2023 Profile

A word from the publisher

The facility consists of several beautiful locations to customize your event. The charming grounds include an outdoor courtyard, reception hall, and climate controlled bottling room. Between the variety of beautiful open spaces and flowing floor plan, we can comfortably accommodate up to 500 guests. Making it a perfect venue for any event!

As the area’s newest venue, we offer customizable packages and services to make your wedding or event hassle free! A few amenities include an on site event coordinator, security, bar packages, tables, chairs, and linens! We are ready to make your wedding or event one to remember. Now booking for May 2023! Call today to schedule a tour and book your date.

KEVIN WARREN

Gary C. Magee — 5

Club Car Lounge — 9

Tyrin Truong — 12

Papermill — 14Ben Nevers 23John Green — 25

Richard “Ned” Thomas — 30

Magee led Bogalusa to a track/field state title

BY CHRIS KINKAID THE DAILY NEWS

Gary C. Magee played several sports in high school and then went on to coach at Central and at Bogalusa, leading the Lumberjacks to the 1975 state track/field championship. After his coaching career, Magee went into administration.

“First of all, Bogalusa is home for me,” Magee said. “I’ve played football, basketball, baseball, we didn’t have a track program and such, but on May Day, we have activities, racing and things and I was always interested in (them).”

Magee said May Day was like field day and added that everyone who wanted to participate could participate.

“In high school, at the start of the year, I played football, I played basketball, I played baseball and I had great coaches. Coach Piper was the head football coach. Coach Jefferson was the head basketball coach and also coach Jefferson was the head baseball coach. It was two men I highly respected. As a matter of fact, I love them just like I love my father. They were always good to me. They always tried to show me things that I would take advantage of and use whatever they told me,” Magee said.

Magee went to Southern University for college and said he had tremendous success there.

Magee said that his basketball coach wanted him to play basketball and baseball, but Magee said that he told him that he wanted to get his studies, but he only played football.

Magee was a running back.

“I had a dear friend from Houston, Texas, who was a tremendous hurdler, and when I used to go out and workout, and he would be out there working out, he would be jumping hurdles and he talked me into jumping a few and things of that nature,” Magee said. “I got to liking it and stuff of that nature, but I was told by the athletic director and head football coach that football was my scholarship and I did give 100 percent to football.”

Magee said he had four good years at Southern despite some injuries. “At that time, I was communicating with the Baltimore Colts. When my high school coach, who was like a second father, he and the principal came over to see me to let me know they were wanting me to come home to be one of the coaches,” Magee said.

So, Magee wrote a letter to the Colts organization thanking them for looking at him.

“I told them because of the injuries I had, I wasn’t going to try and play ball, I was going home and I had a chance to coach,” Magee said. “That’s what I did. I came home in 1960.”

Magee worked at Central, his alma mater Class of 1955, from 1960-1969 and then he went over to Bogalusa High School.

“At Central, we had great athletes,” Magee said. “We were district champs my first year, losing only one game. The next year, we hit the playoffs and we won it all (1961) and then ‘69 rolled around, the judge said, everybody go to Bogalusa High School.”

Magee said that when they showed up, coach (Johnny) Piper was really sick and was in the hospital.

“He told me he wanted me to go and meet with coach (Lewis) Murray and open the gym so he could talk to all of the athletes and I did that. And then we had our first meeting with coach Murray and he was telling us what our responsibility was going to be, and of course, he told me that I would be coaching the ‘B’ Jacks, which is the 10th grade team. I had let know that I only had coached the varsity, so I accepted responsibility, and our first day of practice, we had two-a-day. I was working with a quarterback by the name of Butch Ballard and I had kids like Terry Magee, Calvin Hymel, Eddie Walker, kids like that.”

It was Magee’s only day coaching the 10th graders.

Magee said they did the two-a-days and working hard. He said he was showing the quarterbacks how to handle the ball, the punters on punting and kicking off.

“I was the last person to come in that day. All of the other coaches are already in and coach Murray said, ‘Coach Magee, come on in.’” Magee said said that Murray told him that he had heard great things about him and that a couple of coaches talked about him and his knowledge of football.

“And then he told me this, ‘you don’t go to 10th grade tomorrow, you’re coming with the varsity,” Magee said.

Magee coached the running backs and receivers on the varsity level. When Bogalusa won it all in 1969, going 15-0.

Magee said he was complimented on the way they threw the ball. Magee coached football from 1960 to 1974.

Magee coached track/field at Central 1961 until 1969. He coached track/ field at Bogalusa from 1970 to 1975 and guided his team to a state title in 1975.

“My kids, let me tell you, hurdle race, we dominated the hurdles for years. We went over to Lee High School every year I was coaching to run in their relays and the LSU people was the judging committee. One of the coaches from LSU said this, ‘they could disqualify all of the high school hurdlers in Louisiana.’ He said that not but one school runs them correctly and that’s Bogalusa,” Magee said.

Magee said that they dominated the hurdles from the time he coached at Central to his last year in 1975.

“Let me tell you, the greatest kids in the world,” Magee said.

Magee said that they had a lot of people there including his wife and Murray’s wife there.

“Right after the 880, Sports Illustrated announced Bogalusa High School just posted the best time in the nation this year and he came down to where I was sitting with my wife, coach Murray and his wife. He said, ‘coach, do your kids act like this all the time?’ I purdied up myself and said,’as long as they’re with their daddy.” One of the things I got complimented on was the conduct of my boys.”

Magee said that he worked under the two best athletic directors anywhere in Piper and Murray.

“Them men worked with me and I’ll tell you what, gave me every opportunity,” Magee said.

In late February, Bogalusa had a dedication where the new track was named the Gary C. Magee Track and Field Complex.

“When I heard about it, the board meeting and talking about it and this type of thing, I did tell them how much I appreciated it and seeing it, watching them do the work, it was a touching moment,” Magee said.

Magee said that his wife knew the board had favored him and they were going to eventually going to do a new track and name it after Magee, but she never had the opportunity to see it. His third daughter Felicia, who was a teacher at Byrd Avenue, passed way. Less than three months later,

SEE MAGEE, PAGE 8

Magee

DAILY NEWS

PHOTO/Chris Kinkaid

Bogalusa named its track facility after Gary C. Magee.

Local Banking with a personal touch

MAGEE: Bogalusa High School named its track/field facility after the former coach

FROM PAGE 5

Magee’s wife passed away. That was at least three years ago.

“When I got her to the hospital, the doctor came in and said, ‘Coach, I’m sorry, Mrs. Helen died.’ I said, ‘what’s the cause?’ He said, ‘heart attack.’ I said, no sir, we did two checkups every year.’ I said it wasn’t a heart attack. He said, ‘well, what about a broken heart?’ I said, ‘well, I’ll accept that one.’ She never could give up my daughter.”

