The United Way of Northwest Louisiana, in partnership with the CELA VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), is working to establish a Long Term Recovery Network to address the needs of those living in Natchitoches, Sabine and Winn parishes still recovering from the this year’s floods.

On Tuesday, May 17th at 10:30am, There will be an informational meeting at the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office Tuesday, May 17 at 10:30 a.m. to gather as many individuals as possible (government agencies, nonprofits, churches, service clubs, etc.) to learn from FEMA how to begin the process.

The United Way hopes the public will do its best to attend this important meeting. If the head of any organization can’t make it, they may send a representative.

For more information contact Lynn Stevens at the United Way office at 318-677-2504 x132 or lynn@unitedwaynwla.org.

By Corey Poole

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and the Office of Cultural Development will recognize the winners at the Capitol Park Museum May 24 at 7 p.m. The ceremony is held in conjunction with Culture Connection, the annual conference of Louisiana’s culture stakeholders. Each honoree was chosen for their outstanding contributions to Louisiana’s culture.

Gregory came to Natchitoches in 1961 after completing a bachelors in anthropology and a masters in geography at Louisiana State University. He came to teach at NSU for a year to fill in for a professor who went on leave.

“Natchitoches and I were a nice fit,” he said.

He also earned his masters and Ph.D. in anthropology from Southern Methodist University.

While he trained primarily in pre-historic archaeology, he quickly learned French and Spanish colonial history when he came to Natchitoches. No one was doing much in Louisiana with historic sites in the early 60s, according to Gregory.

He wrote his dissertation on Los Adaes State Historic Site. He and his students still work at the site from time to time.

“It’s a really unique and special place,” he said.

Growing up in Concordia Parish, Gregory was surrounded by Indian mounds and artifacts. Curious about the people from a young age, he said it was the logical thing for him to continue being interested in them. His first supervised archaeological job was in 1953 at Poverty Point. After a few days of work he was hooked.

His work has led him to Creole-French, Anglo-American and Spanish sites. “Archaeology isn’t limited to one group of people,” he said.

The best part of his job is the teaching. “I love watching my students go out and do things,” he said. “While I’ve had the most fun with that, it’s exciting to get information out of the ground an into a book. It brings the past back and Louisiana is a special place for archaeology.”

Louisiana has the oldest Indian mounds in North America and still has the tribes living on the land that’s connected to the archaeology. The Mississippi River built up most of the state and brought people to the area long before the white man ever arrived.

“It’s a treasure trove of archaeology,” said Gregory.

Gregory had heard of the Archaeologist of the Year award, but never thought anyone would nominate him. A group of his friends surprised him with the news that they’d nominated him and that he’d been chosen for the award.

“I was a little shocked,” he said. “But I’m pleased to receive it.”

Extra:

An early interest in human-land relationships led him to studies of regional cultural ecology. His fieldwork has been both archaeological and ethnographical in nature, with ethnic diversity and cultural continuity as major focuses of his research. This work has involved Native Americans, Anglo-American and Louisiana French fishing communities, the Anglo, Creole, and African-American culture of the plantation regions, and the Anglo-Saxon culture of the upland South. Active in cooperative programs with the Louisiana Indian communities since the early 1970s, Gregory has worked with seven of the eight tribal communities in Louisiana and three in Oklahoma. He has also worked with the Louisiana Creole communities on Creole ethnography and geography.

Together with Drs. Fred B. Kniffen and George A. Stokes, he co-authored a major work on the Native Americans of Louisiana, The Historic Tribes of Louisiana. He has contributed two major catalogs of Louisiana folk art and has authored papers on folkways, material culture, and archaeology in a number of professional journals. He also edited the major articles relating to the Caddo in The Southern Caddo: An Anthology.

Northwestern State University honored Dr. Bill Dickens, who is retiring after a 49-year career as an educator, scholar, researcher and coach, by naming him Professor Emeritus of the NSU’s Department of Health and Human Performance. Dickens’ colleagues voted unanimously to bestow upon him the title in thanks for contributions to the department, to the university and to the profession at large.
“This is an honor conferred by the university to show respect for a distinguished career,” said Dr. Vickie Gentry, dean of the Gallaspy Family College of Education and Human Development. “It says even though you are no longer a full-time employee of this department, you have shown such merit that we claim you as a continuing part of our professional group.”

Dickens has been on faculty at Northwestern State for 28 years during which time he twice served as department head, as well as on numerous administrative committees. Dickens earned numerous honors from the Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (APHERD) during his career for his advancement of professions related to health and human performance. He was involved in numerous youth, athletic, civic and service organizations. Among his many other noteworthy services, Dickens was the manager of the American Red Cross Disaster Shelter set up in NSU’s Health and Human Performance Building that housed more than 1,200 evacuees for several weeks following Hurricane Katrina.

Dickens’ colleagues lauded him as an encourager, a scholar and a teacher passionate about the field of physical education.

“I like to see our kids outside the classroom competing, coaching or working at their internships,” said Dickens, who plans to enjoy retirement with his wife Sandra. “I’ve taught a little over 9,400 students at four institutions. What they get out of education, what they get out of life is what’s important to me.

The public is invited to attend the 32^nd commencement ceremony for the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts to be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, in Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University.

