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News Remembering D’An Anders
Victim Rights Advocate
Friend & Member of PAVC Officer Funderburgh Retires
On behalf of the late Fred and Nell Myers and Verna Lee Carr, PAVC was honored to ask Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo to present Officer Funderburgh with Fred Myers' 34-year old police scanner for his heartfelt community service as a symbol of our appreciation upon his retirement. Officer Funderburgh graciously accepted the scanner and will be donating it back to the Austin Police Department so that it may be placed within the APD archives. Who Was Fred Myers? Fred Myers was a longtime police dispatcher remembered for shepherding two decades of Austin police officers through trouble and turmoil. As an outgoing and friendly man, he took great pride in his police work. Rookie and veteran officers alike felt safer with Fred behind the dispatching. Fred would direct the officers' en-route to a call and not know where the street was. How he did this nobody knew, He would advise the officers according to landmarks. This was all done from memory and all very valuable in the pre-computer age. He was a legend at the Austin Police Department and was known as Badge #9. Fred, along with his wife Nell, turned a personal tragedy into a statewide crusade for victim rights after the murder of their daughter Cydney, in 1979. While Nell founded and guided People Against Violent Crime (PAVC), Fred worked behind the scenes, taking crime victims to lunch, raising money and doing all the necessary paper work for the organization.
2012 Volunteer of the Year Award Carolyn Egan Carolyn Egan has volunteered with PAVC for the past 10 years. Through her special talents she has turned the tragedy of her mother's and sister's murder into a positive change for her community. The greatest gift she gives is her spirit of compassion along with her generous nature of giving of herself. Her dedication to considering the needs of the victims and those she works around is worthy of being honored and emulated. Carolyn is an identifiable team player when it comes to pitching in to help place the wheels in motion. PAVC has always been able to count on Carolyn when others were unable to fulfill their responsibilities and has helped take up the slack wherever the need arises. She has assisted with important administrative tasks, responds to hotline calls with reaching out to assist victims in need, or any number of other important tasks. She has accomplished all this as a volunteer quietly behind the scenes with no public recognition. Her service in the face of adversity is exemplary of the attributes that PAVC honors
Suzanne was a true pioneer of the victims’ movement and was not only a colleague, but a personal friend to many of the victim advocates across Texas. We each have our own stories of the impact Suzanne made in our journey through life. There is no doubt that all who knew her were flooded with instant memories upon hearing of her death and she helped us in ways she probably never even knew. She was accessible to anyone with a question, no matter their status. It is as if I can hear her with one of her favorite quotes, “Darlin, remember you can not save the world.” Her support and encouragement for the past 30 years has meant so much to all of us within People Against Violent Crime (PAVC) and Suzanne was a professional and personal friend to PAVC so it is truly impossible to express the deep sorrow we feel over her death. Suzanne contacted PAVC in November 2011 to inform us that due to circumstances surrounding medical issues she was facing, she would not be able to attend the Tree of Angels (TOA) in December and she needed to be in Houston -- the big “C” had returned. This would be the first TOA she missed since it’s inception in 1991. Even though she did not attend that year, she mailed a donation for the TOA in loving memory of her mother, Annie and friend, Nell. When looking back over the winter and spring months following our telephone conversation, it is hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for her during her illness and treatments to continue to work and attend so many meetings. Suzanne simply never wanted to let her colleagues down. Suzanne always encouraged us to stretch, to think, to achieve, to fight for what we believed in and continue the legacy of teaching the next generation of how to be a productive and effective advocate. Over the past three decades, Suzanne brought meaning to the words “justice” and “passion” and because of that, she leaves behind a remarkable body of good works that will enable all who follow her to carry on a noble cause for generations to come. As we continue to remember and honor Suzanne’s life, it is important that we go forth and hold in our hearts her prayer and our prayer…that victims begin to see themselves as survivors who will have the courage that arises from the ashes of unspeakable pain to carry them through the wreckage of their lives. We must take a lesson from her to honor the experience we have had with her wisdom and knowledge. As advocates, we can honor Suzanne’s memory by forming a human chain of promise and courage and rededicate ourselves to be the best advocate to the victims of this great state. Suzanne McDaniel’s' contribution to our lives and our time will be remembered by how she made a place for telling each victim’s story and a place for justice for victims. She has been a champion in the greatest sense of the word…she will be missed and has more than earned her wings.
The following documents are stored in PDF Format. To view them you must have Adobe's Acrobat PDF Reader. If you do not have this software you may download and install it from Adobe's website. New PACV BrochureClick here to download our New Brochure. Texas 82nd Legislature in now in session.Click here to go to their website.News from the 80th Texas Legislature
Click here to read the "Crime Victim Compensation Report" to the 80th Texas Legislature for the Legislative Budget Board, or you may download it by clicking with the right mouse button and select "Save target as..." or "Save as..." depending on your browser.
News from the 79th Legislature
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