Alice Lorraine Dwyer
Historical Summary
Alice Lorraine Dwyer, honored in the Hall of Honor in 2006, emerged from prominent El Paso families including the French, Flores, Magoffin, Stephenson, Nordstrom, Bermudez, and Ascarate lines, and became one of the first Hispanic female attorneys in El Paso at a time when the legal profession was overwhelmingly male.
After marrying Dr. James Cardwell Harvey in 1952, she lived in Paris while he studied at the Sorbonne as a Fulbright scholar. There she pursued doctoral studies in history and government, studied German, Spanish, and French, and researched French civilization at the National Library. Her academic plans were interrupted by the death of her advisor, after which she assisted her husband in completing his doctorate.
When the family moved to McAllen, Texas, for Dr. Harvey’s position at Pan American University, Dwyer suffered rheumatic fever during pregnancy and spent nine months confined to Hotel Dieu after returning to El Paso. Both she and her daughter Nancy survived; Nancy later became Dr. Nancy Harvey, a prominent local veterinarian.
Dwyer then built a substantial career in education within the El Paso Independent School District, teaching history and social studies, helping revise the social studies curriculum in summer workshops, and serving as chair of the social studies department at El Paso High School. She also worked with the practice teaching program at the University of Texas at El Paso and taught Sunday School at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Determined to fulfill her long-held ambition to become a lawyer despite earlier family discouragement, she entered Southern Methodist University School of Law and graduated in 1970. She worked in the offices of Sib Abraham and Gus Rallis, maintained her own practice for two years, and later joined El Paso Natural Gas in contracts and administration for financial stability. Even after retiring in 1990, she remained active in law through associations with her brothers Pat and Sam Dwyer, and helped close Sam’s practice when he became ill.
Dwyer’s life joined scholarship, public service, education, and law. As a mother, teacher, and attorney who succeeded in fields long dominated by men, she became a significant role model for later generations of professional women in El Paso.
Document Transcription
Hall of Honor 2006
Alice Lorraine Dwyer
Alice Dwyer was a pioneer, as were her ancestors—the French, Flores, Magoffin, Stephenson, Nordstrom, Bermudez, and Ascarate families. She was one of the first Hispanic female attorneys in El Paso when the profession of law was dominated by men.
She married in 1952 and went to Paris with her husband, Dr. James Cardwell Harvey, who was a Fulbright scholar studying at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. Studying for a doctoral degree in history and government, she also studied German, Spanish, and French, as well as studying French civilization at the National Library in Paris. She was working on her doctorate when her advisor died. She then worked assisting her husband to complete his doctorate.
Dr. Harvey accepted a position with the Pan American University in McAllen, Texas, where, during her pregnancy, Alice contracted rheumatic fever. The family returned to El Paso because Alice was confined to Hotel Dieu for nine months while baby Nancy was cared for by family members. Fortunately both she and the baby survived, and that baby is now Dr. Nancy Harvey, a prominent local veterinarian.
Upon recovery, Alice fell into the pattern that many women followed in those days when women became nurses, secretaries, or teachers. Alice entered the field of education. She worked at many positions in the El Paso Independent School District. She taught many history courses and all related social studies subjects, assisted in summer workshops for the complete revision of the social studies program, and served as chairperson for the social studies department at El Paso High School. She served as a cooperating teacher in the Practice Teaching department at the University of Texas at El Paso, and she taught Sunday School at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Her lifelong ambition had been to become a lawyer, but had not been encouraged by her father, who thought the more “traditional” women's roles were more suitable. After he died, she felt free to pursue her goal. She entered Southern Methodist University School of Law, from which she graduated in 1970 after she endured another round of setbacks and difficulties.
She worked in the offices of Sib Abraham, then Gus Rallis, and then had her own practice for two years. Deciding that she needed “a predictable income,” Alice then worked for El Paso Natural Gas in contracts and administration. Although she retired in 1990, she became associated in practice with her brother Pat Dwyer, then with her other brother Sam Dwyer. She helped Sam close his practice when he fell ill.
Alice Dwyer was a devoted mother, scholar, teacher, and lawyer. She competed in what had been a man's world. She was a role model who opened doors for the many professional women who followed her lead.
