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Mke Hardy

Former Chief of Police Mike Hardy announces candidacy

Hello, my name is Mike Hardy, and I am running for the office of Chief of Police for the City of Abbeville in the city election on March 26, 2022. The office of Chief of Police is important to anyone who lives, works or recreates in our city. Our police officers, elected officials and most importantly, our Citizens need a Strong, Qualified and Proactive Chief – A Chief who can help provide a safe community through the use of professional and efficient department management, open lines of communication, firm but fair leadership, and proactive community policing.
I bring to the table over 30 years of Law Enforcement Experience. I served 12 years as the Chief of Police for the City of Abbeville. I have the education, training and experience to properly and efficiently represent the city and its citizens. I possess the management skills to operate the police department effectively. I have the strength and resolve to be firm yet fair when handling difficult situations, and finally, I possess the will to motivate the police department and the public to protect Our City.
I pledge to work with the officers, the Mayor and City Council, Parish Officials, as well as State and Federal Agencies to enhance better the Abbeville Police Department’s assets- training, manpower, equipment and time management. Together we will reduce response times and increase citizen and officer safety.
My goal is to create a professional and courteous public safety agency that we all can be proud of!
Education and Training
Graduate from Barbers Hill High School in Barbers Hill, Texas
Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement/Police Science from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas
Graduate from Acadiana Law Enforcement 18th Basic Training Academy and then Graduated again from a refresher in the 135th Basic Academy, receiving the John Mark “Dooley” HardyHardest Worker Award
Currently certified with the Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
Served over 20 years as a Manadnock Defensive Tactics Instructor
Certified Instructor on Tactile Police Driving
Attended the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Basic Training
Qualified Expert with Glock .40 Caliber Semi-Auto pistol
Received thousands of hours on numerous Law Enforcement training, including Narcotics Enforcement, Homicide Investigations, Firearms and Police Management.
Experience
4 years Patrolman for the City of Abbeville
6 years Lieutenant/Shift Supervisor for the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office
12 years Chief of Police for the City of Abbeville
1 ½ years Patrolman with Maurice Police Department
10 years Reserve Officer with the Abbeville Police Department
Professional and Civic Organizations
Member- International Association of Chiefs of Police
Past President –Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police
Past President – Southwest Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police
Past President- Vermilion Municipal Drug Task Force
Past President- Vermilion Parish TRIAD SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement working together)
Past President- Vermilion Parish Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
Served- Louisiana State D.A.R.E. Advisory Board
Served- Louisiana State Violent Crime and Policy Board
Served- Attorney Generals Advisory Council on Law Enforcement
Served- Designated Agent with US Customs Operation Blue Lightening Strike Force.
Served- Evangeline Law Enforcement Council
Worked with- Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement
Member- Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association
Guest Instructor- Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy
Past President/Board Member- Abbeville Kiwanas Club
Board of Directors- Vermilion Chapter Acadiana Boys and Girls Club
Member- Abbeville/Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, Graduate of Leadership Vermilion Class 6

Mike and Janise “Neisy” have been married for 40 years. They have 3 Daughters: Tessa, Allison and Kaysie. Tessa is disabled and lives at home with her parents – among other things, she has survived a stroke and is one of the most determined individuals that you will ever meet. Allison is married and is a Flight Paramedic with Acadian Ambulance Armed Services. Kaysie is a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at Ochsner/Lafayette General. The Hardys have two wonderful Granddaughters (Demi and Mya), thanks to Allison and her partner Loni.
I Humbly ask for your vote in the March 26, 2022, City Election. You can contact me at:
Campaign Headquarters: 1906 Michael St. Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: Cell 337-316-2855
Work 337-893-1243
Fax 337-893-1965
Email MikeHardyCOP2022@gmail.com
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: ELECTION DAY: MARCH 26, 2022
EARLY VOTING PERIOD: MARCH 12- MARCH 19, 2022

