Feb. 20, 1999: Congresswoman Kay Granger speaks to defense contractors and Lockheed Martin employees at the Metroplex Defense and Economic Impact Summit held at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth.
RONALD MARTINEZ
STAR-TELEGRAM
Fort Worth has lost one of its most consequential leaders.
Rep. Kay Granger’s life was defined by service, beginning when she broke barriers as Fort Worth’s first female mayor, then when she became the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the U.S. House and ultimately rose to lead the House Appropriations Committee.
Impressive titles, but they alone do not explain her impact. What mattered most was how she used them: with conviction, persistence and an unwavering belief in the people and possibilities of North Texas.
For Granger, who died Aug. 2, leadership meant responsibility. It’s about showing up, listening, building coalitions and doing the hard work required to turn ideas into progress. She knew that a thriving community depends on institutions working together, with government, businesses, universities, schools, nonprofits and civic organizations each contributing to something larger than themselves.
That spirit helped shape modern Fort Worth.
Congresswoman Kay Granger talks about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter after the inauguration ceremony at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth on Friday June 7, 2006. File photo Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Granger believed deeply in a strong national defense and in the people who make it possible. She recognized that national security is not an abstract concept. It is built every day by service members, public servants, engineers, technicians, educators, small businesses and thousands of skilled employees across our region. That is especially true for Fort Worth, Texas’ aviation and defense capital and home of the F-35 fighter production line.
At Lockheed Martin, our 24,000-plus Dallas-Fort Worth area employees felt Granger’s influence firsthand. She championed the men and women whose work supports the United States and its allies. She understood that investments in national defense are investments in American innovation, advanced manufacturing and the next generation of talent.
I am grateful to have known and worked with Granger. Her pride in Fort Worth was unmistakable. She cared deeply about the people behind the mission and understood that enduring progress comes from relationships built over time, grounded in trust and focused on a common purpose.
But her legacy reaches well beyond any one industry or institution. It offers a challenge to all of us who call Texas home.
Building up our communities and achieving peace through strength demands leaders willing to serve with purpose, work across differences and place the long-term strength of their communities and country ahead of short-term recognition. By following Granger’s example, Fort Worth and Texas can lead the way.
We have the ingredients: world-class universities developing the next generation of innovators and public servants; strong communities; companies investing in people, technology and American competitiveness; and civic leaders who understand that progress is strongest when it is shared.
Our responsibility is to connect those strengths.
That means creating more pathways for young people to enter public service, engineering, manufacturing and other mission-driven careers. It means strengthening partnerships between employers and educators so students can see a future for themselves here. It means supporting veterans and military families who bring invaluable experience to our workplaces and neighborhoods. And it means encouraging leaders from every sector to engage more deeply in the civic life of their communities.
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth Paul Moseley Star-Telegram
Leadership is not limited to elected office. It is found in classrooms, factories, boardrooms, churches, nonprofits and neighborhoods. It is expressed whenever someone chooses to contribute, mentor, solve a problem or stand up for an institution and a community they believe in.
Kay Granger embodied that kind of leadership. She was tough, pragmatic and deeply committed to Fort Worth. She knew this city’s strengths, believed in its future and helped build the partnerships that enabled it to grow in influence and opportunity.
As Fort Worth and the Granger family prepare to say goodbye, the best way to honor her is not simply to remember what she accomplished. It is to carry forward the values that made those accomplishments possible: service, courage, collaboration and an enduring commitment to country.
Granger was a Texan through and through, and one of a kind in the most special ways. We will miss her and strive to carry on her legacy through the work we do for our nation and its allies.
OJ Sanchez is the president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, based in Fort Worth.
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