A bit of my family history. This is my grandmother. She had a great part in shaping me into the strong independent woman I am today.

Betty Jean Drake

June 29, 1924- Sept 4, 2012

She was a prominent Orange business woman, who with her husband Earl, owned and operated One Hour Park Avenue Cleaners for many years. Betty, in her youth, was a wonderful nurse. She earned her nursing degree from Charleston General Hospital School of Nursing. As polio raged in America in the 1940′s, 4 cases developed in Orange. Nurse Elizabeth Kenny, (“Sister Kenny”) of Australia, who was played by Rosalind Russell in the movie about her life, had worked out a system of treatment for polio which was very controversial at the time. She advocated massage to “reawaken” paralyzed muscles. She traveled to America to teach at the University of West Virginia where Betty was one of her students.

There were only two nurses in this area who were trained to treat polio. They were also trained to operate the iron lung that breathed for polio patients. In case of electrical outage, the iron lung had to be pumped by hand and many times Betty or the late Ruby Coffin, did the job of operating the giant machine. One would pump for 2 hours and then the other would take over, sometimes through the night. Through the years, Betty used her nursing skills to help many patients, neighbors, friends and strangers.

A loving, fun and generous wife, mother, and grandmother she was bright and talented and an outstanding volunteer in the community. She was actively involved in her children’s activities throughout their school years and worked vigorously in the PTA. She was a patriot and dearly loved her country. She was also a hard working child advocate for the State of Texas and was part of Gov. Mark White’s Council of Volunteers. She gained a reputation as a dynamic speaker and lay expert in child abuse/neglect, child pornography and family violence.

She was allowed into Texas prisons in order to interview prisoners to learn their histories and the reasons they were abusers and found that 80% had been abused themselves. In 1982 she was featured in a two page story about her work and the Houston Post wrote a half page article on her in the fall of 1982. At her insistence, U.S. Senator John Tower of Texas sponsored a bill passed in the Senate proclaiming the week of June 6-12 that year as “National Child Abuse Prevention week”.

To encourage the success of public awareness in ’84-86, Texas Gov. Mark White awarded her, as a member of the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs”, working on behalf of children, a grant of $14,500.00. She was on the Governor’s Coordination Committee to Facilitate Organ Transplants. She was also a proud member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and many other worthy organizations.  She is also a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas charged with remembering Texas treasures.