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Clayton “Gene” J. Rogers I

DELCAMBRE – A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted for Clayton “Gene” J. Rogers I at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. Fr. Buddy Breaux will officiate. Interment will follow at the church mausoleum.
A gathering of family and friends will be held at Evangeline Funeral Home in Delcambre on Monday from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm. A rosary being led by the Men’s Rosary Group will be prayed on Monday evening at 6:30 pm. The funeral home will reopen on Tuesday at 9:00 am until the service time.
Clayton Jean Rogers I, known by family and friends as "Gene", passed away peacefully at the age of 84 on Saturday, December 18, 2021 at his home in Delcambre. Gene was born to Rose Alma and Leo Frank Rogers Sr. He graduated from Delcambre High School in 1957, had a few short term jobs, then went to Coastal Chemical in Abbeville as a Captain on the vessel Escape II. He landed his dream job when he went to work for Jeanmard’s Marine Electronics, eventually acquiring Jeanmard’s, becoming one of the few Marine Electronic Technicians along the Gulf Coast. He retired at the age of 70 and spent his time traveling, camping, dancing, boating, chauffeuring his best friend, Keith Arceneaux, on the golf course, and communicating with his fellow Amateur Ham Operators, as N5FMX.
He was a loving husband and loyal friend who was always willing to lend a helping hand. His favorite place to relax & enjoy the outdoors was his beloved Longside Hunting Plantation.
He is survived by his loving wife, Vickie Dooley Rogers; daughter, Monica Rogers Crappell (Glenn); sons, Carl Rogers (Stephanie Lege), Clayton Jean Rogers, II. (Laura), and Chad Rogers (Christine); step-children, Blair Bourque (Louis) and Maegan Chantaphone (Peter); grandchildren, Shandi Crappell, Caymen Crappell, Chelsie Rogers Domingue (Nick), Paige Rogers, Dawson Rogers, Monty Rogers, McCall Rogers, and Hudson Rogers; step-grandchildren, Ashlyn Bourque, Owen Bourque, Logan Bourque, Auria Chanthaphone, and Bellamy Chanthaphone; great grandchildren, Brylon Bellott and Lillian Domingue; and siblings, Leo Frank Rogers (Liz) and Cecil Rogers (Millie).
Preceded in death by his parents; brother, David Rogers; godmother, Olga Landry; and his in-laws, Arthur and Dorothy Dooley.
Pallbearers will be Clayton Rogers II, Chad Rogers, Carl Rogers, Leo Frank Rogers Jr., Corey LeMaire, and Kenneth Arceneaux.
Honorary pallbearers will be Patrick LeBlanc, Glenn Crappell, Caymen Crappell, Cecil Rogers, Monty Rogers, and Owen Bourque.
The family would like to extend special thanks to Nicole Byars with HOPE Healthcare and Hospice of Lafayette.
“Over and Out N5FMX.”
To view the on-line obituary and sign the guest register, please visit www.evangelinefuneralhome.com.
Evangeline Funeral Homes, Inc. of Delcambre is in charge of arrangements.

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Alberta Villien Winch

A Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 1:30 PM in St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Maurice for Alberta Villien Winch, Rev. Paul Bienvenu, presiding. She was born on December 21, 1928 in Maurice and passed away from natural causes at St. Joseph’s Hospice in Lafayette on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
She was an educator, librarian, historian, church, and civic volunteer in Maurice. She was valedictorian of her Maurice High School class of 1946 and graduated with a degree in Education from ULL (then Southwest Louisiana Institute) and a Master of Library Science degree from LSU. She taught English and was the Librarian at Maurice High School and North Vermilion High School until her retirement in 1988. Over the years, she was a member of the St. Alphonsus Church Parish Council and Ladies Altar Society, the Abbeville Lay Carmelites, the Louisiana Library Association and Vermilion Parish Library Association, Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, Vermilion Parish Retired Teachers Association, Delta Kappa Gamma and Beta Phi Mu Honorary Societies. Her contributions to the history of Maurice centered on genealogy and preservation and are noted in publications of the History of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, the History of Vermilion Parish, and in the Attakapas Gazette. She was a talented artist, seamstress and cook.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Luther L. Winch, Jr., her parents, Albert and Pearl Villien, and her sisters, Phro Margaret Moss and Yvonne Rita Culver. She is survived by her daughter Barbara and her husband Richard House; her grandchildren, Sarah House Barcellona (Thomas), Walter Richard House III, Nicholas Mark House (Laura) and six great-grandchildren; her niece, Gwen Moss Lanoux and several other nieces, nephews and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, St. Joseph Hospice Foundation or the charity of your choice.
Alberta Winch and her family were cared for and entrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home.
Personal condolences may be sent to the Winch family at www.delhommefuneralhome.com.

