What started as curiosity, about a potential ancestor noted to be the first white man staying on the North American shores after discovery, has become a lifelong passion and benefit to descendents of New Iberia.

Norma Strother Lester is known in many circles for volunteerism and her love for God and country. She has assisted many in the New Iberia Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution to research and find their ancestors.

“We all have a history and need to be preserving it.” Norma recounts an often used statement of a friend, “We don’t know who we are unless we know where we come from.”

Norma has been active in both state and local chapters of DAR serving 20 years as Registrar for the local chapter. She soon will pass that baton along to a younger member. Her favorite job has been as state Chaplain for three years. Currently she serves as the 1st Vice Regent in the Louisiana Society, DAR. She is instrumental in planning programs enabling local members to achieve national goals of preserving history, continuing education, and promoting patriotism.

Solving historical puzzles, whether for genealogy or programs, delights Norma evidenced by her newest self-started project. While researching a friend’s family at First United Methodist Church in New Iberia, she stumbled across a set of old journals. With permission from The Rev. Scott Bullock, Norma began personally transcribing their handwritten registry of births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths into what will become bound resources.

Beginning with dates in the 1880s, the future reference book will provide legacy links for local searches through The Iberia Parish Library as well as those conducted in the Louisiana DAR archives and the national DAR archives in Washington, D.C. As part of the ongoing historical preservation by DAR, Norma’s registry work will allow public access to formerly lost records for citizens now living in Iberia Parish as well as those no longer in the area. This is significant when most linages dating back to the 1880s were lost due to a fire at the church.

Her handiwork of genealogical achievement is more than a service to the community, it is a labor of love in historic proportion. Norma previously conducted research into New Iberia families of several theological backgrounds through a handmade quilt dating back to 1867. The Rigg Quilt is permanently preserved in the parlor at First UMC.

In addition to her work with DAR, Norma spent 22 years as a teacher at North Lewis Elementary which included much extracurricular activity. She volunteers with several Women’s Ministry programs at First UMC including Needles & Pins, a sewing, crochet and knitting group. Their red, white and blue afghans are donated to military veterans at area nursing homes.

Most recently Needles and Pins committed to sewing teddy bears that will be stuffed by children in counseling due to hemophilia. Counselors can more easily talk to children about their feelings and experiences while they are stuffing the bears, and they get to keep them.

Norma loves to cook and organizes food for numerous occasions, including state or international visitors to the McMullen Building. As part of Helping Hands, she supports the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home by selling their homemade salsa.

For Norma, patriotism and religion go hand in hand. Often Norma is asked to share her knowledge of American or local history at civic or social organizations. She is a lay speaker twice a year at Mount Zion in Lydia, included is one around the Fourth of July.

At least once a year she hosts ladies of The Fortnightly literary group at her home. No surprise last year her book report was based on “And Ladies of the Club,” a Civil War novel about ladies doing similar activies in their era.

Quite a heritage when you consider Norma is still an active wife, mother and grandmother. Readers might be familiar with recipes from her husband, Don Lester, published by and sometimes winning the Cajun/Creole Cookbook competitions sponsored by The Daily Iberian and Cajun Sugar Co-op.

Is it any wonder people who know Norma fondly refer her to anyone seeking knowledge on a wide variety of topics? She would readily admit she is not a walking encyclopedia, but with her background, it’s hard to find a more worthy reference, especially when it comes to family heritage.

Anyone interested in knowing more about her research can contact Norma Lester at 365-2780.