a parent, she
sought change.
“I’d had six kids in
nine years. I was always
pregnant or nursing,”
she says. “Both my
husband and I owned a
business. I was the last
person to enter politics
and I had enough on my
plate.” But she knew
there was a way to
improve the system, so
she took the initiative
in doing something. She
knew a vacancy opened at
the Texas House of
Representatives, and
with conviction, she
entered the race.
“I’d never considered
running for public
office… [But] I was
angry. Rather than yell
and shout—it’s easy to
throw the flame, but if
you don’t sit down at
the table and be part of
the solution, [you’re
part of the problem]. I
wanted a seat at the
table,” she says.
Once again, her family
and community proved to
be an unending source of
support. Fortunately,
she also had a few
friends in high places
to serve as mentors. One
of her few friends, Paul
Elizando, county
commissioner and
advocate of Latinos in
leadership positions
helped her learn the
ropes. In addition, she
rallied the community.
“I knew pharmacists and
people from professional
organizations, the
school board—I’m a
parent—other compadres,”
she says. “I was
involved in the
community, I had a
network, and I was known
to speak up.”
A Second Calling
In 1990, Van de Putte
was elected to the Texas
House of Representatives,
where she served for
five legislative
sessions. Texas Monthly
magazine included Van de
Putte in their annual
“Texas Best Legislators”
issue in 1997, and in
1999, she was elected to
the Texas Senate.
As a mother, pharmacist
and small business owner,
she has taken special
interest in healthcare,
education and economic
development issues.
She’s an advocate for
children, veterans, has
improved access to
healthcare, quality
education and economic
development issues. Last
year, she helped
children of military men
and women gain access to
pre-kindergarten
programs. This year, she
pushed legislation to
allow children in foster
care and children in the
custody of grandparents
or other family members
to also be eligible for
pre-kindergarten.
“My greatest success has
also been my greatest
challenge in the state’s
children’s health
insurance program
(CHIP). As a healthcare
professional and a
mother of six, I fully
understood the need of
instituting this program
and I was one of the
original authors of the
bill which established
it… It is a program
which gives every child,
no matter what economic
background, the reality
of healthcare,” she says.
Van de Putte’s career
has come a long way. She
currently serves as
chair of the Texas
Democratic Caucus and is
a member of the National
Hispanic Caucus of State
Legislators. In addition,
she served on the
Executive Committee of
the National Conference
for State Legislatures
for three years, and now
holds the title of the
first Texan and first
Hispanic to serve as
president of the
organization.
Today, though she sold
her pharmacy in 1995,
Van de Putte
continuously makes time
to work as a pharmacist
when the legislature is
not in session.
A Dynamic Balance
For many people, being a
wife, mother, business
owner and a state
political leader would
be more than enough. For
Van de Putte, however,
that was just the
beginning. Her resume is
overflowing with
professional
organizations, community
involvement and academic
training, as well as
accolades and honors.
According to her, the
secret has been all
about organization and
balance, and at home it
has been important that
everyone knows what is
expected of them. After
her third child, she
brought in live-in help,
and made early morning
and late evening time,
her family time. Through
the training she
received early in her
career from professional
organizations, Van de
Putte knew she had to
keep her priorities
straight. And her
priorities are her
family, her “me” time
and her work. Though she
acknowledges that
sometimes her time is
spent in the reverse
order, she knows what is
important in life.
At work, her
organizational abilities
have certainly been an
asset, and she adds the
element of balance to
her secret formula. From
the beginning, she made
an effort to belong to
Hispanic and non-Hispanic
organizations,
healthcare and business
associations. She
encourages others to be
a part of several
communities and to
define themselves rather
than letting others
pigeon-hole them. “Don’t
be the reina in your own
little world,” she says.
“Break out.”
She struggled to not be
limited to issues often
address by women, such
as health and education
and as she says, she
never made her office
“all about being
Hispanic” and has never
declared to represent
all Hispanic women.
The Prognosis
Van de Putte says she
has no intention to run
for a national office.
“I want to make the
biggest impact possible,”
she says. “[In the Texas
Senate] I can operate in
a bipartisan fashion. I
feel I am most effective
where I am.”
In the future, Van de
Putte plans to continue
working on her principal
issues. “We’re not there
yet,” she says. “We need
to erase the achievement
gap, improve graduation
rates, maximize
opportunities to achieve
financial success, and
increase access to
healthcare.”
On the positive side,
Van de Putte says,
“Right now, all of a
sudden, it’s kind of
sexy to be Latino.”
There are more actors,
performers and athletes,
but “I want to see Nobel
Prize winners and
professionals,” she says.
“We need to be
successful as Americans
who are proud of our
Latino heritage.”
By Diana A. Terry-Azios |