After coaching, Magee went into administration.

He was the assistant principal at Bogalusa High School from 1975-1989 and the principal from 1989 to 1994.

Magee said that Bickham or J.C. Crump, who was one of Magee’s previous principals, when big boys on campus would get into it would always call him to go to the office.

“The first thing the yucks are going to say is, ‘you old,’ or something like, get out the way. I would go up to the office and whatever they wanted me to do, I would talk to the kids. If some of them got a little rough, I could handle them and I knew all of the boys. Mr. Crump said when he was going to retire, he encouraged me to apply for the job and also my wife encouraged me to apply.”

Magee said he didn’t want to get out of coaching.

“My first interview with the superintendent, coach Murray showed up unannounced and told the superintendent, ‘if you’re going to take coach Magee out of coaching, you are supposed to take my resignation,’” Magee said.

Magee said that he loved his job in coaching and administration.

Gary C. Magee speaks to graduates.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Pictured is Gary C. Magee.

Barber helped restore building, while keeping history alive

BY CHRIS KINKAID

James Barber is keeping history alive after he bought what is now called the Club Car Lounge, which opened in February.

Barber, who is a 1981 Bogalusa High School graduate, has lived in Bogalusa all his life.

“The building was sitting there, getting rundown and looking terrible,” Barber said. “There was a sign on it saying they were accepting offers. They had been trying to sell it. I had just sold Union Square, so I bought it and got it restored. I got it on the state historical site. We do know the building was used in 1905, so I’m sure the building had to have been used in the early 1900s.”

Barber said they changed all of the rotted wood and put new wood on the roof.

Then they started on the handrails and porches and got new handrails and porches.

They put new siding on it.

They replaced all of the broken windows. Had a guy replicate them and make the same windows.

“I have a guy in Mobile, Alabama that does historical preservation work,” Barber said. “He does windows, doors and whatever. He told me he could build me five new windows.”

Barber said they also fixed up the offices.

SEE BARBER, PAGE 11

Preston McConnell Sales Manager Johnny Mitchell Salesman

Justin Gibson Dealer/Operator Chris Horton General Manager

Chris Pierce ASE Cert Tech

Justin Lockhart Parts/Service Mgr.

Heather Pierce Service Advisor Mike Andris Lube Tech Tony Clark Detailer Now Accepting Applications for Full Time Salesperson •Top Pay •Benefits Package with 401K •Insurance •Paid Vacation & Sick APPLY TODAY!

Blazer

BARBER: Talked about how he came up with the name Club Car Lounge

FROM PAGE 9

“As I got one of them fixed up, I got it leased out,” Barber said. “So now, I’ve got all seven offices leased out.”

Barber said there was a bar in there.

“I decided that since I had sold my other place, I would restore the lounge and open up the lounge,” Barber said.

He is now working in the kitchen and getting finger foods for the lounge that people can snack on.

Barber said that next, he’s going into the big area and will turn that into a reception hall for things like weddings and banquets.

He and some of his employees from the hardware store are doing what work they can and they’re hiring to get the bigger stuff done.

Barber talked about how he picked the name.

“It was a stained glass window that said Club Car and when I saw that, I decided we’d name it Club Car Lounge,” Barber said. “I looked back at pictures from the 1970s and that stained glass window is in the pictures.”

Barber said he’s got a lot of memorabilia that he’s going to put up. “It’s just a nice laid back lounge that’s playing some jazz and blues,” Barber said. That’s our background music. We’ve got TVs for sports. We’ve got a good crew. We’ve got a great selection on the menu and if we don’t what you’re looking for and if there is any way possible, we’ll get it for you.”

Barber said that everything is original. Some of it has been restored. Anything that can be saved, we’re keeping all of that. There won’t be a lot of additions.

Also he is trying to keep it to where we can utilize it.

“It’s just a cool historical building and I just couldn’t see it being torn down,” Barber said. “It’s been around longer than anybody has been in Washington Parish. We know it’s at least 118 years old.”

Besides Club Car Lounge, Barber owns a hardware store, two package liquor stores and a bunch of residential and commercial property.

Obama inspired Truong to run, get involved in student government

BY CHRIS KINKAID THE DAILY NEWS

Bogalusa Mayor Tyrin Truong was inspired to get involved and run for something after Barack Obama was elected president.

“This was back in ‘08 and that just inspired me to see somebody who looked like me become the president of the United States,” Truong said. “Of course, I don’t want to be president, but that inspired me to run and get involved in student government.”

Truong said to see Obama be so graceful and that he has never seen Obama get out of character.

“People lobbed so much stuff at him whether it was right or it was wrong, that’s politics, but just the sheer fact that he just handled himself with so much grace, so much humility and he set a standard for black boys, black men all around the country,” Truong said. “Actually for anybody really, the standard is still set. As a young black boy, I had never seen anything like that in terms of somebody who looked like me. We haven’t had a black governor in recent times, Obama is still the only black president, so his first helped me reach my first in terms of, ‘I can do it. I don’t have to see somebody else do it before (me).’ President Obama did it. He didn’t have anybody come before him to be the president. That’s what kind of motivated me.”

Truong said that he didn’t know what politics was at that point. He was around 8, but Truong said he remembered the symbolism of seeing Obama elected and seeing how proud everybody was about it.

“That feeling stuck with me. That feeling of leadership. That’s what made me get involved with student government and that’s what has helped me reach this point,” Truong said.

Truong was involved in student government all throughout junior high and high school. In college at Washington University in St. Louis, he ran for student government senate and ended up being student body president his sophomore year, which Truong said was unheard of.

“We hadn’t ever had a sophomore to run and to lead the student government,” Truong said.

Before becoming Bogalusa’s mayor, Truong worked on a few campaigns. He interned on Capitol Hill for three summers for Congressman Lacy Clay out of St. Louis.

Truong, who is just 23, decided to run for mayor, despite being so young.

“I’m used to proving people wrong,” Truong said. “I’ve been doing it my whole life. I knew that my age was going to be a huge factor in the campaign and that’s why I knocked on doors for 10 months straight. I think when you connect with people, because in this world, we all have stereotypes. We all look at somebody and stereotype them based on society, but once you talk to somebody individually, you get to see like, ‘oh well, maybe I stereotyped them wrong. Maybe that’s not true.’ So, I just knocked on doors. I just let people know, ‘hey, here’s my plan. I want to help reduce crime. I want to bring more businesses into town,’ and I think that resonated with a lot of people. I think that the more that I knocked the doors, the more that people put their guard down about my age.”

Truong said that with crime, they need to keep the guys out on the streets.

