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Insurance Travel Information
 Nelson Norman
El Cajon, California
Year Retired: 1988
Years of service: 44 years as a college and high school history teacher
HOW HE FIRST GOT INVOLVED: Norman learned the importance of political activism from his Republican parents, who made sure he cast his absentee ballots “the right way” in state and national elections. After college, he shifted his support primarily to Democratic candidates.
But Norman never has considered himself a strict party-line voter. He credits his experience on his high school and college debate teams for helping him understand “there are two or more sides to every question,” he says. That philosophy carried into his teaching career, especially at Fresno State University where he advised the university’s Young Democrats club and regularly addressed the Young Republicans’ group too. Norman also took his activism into the community. During the 1956 presidential election, Norman volunteered on C. Estes Kefauver’s campaign for the Democratic nomination, providing on-site support during the candidate’s public appearances.
WHAT HE’S DOING NOW: At age 90, Nelson admits he no longer “pounds the bricks, ringing doorbells” advocating for the causes and candidates he supports. Instead he shares his political views with more than 100 friends and colleagues, of both political parties, through a weekly e-mail newsletter he has written since 1997.
WHAT MATTERS MOST TO HIM: Health care reform, immigration policy, and the economy top Norman’s list of crucial political issues. But, he believes politicians should focus less on individual issues and more on serving all of their constituents.
 Agnes Chavis
Pembroke, North Carolina
Year Retired: 1990
Years of service: 40 years as an elementary and adult education teacher
HOW SHE GETS ACTIVE: As a campaign manager, Chavis helped a local candidate become the first American Indian elected to serve as a circuit court judge in Robeson County. Chavis also spent the last two years on the government relations committee for the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE). As a committee member Chavis interviewed political candidates and developed recommendations for NCAE members about which candidates to support in state and national elections.
WHAT MATTERS MOST TO HER: “Health care reform is very important to me,” Chavis says. “We have so many people in my county who don’t have health insurance.”
WHAT SHE WANTS YOU TO KNOW: “A lot of people say they don’t want to be involved in anything after they retire. They just want to relax,” says Chavis. “I want to say to them, ‘Do you appreciate the cost-of-living benefits we get? Do you enjoy the health care we have?’ If we weren’t involved we wouldn’t have all that we have.”
 Johnnie Archibeque
Bernalillo, New Mexico
Year Retired: 1993
Years of service: 15 years as a school maintenance worker and custodian
HOW HE FIRST GOT INVOLVED: Archibeque was a strong advocate for public education even before he worked as a school employee. In 1939, while working as a bill clerk in the New Mexico Statehouse, Archibeque met former New Mexico state legislator Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven. After she introduced legislation advocating for free public school textbooks, Archibeque knew he wanted to get involved too. During his years as a construction worker, Archibeque worked with his local affiliate of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America to lobby on behalf of public education. Then in 1945 and 1957, he served in the House of Representatives of the New Mexico State Legislature, where he sat on several legislative committees, including those for education and labor. &
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