October 5, 1950 – April 25, 2023
Elna Ray Christopher, a generous, sharp-tongued Austin press spokeswoman who worked for Democratic and Republican officeholders and government-related organization for 35 years, died April 25 of heart failure at St. David’s South Medical Center. She was 72.
A former newspaper reporter, Elna earned wide respect from journalists, politicians and state officials alike for her fierce defense of those she represented, including former Attorney General and one-time gubernatorial candidate Jim Mattox and former Land Commissioners Gary Mauro and David Dewhurst.
Friends and family remember Elna’s wide array of interests and attributes: a West Texas native who loved horses, rode bareback and in rodeo competitions as a teenager, and never missed a moment of watching races for the Triple Crown; a connoisseur who sought out gourmet restaurants, Champagne and other sparkling wine and who found Michelin-starred restaurants on a trip to France; a shopaholic who was known to haunt Neiman-Marcus; a passionate devotee of good movies and museums filled with art or esoteric objects; a music fan with tastes ranging from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to The Rolling Stones; a great lover of major league baseball; keenly interested in the discovery and restoration of historic Texas maps; and a great traveling companion with a taste for classy, luxurious hotels.
“Foie gras paired with Champagne were her favorites,” said Trish Bowcock, a longtime friend and attorney, formerly of Austin. “She was always open to a good museum experience, especially with an Impressionist collection, although her reach went beyond that. Elna was always game for an adventure.”
Scott Davis, who was an aide to Mattox when Elna was his press secretary, got to know her well after seven years of traveling the state with her and Mattox. He described her affectionately as combative and assertive for the right cause. The only time, he thinks, she ever went camping he and a few other friends spent a weekend at Garner State Park listening to her “cussing and complaining.”
“She was a good person,” he said. “She fought the good battles. You always knew where Elna stood and what she stood for. You never had to guess who she was fighting for and I don’t think anybody ever ran over Elna.”
Elna was born October 5, 1950 in Brownfield, Terry County. Her mother, Bertie Lee Daniell Christopher, was a nurse. Her father, Willie Ray Christopher, was a cattleman and real estate broker. She and her sister, Donna Christopher Ingham, inherited their love of horses from their father, Donna said. When she was a child, her father found an Appaloosa named Little Dandy for Elna. Perhaps as a surprise to those who knew her as an adult, she kept a favorite doll from childhood propped up in a little rocking chair in her bedroom throughout her life.
“She was a very caring person,” her sister said, “quick to support causes she believed in and appeals for animal welfare, in particular.”
Elna graduated from Brownfield High School in 1969. In 1973, she received a bachelor of fine arts degree in journalism, with concentrated studies in criminal justice, from Southern Methodist University.
Her first job in journalism was as a reporter from 1973-1975 at the Delta Democrat-Times, a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper in Greenville, Mississippi. She spent two years as a reporter and writer at the Santa Fe Reporter, an investigative paper in Santa Fe, NM, before moving to The Dallas Morning News in 1977. There, she covered state and federal courts, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and transportation and energy issues.
Elna switched to being a press secretary in 1982 when Mattox hired her for his staff when he ran for attorney general. After he was elected, she became the chief of public information in the Attorney General’s office and held the position throughout his two terms. She was Mattox’s press spokeswoman when he sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 1990, a race he lost to Ann Richards. In 1991 and 1992, she was a partner at Image Makers Advertising & Public Relations, a small Austin firm.
Elna returned to state government, in 1994, serving four years as director of marketing and program development in the General Land Office under Mauro. From 1999-2003, she was director of outreach program in the Land Office’s public information office. In the latter role, she conceived, set up, marketed and directed Commissioner Dewhurst’s Adopt-A-Map program.
From March 2003 until the end of 2016, Elna was director of media relations for the Texas Association of Counties. There she put an emphasis on telling the media how actions of state government affect 254 counties and worked with a coalition of city and county organizations to fight legislative attempts to usurp local control.
When she retired from the association, John Reynolds, editor of newsletters for The Texas Tribune, noted Elna’s deep roots in the Austin political community. “She helped steer straight many members of the Austin press corps over the years,” he wrote, “and from our prospective at The Blast [newsletter] is one of the real class acts in this town.”
Elna is survived by sister, Donna Christopher Ingham, nephew Christopher Young Ingham and cats Alfred and Satchel. She was widowed in 2013 from Kevin Michael Kennedy, her husband of almost 25 years.
A celebration of Elna’s life is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Saturday, June 24 at Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd.
