Betty Mary Smith Goetting

Betty Mary Smith Goetting (1897-1980) was a leading activist in the El Paso community and supported many social and civic projects, supported women's rights and participated in the birth control movement. Born in Jefferson, Texas, the family moved to El Paso in 1910. Goetting (then Smith) graduated from El Paso High School. She then worked as a librarian in the El Paso Public Library, where she became a close friend of the head librarian, Maud Durlin Sullivan. To continue her education she left El Paso but returned and married Charles A. Goetting. They had two sons. In the 1920s Betty Mary became very active in the community: Together with other women, she organized a book and a history club, and she was involved in the birth control movement. In 1937, along with other activists, Goetting opened the El Paso Mothers’ Health Center (later called Planned Parenthood Center of El Paso), and she was named its first president. In its early days, the Center offered birth control, educational materials, and marital counseling. Goetting also served in other organizations, such as the Woman’s Club of El Paso, the El Paso Community Chest Council, the El Paso County Historical Society and many more. Goetting received many awards for her dedication, amongst them the Margaret Sanger Award in 1966.

Area: Central / El Paso High