The guest speaker will be Angela F. Durden, M.D., a 1996 graduate of LSMSA and author of the school’s alma mater.

Durden is a diplomate of the American Board of Pathology and is licensed in the states of Montana, Wyoming and South Carolina. In September 2009, she joined Yellowstone Pathologists, P.C. in Billings, Montana.

She earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport and completed her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Upon completion of her residency, she completed a fellowship in gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology at GI Pathology, PLLC in Memphis, Tenn.

She is a member of several medical societies including the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology and the Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society and is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

For more information or assistance Erin King at 318-357-2520 or eking@lsmsa.edu.

 

Van Kyzar, Natchitoches Parish District Attorney and candidate for Third Circuit Court of Appeal was the keynote speaker for the 2016 Lakeview High School Commencement Ceremonies at the A.A. Fredricks’s Auditorium on the NSU campus Thursday night. 59 seniors received their diplomas with many being presented with college scholarship opportunities and awards. Kyzar encouraged the graduates to dream big, act on their dreams, and to preserve, telling the students during his address “success and happiness doesn’t care where you are. It only cares it you seek it and you work to achieve it.” The class motto for the 2016 Lakeview graduates is “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” by Emerson.

 

By Corey Poole

Kevin’s Gallery

The Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce hosted the Crave Natchitoches: Wings Edition at the NSU Recreation Complex May 12. Alliance Compressors won first place and Exchange Bank won the Peoples’ Choice Award.

Teams created their specialties for attendees to taste accompanied by a selection of beers, mixed drinks and frozen margaritas from Maggio’s Package Liquors.

The wing selections included:

• Sabine State Bank-bourbon style wings
• Exchange Bank-remoulade BBQ wings and Caribbean jerk wings with a mango habanero sauce
• Sonic Drive-In-seven varieties of sauces served with boneless wings
• Natchitoches Regional medical Center-garlic wings with a honey-tiger-teriyaki sauce
• Alliance-hot wing shots
• Bank of Montgomery-garlic parmesan wings

Alliance held a chicken wing semi-final competition at the beginning of May to narrow down their entry selection for the Chamber event. The wings were boiled for 30 minutes the night before the event. They were rolled in a cornstarch and egg batter the day of the event and then deep fried until they were golden brown. After marinating them, the wings were then baked for an hour. They were served with Bleu Cheese dressing and celery in a shot glass at the team’s Hawaiian themed table.

Sponsors included the Natchitoches Parish Journal, Sabine State Banks, BOM, MidSouth, City Bank, Exchange Bank, First Federal Bank, Atmos Energy, Walmart, Alliance Compressors, City of Natchitoches, Suddenlink, Moreno Surgical Specialists and Natchitoches Regional Medical Center. A portion of the proceeds funded Chamber internships.

I am reading a book that I recommend for every husband. The book is Kathryn Schultz’s, Being Wrong, Adventures in the Margin of Error. I am resonating with the book! Many in my congregation and constituents (I have both now) will celebrate that I am finally “catching on.”

As an example of what I am learning. Doesn’t it give you great satisfaction when you are right? You feel good. There is a more pleasurable feeling than being right. It is being right and being able to say, “I told you so.” That is the ultimate cognitive high. The thesis of her book is that even when we know we are right we can still be and often are, wrong.

That happens in the husband world. I’m speaking to the husbands now. When she drags you off to shop for clothes and comes out of the dressing room and asks, “Honey, do these jeans make my butt look big?” I know this is a family publication, but every husband reader has heard that question. Guys at this point, do you want to be right, or do you want to have continued marital bliss? I can tell you even if your wife is pencil thin, there is no way of answering that question without getting yourself into a bind. If you say, “Those jeans do not make your butt look big.” She will ask a follow up question about another pair of pants or what you think of that anatomical structure in general. The correct answer is, “Honey you look grand, but what do you think about those jeans?” I can’t emphasize this enough; make no reference in your answer to her derrière. Before she answers your response question completely, suddenly see something that draws you away from the dressing room area. We seasoned husbands know better than hanging around outside the dressing room in the first place.

What if you answered your wife’s question by saying, “I don’t know?” How much trouble would come into your life by admitting you didn’t know the answer to her question?

Kathryn Schultz opines, “In sum, we love to know things, but ultimately we can’t know for sure that we know them; we are bad at recognizing when we don’t know something; and we are very, very good at making stuff up.”

I am learning about many of the categories of cognitive missteps that lead me to “being wrong.” The first problem I face is that I am a male. The second challenge arising out of the first problem is that I listen with male ears. The older I grow the more my ears are losing their ability to clearly understand what is spoken in the female vocal range. My hearing is fine my attention is under paid.

The other day my bride and I were together in a waiting room. I was thinking about some of the water problems we are repairing at the church. Water got into our gym and on the wooden floor. We weren’t aware of the full scope of the problem until the floor grew a wooden mountain. The gym floor buckled in such a way that Driskill Mountain might no longer be the highest point in Louisiana. We had water from above and from below aid in the formation of the gym mountain. I was thinking about the brick wall in the back of the gym and how to fix the problem with water intrusion through the wall.