“Police officers need to stay out of the office and in the streets,” Truong said. “That has worked so far. I think the community is starting to come around and trust in the police department a little bit more. With this last incident that happened in front of Food Depot (on March 1; interview for this article took place on March 9), we had the suspects arrested within an hour. We had video footage that somebody had turned in, so I think it’s starting to work in terms of letting people know that you can no longer get away with this kind of stuff. I mean, I don’t have any control, you don’t have any control over somebody choosing to shoot someone, but what I do have control of is making sure we apprehend them and get them through the court system, so that’s what I’ve been doing my best at.”

In early November, Truong was elected Bogalusa’s new mayor with 56 percent of the vote.

Truong said he had three speeches prepared, one for a loss, one for a runoff and one for a victory.

“Of course, I used the victory speech, but it didn’t feel real when it happened,” Truong said. “I was just sitting there and I walked into a room —

a victory night party — and everybody was happy and I’m just like, ‘ok, it’s real now.’”

Inauguration day was in early January.

“The community came out,” Truong said. “We had the swearing in that morning, that was really nice. Then we had the parade, then the ball that night. I just think it was a turning point. Mentally for a lot of people here in town, it’s like, ‘ok, well now I think we can actually progress and move forward as a city because we’ve got somebody young, somebody energetic’ and it’s just been my job to live up to those standards since I’ve been here.”

Truong said that his biggest goal while in office is to empower the kids in the community.

“Whether it’s through mayor’s camp, whether it’s through mayor’s youth council that we’re about to start up (as of March 9), I just want to provide a lot of positive pathways for young people in our community because that’s where we’re seeing the gun violence. Most of this is happening from guys 14 to 17 years old. How do we stop that? How do we get out of the cycle of poverty, of gun violence,of just a general lack of respect? Everybody says, ‘oh the parents.’ Well, if the parents aren’t doing their jobs because most parents here are working two and three jobs, so the kids are latchkey kids. They come home, get off the bus, go change out their school uniform and they come into the street and play and that’s where we’re seeing a lot of this conflict, so how do we start before care and after care programs? How do we bring stem camps? How do we get resources in here for the kids? That’s what I hope my legacy will be at the end of my term.”

Truong said the best part for him since he took office is the hope that citizens have right now.

“It’s a weight on my shoulders and it does become hard to bear sometimes, reconciling like what I can do as mayor, what I can’t do and what the citizens expect of me,” Truong said. “But I think that hope, just seeing people think that now, we can actually turn Bogalusa around, because for decades now, our city has been declining and the sentiment has been, ‘oh yeah, well it’s Bogalusa.’ But now, people actually say, ‘I think Bogalusa is going to turn around and make a turn for the better,’ so that’s been the best part so far.”

Truong went to Varnado High School his freshman and sophomore years. His mom is in the military, so they moved and he graduated from West Harrison High School in Gulfport, Miss. in 2017.

COURTESY PHOTO/Kevin Magee Pictured is Bogalusa Mayor Tyrin Truong.

TRUONG: Inauguration day was in January

FROM PAGE 12

Truong graduated from college in 2021 with degrees in political science and African American Studies.

Truong hasn’t had much free time, but said he does like riding bikes, walking trails and he enjoys leisure reading.

DAILY NEWS

PHOTO/Chris Kinkaid

Shown are pictures Bogalusa Mayor Tyrin Truong’s inauguration.

Dee Dee McCullough CEO / Principal

Bogalusa Papermill opened in 1918

BY CHRIS KINKAID THE DAILY NEWS

The International Paper Mill in Bogalusa opened in 1918.

According to the fact sheet, the mill is the largest employer in Washington Parish, as it has 475 full-time jobs and hundreds of contractors with an annual payroll of $48 million.

The sheet says that the mill has two paper machines that produce containerboard. End uses include corrugated boxes, bulk packaging and shipping containers.

The mill is also involved in the community.

According to the fact sheet, in 2022, the mill invested $186,000 in donations, contributions and IP Foundation grants to area nonprofits. Eightytwo percent of the mill’s contributions stay in Washington Parish.

The mill has had several owners over the years.

International Paper has owned the mill since 2012.

The first owner was the Great Southern Lumber Company in 1907.

Then the Bogalusa Paper Company took over 1918 before Gaylord Container Corporation was the owner in 1937. In 1955, Crown Zellerbach was the owner before Gaylord Container Corporation was the owner in 1986. Temple-Inland took over 2001 before International Paper became the owner in 2012 and has been the owner ever since.

Basically, the way paper is made is the wood comes off the trucks that you see on the roads and goes into a tumbler, which knocks the bark off, through the chipper and to make pulp.

There are two digesters at the mill.

The wood chips, water and chemicals go into the digester, heat and pres-

COURTESY PHOTO

Pictured is a portable sawmill.

DAILY NEWS PHOTO/Chris Kinkaid

Shown

the digester (building with the flag on top).

PAPERMILL: Has been in Bogalusa for more than 100 years

FROM PAGE 14

sure go in to break that down into pulp until it’s soft and wet. Hot water and chemicals left from the process are cooked down in the recovery area in a close-looped chemical process, meaning that every-

thing is used.

The pulp that goes onto the paper machine is 99 percent water.

It’s poured out onto a screen. Then the machine uses gravity, heat, and pressing in the process of getting water out of pulp and drying it into paper.

Founded

1.

I am dedicated to taking the required steps to improve our parish.

2.

I pride myself in my proactive nature, no empty promises.

3. COMMUNITY

I will always put the community’s interest first so that we can work together for a better future.

Doing Business The Right Way Since 1929.

Bill Hood Chevrolet is located at 69020 Highway 190 Service Road in Covington, LA. We are proud to be a part of and an active member in the Covington community. In fact, we’ve been here for nearly 100 years. Bill Hood Chevrolet was founded way back in 1929. Since then, we have existed on one motto: “Doing business the right way since 1929.” Over the last 90 years, Bill Hood Chevrolet has prioritized customer experience with every new and used vehicle transaction and every service appointment. We will always welcome you with a warm smile and handshake, listen to your needs, be transparent on pricing, and fight to secure you the best deal and the best financing offer. Our sales staff is not pushy, but is rather there to hear what you are looking for and guide you to options that meet your needs without any high-pressure sales tactics.

As a Chevy flagship store, we carry everyone’s favorite Chevy trucks, as well as many of the higher trims on Chevy vehicles that our customers love. We also have a GMcertified service department with specially trained technicians who have specific knowledge of Chevy vehicles to perform higher-quality issues and more easily spot potential vehicle issues. In the service department, technicians use only genuine Chevy parts for the best fit and performance. Over the last 100 years, Bill Hood Chevrolet has been deeply involved in the Covington community and has been an avid supporter of the area—and of this great country in general. You might recognize us from our big American flag flying in front of the store, easily visible from the highway. If you share our American ideals of integrity, transparency, and kindness, you’ll fit in just fine at Bill Hood Chevrolet. We hope you’ll be a part of our continued history as we launch into our second century of business.

Your Satisfaction is and has Always Been Our #1 Priority!

