Laura M. Homer

HOMER LAURA McHALE HOMER On November 13, 2010, Laura McHale Homer, a resident of the Greater Washington, D.C. area for 25 years, passed away peacefully in her Kilmarnock, Virginia home. Her bright optimism, compassion and intellect showered love and respect on her family, friends, co-workers, caregivers and the many young people she took under her wing and under her roof. She will be missed immeasurably as she was loved. After raising five children in the 1960's, Mrs. Homer entered law school and began a legal career that culminated in her 25 years of service to the United States Federal Reserve Board. She retired as an Officer of the Board in 1996 as the Chief of Securities Regulation. In that capacity, she fought for prudent and transparent securities regulation to ensure that "securities were in fact secure." A prescient skeptic of federal regulator's hands-off approach to financial derivatives, she viewed the financial upheavals of the last three years with disappointment but not surprise. Born on October 17, 1923 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Mrs. Homer lived through the Great Depression and World War II. She served as an officer in the Watchmaker's Union after the War and was once arrested for picketing an industrial site in support of organized labor. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1948 with High Distinction and received the University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1986. In November of 1949, Mrs. Homer married Porter Wyman Homer and the two began a lifelong partnership of public service. She accompanied him to Kansas City where he served as Kansas City Budget Director and the first three of their five children were born. In Tucson, Arizona, their final two children were born and Mr. Homer served as City Manager. In her spare time, Mrs. Homer worked with the League of Women Voters to reform government and to improve living conditions for Native Americans in and around Tucson. In Rochester, New York, Mrs. Homer worked with the Catholic Charities and supported Mr. Homer's work as City Manager. In Miami, Florida, Mrs. Homer-then in her mid 40s-entered law school, continued to raise her five children and supported her husband's career as Dade County Manager. At the time, women in the law were rare. Mrs. Homer was one of only four women to graduate from the University of Miami Law School in 1968. In 1971, Mr. and Mrs. Homer moved to Alexandria, Virginia where she joined the Federal Reserve Board and he helped to found Public Technology Incorporated, a resource agency designed to advance technology solutions for state and local governments. Mrs. Homer began her work at the Federal Reserve Board in the area of consumer protection. While working at the Board, she earned a graduate degree in banking from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. She carried the lessons of the Great Depression and consumer protection to her work in securities regulation and became an Officer in the Federal Reserve System, working under four Reserve Board Chairmen, including Paul Volker. She was a recognized expert on the extension of margin credit, a key factor in ensuring safety and soundness in the financial system. She retired from the Federal Reserve Board in 1996 at a moving ceremony attended by a former Reserve Board Chair, her many colleagues and support staff from the Board, and her many friends from the banking and securities industries. Her husband, Porter W. Homer, passed away in 2002. Laura McHale Homer is survived by her five children-Katherine (John) Moore of Vienna, Virginia; Peter (Jan) Homer of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Greg (Catherine) Homer of Stevensville, Maryland; Andy Homer of Austin, Texas; and Pierce (Stacy) Homer of Richmond, Virginia-and seven grand children-Caroline and Thomas Moore; Patrick and Caitlyn Homer; Bill and Adrienne Grove; and Anna Grace Homer. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 a.m. Saturday,November 20 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church cemetery. Friends may call 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, November 19 at the CURRIE FUNERAL HOME, Kilmarnock, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Legacy Program of the Lancaster Community Library, P. O. Box 850, Kilmarnock, Virginia 22482. (This program supports adult and child literacy programs.) The family will be hosting a memorial service for Laura Homer in the Greater Washington area in early 2011.