Ralph Regula — American Politician born on December 03, 1924,

Ralph Straus Regula was the United States Representative for Ohio's 16th congressional district from 1973 to 2009. He retired in January 2009 after 18 consecutive terms. He is a member of the Republican Party. In the 110th Congress, he was the second longest serving Republican member of the House of Representatives... (wikipedia)

People underestimate the impact they can have on the process through contact with legislators. By being part of an organized group in an area that you have an interest in, you can multiply the impact of your own ideas.
We have the Troops to Teachers program, which encourages retired military individuals to go into teaching.
My priorities are to make sure we get the prescription drug bill, that we fund the research in NIH adequately, and that we fund the Center for Disease Control adequately.
In my 31 years in Congress, I have seen a lot of changes. We made some substantial policy changes that have improved our parks system and our public lands.