Irene Wischer (October 25, 1915-March 23, 2007) was a pioneering woman in the Texas oil and gas industry and a devoted supporter of numerous community, education and charitable organizations.
A proud graduate of Harlandale High School, Wischer attended Draughon's Business College before landing a position as an assistant corporate secretary at Henderson Trust Company, an independent oil and gas company. By 1955, she had become a director and secretary/treasurer of the firm. In 1963, she became chairman and CEO of Panhandle Producing Company. During her groundbreaking career, she received many recognitions, including being the first woman named "Chief Roughneck of the Year" by Lone Star Steel.
In the early 1950s, Wischer founded the San Antonio chapter of the Desk and Derrick Club, a national organization of women in the petroleum industry. She served as national president of the club, which then had 99 chapters and more than 9,000 members.
Wischer was a past president of the UTSA Development Board and the Institute of Texan Cultures Development Board. She especially admired the Institute's ability to bring Texas heritage alive for children. She personally raised more than $500,000 for the Dome Show during the last year of her life, establishing a permanent endowment to help maintain the dome presentations for future audiences.
Wischer's wide-ranging record of service to the community includes stints on the boards of key San Antonio organizations, such as Southwest Research Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, KLRN-TV and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, to name just a few. A strong supporter of higher education, she also served as a trustee of Trinity University.
Wischer was politically active on the local, state and national level of the Republican Party, serving as president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women (1963-1965) and as a member of the State Republican Executive Committee. She was chosen by Presidents Nixon and Ford to serve on the Citizens Advisory Council on the Status of Women. President Reagan appointed her to the post of deputy secretary of energy. Wischer was a member of the Committee of 200, an international nonprofit organization comprising some of the world's most successful women entrepreneurs.
For her lifelong and generous community involvement, Wischer received many honors and awards, including Outstanding Citizen of the Year from the Boy Scouts of American (1983), Outstanding Citizen from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (1988), San Antonio Business Hall of Fame (1993) and San Antonio's Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year (1994).
The University community is honored to present the Gold Star Award (now known as the President's Award) to the late Irene Wischer.