My bride was Facebook stalking as she waited for her appointment. A Facebook post read, “Pray for the repose of the soul.” She wanted to understand that phrase so she asked her seminary-trained-very-knowledgeable-highly-experienced-minister husband to explain “the repose of the soul.”

I looked at her and said, “Weep-holes of the soul?”

Weep holes are found in most brick walls. They are usually on the third or fourth course of bricks. If you notice that there is a vertical hole between bricks you have found a weep hole. Hopefully you have several of them along the brick structure. They are one method by which moisture is released from the inside of a brick wall. They allow the moisture flow out and keep condensation from building up. Construction people can explain them better; I gave you the not-a-construction-expert-preacher explanation of weep holes.

I was thinking about the weep holes in the gym wall when my wife said, “repose of the soul.”

I thought she was crazy to ask about the weep holes of the soul. Everyone knows the weep holes of the soul are the tear glands. That is how the soul expresses both joy and sadness through tears. It was a great answer! She looked at me like I had won the “Idiot of the Eon” trophy.

Not “weep holes of the soul.” I said, “Repose of the soul.”

“Oh.”

“Well honey you are in luck, because I know the answer to that one too.” We both laughed so hard our weep holes allowed tears to leak down our cheeks.

Being a Christian is not about knowing the right answers it is about following the right Savior.

Why don’t you join the Christians on Sunday they will be celebrating God’s grace which covers us especially when we are wrong.

By Corey Poole

A motion was passed to add Ordinance No. 23 to the agenda for the City Council meeting May 9. This ordinance amends the City’s 2015-16 budget to reflect additional revenues and expenditures. A state statute requires the City amend its operating budget when there is a 5 percent unfavorable variance.

The budget was amended to reflect the following additional revenues and expenditures:

Fund 001-002 and 311: There were deficits in the General Fund and Utility Fund in the past years and at the end of the year, anything leftover is transferred to the Health Care Fund. This work is being done to clean up the Health Care Fund and reduce shortfalls. Options include increasing premiums, lowering benefits or a combination of the two. The City needs to find a way to cut back its claims or increase its funding through increased premiums. Recommendations will be given in July.

Fund 011: The Natchitoches Fire Department needed a new vehicle.

Fund 012: The expenditures budget was increased for the Sales Tax Police for tools and equipment and building repairs.

Fund 025: As law enforcement takes in funds from drug confiscations they’re allowed to send the money.

Fund 026: Revenues coming in were less than the amount budgeted so the budget was cut by $10,000.

Fund 040: The City reduced the budget for the Events Center Operations Fund because while it had originally projected the revenues, the City has contracted out the management of the Events Center, so the revenues won’t be coming into the City budget.

Fund 062: The revenue in the Animal Shelter Fund dropped by $3,000 so the City reduced its revenue projection. The amount was greater than 5 percent of the original budget.

Fund 064: Grant

Fund 074: Since the tax rededication passed, the City is allowed to spend half of the existing revenue and half of the future revenue on street and sewer projects. The funds were transferred the new Sales Tax Rededication Fund so the City can get started on the work before the end of its fiscal year.

Fund 093: Grant. This generated more money than the City anticipated for it increased the budget.

Fund 114: The City moved $350,000 into the budget a few years ago for a parking lot on the corner of Third and Lafayette streets. The work on this project started this week.

Fund 122: The City had money budgeted for this fund, but the money won’t be in for this fiscal year so the City took the revenue and expenditures out

Fund 131: The City had projected a $5,000 grant, but only received $1,000

Fund 135: The City hadn’t budgeted anything, but it received a $25,000 grant from the National Park Service. This grant didn’t have any stipulations regarding how to spend it. None of this grant money has been spent or committed yet.  Since the building has been weatherized with the previous grant, those funds will stay on deposit in the grant fund and will be rolled over into the new fiscal year until a decision is made regarding the best use of it.

Fund 136, 138 and 147: The state slashed the funding for Capital Outlay Projects for this fiscal year. City Finance Director Pat Jones said that while the projects aren’t being scratched, the City won’t receiving the funding for the current fiscal year and it doesn’t give any hope for project funding in the new fiscal year with the way the state is cutting out as many local projects as it can.

Fund 205: The Natchitoches Fire Department received a new grant that wasn’t budgeted for by the City for tools and equipment needed at the station.

Fund 217: This grant funds overtime for law enforcement.

Fund 312: This fund was projected to run $10,000 above what the City had budgeted.

Fund 314: This fund will cover storm damage repair to City buildings. The City is working to get reimbursement for the repairs through FEMA.

A list of the FEMA expenses are as follows:

• The City filled over 15,000 sandbags at an expense of over $12,500
• One Police Car was totaled and two need engine replacement as a result of driving through high waters
• Three Buildings were damaged including the Roque House, Sibley Lake Boat House and the Carriage House on Cane River Lake
• Airport ODALS were damaged
• Had to pump water and make repairs to sewer lift station near University Parkway (under water).

  

By Corey Poole

 

Since its inception the City’s Summer Day Camp has grown each year.