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Chawanna “Shaune” Turner Alicea

September 25, 1972 ~ December 11, 2021

KAPLAN — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, December 20, 2021 at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church honoring the life of Chawanna Oranna Turner Alicea. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Reverend Mark Miley officiating the services.
Chawanna Oranna Turner Alicea was the only child of Bertha and Oran Turner, born on September 25, 1972, in Lafayette, Louisiana. After graduating high school, Shaune attended Southern University in Baton Rouge and the University of Louisiana  in Lafayette. In 1991, Shaune moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and worked at the at RTC Southern Transit where she later met best friend and husband, Juan Alicea Esteras. In 2008, they moved to New Jersey for a new beginning. Shaune began working at Wakefern Food Corporation in 2012, in the logistics’ department where she found her New Jersey family and later transferred to Asset Protection, working as a Closed Circuit TV Operator. Everyone fell in love with Shaune’s southern accent and spicy flare to tell it like it is. Her laughter was infectious and would fill up a room. Shaune loved to spend time traveling and trying new foods with her mother.
Shaune had a talent of throwing down in the kitchen like her grandmother. Folks, loved her Cajun cooking and encouraged Shaune to sell her signature gumbo. In 2020, Shaune decided it was time to put her dreams first and start a catering business called Cajun Cravings, LLC. The fire was lit under Shaune, as she started networking with community organizations and businesses to get her Cajun cuisine into stores. In late 2020, Shaune was diagnosed with a rare aggressive cancer, but that wouldn’t stop her. She continued to work full time while maintaining weekly treatments and on weekends created new dishes for vendors to sample. Before Shaune’s battle began, she asked her mother to come and they bonded together every step of the way. Shaune beat the first round of cancer and rang her bell at the end of March 2021, CANCER FREE! However, in June 2021, the cancer came back in a different area. Shaune being a private person like her mother, she didn’t share it with many. On the morning of December 11, 2021, at the age of 49, Shaune passed away in her sleep with her mother by her side.
Shaune leaves behind her loving mother, Bertha Turner; her husband, Juan Alicea Esteras; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Shaune is preceded in death by her father, Oran J. Turner; her grandparents, Everett Sr. and Mary Turner; and grandparents, Noah Sr. and Dorothy B. Williams; three aunts, Betty Lou Chambers “Nanny”, Catherine Floyd, Eleanor Marie Walker; four uncles, Louise Hebert, Noah Williams, Jr., Joseph Navarre Williams, and Willie J. Williams. Shaune is no longer in pain and her body is healed. If you listen silently, you can hear Shaune’s laughter and see her smiling.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church, 910 N. Frederick Ave., on Monday, December 20, 2021 from 9:00 AM until the time of the services at 10:00 AM with a repass being held from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan, (337) 643-7276 [Service Information 225-5276]. Condolences may be sent to the Alicea family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.

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Chad Wayne Trahan

June 23, 1968 - December 4, 2021

MAURICE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 11:00 AM at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Maurice for Chad Wayne Trahan, age 53, who passed away on Saturday, December 4, 2021 in Jennings, Louisiana.
Fr. Billy Massie will officiate the Mass.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Maurice.
Chad Wayne Trahan was born on June 23, 1968 in Abbeville, Louisiana and he was a life long resident of Vermilion Parish. He was a graduate of North Vermilion High School Class of 1986. He was an avid sports fan and he enjoyed watching College and Pro Football, as well as Horse Racing. More than anything Chad was a family man, he cherished the time he spent with his family and he loved having family gatherings. Chad had a great sense of humor, and always knew how to make others laugh. He will remembered as a kind, loving and generous man who was always there if you needed him. Chad will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
Chad is Survived by his significant other, Sarah Guillory and her children Saje, Sabur and Searrah; his parents, Ronnie Trahan (Connie) of Abbeville, and Janis Bergeron Dubois of Meaux; his siblings, Shannon "Sam" Trahan (Sue Tart) of Lafayette, Kelli D. Rodrigue (Michael) of Conroe Texas, Ashley Dubois of Meaux, Elliot "Bud" Dubois (Katie) of Meaux, and Trisha Manceaux (Kevin) of Maurice; he is further survived by his God Children, Ross Trahan, Cooper Dubois, and Taylor LaViolette; along with a host of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his paternal and maternal grandparents; his Godchild, Jett Sellers; his cousins Craig Bergeron, and Ryan Dubois; as well as his best friend, Chad Viator.
Inurnment will be held in the Mausoleum at St. Alphonsus Catholic Cemetery.
Cypress Funeral Home & Crematory, 206 West Lafayette St., Maurice, LA. 70555, (337) 740-3123, is in charge of Funeral arrangements.

