Argentina Cronfel Meurer
Argentina Cronfel Meurer, known as Argie Meurer (July 2, 1928 â May 3, 2020), was one of the first women attorneys in Laredo, Texas.[1]
| Argentina "Argie" Cronfel Meurerâ
(One of the first women attorneys | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1928 Tela, Honduras |
| Died | May 3, 2020 (aged 91)â Laredo, Texasâ Resting place: |
| Political Party | Democrat[1]â |
| Spouse | Frank "Dennis Meurer (married 1965) Two sons: |
| Religion | Roman Catholicâ |
Biography
Meurer was born in Honduras in the seaside village of Tela on the Caribbean Coast, one of six daughters of George Salomon Cronfel (1895-1967), a native of Bethlehem, Israel, and the former Sarah Leyva (died 1986), a native of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital city.[2] The family relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, and then Laredo in Webb County in south Texas, where George Cronfel owned a downtown clothing store.[3] n In 1947, Meurer graduated as the valedictorian from the Roman Catholic St. Augustine High School. Afterwards, she received an associate of arts degree from Laredo College, then known as Laredo Junior College. She continued her education at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio and then at the University of Texas at Austin, from which she obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration. In 1955, she obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas Law School, one of only two females in her class. She was licensed to practice law in Texas[3] and went to work for the attorney Edward Samuel "Ed" Mann (1900-1989).[4] She was one of three women practicing law in Laredo in the middle 1950s.[3]
In 1965, she wed Iowa native Frank "Dennis" Meurer (1937-1981).[5] She continued practicing with the Mann Law office after her marriage and later launched her own firm which she maintained for the rest of her life. She was the first woman president of the Laredo Bar Association and a founding member of Laredo Legal Aid and served on the committee which established the office of public defender. In the late seventies, she was appointed by Judge Antonio Adolfo "Tony" Zardenetta (born 1941) of the 111th state district court in Laredo to handle complex litigation involving the developers of subdivision in Empresas El Rancho. Meurer was also one of the few attorneys to have handled a bankruptcy for a municipality.[3]
In 1982, The Laredo Morning Times recognized Meurer as an outstanding woman personality. In 1997, she was selected as the Laredo College Top 50 Distinguished Alumni at the 50th anniversary of the founding of the college in 1947 by the Laredo Independent School District. In 2002 and 2018, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Laredo Webb County Bar Association. She also founded the Jacqueline women's clothing boutique and helped to operate Denco Photo stores after the death of her husband.[3]
Meurer died at her Laredo home two months before her 92nd birthday. She was predeceased by her parents, her sisters, Consuelo Cronfel, Stella Cronfel and Sarah Cronfel Ochoa, her niece, Dr. Marissa Keene, and nephew Dr. Miguel Ochoa. She was survived by her sons, George Russell "Rusty" Meurer (born 1965), a lawyer with the firm Kazen Meurer & Perez, and his wife, Belinda, and Frank A. Meurer (born 1968) and his wife, Valerie Denise Meurer; her sisters Ada Cronfel and Dr. Gladys Cronfel Keene, a former member of the Laredo College trustees and the wife of Dr. Roger Keene, and seven grandchildren. She is interred at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Laredo.[3]
References
- â 1.0 1.1 Argentina Cronfel Meurer. Mylife.com. Retrieved on May 7, 2020.
- â George Salomon Cronfel. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 7, 2020.
- â 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Argentina Cronfel Meurer obituary. The Laredo Morning Times (May 6, 2020). Retrieved on May 7, 2020.
- â Edward Samuel Mann. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 7, 2020.
- â Frank "Dennis" Meurer. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 7, 2020.