Program Growth:

• 2014- 4 staff, 48 youth participants, 4 weeks long
• 2015- 8 staff, 121 youth participants, 8 weeks long
• 2016- 12 staff, up to 60 students per session at East Fifth Program and up to 45 students per session at Abbie Drive location, 8 weeks long

A returning camp staff member, DeAndrea Sanders said, “I like camp because the children seem to have so much fun. The environment is also very welcoming for both the children and the staff.”

This year the camp will offer a Teen Internship Program. Applications are due May 17 by 4 p.m. and should be submitted to Dallas Russell: Community Programs and Outreach Coordinator, 420 Fourth St., Natchitoches, LA 71457.

A partnership with the Natchitoches Community Alliance, Natchitoches Parish Library and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, teens ages 14-17 can apply for an unpaid internship position. Teens will assist in camp and participate in trainings on Tuesdays at the library. Training topics include: overview of program, policies and procedures, resume writing, interview skills, job retention and applying for college- financial aid and admissions.

For more information or to receive an application call 238-7508 or email drussell@natchitochesla.gov.

Another measure of the camps’ growth is the addition of a second location at 732 Abbie Drive. The East Fifth Program begins at Weaver Elementary and moves to East Natchitoches Middle School.

According to Director Tony Davis, the Chamber gave the program a grant to help keep kids active, involved in learning and develop further leadership skills over the summer.

Barbara Leach with the Louisiana Workforce Commission said interns will complete a “My Way, My Life” Assessment on the computer that helps them plan for their future with cars, homes and finances.

New to the program, Terri Marshall has over 16 years of youth and summer programming experience as a YMCA Summer Camp director at Oak Cliff in Dallas, director of Resident Services at the Dallas Housing Authority, Summer Program administrator at Circle of Support, executive director of Boys & Girls Club of Natchitoches and Girls Volleyball and Basketball Coach for Junior High at West Dallas Community School.

Terri is excited about summer camp this year because of the new themes and exciting opportunities to see the children learn, grow and explore.

Returning to work another year at the Summer Camp Program, Briana Craige said, “The summer camp was such a pleasure to be a part of, you truly make an impact on young lives. I came back because I want to continue to be a part of their learning and growth.”

Growing yet again, this summer the camp will partner with the following:

• Cane River Children’s Services: life skills activities
• Natchitoches Parish Library: weekly bookmobile visits to each site
• Natchitoches Parish Office of Community Services: breakfast and lunch
• Natchitoches Housing Authority: use of the building on Abbie Drive
• Natchitoches Parish School Board: use of Weaver and East Natchitoches schools
• International Paper: program funding, science activities and volunteers

Camp participants will go on the following field trips:

• Tall Tales, a walking tour in the historic district with the APHN’s Calico Ladies and Bells
• Water Day with the Natchitoches Fire Department
• Movie Theater
• Natchitoches Parish Library
• Fort St. Jean Baptiste
• Carnival Day
• Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum

Staff member Angel Greer said, “I really enjoy the positive environment and watching the kids being kids and enjoying summer camp. When I went to summer camp as a child I expected to have a great time and feel comfortable being around the staff which I hope to continue to provide for each child.”

Themes for the Summer Camp sessions include the following:

• Session 1: June 6- June 17- Faces and Places

This session is about people from Louisiana that have made a positive impact. We will be focusing on Sal Khan, Homer Plessy, Louis Armstrong and Peyton Manning

• Session 2: June 20 – July 1- Cultural Connections

This session is about food in Louisiana- the different crops and family  traditions with food

• Session 3: July 5- July 15  – Go Green

This session is about the natural environment of Louisiana and taking care of it

• Session 4: July 18- July 29- Wacky and Wonderful Louisiana Festivals

This session is about the different festivals in Louisiana

A traffic stop near Ajax May 6 at 11:45 a.m. led to the arrests of a California man and a Monroe woman on felony narcotics charges, according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Victor Jones Jr.

Deputies were patrolling on I-49 near Ajax when they clocked a 2004 Ford Mustang traveling southbound, speeding 89 miles per hour in a 75 mph zone.
They identified the driver as Candace Patrice Roberson, 27 of Monroe.
A passenger was identified as DeShawn Dupree Lee, 24 of Sacramento, Cali.
A computer background check alerted deputies that Roberson’s license was suspended. They smelled a strong marijuana odor coming from the vehicle and Roberson admitted that he’d smoked marijuana earlier.

Deputies discovered two bundles of suspected high grade marijuana (kush) weighing 2 pounds with a potential street value of $3,000 dollars and $350 cash.

Roberson and Lee were booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center. Roberson was charged with possession of CDS schedule I marijuana with intent to distribute, speeding and driving under suspension. She remains in the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center with bond set at $10,000.

Lee was charged with possession of CDS schedule I marijuana with intent to distribute-second offense. He is on felony probation for a narcotics conviction in California was also arrested by Alexandria Police Dec. 19, 2015. He remains in the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center with bond set at $20,000.

The vehicle was impounded by a local wrecker service.
The couple was reportedly traveling from Shreveport to Alexandria.

Dep. J. Augustus was assisted by Dep. M. Giamonne and the Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force.

