Louise Crew, a retired nurse and teacher from Orange, Texas, was selected to be a Senior Legislative Intern.
She was the only Orange County person selected for the honor.
State Sen. Carl Parker started the Senior Legislative Intern program in 1978. It is based upon nominations.
Parker chose the group for the first year. Since then, each year's interns have chosen their own successors from applications.
Parker greeted Mrs. Crew and provided a daily program of legislative meetings and a tour.
Mrs. Crew is a great-grandmother. She promotes community flag-flying each Fourth of July. She was the first Senior Legislative Intern of the current legislative session in Austin.
She was quoted:
"The most interesting part was sitting in on committee meetings, hearing them discuss the pros and cons of bills coming up—and seeing how much discussion goes on before they are taken up as bills by the Legislature.
"What I plan to do now is share information with senior groups in the district. The more they are informed, the better they are able to influence the Legislature in doing what we want done.
"The only way the Legislature knows our feelings is for us to tell them."
Mrs. Crew spent a week in February at the Capitol. Parker chairs the Educational Committee. Mrs. Crew's daughter, Ann Palmer, who is interested in education, accompanied her to the Capitol.
Mrs. Crew said that Parker was "a very charming man, very popular among senators." Parker gave Mrs. Crew, at his own expense, a flag flown over the Capitol.
Mrs. Crew likes to relax with needlework and crafts. She enjoys quilting. She has won awards for her quilts and crafts at Senior Citizens Rally Days. She is also involved in community activities.
District 4 Senior Legislative Interns who will follow Mrs. Crew during the 69th Legislative session are Alfred Valdez and Juanita Whitley of Port Arthur, Thomas James Smith of Nederland, Katherine S. Enloe of Cleveland and Elmer W. Wadleigh, Bessie Whitney and Thelma P. Williams of Beaumont.
Mrs. Crew earned her LVN at Lamar University in 1953 and spent 16 years nursing. Of the 16 years,
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she spent 13 as owner of the 25-bed White Oak Nursing Home in Mauriceville.
She followed her mother into the teaching profession and taught before going into nursing. Mrs. Crew taught the combined primary grades (first through third) in a McLewis county school, where she was one of two teachers. She also taught at Magnolia Grove Elementary School in Vidor.
Mrs. Crew was quoted:
"I was teaching on my 16th birthday. That was so long ago, I can hardly remember. Back then, when you married you stopped teaching."
During her week in Austin, she was busy. It was Port Arthur Day during the week, and so she attended the Cajun Day Festival. She also met state Rep. Ron Lewis. Lewis introduced her to a member of the Committee on Aging. Mrs. Crew learned the status of Retired Senior Volunteer Program (R.S.V.P.) and nutrition programs. Concerning this, she was quoted: "Both (programs) have been allocated increased funding due to depressed economic conditions in the district."
She also attended lengthy meetings of the Finance and the Jurisprudence committees and an Intergovernmental Relations Committee hearing. In addition, she attended a meeting of the Texas Agency on Aging and heard discussion on hunger, housing and community-based care for the elderly.
Mrs. Crew is very interested in quality of life for the elderly. She is active as a volunteer with R.S.V.P. She does grocery shopping for homebound older persons. She has been recognized for the amount of hours contributed. She also works in the pantry of First Baptist Church. She screens applicants to determine need. She also serves on the ACTION committee [A Commitment to Improve Orange Now]. She is a member of Heritage House Museum and American Association of Retired People.
Here is another quotation by Mrs. Crew:
"Sen. Parker instigated R.S.V.P. to keep older people active, and to find out their needs. Parker was instrumental in getting R.S.V.P. into a bill—and it grew out of that. Now the federal government puts in money and pays coordinators."
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Exercise 20.6
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2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education