Peggy Kugler and her husband Paul wanted their four children to attend what they deemed the best high school in Fairfax County. They were even willing to purchase new homes in order to keep up with the ever-changing boundary lines.
Kugler, now a Lorton resident, said the family moved four times to make sure their sons would end up at W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax. They were meticulous in their quest for the perfect education, and ever since Paul died in 1990 after a long battle with cancer, Kugler has been a similarly meticulous volunteer and civil servant in her community.
"Peggy dealt with her grief by immersing herself in the community," said Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock).
Peggy Kugler wanted to do something to give back to the community. She had been a stay-at-home mother for so many years, and she was ready for a change. She is currently Bulova’s campaign manager, and has been for several of her reelection bids, but it took time to find her place in politics.
Bereavement counseling was her first experiment after Paul’s death. She gave it about a year, but it was too depressing, she said.
"Then I thought, well I know cancer," said Peggy Kugler.
She went on to work at Inova Fairfax Hospital with cancer survivors and their family members. She remembered that nobody stopped to talk to her and her husband during any of his eight hospital stays. The people are so sick, she said, but they still need comforting and interaction. Her work with the cancer ward of the hospital was better than the bereavement counseling, she said, but it just didn’t "click."
FROM THERE, Kugler went on to become an emergency foster care parent. Kugler became a temporary mother for children ages 5 and younger. She only took care of most of the children for about a week or two, and she made it a point to never remember their last names. She did not want to become too attached or involved in their lives, but she saw an important purpose in providing love and support for them during difficult times.
"It was kind of like rent-a-grandchild," she said.
After her sons had all moved out to attend college and begin their careers, she took in more than 100 foster children over a span of several years. She said some of the children had never had an ice cream cone before, so she fulfilled that void, which she said was just one of many. She took the children to Burke Lake Park to feed the ducks and even testified as a witness for several of the children’s family court proceedings.
"I knew her because there were these Braddock [District] Democratic events and she would bring children that were not her own," said Bulova. "She was just such a warm, caring person."
She kept two of the foster children for about six months because their father was in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. She took the older brother to the park to practice basketball because he wanted to be a professional player someday. She laughed as she remembered the day that the baby brother called her 'Daddy.'
Peggy Kugler’s nurturing disposition became helpful in yet another realm, said Eileen Manning, the north regional vice chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. Kugler found the "click" she was looking for in politics.
"I didn’t want to just be busy, I wanted to feel like I was making a difference," said Peggy Kugler.
She remembers Del. Vivian Watts (D-39) telling her to get into politics if she really wanted to make a difference.
"It just kind of evolved from there," said Peggy Kugler.
She worked as Bulova’s campaign manager with Manning in 1995, which Bulova said was essentially a package deal. The two were friends, Bulova said: one came with the other. Since Bulova’s opponent that particular year was running a very negative race against her, Bulova said she needed someone like Peggy Kugler to bring in a positive attitude.
"Peggy and Eileen sort of calmed me down," said Bulova. "Peggy’s warmth just makes her such a pleasure to work with."
PEGGY KUGLER has also worked on campaigns for Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-35), Del. David Bulova (D-37), John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 and Andrew Hurst, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 11th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"She’s the kind of volunteer coordinator that feeds people incredibly well," said Manning. "She builds a bond with them. She’s got people asking what her next campaign will be so they can work on it with her."
Kugler said she sticks to one party, though: the Democrats. Voting for individual candidates across party lines does nothing for the majority vote, she said. She thinks everyone should vote down whatever party line they identify with.
"You need to have the majority vote or nothing gets done," she said.
But it is not all straight-faced, said Manning. "Don’t ever think that we don’t have fun," she said.
This year, Kugler said she is excited to be "a part of a movement." With every area elected seat up for election next November, both in the state and the county, she’s happy she’s doing what she loves to do.
"I’ve never seen a year quite like this one," she said.