Biography
Jean Taber Sutherland is a Texas native and a graduate of Austin High School and UT-Austin. While at UT, she was a Texas Sweetheart, Aqua Queen, and Orange Jacket. She was a student at the University only a few years after the Mary Gearing building opened, and after more than twenty years in the public schools, she taught in Gearing for another twenty years. She was a teacher of teachers in Home Economics and imparted her sewing and design skills to Human Ecology students long after most would have retired. Jean's career at UT extended from 1980 until her full retirement in 2002. As a Home Economist for an electric company in Uvalde, she educated homemakers in the use of electric appliances when they were first introduced in rural Texas. As a lifetime educator, she epitomizes the women of Texas—to whom the state is indebted.

The Dress
This tiered dress of white silk georgette was chosen by Jean Taber to wear as a University of Texas Sweetheart in 1942. The yoke, ruffles and sleeves are trimmed with lace, and it is a little yellowed with age. The gown was purchased in Austin for only fifty dollars. Jean began dating George Sutherland while both attended Austin High School. They danced at the Avalon and saw movies at the State and the Paramount Theaters for fifty cents. When the couple decided to marry, the sweetheart dress was paired with a veil and became a wedding gown. Jean and George married in Austin, Texas in December of 1942.