Nominations coming to a close for 2016 Avoyellean of the Year
Avoyellean of the Year 2016 nominations continue to come in but will be closing very shortly. Future nominations will be published in the coming weeks.
The Avoyelles Journal invites readers to submit a nomination for someone who did the most for Avoyelles during 2016. The deeds may have been public or private, but were none-the-less exceptionally beneficial to the well-being of the parish population.
Please include a few thoughts explaining why you think this person is deserving. Your name will be kept confidential. The “Avoyellean of the Year” will be decided by an independent panel of judges.
E-mail nominations to news@avoyelles.com or bunkierecord@yahoo.com, noting “Attn: Avoyellean Nomination” in the subject box, faxed to (318) 253-7223, dropped off at one of our offices or mailed to:
THE AVOYELLES JOURNAL
Avoyellean 2016 Committee
P.O. Box 36,
Marksville, La. 71351
This year’s nominations submitted so far are:
Wilbert Carmouche
I would like to nominate Wilbert Carmouche of Fifth Ward as the 2016 Avoyellean of the Year.
As the Avoyelles Parish Commission of Tourism director, Wilbert lives and promotes Avoyelles every day of his life.
He promotes our parish and takes every opportunity to show Avoyelles to the world, from Walt Disney World to all parishes in Louisiana and beyond.
He has shown little “hidden treasures” here in our own back yard.
In the past year, he has invited residents from other countries to temporarily move to the parish and help write pamphlets to promote wildlife areas. He has also been the recipient of countless local and statewide awards for his work.
He has served on the Executive Board of the Mississippi-Louisiana Regional Tourism and Louisiana Travel and Promotion Association.
Despite having a small staff, he is always ready to work for all people, in all cultures, religions and organizations of Avoyelles. He has a great personality and work ethic in his personal life serving on many local and church committees. Wilbert is already “Mr. Tourism.” Why not make him “Avoyellean of the Year?”
Lisa Thevenot
I nominate Lisa Thevenot of Cottonport as the 2016 Avoyellean of the Year.
Lisa serves as the administrator of the Adult Education Program for Avoyelles Parish.
She has been very instrumental in the success of the adult education classes throughout the parish. There are classes offered in nearly every community. With these additions, Thevenot has been able to reach many students who otherwise would not be able to attend.
She teaches many of the classes, spending several nights a week away from home and her children. She believes these long nights are key to a better education system in Avoyelles.
Thevenot is a treasure to our parish, pushing her students to their full potential while always looking out for the well-being of those students and their families.
Without her help, many of our youth would be lost in the shuffle, never seeing their dreams come true. Thanks to her, these dreams really do come true.
Mike Robertson
I propose that Bunkie Mayor Mike Robertson receive the honor of Avoyellean of the Year 2016.
Mayor Robertson has demonstrated a standard of excellence worthy of imitation by other government leaders, as well as laypersons.
He has been, and continues to be, passionately instrumental in attracting economic interest and development on both local and national levels for Avoyelles Parish overall and for Bunkie in particular.
He is not ashamed to make known to all that it is his faith in God that allows him to lead himself and others -- “Government with Faith.”
Mayor Mike is a humble man of integrity, honesty and ethical competence; a true man of his word with no partiality.
He is loyal to his faith, wife, family, friends and his community, as well as everything that is entrusted to him.
Newspaper accounts of some of his accomplishments include: annexations that bring in revenue from businesses (i.e., truck stop and motel); overlaying U.S. Highway 71 from north to south through Bunkie; new water pumping station with larger capacity water tank and lines to effectively serve the industrial park; vast improvement to the infrastructure of the new industrial park including obtaining “SmartSite Certification” which provides national attention for economic growth; announcement of multi-million dollar juvenile justice facility.
He designated Bunkie as a Train Town USA by Union Pacific Railroad, thereby further attracting businesses to the industrial park; and several millions of dollars in grants obtained to improve police and fire protection, city aesthetics and cleanliness (sidewalks, repair municipal buildings, walking trail, etc.), airport lighting and playground equipment.
In addition, Mayor Mike is determined to remain on the cutting edge of research and development in terms of economic growth that will direct the future of Bunkie and the surrounding communities.
He works in close collaboration with the Delta Regional Authority, LSU Economic Development and Kisatchie Delta Regional Planning and Development Board. Furthermore, Mayor Mike sits on numerous boards and committees whose sole purpose are to fuel work-readiness and education.
In his private life, Mayor Mike has helped many individuals.
He serves as an associate pastor of a local church and volunteers his time with Promise Keepers.
He is a good Christian mentor for many people of all ages in the Avoyelles community and beyond.
