WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Mary Taylor Previte was a dedicated public servant who tirelessly served the people of the 6th Legislative District and the State of New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte was born on September 7, 1932, in Kaifeng, Henan, China; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte spent more than three years of her childhood as a prisoner of Japanese forces in the Weihsien Concentration Camp; and

WHEREAS, Assmeblywoman Previte earned a Bachelor’s degree from Greenville College in Illinois, and a Master’s degree from Glassboro State College, which is now Rowan University; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte would live and work for most of her life in Camden County; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte served as an English teacher at Camden High School, was later elected to the Voorhees Board of Education in 1965, and then served as a trustee on the Haddonfield Board of Education from 1972 to 1974; and

WHEREAS, in 1974, Assemblywoman Previte was appointed to serve as superintendent of the Camden County Youth Detention Center, a position she held for over 30 years; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, Assemblywoman Previte became the first female president of the New Jersey Juvenile Detention Association; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte was elected in 1997 to the New Jersey General Assembly, where she served for eight years representing New Jersey’s 6th Legislative District; and

WHEREAS, during her tenure in the General Assembly, Assemblywoman Previte chaired the Assembly Family, Women and Children’s Services Committee, focusing heavily on criminal justice issues during her tenure in the New Jersey Legislature, and served on the Federal Relations and the Regulated Professions and Independent Authorities Committees; and

WHEREAS, during her time as Chair of the Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Services, Assemblywoman Previte sponsored legislation that established drug-free school zones and fought for legislation strengthening a town’s ability to hold alleged drunk drivers in custody until they became sober; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte served as a champion of children in foster care, sentencing reform, and improved prison conditions for women, tirelessly advocating for underrepresented residents in New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, following the conclusion of Assemblywoman Previte’s service in the Assembly, she continued to devote her life to children and the community, speaking at schools and neighborhood groups about her time in a concentration camp; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte worked tirelessly throughout her career to enhance poltical discourse and unite the community; and

WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Previte’s presence will be sorely missed by her family, including her daughter, Alice, and two brothers, John and Herbert, her countless friends, her colleagues, and by the people of New Jersey whom she served so well; and

WHEREAS, it is with great sorrow that we mourn the passing of Assemblywoman Previte and extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and colleagues; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate to honor the exemplary character, outstanding achievements, and cherished memory of Assemblywoman Previte and to mark her passing;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on

Wednesday, December 4, 2019, in recognition and mourning of a dedicated and tireless public servant, Assemblywoman Mary Taylor Previte.

2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this, 22nd day of November, Two Thousand and Nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two Hundred and Forty-Fourth.

Philip D. Murphy

Governor

Attest:

Matthew J. Platkin

Chief Counsel to the Governor