Texas Transit Association

Mary Ethyl Praetz, founding board member and member emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Texoma Area Paratransit Systems passed away Sunday, October 27, 2002. Ms. Praetz was instrumental in organizing the efforts of thirteen separate senior center and community car and van transportation services into a coordinated three county transportation non-profit corporation. Chartered in 1986 to serve Fannin, Grayson and Cooke County residents, TAPS has since grown to include four additional counties (Montague, Clay, Wise and Jack), increased from the original thirteen cars and vans to 64 vans and buses, , from 65,000 to more than 300,000 annual passenger trips, and is now the parent organization to the seven county Texoma Rural Transit District. Ms. Praetz was active in many civic and public service interests. She served as one of the original Texas Silver haired Legislators where she served numerous terms and was elected President Pro-tem and Legislator of the Year. She was also the appointed representative of House District 4 to the National Silver haired Legislature. She served as National; Legislative Committee member for the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. She was a past nominee for the Friends of Texas Transit Award. Ms. Praetz was 87 years old.