Jim “T-Jim” Moreau
I nominate Jim “T-Jim” Moreau of Cottonport for Avoyellean of the Year 2016.
Since 1964, T-Jim has shown visitors the true meaning of “Avoyelles Parish hospitality” when they are welcomed in his store with smiles and small talk.
He is also a great supporter of Cottonport and Avoyelles Parish.
He and his family are always donating items, participating in events and helping the people of Cottonport in any way they can.
In 1965, he helped to establish the first official Easter Egg Knocking contest in Cottonport at his store. He did it so Avoyelles would have a place to come together along Bayou Rouge to celebrate the Easter holiday.
He is a former member of the Louisiana National Guard, past president of the Cottonport Service Club and Knights of Columbus Council 1199 and grand marshal of the 2014 Christmas on the Bayou Parade in Cottonport.
He is a member of St. Mary’s Assumption Catholic Church and is a past member of St. Mary’s parish council.
T-Jim is not only a great life-long Cottonport citizen but would make a fine addition to the Avoyellean of the Year winners.
Shawn Gagnard
Shawn Gagnard is not only one of Hessmer’s most visible and successful business leaders, but is also deeply involved in his community.
While Shawn’s efforts don’t make headlines, they definitely make Hessmer one of the best places to live in Avoyelles Parish -- or anywhere else, for that matter.
He is known for his work in continuing Hessmer’s tradition of Little League baseball through the Hessmer Sports Club. As president of that organization, he is also an important reason for the success of this parish’s newest annual festival, the Cajun Crossroads Festival, which just had its second year.
When Dollar General closed and moved up the highway to open a larger store in town, Shawn took the opportunity to take a shot at his dream of owning a sporting goods store.
He could’ve let the old Dollar Store building stay vacant and opened his Cajun Sports in Marksville or Bunkie or some other larger town. Nobody would’ve blamed him. It would probably have made better business sense, from a purely selfish standpoint.
Instead, he made the decision to let his dream help his community by creating jobs for Hessmer residents, another sales tax producer to support local government and to “fight the blight” by putting empty buildings to good use. To me, that is a true Avoyellean of the Year.
Margie Melancon
Margie Melancon is a Bunkie businesswoman who is very deserving of the 2016 Avoyellean of the Year Award because of her many years of work in the Bunkie community.
She has been a long-time director of the Bunkie Chamber of Commerce, helping promote Bunkie and the town’s activities. She has been a major influence in the growth and development of the Louisiana Corn Festival since it started 30 years ago.
Melancon was one of the founding members of the Krewe of Cronus Mardi Gras Parade that is held every other year, as well as the Mardi Gras Ball held every other year. This includes overseeing the selection of the debutantes to represent Bunkie in Chamber events.
She has been involved in many civic organizations, including the Bunkie Service League and Bunkie Rotary Club, that serve the Bunkie community with civic projects throughout the year.
She was a leader in pushing for the renovation of the Bunkie Depot and the planting of trees on Main Street and replacing benches between the railroad tracks and Main Street.
She was one of the key figures in placing the Veterans Memorial at the Bunkie Depot that is used every Veterans Day during Bunkie’s ceremonies.
Over the years, she has organized different parades in Bunkie and worked in the local schools.
To me, there are two things that are most important to the work she does.
First, she believes in her community and Avoyelles Parish. Every chance she gets outside of Bunkie, Margie not only promotes Bunkie but all of Avoyelles Parish.
Second and most important are the kind words and her ability to help people in their time of need.
She doesn’t care what the color of your skin is or if you are rich or poor, Margie will work hard to make sure the needs of a person are handled with the greatest care and understanding.
Margie Melancon is truly a great candidate for this award.
Mac Normand
The late Mac Normand of Hessmer was always a man you could count on over the years. Some have said he was a blessing in disguise.
Until he became too ill to move about, he would visit nursing homes every Sunday and on some weekdays, bringing laughter, joy, hope and ease to the elderly in Avoyelles because of his generosity.
Not only did he visit the sick and elderly, he would take them grocery shopping, pick up medication for them and do needed things around their homes when they were unable to do it. He was just a phone call away for them.
Mac started his working career as a barber, then a carpenter. Since 1984, he was the owner of Mac’s Building Supply as well as, Mac’s Dirt Service.
Hessmer and Avoyelles Parish lost a man who cared about his fellow man in early January of 2017. With that in mind, I would hope he is considered for the 2016 Avoyellean of the Year.
Byron Juneau
I nominate Byron Juneau, Louisiana State Trooper of Bunkie, for Avoyellean of the Year 2016.
He is a proud husband, father, grandfather, and community leader. For almost 30 years, Byron Juneau has been helping to fight crime in our community.
