Molly Ivins's two greatest honors, explained

[Jim Lane]

Online bios of Molly, such as at the Huffington Post, mention this point: "Ivins counts as her highest honors that the Minneapolis police force named its mascot pig after her, and that she was once banned from the campus of Texas A&M."

I was curious about this comment, and I found an interview where she discussed it:

Douglas Newcomb: You have received a number of awards and honors over the years. I read with interest, however, that there are two wonderful and equally great honors in your lifetime of which you are particularly proud. One of these was having the Minneapolis Tribune police force's mascot pig named after you, and the other being banned from the Texas A&M campus.

Molly Ivins: Oh, and you want to know why I was banned from the Texas A&M campus?

DN: Well, actually, no. I would have to say, Molly, that most people, I would imagine, with a little creativity, could be banned from a campus. I would like to hear both stories. But how in the world did you get a pig named after you?

MI: Oh, I was a police reporter. I was a police reporter in Minneapolis, and the police force had this mascot pig. They marched it for years in the St. Patrick's Day Parade and named it Molly Pig in my honor. I am not sure it was intended as a compliment, but that's all right. I was still kind of pleased about it.

DN: Do you believe there is a mascot that perhaps would be more deserving of having been named after you? If so, what and why?

MI: I'm not too sure about another mascot, but I have had a cow and a poodle named after me, and arguably some children by friends.

DN: And the Texas A&M campus... Why were you banned?

MI: Well, the punch line is much better than the story. I was trying to help out some kids at A&M who were testing a campus rule that you couldn't have political speakers on the campus. That is how that came about. I wound up speaking across the street at the student center. I did my dead-level best to create a riot, but had no luck.

DN: And you were banned for that?

MI: Actually, I was banned just because they didn't want me on campus.

DN: Well, isn't that interesting. I didn't know universities actually banned people who were unsuccessful in starting a riot. I was under the impression one would be banned post-riot after all of the damage had been done.

MI: No political speakers on campus. Poor old A&M always fighting the battles of the '50s.

The full interview (from 2001) is .

[Skidmore]

1. Everytime I read Molly's name on this board,

the tears start running down my face. We've lost such a wonderful voice and mind. We've lost such a loving soul. Not one of those damned shows she would once in a while give opinions on even mentioned her name. Pisses me off.