Thanks, Norma, For All You Do!

by Those Who Know Her Best

A Profile of Norma Hackler, LAD Coordinator
Comments (and funny stories) from Eula Ewing (mother), Craig Hackler (husband) Gwen Keran (sister), Nancy C. McLaughlin, CLAS, Publications Chair, Javan Johnson, current LAD President, Lisa Sprinkle, CLAS, Immediate Past-President, Michele Boerder, Chair of the Division 1990-91, Sally Andress, LAD President 1995–1996, Debra Crosby, Director Dist. 5 (San Antonio) and Chair of the Long Range Planning Taskforce.

You see her at every Legal Assistants Division event. At seminars, she is the one directing the hotel staff to make sure that our meeting rooms are set up correctly . . . our vendors have their booth space and are happy with the setup . . . we have snacks and drinks during our breaks . . . we have our lunch on time . . . seminar books are ready and organized. However, prior to our arrival at the hotel, she has already made all the arrangements for blocks of rooms for overnight attendees, the "break out" or seminar and vendor rooms have been reserved, food has been ordered, speaker papers have been received and forwarded to the printer, volunteers have been recruited.

Directors and officers of LAD find that she is the one who has made arrangements for their meetings by again arranging for the rooms for their stay and for the meetings.

She is the one who always receives the loudest round of applause, and quite a few cheers, when whomever is running the show thanks those who have helped organize the event.

Who is this person? For those of you who don’t know Norma Hackler, the LAD Coordinator, you must really be out of the loop. Although we have officers, directors, committee chairs and volunteers, Norma is the one who takes care of the day-to-day business of our organization. And, I think we would all agree, we couldn’t do it without her. We sometimes joke that we need to take out insurance on Norma because if anything should happen to her, we would be up the proverbial creek.

Although I had met Norma and seen her at the various LAD functions over the years, I had not had any close dealings with her until I became the Publications chair for the Division. Right after taking over the position, I was informed that at a Board meeting, someone had recruited someone else to obtain articles for my first issue of the Texas Paralegal Journal. Prior to the change in format of the magazine, this was the way it was done. One person usually gathered up all the articles relevant to the theme of the upcoming issue. So I really didn’t think much about it, in fact, it was somewhat of a relief as I had not had the opportunity to talk to my committee to make any assignments.

However, when the deadline for articles passed and I still didn’t have any, I became concerned. When I could not get the person who was "supposedly" responsible for obtaining the articles to return my calls, I was REALLY concerned. It was my first issue and I had NO articles. When I finally reached the person responsible, she informed me that she had not been able to find anyone to write. We are now in Panic Mode. Not knowing what to do, I called Norma. Did she panic? No, of course not. The word is not in her vocabulary. Instead, she pulled out an old seminar book which covered the topic of the upcoming issue, got on the phone and called several of the contributors and obtained permission to edit and then run their papers for the TPJ. I didn’t ask her to do this, she volunteered.

Although I have not run into this problem since, it has not been all smooth sailing with Publications. Norma has been instrumental in our "new and improved" web site (lad.org). When we had problems with our former web master, Norma found a new one and she has been fantastic! I call on Norma to help me figure out who is who in the pictures we run in the magazine. Why, because she knows almost everyone in them. When I’m concerned about the budget, she is always there to help me figure out how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it. I won’t even go into all the really inane questions I’m sure I’ve asked in the past. I guess what I really appreciate the most, is she never loses her temper and she never makes me feel dumb. I know that the LAD publications would not be what they are without Norma’s help.

When Javan Johnson, LAD’s current President, suggested that we "Profile" Norma, I thought it was a great idea. Javan contacted several past and present Board members and asked for their comments. Many responded and their tributes follow.

However, I also wanted to obtain information on Norma—the daughter, sister, wife and mother. With the help of her husband, Craig, and her mother and sister, Eula Moses and Gwen Keran, respectively, we were able to find out some information about Norma outside of her duties with the LAD. And, yes, surprisingly she has a life away from the office.

Norma’s mom relates the following:  Norma Moses was born on March 11, 1950 in DeRidder, Louisiana. Although the family moved around quite a bit, Norma always had lots of friends and became involved in school activities—GA’s, Sunday school, and in high school, editor of the school paper and a drum majorette. She also enjoyed dancing lessons with jazz being her favorite. Norma even made her own costumes and choreographed her own dance numbers for recitals!