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Photo credit: Doug Dugas /
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
UL Lafayette’s Taijah Growe, 21, will earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology on Saturday. She will also become the first graduate of the University’s Louisiana Educate Program for academically accomplished, lower-income students. She is shown during a recent recognition banquet for LEP students.

UL Lafayette’s first Louisiana Educate Program grad sets sights on higher education career

Taijah Growe, 21, enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette intent on pursing an education that would enable her to parlay an empathetic disposition into a career helping others.
“I’ve always been a good listener, and people have always talked to me about things that were bothering them. I find that rewarding,” she said.
Growe, who is from New Orleans, will earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UL Lafayette during the College of Liberal Arts’ Commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Cajundome. Individual Fall 2021 Commencement ceremonies for the University’s eight academic colleges and Graduate School will be held on Friday and Saturday at the Cajundome and the Cajundome Convention Center.
Growe, who minored in business, began considering a career as a mental health counselor in middle school. Private practice, however, is no longer the plan. During her time at UL Lafayette, Growe decided she will use her academic foundation in psychology at a college or university.
Following graduation, Growe intends to pursue a master’s degree in education – with a concentration in higher education administration. She is considering graduate schools in several states.
“My long-term goal is to work with students, helping them get through college, grow as leaders, get involved, become well-rounded. That’s important, because college is about more than simply school,” Growe said.
It’s a dynamic she experienced firsthand as part of the Louisiana Educate Program. The program is in place to help academically accomplished, lower-income students remain in college; it’s funded with a blend of private gifts, institutional grants, and federal and state financial aid.
LEP is also designed to get students like Growe, who will become its first graduate on Saturday, heavily involved in campus activities and organizations. Students accepted into the program are required to have work-study jobs on campus, meet structured study hall requirements, live on campus, join student organizations, and complete internships.
Growe was accepted into the Louisiana Educate Program among an inaugural cohort of 43 students that enrolled in the University in Fall 2018. The program has since grown to 98 students. “It has enhanced my academic experience. Getting more involved definitely helped with my social skills and time management,” she explained.
Growe’s achievements illustrate the point.
She earned a 3.43 GPA while being heavily involved in campus organizations and activities. Growe served as a counselor for the Office of Orientation’s Soul Camp, and was a peer mentor for Office of First-Year Experience’s UNIV 100, which is in place to help high school students transition to campus life. She was a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success and the campus chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, serving as recording secretary and fundraising chair. As part of her Louisiana Educate Program work-study job, Growe tutored fellow students in psychology courses, and provided advice about considerations such as time management and study habits.
She said accepting her diploma will be “bittersweet,” because while she’s anxious to get on to the next chapter of her life, “I love the program and the people I’ve met.”

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Death threat allegedly made against Erath High teacher

Another student threaten to allegedly shoot up the school

ERATH - Erath Police Chief Anna LaPointe is investigating threats made at Erath High School.
On Tuesday, she got a tip from a school official that students heard one student telling another student that he planned to shoot up the school.
Then, while investigating that threat, Lapointe also learned of another threat made about a teacher at Erath High School.
Chief LaPointe said students learned of a group of students talking about murdering a teacher. LaPointe did not name the teacher, but the teacher is aware of the students’ alleged threat made on her life.
The Chief said that as she conducted the investigation, the student who allegedly threatened to shoot up the school was asked to stay home. Also, the group of students who talked about murdering a teacher was asked not to come back to school until the investigation was complete.
“The teacher is scared,” said LaPointe.
The Erath Police is expected to complete its investigation Thursday afternoon or early Friday.
The students who allegedly made the threat against a teacher could be charged with “conspiracy to commit murder.” That carries at least a five year or more sentence.
LaPointe said the students did not allegedly make the threat against the teacher directly. Instead, they were allegedly overheard talking about the crime.
They could also be facing a charge of “terrorism against a school.”
Because of the threats, LaPointe placed two officers at the school on Wednesday and one on Thursday. An officer is also expected to be at the school on Friday.