By Corey Poole

Senator Gerald Long spoke about a $600,000 donation he pledged to the NSU Foundation during a phone interview May 9. This is the fifth scholarship he and his wife Rose have funded through the years. The first one was 25 years ago for their 25th wedding anniversary. After their children graduated from college, the Longs decided to fund the $10,000 scholarship out of their deep love for Northwestern State University and the understanding that educational funding will become more difficult to come by for kids in the future who come from blue collar working families.

The funding for the donation is being examined and more information will be released in the next few days.

Parish President Rick Nowlin announced that the state has eliminated funding for three local highway projects at a Parish Council meeting May 9.  Nowlin learned that the State capital outlay budget (House Bill 2) was amended to eliminate funding for the following projects:

• Payne Subdivisions Streets

Last year’s capital outlay bill included $1,015,000 and the State Bond Commission approved the $1,015,000. This year’s HB 2, prepared by the administration, reduced the funding to $500,000. The House Ways and Means Committee cut the $500,000.
“Had we kept the $500,000, we would have proceeded with approximately half of the streets and gone back next year for the remainder,” said Nowlin.

• Fish Hatchery Road

Last year’s capital outlay bill included $1,250,000 and the State Bond Commission approved the $1,250,000. This year’s HB 2 reduced the funding to $125,000.
“This would have been enough to cover the planning and design costs, but we would have had to go back next year for the remaining $1,125,000 for the construction,” said Nowlin.
However, the Committee cut the $125,000.

• Blanchard Road

Last year’s capital outlay bill included $280,000 and the State Bond Commission approved the $280,000. This year’s HB 2 left the $280,000 in the bill. However, the Committee cut it out.

“In addition, last year we had two funding amounts in the bill for the Old River Bridge,” said Nowlin. “One was $610,000 and the other was $895,000. It would take both to build the new bridge. The administration’s bill this year included only the $610,000 and the Committee left it in.”

Nowlin said the Parish Government will continue to do what it can to get some of the funding restored, but it will be a challenge.

There is still a little good news. The following are still in the bill reported by the Committee to the House:

• Courthouse Security Project: $480,000
• Coco Bed Road: $280,000

Michele Waskom, Vice President First Federal Bank

Michele has a long history in the financial world; she has been with First Federal for 14 years and several other institutions before that. In her current position as Vice President, she is in charge of commercial, consumer and mortgage lending for both Natchitoches locations.

Michele is very active in the community, the Lion’s Club being near to her heart. She is the past president and past district governor of our local Lion’s Club and has been a member for 15 years. As part of the Lion’s Eye Foundation, she is involved in vision screening for 1 to 5 year olds in local day care and pre-schools.

Michele is married to Scott Waskom, a contractor, and has 2 children. She loves to cook and try new recipes and spends as much time outdoors as possible.

By Kevin Shannahan

Kevin’s Gallery

1941 was a perilous time for the free world. Nazi Germany held Continental Europe in its grasp. U-Boats roamed the Atlantic, sinking shipping and threatening Britain with starvation. The Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force were locked in combat over the cities of Britain. The fate of Western Civilization hung by a thread.

The Royal Air Force needed to train new pilots to keep up with the demands of the war. With all of Britain’s skies a battlefield, it couldn’t be done at home. The RAF opened the #1 British Flying Training School June 2, 1941 in Terrell, Texas. It was the first of seven schools to be operated across the United States. It was also the largest, training over 2,200 RAF aircrew and 138 American Army Air Corps pilots. After America entered the war, it was the only one to operate throughout WWII. One third of the graduates were killed in the war, a grim testament to the cost of our freedoms.

The students sailed from England to Canada, in itself a dangerous journey in the U-Boat infested Atlantic. Once there, they traveled to Texas by train. As America was officially neutral during the school’s first year and a half of existence, they were discharged from the RAF to regain their commissions after returning to Canada. Their instructors were civilians.

The training was, of necessity, fast paced with half the class flying in the morning and attending class in the afternoon and the other class doing the reverse. In addition to flying, the students learned navigation, gunnery and signals.
Their lives were not all work however. Most of the trainees were barely out of their teens and thousands of miles from home; a home that faced invasion during the early part of the war. They were eventually adopted by the citizens of Terrell. The soda fountain at the Bass and Rutledge drug store was a popular meeting place. One Sunday each month, the squadron would form a Church Parade and march to church. A RAF ensign still hangs in the back of the Church of the Good Shepherd where several of the men had their funeral services after dying in training accidents.

The Terrell Airport hosts an excellent museum devoted the the No. 1 British Flying Training School that is well worth a visit. While there, I met Danielle Best, granddaughter of Terry Hoghton Best. Terry graduated in 1943, survived the war, and passed away in 1975 after building a career in international banking. Danielle was at the museum to learn more about that chapter in her grandfather’s life. She showed me his class photograph and his inclusion in an oral history of the school.

One of the more interesting exhibits is a large aerial map of the southern U.S. with a map of Europe drawn on acetate and superimposed over it. London was placed over Terrell, with the rest of Europe drawn to scale, enabling students to plan and fly missions against Germany while in Texas. Natchitoches Parish was on the border between France and Germany, with the city slightly south of Heidelberg. Shreveport was south of Colonge, France while Berlin was over Winchester, Ark.

