I finally resolved my problem. Moral of the story: NEVER GIVE UP!
Had some time to look for the solution.
It was simple. A clean uninstall, involves a lot more than a simple uninstall.
Found out there are tons leftover stuff on the system that never gets uninstalled during the normal uninstall.
Even after a "clean uninstall" there are folders left behind with the label of the Adobe for the uninstalled programs.
I proceeded to manually delete every Adobe product folder which I had uninstalled.
THEN, I reinstalled Adobe Premiere Elements 15. AND it Worked!!!! All my effects are back and usable without crashing the Adobe application.
I will no longer be forced to purchase new products when they are not needed.
I was forced to buy Elements 15 after having a different problem with Elements 12. I was happy with version 12.
Now they both work.
To summarize, to perform a CLEAN uninstall, delete, EVERY bit of Adobe files and folders left behind, before re-installing.
Steve, thank you very much for your help. Much appreciated.