Many, many citizens of this parish have witnessed more safety in the community because of his outstanding commitment and service. He has provided coaching in the summer for youths in sports and for high school sports. He’s active in his local church, working with youths and with the annual school supply drive.
He has solved hundreds of drug related crimes, making for safer neighborhoods, and investigated other serious crimes to bring criminals to justice.
He watches over neighborhoods and highways day and night to protect our community. Over the years he has investigated high-profile cases and arrested notorious criminals. He has received several awards from local organizations and was featured on CNN for his outstanding service.
The community can call on Juneau and feel assured that he will bring criminals to justice. None of us would be able to leave our families each day and go to work or sleep at night with peace without honest, dependable, loyal and committed law enforcement officers such as Juneau.
I salute you Byron Juneau. God is keeping account of every good deed you have done for your community.
I believe he should be Avoyellean of the Year.
Elton James Bernard Jr.
I would like to nominate Elton James Bernard, Jr. for Avoyellean of the Year because of his many generous Contributions to the business world, to the parish and to the people of Cottonport. James is a resident of Cottonport. He has been in business for 35 years.
James has always worked hard to improve his businesses so he could be helpful to the citizens of Cottonport & Avoyelles parish. He is a member of St. Mary’s Assumption Catholic Church. In 2007 James was awarded the Cottonport Citizen of the Year. In 2012 he was the Grand Marshal of the Cottonport Christmas on the Bayou Parade.
He is a member of Foxington Who’s Who. James was recognized by 4-H for his contributions to the club, and in 2015 he was recognized by the Jerusalem Baptist Church for all his business achievements.
He was introduced to business at an early age by his father who opened and ran multiple businesses in Mansura and Marksville. By watching and working with his father, he learned the retail and wholesale aspect of business. Mr. James also learned from other prominent business men of Avoyelles Parish. He respected their visions of always venturing into the unknown. His motto is "IF YOU DON'T TRY, YOU’LL NEVER KNOW". As one can tell, his dream of owning and operating businesses has become a reality. He has provided many jobs to individuals during these years.
In 1980, he opened a convenience store in Cottonport which grew into a large business called the Bottle Shop which later became known as Bernard’s Express.
He sold groceries, tobacco, and alcohol and later expanded to seafood. He bought and sold alligators through this location for a number of years moving towards the line of the crawfish industry. He then opened a seafood company known as J. Bernard Seafood which is still open today. He began buying and selling crawfish and putting Avoyelles out in the business world because of his line of crawfish sales. He opened a crawfish processing peeling plant in the 1990's processing and packing La. Crawfish Tail Meat. Today, James still packaging tail meat with his own label, J. Bernard Seafood. The tail meat is an Avoyelles product since he buys from parish fisherman and is processed in Avoyelles Parish. Mr. Bernard employs' 50 people to help run his businesses. He also operates a crawfish retail store in Alexandria located on Lee Street.
James has always been willing to help people not only in Cottonport but the whole parish. He has donated to every fish fry in the parish and has helped cooked many fettuccine’s for fund raisers for sick people. He has offered to take people to doctors appointments when they need.His generosity to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, with all their fund raisers, is phenomenal.........These are a few of his most kind acts of charity.
This is what a true Avoyellean is about. I could go on and on but “God” knows those that work in silence.
Elton James Bernard, Jr. deserves to be Avoyellean of the Year.
Bettey Jones
I nominate Bettey Jones of Hickory Hill as Avoyellean of the Year. Mrs. Bettey, better known as “BJ,” has been employed at Avoyelles Hospital for 40 years.
She is an old-school nurse whose care is all about her patients. Mrs. Bettey is firm and always kind to her patients. She is on top of her job. Whenever me or a family member have been in the hospital, she is the one to go to because I know she will get the job done.
Outside her work, she is very helpful in the community in which she lives. Whenever someone is in need, Mrs. Bettey is usually the first to give help. She never meets a stranger and is a friend to all.
With this being said, I nominate her for Avoyellean of the Year.
Allison Ravare-Augustine
A native of Marksville, Allison Ravare-Augustine's impeccable reputation as a community leader and tireless volunteer speaks for itself with a bio that reads as someone well beyond her 34 years.
Ravare-Augustine, the wife of Johnathan Augustine and mother of their five year old daughter, Aleyce, is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is the director of marketing for Riviere de Soleil in Mansura. She is also a marketing consultant for Dr. Donna Breen’s Medical Spa in Marksville. She has been an active member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Marksville all of her life. At the young age of 22, when most young adults and couples are planning their future together, tragedy struck when Augustine lost her first husband to cancer. Though she had always been an ambitious student and active academically and socially, her loss became a catalyst for a life committed to promoting cancer awareness and serving her community through organizations that speak to her personally.
