2022 Woman of the Year

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Wilma Cordova

Special Award Recipients
Linda Parr	Arts
Gerry Larabee	Business
Cindy Himes	Community Service
Debbie Crenshaw	Education

About the Recipients

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Wilma Cordova

The Nacogdoches affiliate of the American Association of University Women proudly announces that Wilma Cordova has been selected as our Woman of the Year for 2022. Cordova is an associate professor of Social Work at Stephen F. Austin State University and the current Social Worker of the Year for the Texas Association of Social Workers. Cordova’s outstanding achievements here in Nacogdoches and at SFA earned her both these awards.

Cordova volunteers locally, providing marginalized members of our community with opportunities for their voices to be heard. She is a director of the Board of Nacogdoches HOPE food pantry where she has served as corresponding secretary and grant writer. Her goal is to serve all “food insecure” residents including the homeless. She has worked with other volunteers to plant individual and community gardens to provide fresh vegetables for those in need, particularly those that are diabetic. When she found out that many of the day laborers in the community were hungry, she sought donations from local churches for food. Her students used a $100 donation from a church to purchase the ingredients to serve the workers burritos for several months. After volunteering in a church soup kitchen, she helped write a grant to fund a soup kitchen at the community food pantry.

Cordova volunteers individually in the community, but she also looks for learning and research opportunities for her students. Sometimes the students join her in volunteering and other times she incorporates surveys, grant writing, or field work into the classroom leading to solid policy proposals that can be submitted to local entities.

Cordova and her husband James Montoya have been in Nacogdoches for 20 years. Her academic colleagues, her students and community members she works with recognize the significant contributions she has made to the field of social work and to underserved populations in Nacogdoches County.

In addition to the Woman of the year, AAUW is honoring 4 other outstanding women in the community for their special contributions to the people of Nacogdoches.

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Linda Parr – Special Award for the Arts

Linda Parr is being recognized by AAUW for her many contributions in the arts. Parr has been with the SFA Music Preparatory Division where she teaches piano to community residents and has served as Co-Director and Director. She was instrumental in helping the Prep Division become the first Texas school accredited by the National Guild for Community Schools of the Arts. Parr also served as adjunct faculty of piano at SFA for 24 years from 1986 to 2010. Here she assisted with the development of SFA’s Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance with Pedagogy Emphasis and Piano Pedagogy Certificate program.

Parr has performed locally and regionally with the Chamber Music in the Pines Festival, the Sylvan Chamber Ensemble, Orchestra of the Pines and programs sponsored by the Longview Symphony and the Belcher Center of LeTourneau University. She is sought after as an accompanist for vocal and instrumental recitals. Parr is also music director and pianist at SFA’s St. Mary’s Catholic Ministry. She is a member of numerous professional organizations. Parr and her husband, Dr. Andrew Parr have two adult daughters, Katie and Eva who are both involved in the arts.

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Gerry Larabee – Special Award for Business

Gerry Larabee, owner of Heart of Texas Gift Gallery is being honored by AAUW for her service as a business leader in Nacogdoches. Her shop, Heart of Texas, opened in October of 1994 in downtown Nacogdoches. It has been in its current location on the west side of the square since 2001. During this time Gerry served eight years in leadership with the Nacogdoches Downtown Business Association where she became the official and unofficial spokesperson for downtown businesses. She worked with the city and the chamber in making downtown improvements and drawing business to the area as well as working to get Nacogdoches accepted into the Main Street Program.

Gerry has been a member of Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful, Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce Board, Nacogdoches Main Street Advisory Board, Nacogdoches Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Millards Crossing. She served in leadership positions in these organizations. She has received many awards and certificates including Best Downtown Business, Nacogdoches Chamber Best Small Business (2012), Main Street Hero award and Gerry’s favorite, 8 years People Choice Wassail Fest Winner.

Larabee also assists her husband Taylor Larabee with his air conditioning business.

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Cindy Himes – Special Award for Community Service

Cindy Himes is being honored by AAUW for her Community Service. Cindy has served as secretary for the Dean’s Circle Advisory Board for SFA’s College of Fine Arts since its inception twelve years ago. In this capacity as well as love of and commitment to supporting the arts, she attends numerous art shows, music performances, and theatre productions. Himes has been a member of the Nacogdoches Child Welfare Board since 2009. In cooperation with the Nacogdoches Police Department, Himes is her neighborhood’s representative for October’s National Night Out Program.

Himes coordinates the monthly folding of LOVE Inc. Newsletters which is a project of her Circle at First United Methodist Church and she participates each year in the LOVE Inc. Shared Blessings program which provides Christmas gifts to needy children in Nacogdoches. She and her husband also participate in their church’s adopt a player program, inviting Lumberjack Basketball players to have meals with them. Himes retired from public school teaching when she moved to Nacogdoches in 2007. Since then she taught 5 years as adjunct faculty in the College of Education at SFA. Himes and her husband Dr. A.C.”Buddy” Himes have two children and two grandchildren.

Debbie Crenshaw – Special Award for Education

Debbie Crenshaw is being recognized by AAUW in the field of Education. Crenshaw teaches business and technology classes in the NISD Career and Technical Education program (CTE), grades 9-12. With her strong background in Microsoft Office, Crenshaw has successfully led numerous students to obtain the Specialist Certification in Microsoft Office. Crenshaw served as CTE Department Head from 2017-2019 and currently serves as a New Teacher Mentor and After School Detention Monitor.

Before moving to NHS, Crenshaw used her Early Education Certification to teach Kindergarten from 1992-1999 at Fredonia Baptist Day School.