About the Candidate

Rebecca Paddock

Rebecca Paddock was born in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. Her father was a computer scientist and musician. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom, then went to college and retired after serving the US Army as a civil servant.

Rebecca graduated with a B.S. degree in 1986 from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and then received an M.S. degree in 1987 from North Texas State University. She graduated in the last class before the name changed to University of North Texas.

In 1986, Rebecca came to Texas. She has been a proud Texan ever since. She worked at E-Systems, Raytheon E-Systems, and then Raytheon in positions including: Electrical Engineer, Program Manager, Capture Manager, Engineering Manager, and Regional Manager.

A dedicated Texan and proud American, Rebecca seeks to serve the citizens of Texas, and the cause of freedom for all Americans, in the US Senate representing the State of Texas.

My Hero

My personal hero and inspiration is Violet S. Riker. I didn’t call her “Violet,” though. I called her “Grammy.” This amazing woman was my maternal grandmother. A loving and caring person, she was also a powerhouse. If she saw something that needed to be done, she stepped up to the plate and made things happen. I couldn’t possibly write the history of the library named in her honor better than Ms. Mikowski, so I’ll provide the link: here

After a full career as a librarian, she started on another adventure: helping the handicapped. She accomplished that with both the flair and award-winning style for which she was so well-known. Grammy is quoted as saying, “I love people and challenges. All someone has to do is say that it can’t be done, and I’ll do my utmost to see that it is.” Those weren’t just words. She meant what she said.

Ms. Mikowski’s description of my grandmother as “a woman with a love for helping people, full of energy, creative ideas and enthusiasm that inspired many volunteers to bring those ideas to fruition” is spot on. On top of all that, she was always up for some fun. From coloring, to dress up, to going out dancing (while in a wheelchair, no less!), whatever the adventure, Grammy was the first one to join in. Actually, she was probably the one who came up with the idea. Violet Riker was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever been fortunate enough to meet. To have her as a grandmother was a gift beyond measure.