Louisiana Department of Health receives CMS approval to launch TEFRA

BATON ROUGE – The Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted approval for Louisiana Medicaid to launch Act 421 Children’s Medicaid Option, or TEFRA, effective January 1, 2022. This program allows certain children under 19 years of age with disabilities to receive Medicaid coverage, regardless of parental income.
The TEFRA option disregards family income for children with disabilities who meet specific criteria, so they may qualify for Medicaid to cover the services they need to grow and thrive while living at home.
To qualify, children must have a disability that is recognized under the definition utilized in the Supplemental Security Income program of the Social Security Administration and must meet basic Medicaid and institutional level-of-care requirements. Additionally, their care must cost less at home than in an institution.
“In our work each day within the Louisiana Department of Health, our goal is to help individuals receive care in a safe setting of their choice. We are grateful for both of our legislators and to CMS for approval to offer an option allowing children to remain in their homes to receive care that will help them thrive,” said LDH Secretary Dr. Courtney N. Phillips.
“This is a great day for families with children with disabilities in Louisiana,” said Rep. Dodie Horton. “TEFRA will allow these children to avoid long stays in hospitals and get the care they need while living at home in the comfort of their family and friends.”
“We are excited about this new program and the significant impact it will have on our working families and children with disabilities to help make their lives easier while providing much-needed services,” said Rep. Dustin Miller. “Thanks to all of our stakeholders and other community partners for working with us to help move this forward.”
“Good health insurance often only covers a small portion of what children with disabilities need. This puts working families in a terrible predicament. Families can’t quit their jobs to get help. And they can’t help their kids without jobs," said Ashley McReynolds, Parent and Program Director at The ARC of Louisiana. "TEFRA will be such a huge help in assisting families with the extraordinary cost of raising a child with a disability.”
Applications for the TEFRA program may be submitted beginning January 1, 2022. Applicants must complete four steps which include 1) Medicaid Application, 2) Level of Care Assessment at your Local Governing Entity, 3) Disability Determination, and 4) Enrollment/Service Coverage through a Healthy Louisiana plan.
Consideration for Act 421 coverage will not occur before January 1, 2022. Anyone applying before that date will only be considered for existing Medicaid programs. Visit http://www.ldh.la.gov/act421 for additional information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Report: Louisiana lacks transparency for COVID relief spending

(The Center Square) – Louisiana has failed to provide adequate public information about taxpayer money received through the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, a new report from Good Jobs First asserts.
The Coronavirus Relief Fund was a provision in the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, which sent $118 billion to states to cover COVID-19-related costs through the end of this year. According to the U.S. Treasury, Louisiana received $1.8 billion.
Good Jobs First, a nonpartisan research organization, conducted a review of CRF spending disclosures across all 50 states and the District of Columbia and published the results in “Federal Dollars, States’ Recoveries: How Poorly Most States are Disclosing CARES ACT Spending.”
Louisiana was not alone with respect to transparency concerns, as report authors said only six state governments have provided exemplary spending information on public-facing websites. Louisiana ranked near the bottom of the list.
The state’s CARES Act website, Louisiana CARES, was lauded for accessibility and for including in-state names of funding recipients. The report, however, also said the disclosure site fails to show recipient funding allocations, expenditure categories for recipients and vendor expenses, spending descriptions, and information related to education and health data.
“It’s not enough to know the state’s Health and Human Services Department, for example, got $500 million. Residents need to be able to see how each department spent what it got,” report author Katie Furtado said. “There’s no excuse for disclosure to be so poor in so many places, especially with some states proving that it definitely can be done.”
The accountability report highlighted good and bad transparency examples, while crediting most states with some level of reasonable disclosure. Notably, eight states and the District of Columbia have failed to provide any spending information at all.
Alabama, Georgia and Wyoming were the top-rated states. Alabama’s site contains a “matrix” of disclosures that covers all of the state’s CRF expenses, the report said. Georgia provides spending data that goes beyond CARES Act requirements, and Wyoming hosts individual expenditures that meet every Good Jobs First reporting metric.
New York and Texas were cited as two of the worst transparency states, while receiving $7.5 billion and $11.2 billion, respectively.
“New York’s page is difficult to find and provides no details on expenditures. Texas offers little in the way of detail on its CRF page and instead places what little information it does have on the state’s open data portal website, a place most residents don’t know about and would have trouble finding,” the report said.
Congress and the U.S. Treasury Department gave state leaders, such as Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, broad flexibility for spending CRF funds, the report authors explained. The reason was to enable states and local governments to target specific COVID-19 needs in a timely manner.
Providing adequate information about how the taxpayer funding was used, they added, is important for the public to determine whether the money was spent wisely.
“We’ve seen CRF used on things like stadium turnstiles and upgrades to golf courses, while millions of people are afraid to return to work,” Good Jobs First Executive Director Greg LeRoy said. “Transparency enables residents to track these decisions.”
Despite “poor” CARES Act transparency, the report said states can provide CRF spending information retroactively, as well as disclose any CRF funds that have not yet been spent.
States also can improve transparency efforts, report authors said, with an even larger taxpayer allocation – the $195 billion state-aid provision contained in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, known as the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF).