ABOVE — Older pictures from the papermill. BELOW — Recent pictures taken from inside of the papermill.

Every day the world moves forward with new ideas, new and new challenges. And every day International Paper help make the world better, safer and more sustainable.

At IP, we’re meeting today’s needs for renewable, fiber and pulp while sharpening our focus on the future.

From planet-friendly packaging to absorbent pulp, we transform renewable resources into products people depend on every day.

And we are a leader in the recycling and reuse of paper, helping to reduce waste and build a better future for our planet.

new technologies

Paper forges ahead to sustainable. fiber-based packaging C

reating what ’s n ex t.

Nevers inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame

Induction ceremony was in New Orleans

BY CHRIS KINKAID THE DAILY NEWS

Ben Nevers was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame at the 31st annual ceremony and Banquet that took place at the National World War II Museum U.S. Freedom Pavilion in New Orleans on March 4.

“My remarks to them is that I really feel like that the people I surrounded myself with in the House of Representatives and the Senate allowed me to do some things I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own,” Nevers said. “The people that served with me at District 12, the senate and house staff deserve the credit. They don’t always get the credit, but a lot of times, they were the ones who draft bills and put feet to the floor. You have ideas about what you would like to change in the law and they actually draft the pieces of legislation and advise you to get where you want to go. I certainly gave them a lot of credit and our families. Our families probably put up with a lot more than we do.”

Nevers, who is from Bogalusa and graduated from Bogalusa High School in 1964, talked about what made him get into politics.

“My original position was Bogalusa School Board,” Nevers said. “I was there for about seven years. I just thought I could make a difference and bring a better educational system to Louisiana. I guess I was the driving force behind the old Charity Hospital and Our Lady of the Angels Hospital. We were able to get residency programs in Bogalusa. At that time, the BOgalusa Hospital was run by the Board of Directors. We had the LSU Charity Hospital here and both were struggling financially. I was a driving force to get the LSU hospital from a private hospital to a public hospital. I feel like if we hadn’t done that, we may not have a hospital

here. But I owe everything to the people who elected me, my family and God. I wouldn’t have made it without my strong faith in God.”

SEE NEVERS, PAGE 24

“It is truly a privilege to be chosen by the citizens of my district to be their voice in the State Senate. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the citizens of District 12 to preserve Louisiana’s values, improve education at every level, and address the state’s challenges with common sense solutions.”

NEVERS

NEVERS: Has been married to his wife Anne for 57 years

FROM PAGE 23

1994. He was in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1999-2003 before serving in the State Senate District 12 (2004-2016).

Nevers chaired three committees, the State Education, Judiciary ‘A’ Committee, which oversees civil law in Louisiana, and the Labor and Industrial Relations.

He spent four years in each.

Nevers said that there probably aren’t a lot of people who chaired three committees, but with other people’s help and God’s help, he was able to pass some nationally recognized legislation. One of those was dual enrollment. He said that was one that got nationally recognized and that Louisiana was one of the first states for dual enrollment.

They also passed a piece of legislation that formed a commission that

reduced child poverty by 10 percent each year for five years.

“I certainly didn’t accomplish these things by myself,” Nevers said. “I was able to work across party lines. I didn’t care about party lines. I just wanted to work across the aisles and help the people.”

Nevers also credited working with other state representatives and state senators in the legislature that represented our area to helping get the bills passed.

Nevers was also chairman of Governor John Bel Edwards’ transition team and became his Chief of Staff.

Edwards the fourth governor that Nevers served with.

Nevers, who graduated from Louisiana Technical College on the Sullivan Campus in 1969, lives in Bogalusa with his wife Anne and they have three children. Nevers and Anne have been married for 57 years.

COURTESY PHOTO

Political hall of famer Ben Nevers is shown with his plaque.

Bowls to Birds

BY BOB ANN BRELAND SPECIAL TO THE DAILY NEWS

What exactly is art, and how does one define it?

To some, it may be endearing music played by extraordinary musicians. To others, it is beautiful oil paintings by creative artists with brushes. Or massive sculptures, by those who see the world in a big way.

To John B. Green, art is found using a basic medium of ordinary pieces of wood.

He became really interested in the beauty of wood as art years ago when he went to visit a local well-known wood turner. He was so impressed with the man’s wooden objects, he purchased some as Christmas gifts for business customers.

“The good thing was -- they liked the wood gifts as well as I,” Green said. He knew he was also interested in learning to do this, so he kept gaining information.

When he went on a cruise the ship stopped at a small island, where he learned a good deal about wood turning.

“There had been a steel mill there which had closed, and the town was glad to see us and gave us a tremendous welcome. I saw a guy selling wooden objects. He had something I liked and I bought it,” he said.

He asked the man about learning to wood turn and he told Green to buy the best wood lathe he could find and some really good tools. Green did buy good tools and an excellent lathe – actually several of them in the years to come!

He was very pleased when his first attempt to turn wood was successful. He went on with just wood-turning various objects for quite a while – and still does.

While Green continued to be intrigued with wood-turning, there was

COURTESY PHOTO

Three sizes of birds are shown by John Green.

SEE GREEN, PAGE 26

GREEN: Member of the Washington Parish Art Association

FROM PAGE 25

something more, as he thought about extending his work with wood. This led him to his “Birds of Prey” series. The idea of birds was by accident, he said. He had turned a wooden sculpture and a friend with him revolved it sideways and said “if this had fins, it could swim.”

“It gave me ideas. I learned word turning is a visual thing and fortunately I can see and think in three-dimension,” Green said.

With a degree in mechanical engineering, he had semi-retired from the sand and gravel business. He said that nothing about that business was either mechanical or artistic. However, there he had gained a lot of foundry experience and could use it for help in creating the birds, for which he has become very well known.

He went from being just a wood turner to also becoming a wood artist -- or sculptor. This did not happen overnight. The American Association of Turners meets all over the country and he has attended many of these events and also showings of spectacular wood turning and wood art. He has shown at wood turners emporiums where there can be 800 to 1000 pieces shown and 1500 people attending. In fact, he has been the host for a meeting at his workshop. He explained there are so many people who are wood-turners, some in their retirement years. Many, as he, attend art festivals all over the country exhibiting and selling creations. He also exhibits and sells in a gallery in Santa Fe, NM.

“It has been a building and learning process over the years,” he said, adding that one of his art pieces can take up to six weeks to complete. It is also an expensive undertaking.

Green is fortunate to have a large marvelous workshop to handle all of his processes, from a simple piece of wood to large and heavy pieces. There he explained all of the processes he does to complete one of the birds or other art. The wings of the birds are formed from big forked limbs, which he turns and will hollow. This is a complicated process which Green has perfected, especially the longer broader wings.

The heads and bodies of the birds begin as waxed creations, each made especially for each bird. He hand-carves the heads and tails to match each particular bird and their position.