Aviation is a dangerous business, all the more so in the 1940s when there was no GPS and many of the things a modern pilot takes for granted. Twenty of the students died while in training and are buried in a section of Terrell’s Oaklawn Cemetery. The War Graves Photographic Project is a volunteer effort to photograph each grave of a Commonwealth service member who died in one of the World Wars. The photos will be placed in a searchable database allowing friends and family to view a grave too distant to easily visit. The Natchitoches Parish Journal has volunteered to photograph the ones in Terrell, Palestine and Orange, Texas and one in Shreveport.

In a fitting coda to this article, when I pulled into the cemetery, a Naval officer and two sailors were standing by an open grave next to the RAF plots. Commander John E. Lawson, USN was being laid to rest that day. Lawson retired from the Navy in 2003 and was one of the volunteers who takes such good care of the RAF graves. It is entirely fitting that he rests in a plot next to theirs. Fair winds and following seas, sir!

 

NSU’s Office of Electronic and Continuing Education Water Aerobics summer classes will begin May 31 at the NSU Recreation Complex. Classes will meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays each week from 10:30-11:30 am. There will be three sessions offered: Session 1: May 31-June 30, Session 2: July 5-28, and Session 3: August 2-29. Cost is $45 per session or $125 for all three sessions. This workout will consist of simple low impact exercises executed in the water. The program is designed to promote and maintain cardiorespiratory fitness, strengthen muscles, and improve flexibility. This program is especially recommended for arthritic and/or pregnant women.

For more information or to register please contact the Office of Electronic and Continuing Education at (800)376-2422 or (318)357-6355.

Family was at the heart of what Jordan Dupuy’s professional references often said when asked about the 36-year-old.

Upon pulling on a Northwestern State cap and taking the podium at the introductory news conference introducing him as the sixth coach in Lady Demons basketball history, Dupuy wasted no time acknowledging his flesh and blood as anchors in his life.

“We mentioned throughout the process how important family is,” Dupuy said. “So, first and foremost, I have to thank my family. Everyone knows how difficult it is to be a coach, but the more difficult job is to be the spouse of a coach. They go through everything we go through, but they can’t control the outcome. My wife (Elizabeth) has been by my side from when I was washing jocks as a (men’s basketball) manager all the way until today. It’s been a long journey. It’s been a blessed journey.

“(Daughter) Madison and (son) Alex, thank you for everything y’all have done for Daddy. There’s no better feeling than waking up in the morning knowing those two are proud of you, and today, they’re very proud of their dad.”

Dupuy even joked his mother and father set him on a course that landed him in Natchitoches on Monday as the sixth coach in the 42-year history of the Lady Demons program.

It was an early nickname, Dupuy said, his mother and father – who were in attendance Tuesday, along with Dupuy’s wife, two children, his brother and his mother- and father-in-law – tagged him with that turned out to be prophetic.

“They did a little bit of foreshadowing in this whole thing,” Dupuy said. “I believe I was around the age of one, and they started calling me ‘a little demon.’ Ever since then, I was destined for this day. I didn’t know what y’all were setting me up for, but I appreciate it.”

The importance of family was not lost on Northwestern State President Dr. Jim Henderson, who delivered the opening remarks of the 20-minute introduction.

“I got a call Saturday night from (vice president for external affairs) Jerry Pierce, who said, ‘We got a coach,'” Henderson said. “Not only did we get a coach, but the city of Natchitoches gets a beautiful, wonderful family. Elizabeth, Madison and Alex, we’re delighted to welcome you to the Demon family, to Northwestern State University. You’re going to be here many, many years. We are so delighted to welcome them here.”

Dupuy’s definition of family quickly extended to his team, which was represented by juniors Tia Youngblood and Sami Thomas and sophomores Cheyenne Brown and Gabby Jackson.

On several occasions, Dupuy referenced the team as “my girls,” quickly establishing a bond between the new coach and his players, who gave Dupuy rave reviews following their initial meeting with him one week ago.

Northwestern State Director of Athletics Greg Burke alluded to the reputation Dupuy carved as a recruiter during his eight years at Southern Miss. In addition to spending the past three seasons as the associate head coach on Joye Lee-McNelis’ staff, Dupuy has been named the top recruiter and top assistant coach in Conference USA by scouting services.

That background was just a part of what made Dupuy, who will be a first-time college head coach, stand out to Burke.

“His coach said she heaped a bunch of stuff on him with the idea he would be a head coach one day,” Burke said. “He’s done everything. He’s done recruiting. (McNelis) says the moms absolutely love him. Xs and Os, she told me that was his strength, among many strengths. He can really X and O.

“Fundraising, you’ve got to do a little bit of that here. They had a golf tournament (at Southern Miss) and they only had 12 teams in it. There weren’t where they wanted to be. (McNelis) told Jordan about it. The next day, they had 24 teams.”

In his 20 years at the helm of the Northwestern State athletic department, Burke has built a family-centric culture.

Dupuy’s ease with his new players during last week’s interview also helped sell him to Burke.

“What’s most important to me is, when I walk out of a room and it was just our new coach and our young ladies, how would I feel?” Burke said. “I have to know that I feel good with these young ladies being with this coach. I have no doubt that is the case with Jordan. He has a beautiful family. He’s a family man, a man of integrity. The basketball part will follow. He’s demonstrated that.”

