Anita Thigpen Perry [SEP] educated at
, cardiovascular disease, health education, and early childhood development. In 2008, the Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was renamed in her honor.
Early life and education.
Perry was born in Haskell, Texas. She is the youngest daughter of family physician Joseph Eltidge Thigpen (1920–2013), a native of Bay Springs, Mississippi, and homemaker Beunis Fay Ratliff Thigpen, originally from Haskell. Her parents met in Tyler, where Beunis was visiting relatives. Dr. Thigpen had a
Anita Thigpen Perry
Mary Anita Thigpen Perry (born May 5, 1952) is the wife of Rick Perry. She was the longest-serving First Lady of Texas; being in that role from 2000 to 2015. She is the wife of former Republican Texas Governor and current United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. As First Lady of Texas, she had been an active advocate for nursing and other health care issues. The Anita Thigpen Perry Endowment at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio focuses on nutrition