After completing high school, Norma attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana from which she graduated in 1972 with a degree in Home Economics. She had a couple of jobs (one of which was in a law firm—perhaps a foretelling of the future?) before going to work for Louisiana Senator John Breaux in Washington, D.C. While in D.C., Norma met her future husband, Craig.

Eula says that she would describe her daughter as "ambitious"; goes after things she wants; and, loves her family.

Norma’s sister, Gwen, gave us more insight into Norma. Gwen relates that Norma was and is the ambitious and independent one in the family. When they were young (younger?), Norma was the tomboy, always outside playing in the dirt (literally). Eula would get her all cleaned up and dressed to go somewhere and no sooner did she turn her head than Norma was outside playing and they would have to start over. Norma’s hair was "white as snow" when she was young, so this made the dirt all the more noticeable.

No matter where they lived Norma always fit it. As mentioned earlier, the family moved around and lived in several locations in "Cajun country." When Norma was about seven years old, she asked her mother if she could go to a wedding with a friend. Mom said "yes" thinking that the child would only be gone for a few hours. However, in that part of the country, a wedding is also a party. When Norma didn’t return home at what mother thought was a reasonable hour, she went looking for her. Norma was found with the wedding party, dancing on a table in a local bar. Gwen relates that "Mother was not amused."

Gwen says that although Norma became interested in "girly" things as she got older, she still remained to an extent a tomboy. Although she was a majorette, took dancing lessons and was a home economics major, she also played softball in high school. Norma was also an honors student.

Always independent, Gwen says that Norma was the only one in the family who would have considered moving all the way to Washington, D.C. without knowing anyone else in the city.

Craig, Norma’s husband, says that when he worked in Washington, D.C. as lobbyist, he only dated women on Capitol Hill because they were the pretty ones. He first met Norma through a former associate and got to know her better when they played on the same softball team. They began dating in the early 1980’s and got married in 1986. Since they preferred to raise a family in Texas rather than D.C., they moved back to Austin, Texas shortly after their marriage. Norma took some time off before returning to work at a couple of different organizations. Their child, Elizabeth, was born in 1988.

In 1989, Norma answered a newspaper ad for the new position of Executive Director of the Legal Assistants Division. After the interview, Norma asked Craig what he thought about her taking the job. "I told her from what I know about attorneys, they tend to be fairly ‘in charge’ people and sometimes overbearing. You’re going to be working with a group of primarily women who probably get beat over the head all day long by their bosses. Now they are in a position to make decisions without having someone tell them what to do, so they’re liable to use you as their scapegoat. She let that go over her head and apparently things have worked out quite well."

Craig went on to say, "To be honest, after having watched the development of the organization since Norma became involved, I’m very proud. They weren’t in great financial shape because every time they had money someone would find a way to spend it. So I’ve watched it develop into very substantial organization. I’m very impressed with what she has done..."

Does Norma look at her position as "just a job?" "Norma doesn’t look at anything as ‘just’ something. She gets involved. For instance, with Elizabeth’s girl scout troop, she’s not just supportive, she’s one of the scout leaders and has been since Elizabeth became involved in the Girl Scouts. With the LAD she couldn’t just sit back and watch it tread water, she got in there and tried to make it better and from what I’ve seen, she has," was her proud husband’s reply.

Other than Elizabeth’s scout troop does Norma have any other interests?

"Yes," Craig stated, "she’s tried to expand what she’s doing with the LAD by going into meeting planning. She got into meeting planning largely as a result of organizing the LAD seminars. She found that she enjoyed that so she studied, went to the study groups, and took the meeting planner’s test and now she has the designation of Certified Meeting Planner."

They actually have a test? With a laugh, Craig replied, "She can tell you that if you have a meeting of ten people, you need ten chairs. I kidded her terribly about what do they ask: How big a table do you use for four people or twelve people. But kidding aside, it’s apparently much more involved than that. She’s learned how to negotiate contracts with hotels and how to deal with them."

What does Norma like to do? What would be her perfect evening? Craig said she would enjoy Disneyworld, going to the theater and movies and she enjoys reading about civil rights issues.

What about travel? Craig said, "4 star hotels with room service. We went to Europe in 1999. We spent a week in London and a week in Paris and took some side trips. I think we are going back and spend a couple of weeks in Brussels where one of her friend’s husband is working. She would like to see more of Europe."