Both Burke and Dupuy spoke of the solid foundation Dupuy inherits.

The Lady Demons reached three consecutive national postseason tournaments – the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Tournaments and the 2016 Women’s Basketball Invitational – under Dupuy’s predecessors, Brooke and Scott Stoehr.

Brooke Stoehr and Dupuy worked together for one season (2008-09) at Southern Miss and developed a strong relationship.

“I don’t have to start anything,” Dupuy said. “I don’t have to redo anything. I don’t have to bring in anything. It’s all there for us to take and run with. Everyone knows how special the Stoehrs were. Great people, I love them to death. I have a great relationship with them. They have laid a tremendous groundwork for me and the staff I bring in to be successful. For me to come in and redo things and start from the ground up, one, it’s not necessary and, two, it wouldn’t be smart. Everything is there and in place to take this program to the next level.”

Dupuy said he will tailor his playing style to the talent on the Northwestern State roster and to that of the five incoming signees, all five of which Dupuy spoke to Monday night.

He also said he will tweak some things, including a possible introduction of a matchup zone he convinced McNelis to implement during his time at Southern Miss.

Dupuy did not commit to a timetable for hiring a staff, saying finding the correct fit and coaches with integrity and character were too important to rush.

Dupuy did, however, make it clear he wanted to win in three distinct areas.

“We’re going to win in the classroom,” Dupuy said. “We’re going to win in the community. We’re going to win on the court. We cannot prove ourselves on the court until November, so right now is about winning in the community and winning in the classroom.”

Speaking directly to “his girls,” Dupuy made one thing abundantly clear. He has no designs on stopping the momentum the Lady Demons have built in the past three seasons.

“We’re going to see everything we built in the community and the classroom carry over to the court,” Dupuy said. “We’re going to continue to hang banners, and we’re going to be trying on rings really soon. Get your ring finger ready. That’s the plan.”

Chamber Education Fund supported program implementation
By Leah Jackson

Northwestern State University’s Department of Engineering Technology and the NSU Elementary Lab School will host a program to thank the Natchitoches Chamber Education Fund for their donation to fund the Project Lead the Way Launch program at the Elementary Lab. PLTW Launch is the elementary curriculum for Project Lead the Way, a program that introduces engineering concepts to students to encourage interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) areas.

The program will take place at 9 a.m. Monday, May 16 on the second floor of the NSU Elementary Lab School where guests will be able to tour PLTW classrooms.

Elementary Lab science teachers Hillary Gray, third grade, and Jessie Church, fourth and fifth grade, participated in PLWT-Launch training last summer at NSU and began program in January with 44 first graders, 48 third graders, 54 fourth graders and 56 fifth graders. The Launch curriculum includes computer science for first grade, force and motion for third grade, energy collisions and conversions for fourth grade and bio-medical science and robotics for fifth grade.

“I would encourage members of the Chamber and specifically those individuals and organizations who have contributed and continue to contribute to the Education Fund to join this celebration,” said Dr. Phil Brown, PLTW coordinator. “Individuals from the Natchitoches community who see this new PLTW program will hopefully become inspired to encourage its expansion into other Natchitoches Parish elementary schools, be they public or private.”

Northwestern State is Louisiana’s affiliate university for Project Lead the Way and offers facilities, training and support to PLTW programs in place in several parishes throughout the state. More than 6,500 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW courses to their students from elementary school through high school. Currently, there are 96 PLTW programs in Louisiana. PLTW courses follow the Common Core standards, though the program is customizable. Funding opportunities are available through grants and the PLTW partnerships across the state and nation.

For more information or to register, visit louisianapltw.org or contact Brown at brownp@nsula.edu.

What happens when two local furniture stores merge? The consumer gets better services, better prices, and faster delivery, all with the same local, friendly faces. After 12 years in the furniture business Terrell Brothers accepted an offer from Ivan Smith to merge the two businesses.

The family owned business now has a 1 million square foot warehouse, next day delivery for most of the local area, a brand new, remodeled showroom and new lines of furniture, bedding and appliances.

Terrell Brothers on Texas Street will be renovated into climate controlled storage. Ivan Smith, at 936 Keyser, will continue to serve local and out of town shoppers.
“We are excited about all the new possibilities this merger will give our customers,” said Dane Terrell, manager of Ivan Smith.

At a special called meeting of the Parish Council on May 9, 2016, the Parish Council called for an election to allow the voters of Natchitoches Parish to determine if a new tax would be enacted for the maintenance and improvement of Parish roads. After lengthy discussion of the various tax alternatives available to the Council and a recommendation by the Parish President, the Council voted to put two separate propositions on the ballot on November 8, 2016.

Proposition No. 1 is a parish wide sales and use tax in the amount of one-half cent (0.5 cent) that would be collected in the parish and all municipalities that are not already collecting sales taxes at the maximum rate allowed by State law. Fifty percent of the tax collected inside of the City of Natchitoches will be used for Parish roads and fifty percent would be used for City public works improvements.

Proposition No. 2 is a parish only sales and use tax in the amount of three-quarters of a cent (0.75 cent) that would be collected in the parish only, excluding the City of Natchitoches and any municipalities that are already collecting sales taxes at the maximum rate allowed by State law.