The “lost wax” process was used as early as the Bronze Age and continues in his artistic endeavors. The bodies are then cast in a hard substance and coated with bronze. The wings are turned from many types of wood, all designed for various birds. He collects a various selection of pieces of wood for future use.

He has a gallery room filled with so many of his artistic pieces, from birds as small as larks and as big as eagles, also a fish and shown inside his house, a large lizard. Also in the gallery are various other lovely wood objects he has created,

Anything his mind decides to make, he has the capacity to build any wooden art piece. Nobody else is doing quite what he does in perfecting this art.

So answering the question: exactly what is art? Art can emerge in such different ways and from so many creative minds – even from crude wood limbs and stumps!

Green is a member of the Washington (Parish) Art Association and lives in Franklinton with his wife, Dianne. Their lovely home is filled with lovely art pieces of his and from local and area artists.

COURTESY PHOTOS

ABOVE — The finished head of an eagle. BELOW — This fish came out of expert carving, pieces of wood and bronze.

Washington Parish President Thomas completing 16-year career

Richard “Ned” Thomas is completing a 16-year career as Washington Parish President in January

“I’ll be 70 years old and it is time for somebody else to step in,” Thomas said that when asked why he decided to retire, he stated, “I just want somebody who wants to work hard and move this parish forward. I know that’s cliche. I also want my people to be taken care of. When I first came to work here, the Parish Government had a $92 fund balance after I donated $14,000 from my payroll to keep the Parish running. Now, we have a healthy fund balance of over one million dollars even though our parish residents pay the fifth lowest property taxes in the state.” Therefore, the Parish is in good financial standing.

Thomas said the parish still needs new things like a new jail and new schools.

He said he is working on a $45 million event center to be located in Franklinton and requesting state and federal funding for this. Thomas said that our State and Federal Legislators have been asked to help with this project.

Thomas talked about what got him into politics. “I really never liked politics,” Thomas said. “I had a good friend I was helping, Dr. Jerry Thomas. My father was a Washington Parish School Board member when he passed away and had been elected with no opposition. I was asked to complete his term until a new election was held six months later. After that, I ran for the office against another opponent and won the

position and served on the School Board for ten years of which seven and a half years I was as the President of School Board.”

Before he got into politics, Thomas and two

COURTESY PHOTO

President Richard “Ned” Thomas (third from the left) is pictured with his wife Linda Forbes Thomas (second from the left) and their two children Rick Thomas (left and Jennifer Thomas (right).

THOMAS: Plans to do some traveling once he retires

others ran a construction company that worked nationwide. The company was a major contractor at the Bogalusa papermill. Thomas sold his ownership in the company when he was elected Washington Parish President.

Thomas said one of the biggest accomplishments since he has been Parish President is the blacktopping of many Parish roads. “Our infrastructure is 99 percent better now for Parish roads and improving,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that some of the roads in Bogalusa were blacktopped by the Parish road crew. We are fortunate to have such talented and skilled crews in our workforce, because we have been able to perform asphalt overlay and drainage work for just about every municipality in our Parish as well as our component units such as the library, hospitals, health units, Sheriff’s office and schools.

Thomas said they have done quite a bit of construction work and that the Parish now has an adequate fleet of trucks to handle the jobs. “We can put out 400 tons of asphalt in a day without a problem,” Thomas said, “because we own our own machinery.” He said the Parish Government also constructed a bridge in St. Tammany Parish on King’s Bridge Road and also in Bogalusa on Davenport Avenue using the Parish owned equipment and expertise. Even the State has called on us for assistance for improvements in the Bogue Chitto State Park.

Also, he is very proud of being able to keep and operate the Choctaw Road Landfill and save money for Bogalusa in the final agreement that was agreed upon by both the City of Bogalusa and the Parish Government. He spoke proudly of the money the Parish has saved by way of the many grants the Parish has successfully secured to rebuild roads, the fleet maintenance shop, equipment yards, refurbish the courthouse, the jail and rebuild sidewalks in the Town of Franklinton.

Another thing Thomas said he is proud of is the Parish has no blemishes on the administration and our financial audits have been without any major findings. “We have never had any kind of improprieties in 15 years, 16 soon,” Thomas said. “That’s one thing I’m very proud of.”

Thomas has worked with four mayors in both Franklinton and Bogalusa and said he has always had good relationships with the all the mayors during his tenure in office.

Once he does retire, Thomas said that he plans on traveling. He said he and his wife, Linda, are looking at a place in Colorado they try to go to once a year and he said they have a fishing camp with his brothers in West Pearl they visit often.

Thomas said he will see if he is needed for future advice for the new President next year and will let him or her know of his mistakes so they may learn from them.

“I’m excited about the future of Washington Parish,” Thomas said. Thomas spoke highly of the people he has worked with from his administrative staff to the road crew and in between. “We’re fortunate in the Washington Parish Government to have a strong administrative staff. They’ve served me well and do a wonderful job. It takes a team and I’ve had great people to work with in my office and with the Washington Parish Councils who have been elected during my terms.”

Thomas was born in Bogalusa and graduated from Thomas High School in 1972. Thomas combined with Pine later. In high school, Thomas played football and basketball. In football, he was a running back, kicker, punter, kickoff returner and backup quarterback.

Thomas and his wife Linda Forbes Thomas have been married for 51 years. They have two children, Jennifer Thomas and Rick Thomas, and six grandchildren, Cooper Thomas, Audrey Thomas, Camden Thomas, Emory Kate Thomas, Abbigale Thomas and Carson Thomas.

Tageants continue to leave legacy in Franklinton

BY CHRIS KINKAID THE DAILY NEWS

Jeff Tageant and Toni Tageant along with their two children Evan Tageant and Clay Tageant have left their mark in Franklinton for plenty of years.

Jeff’s dad was hired in 1966 to coach baseball and football. The family is originally from Natchez, Miss. and moved around some during his early coaching years. When he died in 1972, his widow Jewel had six children in school from grade one to freshman in college. She didn’t want to uproot them and made the decision to stay in Franklinton.

Toni’s family has lived in Washington Parish, specifically the Plainview area, for over 150 years. She grew up there and attended Franklinton schools which is where we met. All four graduated from Franklinton High School. Jeff is the class of 1982, Toni graduated in 1983, Evan is a 2009 graduate and Clay graduated in 2011.

“Franklinton is home,” Toni and Jeff said. “It is a constant in our life. Nothing much changes but that is how we like it. It is a place where you know your neighbors and when you are sick you get put on every prayer list in town. It is quiet on Sundays except for churchgoers and by 8 p.m. everything is closed and put away for the night. It still has huge followings on football Fridays and of course the best fair ever invented. There is still a yard picked each month as Yard of the Month, people work in their flower beds, and you can’t get out of the grocery store without running into several people you know who want to catch up. It is unique in its smallness and tradition. There’s not a lot of action so lots of young people leave but if you look closely, many come back to raise their families. For us it has been a place where we taught 35 years ago and now have taught the child of that original student and in some cases the grandchild. These bonds are strong and we have never felt we could get that anywhere else.”

