Article and photo courtesy of Lucy Parker (Bogalusa Daily News)
Retired educator Linda Smith Crain is the 2013 Citizen of the Year for Franklinton.
The selection was made Monday, June 2, by a group of past Citizen of the Year honorees assembled in the Varnado Store Museum annex.
Once the voting process was complete,
the group made some calls and discovered the honoree was at work at
Crain Funeral Home, a business that is owned by Crain and her husband,
Robert.
Thus, the members of the group jumped in their cars and went there to surprise her with the news.
Looking around at the others who have
been named the Citizen of the Year, Crain said it makes her proud to be
recognized among that distinguished group.
“I’m very humbled by this honor,” she said.
And as soon as she heard, she called her
husband of 44 years to share the news with him. He told her he was so
proud of her, she said.
Crain had a 30-year career in the
Washington Parish School System, retiring 12 years ago as the principal
at Franklinton Junior High. She also spent 15 years as a classroom
teacher and is a past Enon Elementary principal.
“I loved every minute of it,” she said. “I was associated with so many hard-working and dedicated professionals.”
After her retirement, Crain got a chance
to do a little traveling and has been able to spend lots of time with
her grandchildren.
She and her husband have three children
and seven grandchildren. She said she thoroughly enjoys being a MeMe and
being involved in her grandchildren’s activities.
Her daughter, Susan Crain Bonner, and son-in-law, Chris, live in Mandeville with their children, Caroline and Christopher.
Her son, Rob Crain, and his wife,
Kristi, live in Franklinton and have three boys, Wesley, Andrew and
Jacob, while her son, Matt, and his wife, Heather, reside in Hernando,
Miss., and have two children, Hannah Grace and Wilson.
A lifelong Franklinton resident, Crain said she loves the
small-town atmosphere in the Fair City. She said she likes how she knows
the people she sees in the grocery store, for instance.
“That’s the good thing about living in a small town — you know so many people,” she said.
Crain is an active member of First
Baptist Church of Franklinton. She teaches the Ruth Sunday school class,
helps facilitate a women’s Bible studies group at the church and is a
member of the hand bell choir, in addition to her service to numerous
other committees.
Franklinton High graduate Crain earned
bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees in education at Southeastern
Louisiana University and Louisiana State University.
She is the current vice president of the
Washington Parish Retired Teachers’ Association and is presently
serving as parliamentarian of Delta Kappa Gamma International Society,
Beta Rho Chapter, a professional organization for women educators.
She is also a member of several
social/civic clubs: the Waverly Club, of which she is a past president
and current treasurer, the Winbury Club and the Magnolia Belles.
Past Citizen of the Year Mike Gill said
Crain has made a great contribution to the community through her work in
the schools and her church.
Further, he noted that the Citizen of the Year recognition is a way to show good deeds don’t go unnoticed.
“That’s what makes the community — all the good deeds everyone does,” he said.
In her nomination letter, Karen Spears
of Franklinton discussed Crain’s dedication to her family and church and
her active involvement in various community endeavors.
“Linda goes above and beyond the call to
duty,” Spears wrote. “Her unspoken motto must surely be, ‘If a job is
worth doing, then it must be done well!’ Close to perfection better
suits her.
“I am pleased to nominate Linda Crain for Citizen of the Year. I feel she is most deserving of this honor.”
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| Linda Smith Crain, at right, is congratulated by past Franklinton Citizens of the Year Terry Seal and Mary Jo Poole. |
