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“RECOGNIZING MRS. MARY FREEMAN KELLER ZERVIGON, A CHERISHED PUBLIC SERVANT FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA CELEBRATING HER LIFE AS A TIRELESS CIVIC ACTIVIS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the in the Extensions of Remarks section section on page E913 on Sept. 13.
The Department handles nearly all infrastructure crisscrossing the country. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department should be privatized to save money, reduce congestion and spur innovation.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING MRS. MARY FREEMAN KELLER ZERVIGON, A CHERISHED PUBLIC SERVANT FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA CELEBRATING HER LIFE AS A TIRELESS
CIVIC ACTIVIST AND FIXTURE AT CITY HALL FOR DECADES
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HON. TROY A. CARTER
of louisiana
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to an outstanding, cherished public servant from my home State of Louisiana. My dear friend, Mrs. Mary Freeman Keller Zervigon was an amazing human being, that left us far too soon. She passed away on August 27, 2022 surrounded by her loving family .
A lifelong New Orleanian, Mrs. Zervigon was a policy leader, philanthropist and beloved civic leader who held posts in two mayoral administrations and spent countless hours serving on civic boards working to improve the city. She lived her life doing what she believed was the right thing to do.
Raised with civic activism in her DNA, her grandfather A.B. Freeman, who led the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co., was too a civic leader and philanthropist. Her mother, Mrs. Rosa Freeman Keller, was an outspoken advocate of racial justice whose accomplishments included desegregating New Orleans' public libraries.
At the time of her death, Mary was president of the Board of Liquidation, City Debt, and a member of Xavier University of Louisiana's Board of Trustees, the governing boards of New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School, the Jesuit Social Research Institute and the School Leadership Center. She also served on the Public Affairs Research Council's research committee.
For much of her life, Mary worked full-time. When Moon Landrieu served as mayor, she was his executive assistant, then director of the city's Transportation Department. During Sidney Barthelemy's mayoral administration, she served as the city's lobbyist in Baton Rouge. Her ability to cut right to the chase made her an ideal lobbyist representing New Orleans during tough Legislative sessions. From 1988 to 1992, Mary also served as chairwoman of the Louisiana Tax Commission.
She was a trustee of one family foundation and the president of another. Although Mary's work with those charities was public, she also gave generously--and anonymously--to many other causes and organizations.
Mary may have been humble, but she was hardly a doormat, said former first lady Sybil Morial, who worked with her on the New Orleans Science and Math High School Board. ``She spoke her mind,'' Morial said. ``She had a lot of qualities her mother had. . . . I had great admiration for her because she was so frank.''
A lifelong New Orleanian, Mary graduated from the Isidore Newman School. She did not finish college until after she married Luis Mario Zervigon, had five children, and later divorced. Then she enrolled at Loyola University New Orleans, where she earned undergraduate and law degrees.
In 1973, Mary was a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention. Other civic activities in her resume included memberships on the Sewerage & Water Board, the Human Relations Commission and the boards of the Bureau of Governmental Research, the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, the Metropolitan Area Committee, Loyola University New Orleans, and the Girl Scouts Louisiana East. She also served as a Girl Scout troop leader.
In recognition of her tireless service, Mary received the Alexis de Tocqueville Award, the highest honor from the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, and the Hannah G. Solomon Award from the National Council of Jewish Women.
She is survived by three sons, Andres Zervigon of New York City and Carlos and Luis Zervigon, both of New Orleans; two daughters, Alicia Zervigon of New Orleans and Rosa Landry of Abita Springs; 12 grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Madam Speaker, I am humbled to have crossed Mary Freeman Keller Zervigon's path during my lifetime. The support and guidance I received from her during my professional career will be something I will cherish forever. I am humbly grateful for all she has done to serve so many that crossed her path. I am honored to celebrate Mary as a true leader in the great State of Louisiana.
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