{"id":240498,"date":"2026-04-08T15:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/240498\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T15:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:22:11","slug":"a-bridge-builder-mollie-lasater-dies-after-decades-of-opening-doors-for-fort-worth-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/240498\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A bridge builder\u2019: Mollie Lasater dies after decades of opening doors for Fort Worth students"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Jacob Sanchez, Fort Worth Report
April 7, 2026<\/p>\n

Mollie Lasater didn\u2019t just see potential in Fort Worth\u2019s students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She made opportunities happen. She opened their worlds. She changed lives.<\/p>\n

Lasater, 87, was a civic and philanthropic leader in Fort Worth who spent decades turning possibility into opportunity for young people across the city, including while serving as the first woman president of the Fort Worth ISD board. She died March 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cMollie Lasater was a Fort Worth treasure,\u201d said Rose Bradshaw, president and CEO of the North Texas Community Foundation. \u201cWhen something needed to get done, Mollie was the first to step up and do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitnee Boyd, director of community impact at the North Texas Community Foundation, was among the people who Lasater directly impacted. Boyd was a doctoral student at Texas Christian University when she met Lasater.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lasater welcomed Boyd into her work \u2014 and Fort Worth. They planned activities for students and fostered a friendship.<\/p>\n

Boyd remembered a conversation she had with Lasater as graduation approached. Boyd was fairly new to the city, but Lasater saw potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to keep you in Fort Worth,\u201d Boyd recalled Lasater telling her.<\/p>\n

Lasater fired off emails, attaching Boyd\u2019s resume. She called Fort Worth ISD, nonprofits, foundations \u2014 anywhere she could think of that might provide a way for Boyd to remain.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only did she see possibility in me, but she was working to create opportunity for me,\u201d Boyd said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lasater\u2019s early work focused on Fort Worth ISD. In 1978, voters elected her vice president of the school board and she defeated seven men for the at-large seat. She was the first vice president directly elected by the public. Voters directly elected the president<\/a> until 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result of my firm belief that Fort Worth must work aggressively to ensure excellence in education for public school students of all ages,\u201d she told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as to why she ran for school board<\/a>. \u201cMy goal is to see Fort Worth become known throughout the state for offering the highest quality of education possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trustees later appointed Lasater as school board president following her predecessor\u2019s resignation<\/a>. She opted to not seek a full term as president in 1988, ending her decade of service.<\/p>\n

Fort Worth ISD spokesperson Erin Gregg called Lasater a trailblazing leader with a lasting impact on education. Lasater served at a pivotal time in FWISD history, Gregg said. Lasater\u2019s service came after conflicts over busing and single-member school board districts, according to Fort Worth Public Library newspaper archives.<\/p>\n

\u201cMs. Lasater\u2019s legacy is one of service, leadership, and a deep belief in the potential of every student,\u201d Gregg said. \u201cFort Worth ISD extends its heartfelt condolences to her family and those who knew and worked alongside her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Philanthropic leader Mollie Lasater watches students work on an assignment on March 6, 2016. (Courtesy | Whitnee Boyd)<\/p>\n

Following her time on the school board, Lasater started the Fort Worth chapter of the \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d Foundation that supports elementary students from low-income schools and mentors high school students from underserved communities.<\/p>\n

When she ran the foundation, Lasater didn\u2019t stick to her office \u2014 she knocked on doors, Boyd said. Lasater badly wanted children and their families to access resources that would change their lives, Boyd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s who Mollie was,\u201d she said. \u201cShe was a bridge builder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lasater and her husband, Garland, later founded High School High Scholar, or HS\u00b2, a five-week summer STEM program in Colorado<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The program is geared toward first-generation college students and students from low-income families from Fort Worth and it immerses them in science, technology, engineering and math. They also learn about universities, STEM careers, take college classes and enjoy the great outdoors.<\/p>\n

Boyd enjoyed watching Lasater meet with HS\u00b2 students and alumni during the organization\u2019s winter reunions. She knew intricate details about their lives, Boyd said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boyd once saw Lasater spark a conversation with an engineering student who was moving to California where she was going to study aerospace engineering. But the student faced a problem: She didn\u2019t know where she would live.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMollie was like, \u2018Oh, I knew this person in college,\u2019\u201d Boyd said. \u201cShe was trying to help her figure that out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Years after Lasater helped her stay in Fort Worth, Boyd started working at the North Texas Community Foundation where the Lasater family has a fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boyd didn\u2019t hesitate when she thought about Lasater\u2019s legacy: \u201cHer legacy will be the students who she invested in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The aerospace engineer. The physicians. The educators, business leaders and community leaders. All the students she helped and who are now investing back into their community, Boyd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s because they have someone named Mollie Lasater who saw possibility in them but created opportunity for them and now they\u2019re contributing back to our local community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disclosure: The North Texas Community Foundation has been a financial support of the Fort Worth Report. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @_jacob_sanchez<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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