All four are or have been teachers and Jeff and the children also coach.

Jeff teaches health education and driver’s education and has spent 37 years as a teacher, the last 36 years as the school’s head baseball coach and also coached football for 12 years.

“I am the youngest of six kids. Five of us are teachers and one is a preacher,” Jeff said about why he got into teaching. “Plus my mom and dad were teachers. It was the ‘family business’ and it never occurred to me to do anything else. It has been the best job ever and I have never gotten up and dreaded going to work.”

Jeff said that he has taught many subjects and said the one that he had the most satisfaction with was driver’s education.

“I enjoyed seeing young people gain confidence every time they got behind the wheel,” Jeff said on his most rewarding moment of teaching. “I have always enjoyed, while lecturing, when I introduce a subject that peaks interest in the students and all would like to discuss it and give their experiences or opinions.”

Toni, who retired two years ago, taught English

for 34 years.

“I have always had the philosophy that teachers are born, not made,” Toni said when asked why she got into teaching. “I guess I always knew I would be a teacher. It is super frustrating and stressful but one of the most rewarding careers one can have. I wanted to have the same hours and holidays as my kids and that was always a blessing.”

Toni said there have been many rewarding moments in teaching.

“Teaching my children was rewarding and then mentoring them in their own classroom was rewarding as well,” Toni said. “I guess in general it was always rewarding when they came back from college and told me ‘you had me prepared.’ I taught 12th grade for many years. Sometimes, they thought I was just exaggerating about the next steps in life and often they resented me. Chris Briggs, who played football at USM and SELU and some professionally, came to see me after his freshman year at USM. He brought me a gift from the Aloha Bowl and said, ‘I just wanted to tell you - you were right; about everything.’ I didn’t get any satisfaction from his statement but instead felt validated. He recognized that I truly wanted the best for my students.”

Clay teaches history. He started at Varnado in 2016 and then transferred to Franklinton in the fall of 2017. On the coaching side, Clay coached at Varnado and led them to the quarterfinals and was the Coach of the Year. He is an assistant at Franklinton and is the head cross country coach at the school He also coaches the Louisiana Knights travel ball team.

Evan teaches history. He started teaching at Kentwood High School in Fall 2015; he then taught for two years at Northshore Charter School in Bogalusa; four years at Franklinton Junior High and now in his second year at Belle Chasse High School. On the coaching side, Evan started the baseball program at Kentwood, coached baseball and basketball at Franklinton Junior High, was the hitting coach at Franklinton High School and is currently Belle Chasse’s head baseball coach. He is also a coach for the Louisiana Knight travel ball team. Besides classroom teaching, Jeff, Clay and Evan are also baseball coaches. As of April 10, Jeff has a record of 561-313-2.

Jeff coached his children at Franklinton. Coaching Evan and Clay were some of the most enjoyable years in my career,” Jeff said. “They both had a tremendous drive to be great players. We spent many hours before and after practice in the batting cage and on the field working on their skills. It was really some of the best years of my career. We had moments when I had to discipline them, but as with all my players I was trying to nurture good men and not just prove a point. Both have great “baseball minds” and can see the big picture. That helped them as players but has really helped them as coaches. Our father/son bond grew stronger and we speak every day. It was a blessing.”

Evan and Clay both talked about playing for their father.

Evan said he learned everything about coach-

ing from his dad.

“He taught me patience, pride in what I am doing, how to communicate with parents and kids and most importantly to hold my temper in check as much as possible,” Evan said. “At the end of the day, I am dealing with teenagers who are still growing and maturing. Dad has always said to help them learn the game and then they will learn to love it. Just being around him and listening has made me a better coach. I call my dad on my way home from practice every day. It’s about a 20-minute commute from Belle Chasse to my home so we have time to cover a lot of ground. His advice is always exactly what I need to hear. He validates me or he tells me what I should consider changing. He supports me and encourages me, and I am sure my wife is thankful that by the time I walk in the door, my worries about practice or a game are not at the fore-front of my mind and I can enjoy being with her. Clay and I are blessed with wives who understand the importance of our career and who are at almost all the games to cheer us on. My dad has never won a state championship and Clay and I may never either. However, his level of play from his teams are state championship stuff. He is most definitely my brother’s and my champion.”

Clay said that he agrees that simply hanging out with his father is a learning experience everyday.

“For the past 10 years or so, other coaches in the state and former players have begun referring to him as ‘The Legend,’” Clay said. “He is a legend. He built a field from nothing and has so much pride in keeping it nicer than most of the fields I played on in college. He has also taken teams without a lot of talent and turned them into playoff contenders. This is a gift that I have tried my best to emulate. He has also had some of the most talented kids I have ever seen play the game who went on to be drafted or become All Americans. He treated those kids like all the rest. There was never special treatment because they were on a team. His expectations of them were the same as those of his worst player. I

Berklee Alsobrooks, Emily Tageant and Mason Bowman; second row: Lisa Thomas, Fallon Tageant, Meghan Alsobrooks, Evan Tageant, Katelyn Tageant, Clay Tageant, Jeff Tageant and Toni Tageant; third row: Pam Tageant, Connor Tageant, and Tim Tageant. SEE TAGEANTS, PAGE 31

COURTESY PHOTO

Pictured is some of the Tageant’s extended family. From left, first row are

TAGEANTS: Jeff, Toni, Evan, Clay are or have been a teacher

feel like that is something I will need and use as I move forward in my coaching career. He has also taught me to put my wife and daughter first. It is how he has treated my mom. He always has her chair in her spot and keeps her up on schedules and opponents. That has made her feel like part of the team as well. Also, at some point practice needs to end and I need to go home to my family. I think my dad has taught me to prioritize what is most important in life as well as my practice plans and the way I approach a game. I think Evan and I agree that Dad has taught us that being a winner is nice, but it is being able to look in the mirror each day and know I have done my absolute very best with my team.” Toni got to watch her kids play for her husband.

“I am unashamedly the most proud wife and mother in the world,” Toni said. “Seeing them together has always made my heart full. Jeff started coaching the boys when they were five. They never played in the same age group so each year he rotated. The best years were when the boys were in high school and played for their dad. For two years all three were on the field together. Sometimes it was awesome, but the boys caught the wrath of their coach often and he had to be coach and not dad. He instilled in them such a work ethic and desire to be the best. It has been evident in everything they have done in life from little league to college baseball but also in their education, choosing a career, a mate and now Clay as a parent. When they coached together the opinions were strong and sometimes it made life at the dinner table difficult. But ultimately, they are each other’s biggest fans yet biggest critics. Before there was a laundry facility at the field, I used to listen to them when they came in through the laundry room at home. If the lid on the machine was slammed shut, I knew it had been a rough practice. If they left it open for Dad’s practice clothes, I knew all was well. When they were in college and playing, they called their dad every night around 6 p.m. when they were headed home from practice. Jeff would look at me and give me a thumbs up or down so I would know how their day went. They have a fierce love for one another and that came from their time as teammates and coaches. For sure they have each other’s backs and are so proud of one another.” When Jeff took over, they played at Doc’s Diamond on 13th and Parker Streets in Franklinton.

