McCallum, Alvaro

Instrumental in obtaining the vote for women in Texas, Jane L. (Yelvington) McCallum (1878-1957) served as officer in the Texas Equal Suffrage Association and later as Texas Secretary of State (1927-1933). In the files of the latter office, she found and rescued from decay the original Texas Declaration of Independence. McCallum served on the Austin City Planning Commission, the Texas Joint Legislative Council, and in many other public capacities, and participated actively in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America; Theta Sigma Phi, a women's journalism fraternity; and other organizations. A columnist for the Austin American, McCallum also made radio appearances, delivered speeches, and wrote on a variety of topics throughout her life. In 1896, she married Arthur N. McCallum (1866-1943), later superintendent of public schools in Austin. The couple had five children, the eldest of whom, Alvaro McCallum, was a student and athlete at the University of Texas and later a football coach at Texas A & I University, now Texas A & M University-Kingsville.