Doug and Jackie Vincent hand Erath Middle School Principal Dana Primeaux (in pink) the old bell. Also in the photo is EMS assistant principal De Ette Bigot.
The back of the bell has a picture of Robert Vincent when he was 21 in 2000 and another picture of when he died in 2020.
Erath Middle School was on fire on March 7, 2000.
The old bell now sits in the corner of the trophy case near the front office at Erath Middle School.
After 23 years, school bell donated back to Erath Middle
ERATH — For the last 23 years, Doug and Jackie Vincent were keepers of the old Erath Middle School (EMS) bell that their son, Robert, salvaged after EMS burned on March 7, 2000.
On Tuesday morning, the Vincents decided it was time they donated the large bell that once hung in the main hall in Erath Middle School.
“Today marks the 23rd anniversary the school burned,” said Jackie. “Doug and I figured this would be a good day to let Erath Middle have the bell back. Robert would have wanted them to have the bell.”
Robert, at 21, was the mayor pro tem of Erath when the school burned. It was Mardi Gras Day, and the flames were discovered at 3:30 in the morning.
Robert, also a lawyer, was a historian who loved collecting pieces of history in Vermilion Parish, especially from Erath.
He died almost two and a half years ago at 41. His parents have been holding onto the bell since his death.
Tuesday morning, they brought the bell, which had a unique sound, to EMS and gave it to Erath Middle School Principal Dana Primeaux. Primeaux decided the bell was going into the trophy case at the school’s front entrance.
After space was made in the trophy case, Doug placed the bell in the corner of the trophy case where everyone could see the bell.
The Vincents will donate a plaque that will be placed in front of the bell, explaining the history of the bell and why the bell is in the trophy case.