“Once the bond issue was passed to build a new football stadium, plans were made to build a new baseball field at One Demon Circle. No funding was allocated for the construction of a new baseball field so we had to do extensive fundraising. Toni wrote a grant with Baseball Tomorrow for all the fencing and some players’ parents and I put in the irrigation and laid sod on the infield,” Jeff said. “I had learned a lot about grass at the old field so I was able to have a playing surface ready by the next spring. We started that season with dugouts, port-a-potties, a Coke trailer for concession, and mud everywhere. The kids got dressed in the dugouts and in their cars. But the grass was green and thick which was all we really needed. Mowing the field has always been one of my favorite things to do. I guess I can see my progress as I go. I love to stripe the field for special games. I have always required my players to perform field maintenance. Some parents haven’t liked it, but it provides a form of discipline and instills pride. Still, there is lots to do: keep the warning track clear from weeds, keep the lines edged, weed eat the stadium, keep the dirt in good shape, spray for weeds and the list goes on and on. I will say that I have solved a lot of problems while mowing or weed eating and it’s just me and my headphones. It means so much to hear other coaches, players, and fans remark about the field and how good it looks. My infielders are pretty spoiled. There are not very many bad hops at Demon Diamond so when they go to other fields to play, they realize how good they have it at home. I have to say Demon Diamond is a showplace and I am proud of my part in that.”

Besides baseball and teaching, Toni is involved with the Washington Parish Free Fair.

“I have always been involved with the fair in some capacity: selling in T-shirt booth; Mile Branch volunteer; membership ticket sales at the stage and booth; In 2017 Regina Meyerchick asked me to serve as co-chair on the Publicity Committee,” Toni said. “She is a gifted photographer but needed a ‘writer’ for articles, etc. Then I was asked in 2019 to become the chairman of the Fair History Committee which goes hand in hand with the articles I write for the papers. As a committee chair, I attend

the monthly meetings and work year-round on articles and publicity for other events held at the fairgrounds. I am also on the Mile Branch Spelling Bee Committee and have been on the stage committee as well. I am now also involved with the Hospitality Committee under the leadership of Pam Pierce. Most of what she does happens prior to the fair so I am looking forward to working with her and that committee. The baseball team parks cars during the fair for a fundraiser so I find I have lots of extra time to volunteer the actual week of the fair. But now that I am a Nanna I have cut back so I can enjoy taking my granddaughter to the fair and seeing it through her eyes. But, when you live two blocks from the fairgrounds, you can always find somewhere to pitch in and help.

CLAY TAGEANT (LEFT) AND EVAN TAGEANT

Coke Plant transformed into wedding, event venue

The Coke Plant — a 1930s-era soda plant that initially served as the central hub for Coca-Cola glass bottle production — has been transformed into Bogalusa’s, first of its kind, wedding and events venue. Twenty-six-year-old entrepreneur James Brennan said its one of many properties he, along with the support of his family family plans to transform as part of revitalization efforts in the region.

Brennan opened the venue, which previously sat dormant for years, last month following a more than two-year renovation undertaking. The property was purchased by Brennan and his father, Bernie-owners of Blackstone Property Co. of Louisiana in December of 2020. Demo work on the dilapidated facility began immediately and reconstruction soon followed. The project took just over two years to complete.

The plant, located at 213 Shenandoah St., was operational until 1985. The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You will find many original features throughout the facility, including its trademark marquee. “My dad told me, ‘If you want something changed, change it,’”

Brennan said. “I’m fortunate enough to do so.”

The Franklinton High School graduate said he has worked with his father over the past five years, renovating rental properties throughout the city. In total, 16 fixer uppers have been given new life.

Brennan said when he bought The Coke Plant he didn’t know what to

do with it initially — but knew he wanted to save it. From there, the idea of a wedding and events venue was created.

The renovation measures emphasize the building’s unique architectural significance to Bogalusa. It took two years and three months to get things operational. The

venue features a 4,800-square-foot outdoor courtyard, 4,500-squarefoot reception hall, 1,700-squarefoot climate-controlled bottling room, bridal and groom suites, commercial kitchen, indoor and outdoor bars with state-of-the-art sound equipment, and a 500-person capacity.

“It was a labor of love,” Brennan said.

For more information on rates and availability, visit www.thecokeplant.com; their Facebook page, at The Coke Plant Wedding and Event Venue; or email at thecokeplant@ gmail.com.

Pictured is the Coke Plant’s first wedding party.

Pictured is the orginal grand opening of the Coke Plant.

Pictured is the Coke Plant before renovations.

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital celebrates 9 years of healthcare ministry

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital Celebrates Nine Years of Healthcare Ministry

Our Lady of the Angels began serving the people of Washington Parish and the surrounding areas in March of 2014, when they took over operations of the LSU Bogalusa Medical Center. Since that time, they have invested more than $20 million in physical and organizational improvements, provided lifesaving care for tens of thousands of our friends and family members, and expanded care by adding dozens of new providers and additional service lines. Here is a look back at some of their most memorable moments and most powerful accomplishments over the past nine years.

With nearly 450 team members committed to building a healthier community through excellence in patient care and community education, this award-winning, full-service acute care hospital operates more than a dozen primary and specialty clinics. They provide extended hour access to primary care and pediatrics and employ a team of more than 300 credentialed providers. Our Lady of the Angels offers comprehensive faithbased healthcare services to all of God’s people, especially those most in need. The facility also serves as a teaching site for graduate medical education, in partnership with LSU Health.

Our Lady of the Angels is continually adding new services to better meet the needs of the people they serve. They have expanded primary care and pediatrics, added outpatient adult psychiatry, orthopedics and dermatology, and opened a 7-day-a-week walk-in clinic that provides urgent care access at a primary care cost.

Since 2014, Our Lady of the Angels has provided care for tens of thousands of patients.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Get Back To Doing What You Love

We use the latest therapy techniques to help our patients overcome physical obstacles, regain mobility and prevent repeat injuries.

• 116,038 Free Care

Capital Improvements

Recipients

• Our Lady of the Angels completed an 8,000 square foot expansion, including an all-new emergency department, new main entrance with portico, new lobby, non-denominational chapel, and private outpatient registration bays. With this expansion, the emergency department doubled in size, growing from 8 to 16 beds, with all private rooms. Additional features include a trauma bay, a dedicated decontamination area, multiple private registration desks, all new advanced medical equipment, and a waiting area four times larger than the previous space.