Allison Ravare-Augustine has been actively involved with the American Cancer Society for 17 years, is currently serving as chairperson for Avoyelles Relay for Life and is the founder and director of the Louisiana Queen of Hope Pageant, an annual event that directly benefits the American Cancer Society. She serves as a state judge for pageants and is highly respected in the pageant world. Add to this, her roles as president of the Marksville Chamber of Commerce, past president and board member of the Rotary Club of Avoyelles, vice-president and board member of the Avoyelles Council on Aging, board member of the Red River Charter Academy, and member of the Avoyelles Hospital Board of Trustees, and it's clear to see that Ravare-Augustine truly lives Rotary's motto of “Service Above Self.”
She is also the president of the Avoyelles Arts Council, for which she serves as chair of the Avoyelles Arts & Music Festival, an annual event she helped found and organize five years ago that has become one of Central Louisiana’s biggest summer attractions.
Evelyn Williams
If is with great pleasure that I nominate Evelyn Williams, of Bunkie, for Avoyellean of the Year.
Ms. Evelyn worked for LSU and Southern University for over thirty years before retiring. She loves her community and worked hard to make life better in the community. Although Ms. Evelyn had no children, she loved each child as though they were her own.
She sponsored many trips throughout her tenure. Since her retirement she continues to promote a sense of striving to push the community in the way it should go.
Van Roy
One of the hardest workers in Marksville has been Van Roy because he is so active in the community.
Here is a man that works for the greater good and is committed to making Marksville a better place to live for everyone.
He is a small business owner of Bailey’s on the Square, a professional real estate agent with Roch Michael Real Estate and a leader in the Marksville Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Avoyelles and Avoyelles Arts Council.
The number of civic events that he has helped over the years would surprise many because he does it from the goodness of his heart. Arts in the Rafters and Relay for Life are just two of the many fundraising events he has worked over the years.
On top of the civic events he works in organizing and putting on the annual Avoyelles Arts & Music Festival, which has developed into a great one-day festival on July 4th in Louisiana.
He also serves as the City of Marksville’s Civil Service director.
Mike Gremillion
I would like to nominate Councilman Mike Gremillion of Marksville for the wonderful job he is doing for the people of Marksville.
When he is not on his regular job, he is a city councilman taking care of city business, which is at least three days a week. When he is on his breaks at his regular job, he is constantly on his cell phone taking care of complaints from the citizens in his district and outside his voting district.
I witness people always thanking him for getting the weeds cleared or the ditches unclogged, or getting stray dogs picked up.
Mr. Gremillion takes part in every city event in Marksville such as handing out candy to the kids on Halloween, and cooking meals for the churches and Lions Club, of which he is a member.
This is the type of politician everyone should have. Mr. Gremillion is a man that gets the job done and always has the people in mind.
Susan Welch
I nominate Susan Welch of Cottonport for Avoyellean of the Year 2016 because of her years of service as a teacher and administrator in the Avoyelles School System.
After over 30 years of being in the school system, she is retiring at the end of the school year. What a loss to the school children of Avoyelles Parish.
She was a teacher at Cottonport High and then came to Bunkie High for several years. She is ending her career by working in the Central Office in Marksville as Supervisor of Secondary Eduction.
She loves the students so much that she treats them just like her own children. She has the ability to teach children in a way that they understand the subject matter.
She has also shared her teaching experience with other teachers in the parish helping to make them better educators in the classroom.
As an administrator, she has worked tirelessly to make the educational system better for Avoyelles Parish, pitching new ideas to help improve the system.
Susan is a caring individual who always has a smile and a good work ethic. These are some of the reasons she should be Avoyellean of the Year.
J.T. Dunbar
I would like to nominate Marksville head football Coach J.T. Dunbar of Marksville as Avoyellean of the Year 2016.
He helped guide the Marksville High School football team to the state quarter finals in 2016 and the semi-finals in 2011. He has also captured several district championships in the last few years. Over the years he has been named the Coach of the Year in district, on the All-Cenla team and on the All-Parish team.
More importantly, Coach Dunbar should also be recognized for his efforts in teaching teenagers and molding them into fine young men.
He is respected by all the players on the team on and off the field. Several have gone on to become coaches or teachers.
Many have also received college scholarships to continue their education and playing football.
His nomination is based on his work with kids, not because of wins and losses on the football field. He is also an outstanding member of the Marksville community.
With everything he has done in the past, and what he accomplished in 2016, Mr. Dunbar should be considered for the Avoyellean of the Year award.