Elmira Katherine 'Katie' McCormick Jobe

(March 20, 1902 ~ November 21, 1991)

Katie, daughter of Thomas Walter McCormick and Maribell Young, married to Virgil Beasley Jobe and buried in Buffalo Gap Cemetery, Buffalo Gap, Taylor County, Texas.

Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Texas) - Fri, Nov 22, 1991

Didn't Expect To Win

Tuscola's First Woman Alderman Is Mother and Business Leader

By LILLIAN HURD

Reporter-News Correspondent

TUSCOLA, April 15.  (RNS) - 

Mrs. Kate Jobe, local business woman, had no idea she would be elected when she reluctantly allowed her name to be placed on the ballot for alderman in the Tuscola city election.  She not only was elected, but polled 30 votes, third highest number of votes among the twelve names on the ballot, becomming Tuscola's first lady alderman and probably the first in this area.

When Boles Fry, Tuscola mayor, persuaded Mrs. Jobe to put her name on the ballot to make out the required number of names necessary to hold the election, he told her she wouldn't have much chance to win.  Hadn't they both heard Tuscola citizens say they would not vote for a woman no matter what office she was running for?  They were mistaken.  And at first Mrs. Jobe was wondering what to do about it.  But since she has the interest of her hometown at heart, she has consented to do her best to make a good alderman.

Three other women of Tuscola who had their names on the ballot Tuesday received a good number of votes.  They were Mrs. Conway Rogers, wife of the water superintendent here who received 22 votes, Mrs. Monroe Graham, 16 votes, and Artie Cobb, 10 votes.  K.M. Preston and L.C. Scott were two others elected alderman.  Harley Smith and A.P. Sanford were re-elected.

If Mrs. Jobe has a hobby, it is being both father and mother to her three daughters and taking care of her variety store business here, which, says she, has enough work for any woman without getting into politics.  She is a member of the Tuscola Methodist Church and sings in the choir.

Mrs. Jobe is the former Kate McCormick, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. T.W. McCormick, among the first settlers of South Taylor County.  After her marriage, Mrs. Jobe lived several years in Arkansas, where her husband died in 1943.  With her daughters she moved back to Tuscola in 1944.  The daughters are Wylda Jobe, teacher in the South Taylor elementary school at Ovalo; Patsy, high school sophomore and Dean, seventh-grader at the Ovalo school.

The Abilene, Texas, Reporter-News - Sun, Apr 16, 1950