Avoyelles Pages Past

By Donna Culotta

90 Years Ago

From our April 25, 1936 editions

• Cotton farmers ranked first in the rental and benefit payments in Avoyelles Parish.
• Aaron James Cappel joined the U.S. Marine Corps.
• Mr. and Mrs. P.H. Goudeau of Evergreen celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.
• Work began on the proposed Catholic Center at LSU.
• St. Vincent Academy in Shreveport welcomed back former students of the Daughters of the Cross in a homecoming.

80 Years Ago

From our April 27, 1946 editions

• Members of the Sodality of St. Joseph Church sponsored the staging of a three-act comedy at the Marksville High School auditorium.
• Vida Rose Mayeux of Plaucheville placed first in a contest of questions pertaining to the holy sacrifice of the Mass and Catholic liturgy.
• Members of the Marksville Garden Club observed their 10th anniversary.
• A list of Marksville businesses that closed on Wednesday afternoons was published in the paper.

70 Years Ago

From our April 28, 1956 editions

• Leo Coco of Marksville was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of the Red River-Atchafalaya and Bayou Boeuf Levee District.
• The 1956 senior class is the largest in the history of Marksville High School with 60 graduates; 31 girls and 29 boys.
• J.C. Gaspard of Marksville was named Color Bearer of the Eighth District American Legion.
• Diana Hall of Marksville was among the winners of the State Music Rally and received a scholarship to LSU for her achievement.
• The new Simmesport State Bank opened with a grand hoopla and festivities.
• U.S. Senator Russell Long was the guest speaker at the annual Avoyelles Parish Home Demonstration Program.
• Marksville High students Aimee Morrow and Hope Harris placed first in literature and civics respectively at the Central La. High School Rally.

60 Years Ago

From our April 28, 1966 editions

• Linda Roberts was the winner in the regional and state essay contest.
• Miss Eleanor Gremillion of Marksville was the first woman in Louisiana to reach supervisor status with a finance company.
• Reginald J. Dufour of Simmesport was declared the winner of the Top Boy Science Award and received an all-expense paid trip to the National Science Fair.
• Marksville Elementary Principal Anthony Smith passed away.
• Mr. Cliffe E. Laborde of Marksville was elected president of the 4-H Executive Committee.
• Rudy Bordelon was elected president of the Hessmer High FFA Chapter.
• Congressman Speedy Long was the guest speaker at the dedication ceremony of the Mansura Post Office.

50 Years Ago

From our April 29, 1976 editions

• Lucien Paul Laborde, Jr. of Hamburg was nominated for a Phi Kappa Phi National Fellowship.
• Avoyelles voters approved the renewal of a parishwide operating and maintenance tax for the drainage system and for the parish library by a three to one vote.
• Inaugural ceremonies for Gov. Edwards were held at the LSU Assembly Center.
• Dr. Everett Besch, Dean of the LSU School of Veterinary, was the featured guest at the meeting of the Avoyelles Parish Cattleman Association.

40 Years Ago

From our May 1, 1986 editions

• Avoyelles Parish School Board Superintendent Ronald Mayeux reconsidered resignation.
• Bank President Merlin Lacombe celebrated Simmesport State Bank’s 30th anniversary.
• Former Cottonport resident Miss Faye Novo was elected state regent at the Catholic Daughters of America convention.
• The Avoyelles Chapter of the National Federation for the Blind was formed.
• Wayne and Liz Coco, Barbara Lemoine and Theresa Thevenote were among those who attended The Library Appreciation Day.

30 Years Ago

From our April 25, 1996 editions

• Between 200 and 300 fish, including shad, catfish, gar and bass, were found dead and floating in the waters of Spring Bayou. Environmental Quality officials were bewildered but did point to low water levels which could have added to the problem.
• Weber “Chip” Johnson, A.J. “Sookie” Roy, Jr., Earl Barbry, Bernard Turner and Bill Belt were appointed to the new Avoyelles Parish Airport Authority by the police jury.
• Victoria Cole of Effie was crowned the 1996 Farm Bureau Queen chosen at the Farm Bureau Youth Contest.
• Ben Woodruff and Monique Ducote were selected as Sacred Heart Students of the Year for eighth and fifth grades respectively.
• The entertainment spectacular, “Decades,” was presented at the Fox Theater in Marksville. Directed by Jeffrey Sabree and Glen Leger, the production was hailed a huge success as it showcased local talent in a musical timeline of the past.

20 Years Ago

From our April 27, 2006 editions

• The Marksville and Mansura town councils cracked down on loud music in residential areas with stiff fines and even a possibility of impounding the vehicle.
• The police jury gave justices of the peace and constables throughout the parish a $50 raise per month.
• Mansura Chief of Police Phillip Lucas told the town council that his department will be needing more money in the budget because of the high cost of gasoline.

10 Years Ago

From our April 28, 2016 editions

• Avoyelles Parish Teachers of the Year were Claudine Jackson-Rogers, Plaucheville Elementary; Virginia Laborde, LaSAS Middle School and Sabrina Washington, Marksville High School.
• Madison Fruge of Plaucheville was named one of LPB’s “Young Heroes” for her program, “Maddie’s Gifts of Hope.” The group gives gifts to children in several hospitals around the country.
• Nate Cain, warden of Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport since 2012, was abruptly dismissed from that position for unspecified “personnel issues”