Craig says Norma is pretty good at organizing her time. She is on the local board of Meeting Planner’s International. She attends the Parent’s of Choir Members meetings once a month and she volunteers him to work for the choir on fund raising day at the school. She has in the past served on the board of their local homeowners association.

If tomorrow, Norma decided to do something different, have her ideal job, what would it be? With a chuckle, Craig replied, "A domestic engineer with a maid. Seriously, I think she would like to be more involved with charitable and community organizations. Perform more volunteer work."

What do you and Norma want to do when you retire? "Norma would like to travel," Craig said. "I don’t mind traveling, but I prefer to travel in a different manner than Norma. I’m more interested in what’s going on on the street. Norma would rather go shopping, attend the cultural activities, things like that. I like that, but I also like the more basic stuff."

I asked, "In other words you wouldn’t have to have a 4 star hotel?"

"No, I’ll give you an example," Craig stated, again with a laugh. "I finally talked her into going camping in Colorado one summer. As we were driving away she said ‘You know, that was a lot of fun. Maybe next time we could find a condo we could rent. I’d like to come back if we could find a condo to rent.’"

"I know that she has taken the Girl Scouts on a couple of camping trips," I stated. "As her motherly duty," was Craig’s dry reply.

I asked, "Is there anything that you would like people to know about Norma?"

Craig said, "Norma cares a lot about the appearance as well as the results of her projects. She wants to make sure that they not only succeed, but they appear as though they have been done well and are well organized and the presentation is good."

As an example of her independence and ethics, Craig said, "I remember her telling me that when she went off to college her father told her that all he expected her to get out of college was a husband. Apparently that really ticked her off and she refused to take any money from her father. She worked and paid her own way."

The three words Craig would use to describe his wife: Organized. Independent. Caring.

Now that we have covered her "personal" life and probably caused her considerable embarrassment, we want to share the thoughts of several past and current officers and directors of the LAD.

Javan Johnson, current LAD President:  I have had the honor of getting to work closely with Norma Hackler for the past six years, first as Membership Chair, then as a Board member, and now as President of the Division. I cannot begin to express how vital Norma is to our Division. I know that many of you have spoken with Norma over the phone, or have e-mailed her with various questions or requests. This profile is meant to share Norma with you, and let you appreciate her role in our Division, as much as those of us who have worked closely with her. The Board of Directors and Committee Chairs get to know Norma very well, but the rest of our membership typically does not.

Let me first share that Norma is one of the most detailed and organized people I have ever known, but her qualities far exceed those. She does not just treat the Division as her "job". She truly takes everything about the Division to her heart, and goes over and above in every single effort. She guides the Officers, Board and Committee Chairs and members every step of the way through the Division’s business. Norma has now gone the extra mile, and on her own this past year has studied and passed to become a Certified Meeting Planner. How does this help the Division? All of the Division’s business, as well as our Legal Assistant’s University evolves through a meeting process which involves hotel stays, meeting rooms, banquet, audio/visual coordination, coordination of participants, and so forth. This is a huge process each and every meeting or event that the Division participates in, and Norma has made it her business to bring more knowledge and wisdom to the Division by helping us save costs for our meetings. So, the Norma we have working with us is many things, sincere, wise, faithful, devoted, meticulous, conscientious, persistent, and thorough, but most of all, she has become a very good friend to many of us.

Norma, on behalf of myself, and a decade of LAD members, thank you so much for all that you do, and for being who you are. Simply put, you are the absolute best!

Lisa Sprinkle, CLAS, Immediate Past-President:  At first LAD board meeting I attended, I both intimidated and awed. I had met Norma Hackler. I knew right from the beginning that Norma was an intelligent, take-charge kind of woman. It was immediately evident how much she cared about the Division. As the years on the board went by, Norma and I became close friends. We discussed politics and agreed to disagree on the subject. We talked about our husbands and daughters and about our pasts. I knew I could always trust and count on Norma. If she told me she would do something, it was as good as done. While I was president, Norma was my sounding board, a cheerleader, a constructive critic and a very dear friend. No one realizes the value of her commitment to the Division. I, however, realize her value as my friend. I will always treasure that.

