Frey leaves a long legacy of service to the United States and Central Florida. He had a hand in both establishing Kennedy Space Center as the home of the space shuttle program and appealing to President Richard Nixon to turn over McCoy Air Force Base to the city of Orlando. That base would later become Orlando International Airport.

The 麻豆原创 connection started with Frey鈥檚 donation of his congressional archives to 麻豆原创 in 2002 to create the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government. The institute promotes the development of enlightened, responsible and actively engaged citizens through experiential learning and civic education. That mission was boosted through a partnership with former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham to create the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, which is housed in the Lou Frey Institute.

鈥淟ou appealed to so many in this state for his honor, his attention to constituents and his love of Florida and his country,鈥� says Stephen Masyada, interim executive director of the Lou Frey Institute and director of the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship.

Frey was an attorney by trade, holding positions as assistant county solicitor for Orange County and counsel for the Florida Turnpike Authority before running for office as a Republican. His tenure representing Central Florida extended five consecutive terms before retiring undefeated in 1979. He also ran for U.S. Senate and Florida governor.

His political influence continued long after leaving office, including stints as committee member on the presidential campaigns of Gerald Ford, Bob Dole and George W. Bush. Frey shared that wealth of knowledge as a frequent speaker through the institute on topics including homeland security, the space program, and church and state.

Senior Fellow Doug Dobson said Frey was happiest when he was surrounded by a group of students or teachers. His lectures extended beyond the surface level of 鈥渉ow government works鈥� to include the mental and physical toll of running for office and the demands of life in the public eye. The result was one of the strongest civic education programs in the U.S, which, in turn, is producing students equipped for politics, Dobson says.

鈥淟ou felt an incredible commitment to educating future public servants and passing along his experiences,鈥� Dobson says. 鈥淭hat was part of his life鈥檚 mission.鈥�

The value of civic education cannot be underestimated, says Kerstin Hamann, director of the School of Politics, Security and International Affairs, which houses the Lou Frey Institute. To fully exercise your rights as a citizen, you need to understand how the system works, what the Constitution represents, and our rights and processes, Hamann said.

鈥淭he Lou Frey Institute excels at providing K-12 students with the understanding they need to become educated citizens,鈥� Hamann says.

Or another ex-legislator explain that strong lobbyists are a good thing. And another who laments that in today鈥檚 world: 鈥淭he noise of democracy is like fingernails on a blackboard.鈥�

These and other candid commentaries from former U.S. senators and representatives are the fabric of a new educational resource developed by the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at the 麻豆原创.

The Civics Connection: Conversations with Congress was developed by the institute and the United States Association of Former Members of Congress for high school and college-level American government courses. The video interviews also are accessible to anyone who would like to hear insider perspectives on how policies are developed and how the business of government works.

鈥淚t is, in a sense, a living textbook on American government and politics,鈥� Lou Frey Jr., a Florida representative from 1969 to 1979, wrote in his introduction to the course. The institute, which he founded, strives to engage citizens to become active and responsible in government.

Frey said The Civics Connection鈥� s roots go back to when he was a novice congressman. He said there were a lot of government practices and procedures that he previously had never been exposed to, and 鈥淚 made a vow to myself not to let that happen to others.鈥�

Over the years he has developed intern and educational programs for students, but the impetus for this latest project came about three years ago when a report ranked Florida fifth worst in 鈥渃ivic stupidity,鈥� he said.

Project director Terri Susan Fine, a 麻豆原创 professor of Political Science and associate director of the institute, traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to tape the series of 15-minute interviews with former lawmakers who volunteered to be a part of the project. The 16 segments include teacher-support materials aimed at helping students understand the subjects.

Each interview pairs a Democrat and a Republican, with terms ranging up to 30 years in Congress. Interviews deal with issues such as political parties and interest groups, campaigning, landmark public policies, impeaching the president, and budget earmarks.

Fine said she was impressed by the lawmakers鈥� candor on the occasionally delicate topics.

Topics were chosen, in part, to align with high school Advanced Placement courses on government and politics, but the materials also are useful for other history and government classes. The project, which is under the auspices of the nonprofit College Board, is an example of using technology to help students develop a deeper understanding of the subjects, said Doug Dobson, the institute鈥檚 executive director.

The interviews and other free materials available to teachers can be found at .

The institute plans to tape additional interviews and add new topics to the site.

As for that fingernails-on-the-blackboard description of democracy, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who served in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, said in one interview that today鈥檚 political parties don鈥檛 use the system to achieve the best for the country, but rather to defeat the other side.

鈥淧olitics has changed a lot and the country is worse off for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause what our country needs at the moment is some very important nurturing by the political system making good decisions about putting the country on track and moving the country ahead.鈥