Mame Roberts (Aug. 19, 1883-Dec. 24, 1976)

(Aug. 19, 1883 - Dec. 24, 1976) The daughter of James M. and Martha Sue (Baxter) Roberts, Mame Roberts lived her entire life in or near the community of Howe. Largely self-taught, she worked as a substitute teacher in the lower grades at the Howe Public Schools in the early 1900s before turning to her life's work-promoting civic improvements and beautification. As the writer of a weekly column in the Howe Messenger, Mame Roberts promoted her hometown and encouraged its beautification. Her campaign to make Howe the "prettiest little town in Texas" motivated other small Texas towns to take similar action. A series of articles in the Dallas Morning News provided step-by-step instructions for carrying out beautification efforts, and she was in great demand as a speaker at garden club gatherings throughout this part of the state. Mame's work attracted the attention of Life magazine and Reader's Digest, and she was named "Woman of the Day" on May 14, 1949, on Eleanor and Anna Roosevelt's national radio program. Her leadership positions included: president of the Grayson County Federation of Women's Clubs; president of the Texoma Redbud Association, which urged the planting of redbuds along highways in Texas and Oklahoma; and founder and president of the Howe Sesame Club. Her work, which spanned the decades before and after World War II, is a significant part of the civic history of Howe and of all the towns that put her lessons into action. (2002)

Mame Roberts (Aug. 19, 1883-Dec. 24, 1976) is a historical marker in Howe, Grayson County, dedicated in 2002. It is one of 144 historical markers documented in Grayson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 174 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.5066, -96.6126 near Howe. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Christian Church of Howe (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Howe Lodge No. 430, A. F. & A. M., Haning, Jabez and Harriet, and William Whitley Wheat.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5181012709. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.