Michele Boerder, District 2—Dallas Board Member 1989–91 and Chair of the Division Board of Directors 1990–91:  In any group, organization, or association, there is usually one behind-the-scenes person who does much more than any one realizes, and, whose work and effort is a bedrock for much activity and progress. As the Chair of the first Legal Assistants Division Board to have the benefit of Norma Hackler’s services, I can, from personal experience, profess that Norma is this person for the Division!

After the Division was created by the State Bar of Texas, its Board of Directors was initially appointed by the State Bar. Thereafter, elections were held in each District. The executive committee of the Legal Assistants Division and what was then the "Chairman of the Board" were positions elected by the Board of Directors. (Currently, the position of "President" is the presiding officer). It was the Chair’s responsibility to not only set the agenda, but also to assemble and distribute the materials and attachments for each Board meeting, post-meeting reports and a myriad of other Board correspondence. These, folks, were the days before e-mail and the Internet!

I remember Cathrue Benoit, former Chair from Beaumont, recalling how she would fill her firm’s conference room table to prepare for a Board mail out. I also remember the days when I lined my living room floor with materials to be collated for the Board (trying to keep my 7 month old from drooling all over them!) Then, alas, came Norma to our rescue.

Norma Hackler has kept the Division "centered," providing a constant repository of information for the past ten years. In 1989, the Board of Directors realized that the administrative tasks and Division oversight needed was more than could be fulfilled by the Chair/President, who also had a full-time legal assistant job. It appointed a special committee, chaired by Jan Soderman/Austin, to investigate such a person to help the Division in day to day management. In the spring of 1990, the special committee completed a review of resumes and brought several candidates to the Board meeting in Galvestion, Texas to be interviewed by the Board of Directors. After interviewing Norma, we knew we had the perfect candidate!

I liken Norma to a "resident chief-of-staff," who never gets replaced with a change of Presidents! Now with a decade of experience, Norma is able to counsel the Board and provide historical information as well as guidance based upon that experience, which are valuable tools for the Division’s leadership. Many of the important projects that have been accomplished by the Division have had the guiding hand of Norma Hackler behind them.

So, to Norma Hackler, the LAD’s "behind-the-scenes" supporter, many kudos and accolades for all your efforts for the LAD. Here’s to another ten years!

Sally Andress, Board Member 1992–1996; LAD President 1995–1996:  My four years on the LAD Board, and the time previous to my being on the Board when I was serving on committees, could not have happened without the help of Norma. Norma was invaluable to me as President. She always has the best interest of the Division at heart and goes the extra mile to ensure its success. The Division would not be where it is today—a national leader among paralegals—without Norma Hackler. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with her, and to call her my friend.

Debra Crosby, Director Dist. 5 (San Antonio) and Chair of the Long Range Planning Taskforce:  Keep in mind that this is all hard to say, without hyperbole. I don’t want to sound maudlin or trite, but Norma is so amazing that it’s difficult for me to put this into words. Although most members of the LAD know, at least remotely, who Norma Hackler is, and many have corresponded and/or spoken with her when they need information or help, a few of us have been privileged to see, up close, what Norma really means to all of us. When I first served on the board of directors, from 1991–1995, I got my first glimpse of the efficient, no-nonsense woman who was Executive Director. I was intimidated at first, but she was always very accessible to me and very informative. I was in awe of the functioning of the board as a whole, but after awhile I became aware of how much Norma contributed to the smooth functioning of its meetings.

However, I did not become intimately involved with the day-to-day workings of the board until I served as Chair, from 1993–1995. It was then that I got to know Norma best, and to appreciate all she did, not only for the board, but for all of the members as well.

I always said that Norma made us all look good. She was never short of ideas that she was willing to credit someone else with, and her enthusiasm for the Division and its goals has never wavered. I sometimes felt ashamed that we as board members didn’t have half the energy or enthusiasm that Norma did. Of course, she is paid, and we are merely volunteers, but her devotion and loyalty to each board and for the Division are sincere, and her job is much more than just a paycheck to her. Each year I am more and more amazed at what she contributes, and at her commitment to the Division.

Norma is all business, but she is also a warm and intelligent (and very funny!) human being. She is a tireless professional, and is always there for all of us. I always told her that if she ever left, I’d go too, because I honestly don’t know how we could ever replace her. I just wish all of our members could know Norma the way I do. She is a treasure, and we should all let her know how important she is to us, and how much we appreciate all she is, and does. Thanks a million, Norma. You’re the best!

By the way, Norma, you can thank your Mom for furnishing us with all the pictures!