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Ben Blanchet, Marley Grace Blanchet, Michael Blanchet, Mayor Mark Piazza, Warren Perrin, Natile D’Augereau and Earlene Broussard take part in the proclamation signing for Catherine Adelaide Brookshire Blanchet

Catherine Blanchet’s life work to be honored on Jan. 7 in Abbeville

Mayor Mark Piazza and the Abbeville City Council have declared January 7, 2022, as Catherine Brookshire Blanchet Day.
In the 1940s, Catherine documented songs and round dances in French by recording school children and adults when she was the music supervisor of Vermilion Parish Schools. She dedicated the rest of her life to teaching and sharing this treasury.
On Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the descendants of the people she recorded, her students, and the community are invited to the Vermilion Parish Public Library to remember Catherine, to sing and dance. The goal is to pass on these traditions to a new generation.
This public event is sponsored by the Acadian Museum of Erath, aided by the Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and funded with support from the Louisiana Folklore Society, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

Proclamation for Catherine Adelaide Brookshire Blanchet

Below is the proclamation signed last Friday by Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza:

WHEREAS, Catherine Adelaide Brookshire was born on April 20, 1921 in Kaplan the only child of C.H. (Harry) Brookshire and Julia Jacob Brookshire; and

WHEREAS, upon graduating from Kaplan High School she attended Tulane University’s Newcomb College, earning a degree in music; and

WHEREAS, during WWII Catherine joined the American Red Cross, and was stationed in Key West, Florida and taught adult literacy and volunteered for Tuberculosis Association, Easter Seals, American Cancer Society to name a few; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from Newcomb College, Catherine realized that the rich culture of South Louisiana was in danger of being lost due to assimilation. She became determined to help preserve and perpetuate that heritage. She travelled to remote areas of Vermilion Parish and recorded adults singing ballads in their homes. She was taught how to use a spinning wheel, weave, and raised brown cotton for use in spinning and weaving; and

WHEREAS, in 1950 Catherine married R. Edward Blanchet. In 1970 they decided to open the Blanchet School. At the Blanchet School Catherine established Acadian Assembly, a group of students who performed traditional Acadian music and dance including dances from Les Danses Rondes; and

WHEREAS, in 1955, with Maria Del Norte, she published Les Danses Rondes, a collection of Acadiana folk songs and round dances. In 1984 at the Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans she demonstrated traditional Acadiana Crafts; and

WHEREAS, she enrolled in the USL School of Music, earning a Master’s degree in Musicology, publishing her thesis: Louisiana French Folk Songs Among Children in Vermilion Parish 1942 to 1954; and

WHEREAS, in 1996 Catherine received the Lifetime Achievement Award from CODIFIL for her work in perpetuating Acadian Culture; and

WHEREAS, in 2019 Catherine received the ICON Arts and Cultural Awards, posthumously, as a Trailblazer for inspiring others to study our history and heritage, organizing musical festivals, always promoting Acadian folk songs, and for being an early advocate of French language education in public schools; and
Now, Therefore, I, Mark Piazza, Mayor of the City of Abbeville and the Abbeville City Council Declare
January 7, 2022
Catherine Adelaide Brookshire Blanchet Day

In honor of all that Catherine contributed to our community and Vermilion Parish in preserving our unique heritage through music, dance and education

Pages

Vermilion Today

Abbeville Meridional

318 N. Main St.
Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: 337-893-4223
Fax: 337-898-9022

The Kaplan Herald

219 North Cushing Avenue
Kaplan, LA 70548