The propositions were adopted by a 3 to 2 vote of the Council with Council members Russell Rachal, Doug deGraffenried and Rodney Bedgood voting for the measure and Council members Patsy Ward Hoover and Chris Paige voting against the measure. The vote was to allow the voters to decide the issue in November.

The funds generated by both taxes for the Parish would be strictly dedicated to the maintenance and improvement of Parish roads and associated features, such as ditches, bridges and highway right-of-way maintenance. They could not be used for any other purpose. In order to document the tax receipts and expenditures, a separate transportation sales tax fund would be created to account for all such transactions.

Rick Nowlin
Parish President

By Corey Poole

A 5-foot chicken snake climbed up into a circuit breaker at the Cleco substation in Clarence shorting out one of the phases to Natchitoches. One of the City’s two electricity feed lines was out for maintenance and the City was receiving its power by a single feed, so when the snake fried the switch gear, the whole feed to Natchitoches was unplugged, on a full moon no less.

“The conditions were just right and it all happened last night,” said Bryan Wimberly, director of the City Utility Department.

By Corey Poole

A flight school is in the works at the Natchitoches Regional Airport, according to an ordinance introduced at the City Council meeting May 9. The ordinance authorizes Mayor Lee Posey to execute a lease with Flying Tiger Aviation for a lot at the airport.

The Council made an amendment to an ordinance from 2103. Airport security would be increased at the airport by locating a Natchitoches Police officer inside a mobile home on the property. The mobile home was removed after the officer who owned it retired.

In other news, Dallas Russell accepted a proclamation from Councilwoman Sylvia Morrow declaring May 21 as Kids to Parks Day in Natchitoches.

Russell, community programs and outreach coordinator with the City’s Recreation and Parks Department, announced there will be additional kid friendly activities at the Cane River Green Market Saturday, May 21 from 8 a.m. – noon on the downtown riverbank.

Organized by the National Park Trust (NPT), Kids to Parks Day empowers kids and encourages families to get outdoors and visit America’s parks. With a decline in park attendance over the last decades, the NPT says it’s important to introduce new generations to the nation’s parks.

A second proclamation declared the second full week in May as “Women’s Lung Health Week” in Natchitoches. Every 8 minutes, one woman in the U.S. loses her battle with lung cancer, which is the top killing cancer. Advocacy and increased awareness will result in more advanced treatments and early detection that will ultimately save lives.

In other news, an ordinance amendment was introduced to change the zoning classification of 210 Jefferson St. from R-1 to R-1 Special Exception to operate a bed and breakfast at the request of William S. Mitcehll.

The Council gave their final votes to approve an ordinance authorizing Posey to purchase property at 545 Whitfield Drive from Norman O. Hicks Jr. and then execute an Act of Exchange with Ackel Investments LLC, for a piece of property at 135 Mill St.

Looking to own a contiguous tract of land between Mill Street and the right descending bank of Cane River, the City negotiated with Ackel Investments to purchase the land for $122,000. After buying the Hicks tract for $134,000, the City will exchange it with Ackel for the tract of land he owns on Mill Street. Ackel will pay the $12,000 difference in the Act of Exchange.

A new fishing tournament will be held at the Grand Ecore Boat Ramp on the Red River April 6-8, 2017 after the Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fishers of Men Ministries. The City will host the tournament, which will have a strong economic impact on the community. The group will stay in Natchitoches for eight days because practice will be held from April 1-5. The hosting fee is $25,000.

Other items included:

• Ordinance to comply with Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 54 committing special revenue fund balances.
• Ordinance amending the 2015-16 budget to reflect additional revenues and expenditures
• Ordinance authorizing Posey to execute a change order for $7,588 to the City’s agreement with Petron LLC for the construction of a new fuel farm and removal of the underground storage tanks at the Natchitoches Regional Airport, which totaled $394,306
• Resolution authorizing Posey to execute an agreement with the Louisiana Office of Community Development for the 2015-16 Community Water Enrichment Fund grant application for improvements to the Natchitoches Water System. The CWEF was established in 2008 to fund local government projects for rehabilitation, improvement and construction of systems to provide safe and clean drinking water. The City is eligible for $50,000. Utility Director Bryan Wimberly recommended a project eligible for the funding based on the City’s water system needs. This includes a submersible mixer for $35,200 and the labor and materials to install it for $14,800.

Two resolution authorized Posey to execute a certificate of substantial completion and a change order to the contract between the City and T.L. Construction LLC for the 2015 City Streets Project for $34,453. The revised total will be over 1.1 million.

• Two resolutions authorized Posey to execute a certificate of substantial completion and a change order to the contract between the City and Sunstream Inc. for the electrical distribution along Parkway and Howell for $11,134. The total will be $79,843.
• Resolution authorizing Posey to execute a certificate of substantial completion to the contract between the City and Worldwide Industries Corporation for the Hwy. 1 Bypass ground storage tank rehabilitation project.
• Resolution of the City Council expressing support of the Federal Railroad Administration’s proposed rulemaking to establish a minimum of two crewmembers for certain railroad operations. The two member crew is required throughout the country on freight trains hauling hazardous cargo when the trains are travelling through city limits