• They invested in mental health services by establishing a new inpatient Behavioral Health Unit, located on the third floor of the hospital. The unit features 12 private beds with shared Jack and Jill restrooms, enhanced safety, an expansive day room, group therapy room and nurses’ station.

• Clinic Remodels – Pediatric, Surgery, Dermatology and Gastroenterology

• New CT scan

• EPIC electronic medical record Implementation

• Established multiple telemedicine programs – Teleneurology, Telepalliative Care, Telepsychiatry, Telestroke, and Video Clinic Visits

• Fire system upgrade

• Gojo hand hygiene monitoring initiative

• HVAC improvements

• ICU remodel, including all new beds

• iRounds Implementation – electronic patient rounding tool

• New IV pumps with safety software

• New 3D mammography machine

• Medicine Unit inpatient room remodel

• Mobile Virtual Critical Care (MVCC) – virtual access to intensivists and pulmonologists, allowing patients to be seen by highly trained specialists while remaining close to home

• Established multiple negative pressure rooms

• Opened 3 new freestanding clinics in neighborhoods across Bogalusa, including a new modular building that houses standard primary care and a 7-day-a-week walk-in clinic

• Prayer and Meditation Garden

• Xenex room sterilization robot

Karlin

HOSPITAL: Serving Washington Parish, surrounding areas since 2014

Awards & Recognition

• The only full-service acute care facility on the Northshore to receive the CMS 5-Star Rating for Patient Experience in 2021 and 2022

• Bir th Ready+ Designation – 1 of 5 Louisiana Birthing facilities to meet this rigorous threshold of compliance and achievement requirements as held by The Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC)

• The Gift Shining Star Designation since 2017 – the labor and delivery team successfully doubled breastfeeding initiation rates

• The Gift Making a Difference Award for improving breastfeeding rates by 35%

• The only Louisiana hospital to earn the Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital Designation in 2020

• Recognized by Health Grades as a national leader in patient experience and outstanding patient safety 2021

• Dr. Gerald Foret,

Hospitalist, was featured on the August 2020 cover of National Geographic Magazine, highlighting our innovative care for COVID patients. That same image was selected as one of National Geographic’s top 10 most unforgettable images of 2020.

• LOPA Workplace for Life Platinum Award

• Numerous EDGE of the Lake Magazine Readers’ Favorite Awards including Favorite Hospital in Washington Parish

• Numerous Bogalusa Daily News Reader’s Choice Awards including Best Hospital in Washington Parish

• Women’s Choice Award

• Rated among the Top Local Hospitals in the Greater New Orleans area, according to New Orleans Magazine

• Dr. Richard Karlin, Surgery – Named Top Surgeon, New Orleans Magazine, 2022

• Dr. Raghubir Mangat, Pediatrician – Named Louisiana American Academy of Pediatrics Master Pediatrician, 2022

Graduate Medical Education

LSU Rural Family Medicine Residency Program

Our Lady of the Angels Hospital operates and fully funds an institutionally sponsored training program accredited through LSU School of Medicine – New Orleans.

The Bogalusa LSU Rural Family Medicine Residency Program is the only rurally located program of its kind in the state of Louisiana, and one of only 55 in the nation. The program’s mission is to train competent and dedicated family physicians to serve in rural and often under-served populations and to establish a premier health-care center for Southeast Louisiana.

The partnership between the LSU Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and Our Lady of the Angels Hospital has provided additional opportunities for the program and its residents. All faculty physicians are Board Certified in Family Medicine.

It is also the only Louisiana residency program listed among the first 200 New Medicare-funded Residency Slots to Hospitals Serving Underserved Communities – this will increase their resident class size from 6 to 7 per year.

Since 2014, Our Lady of the Angels has hired 5 graduates from its LSU Rural Family Medicine Residency Program to serve as primary care physicians in their physician clinics.

LSU Ophthalmology Residency Program

Our Lady of the Angels Ophthalmology Clinic serves as a major LSU Ophthalmology Training Rotation, and Our Lady of the Angels is the primary training site for ophthalmology surgeries. Over 40 full and part time clinical faculty members provide supervision and training of residents in a complete array of services, which include general ophthalmology, oculoplastic-oncology, glaucoma, cornea and external disease, pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, retina and posterior segment disease, neuro-ophthalmology, and ocular pathology. During the three-year program, residents gain experience in a wide variety of clinical and surgical situations with diverse patient populations.

Innovative Care Programs

SEE HOSPITAL, PAGE 38

Board of Directors are shown from left: Glenn Magee, Buddy Adams, Leo Mickenheim, Tillman Stogner, Hap Hayden & Benny Burris.

HOSPITAL: Has had plenty of accomplishements over the years

FROM PAGE 37

• Bo galusa Heart Study Abdomen Pilot: Early life cardiovascular exposures and abdominal fat in middle aged Bogalusa Heart Study participants

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) ECHO Grant – expansion of clinical trials access to rural and underserved children of Louisiana

• NIH MoveUp Grant – a randomized trial aimed at improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake using mHealth tools

• Ryan White IV Women, Infant, Children, Youth and Affected Family Medicine AIDS Healthcare Grant (shared with Lallie Kemp)

• Rise Up Program – Our Lady of the Angels Rise Up program has dramatically impacted the lives of the substance use disorder mother-baby dyad. The program enables mothers and babies to remain togetherin situations that would typically result in these babies removed from their care and placed into the custody of DCFS. Through the referral and treatment program these mothers obtain the necessary resources to successfully care for their newborn at home. They have reduced the use of pharmacological care of opioid exposed newborns. With the implementation of the Eat Sleep Console model, they have effectively

reduced the newborn length of stay from a six-week average to 5-14 days. The success of this program is achieved through a dynamic partnership with the mother.

Community Impact

Our Lady of the Angels helped to lead several new and existing initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes, health access awareness, healthcare confidence and the overall standard of living for the people of Washington Parish. They co-launched the Bogalusa Strong healthy community coalition in 2017, with LSU AgCenter and Well Ahead Louisiana. In 2020 they helped to expand the health community coalition work into Franklinton with the launch of FOCUS Franklinton.

Born out of the hospital’s first Community Health Needs Assessment and built around the areas identified by people across the community as priorities, these healthy community coalitions created focused committees and launched numerous ongoing projects.

In addition to the Bogalusa Strong and FOCUS Franklinton community initiatives, Our Lady of the Angels continues health outreaches and community education programs in the Washington Parish Councils on Aging, local churches and schools across Washington Parish. In partnership with the LSU Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, they complete more than 500 pro bono sports physicals for student athletes each year.

Index of Advertisers