Speaking of individuals who make a difference in the community—quietly and without fanfare—Elverna Graeber, the Needville senior citizen who marched on the establishment, is one of them. From what I understand Mrs. Graeber has volunteered her time and energy to the seniors in the Needville area for 40 years. She says she became involved in providing for the local seniors through the church and ultimately became one of those seniors herself. You’d never know it when you talk to her. Her enthusiasm and energy far exceed some younger folks. She is plucky; to say the least and not one bit shy. Quietly she gets the job done without any expectation of a reward. But don’t step on her toes! She proved that last week when she organized an unofficial protest group to demand answers and solutions to the closing of the senior citizen’s center in Needville.

Plucky is good!

For those of us who have been in the community and the media for quite some time, it is something like the Sgt. Ron Slockett memorial on July 2 that really brings it home. On the morning of July 4, twenty years ago, Sgt. Slockett, a Sugar Land patrolman, was gunned down during a routine traffic stop on Highway 90-A. I covered the story and it was heartbreaking. Sugar Land was a teeny town then and the police department was very small. It hit hard. Crime was something that happened elsewhere and a crime of this magnitude was unheard of, so the community responded as only a small-town can. They mourned his loss and a park was named for him. When the notification of the event was sent out, memories of that fateful and tragic day came flooding back like it was yesterday.