William L Ellis
Saturday 10/01/1966 — Monday 06/09/2025
Viewing: Friday 06/20/2025 10:00am at King’s Funeral Home
Celebration of Life: Friday 06/20/2025 11:00am at King’s Funeral Home
Interment: Friday 06/20/2025, Greater St. Luke Baptist Church Cemetery, 163 St. Luke Church Road, Arcadia
by Malcolm Butler
Kenny Henderson …Take 2.
The longtime Louisiana educator, coach and administrator will move into the Head of School role at Cedar Creek School starting July 1, the second time Henderson will hold the position in his career.
Henderson will take over for Connie Bradford, who is retiring at the end of June after she returned to Cedar Creek in December of 2023 as President before assuming the role as head of school.
“We are excited to have Kenny back at Cedar Creek,” said Cedar Creek Board Chairman Lomax Napper. “He has a long career in the education system within the state of Louisiana which will serve our school well.”
Henderson’s first stint at Cedar Creek came from 1989 through 1996. He began as a coach and teacher before moving into the head of school role in August of 1991.
“Kenny understands the Cedar Creek culture from his time with our school, something that gives him an advantage as he moves back into this role,” said Napper. “We are eager to see Cedar Creek grow and flourish in the future under his leadership.”
Most recently Henderson has worked with The Brighton School in Baton Rouge, serving as the Executive Director (2016-2024) and Chief Financial Officer (2024-present). The Brighton School is a K-12 school that specializes in educating students with Dyslexia.
He served as the principal at Ruston High School (2003-06), Haynesville High School (1999-2003), and Southwest Christian School (1996-99).
“This wasn’t a position that I was openly looking for, and I probably wouldn’t have done it for any other school,” said Henderson, who began working at the school on May 1 as Executive Director. “I know so many of the faculty and staff here. I hired some of them. I knew Cedar Creek and I know Ruston. This was the only place that I would have been willing to do this.”
Although the name of the school is the same, Henderson admits times have changed and challenges are different than back in the 1990s.
“There is more competition (for students) these days because of the charter schools,” said Henderson. “When I was here the last time, I would venture to say 40 percent of our kids were coming from outside of Lincoln Parish. And now that is not the case because of the other choices in those other parishes.”
Despite new challenges, he also believes that at the end of the day, education is mostly the same.
“School is still school,” said Henderson. “We want to make sure we are providing the best education for our students. We want to work on their social, their emotions, their academics. My goal is to make Cedar Creek that school that everybody wants to come to.
“There are some programs we are talking about adding that will make Cedar Creek that much more special. I cannot go into details now. But, this year will be a learning one for me to see what it is we do well and what it is that we can do better. Are we giving the kids everything that they need to succeed?”
Henderson also spent eight years at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (2007-15), eventually serving as the Executive Director for the LHSAA. He believes that experience will also help in his second time around at Cedar Creek.
“I told the board that they aren’t getting the same principal that they had in the 90s when they still called me coach,” said Henderson. “I have a diverse background in education now. I have been at small private schools, large private schools, small public schools, large public schools … I have coached. I have taught. I have run a state organization.
“I have a background in both the business background of school, and also the academic aspect of school. That is pretty unusual. I have lived in both of those worlds. I think that is one of the strengths that I can bring.”
Courtesy of the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
The Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the 2025-2026 Board of Directors for its fiscal year beginning in July 2025. The Chamber’s Board of Directors offers valuable insight and leadership for the organization’s strategic direction, programming, development, and more.
Lindsay Tomlinson, director of deposit operations and senior vice president at Origin Bank, will serve as board chairwoman, succeeding Thomas Graham, insurance provider and branch manager at Forth Insurance. George Lee IV, minister at Temple Baptist Church, will serve as chair-elect and vice chair of the workforce development committee. Oliver Neal, senior project manager at Meyer, Meyer, LaCroix & Hixson, Inc., will continue to serve as vice chair of the membership development committee. Matthew Waldroup, senior vice president at Centric Credit Union, joins the executive board as vice chair of finance.
“It’s an incredible honor to serve as Chairwoman of the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber,” said Lindsay Tomlinson, chair of the Ruston-Lincoln Board. “It’s a privilege to work alongside a board of committed and experienced business leaders who care deeply about Lincoln Parish. Together, we will focus on strengthening workforce development, expanding support for businesses of all sizes, and deepening our engagement with members. It’s a joy to continue serving in the business community I proudly call home.”
In June, the Chamber’s Board of Directors attended a luncheon at Squire Creek Country Club sponsored by Origin Bank to celebrate their achievements and the new members joining. All current board members will continue their service for the 2025-2026 year.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have a Board of Directors deeply committed to strengthening our business environment,” said Elizabeth Turnley, President and CEO of the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. “Our Chamber thrives on creating meaningful connections and strategic opportunities for local businesses. It’s an honor to continue partnering with such dedicated leaders to strengthen our local economy.”
Below are the members of the 2025-2026 Ruston Lincoln Chamber Board. Those serving on the executive board are indicated with an asterisk.
Ex-officio board members include:
For more information about the Workforce Development Grant Program, visit rustonlincoln.org.
Larkin Gibbs Memorial Pavilion & Gardens (2014)
Photos Courtesy of Henry McCoy
(This is part of a series on the 11 projects designed and built by classes in the Louisiana Tech School of Design at MedCamps of Louisiana.)
MedCamps Executive Director Caleb Seney: I am always asked, “What project is your favorite?” While it’s hard to pick a favorite project and I don’t because I love them all, I can honestly say that the Larkin Gibbs Memorial Pavilion & Gardens has had the most impact on our organization and Camp Alabama. This was our first project in partnership with Louisiana Tech’s School of Design’s Design Build Studio: Arch335. This is also the first new thing that had been built at Camp Alabama since MedCamps of Louisiana installed the swimming pool in 1992.
The Larkin Gibbs Memorial Pavilion and Gardens have played a pivotal role in enhancing the camp experience for children with disabilities attending camp, providing a welcoming and accessible space that supports both the physical and emotional well-being of our campers. For MedCamps of Louisiana, the pavilion stands as a symbol of our dedication to creating inclusive environments and has positively impacted our operations and outreach efforts.
The pavilion’s impact on both MedCamps of Louisiana and Camp Alabama was and is transformational. Every capital improvement project since, whether it be subsequent partnership projects with Arch335 or significant capital improvements like the expansion and renovation of Hutton Hall (our dining hall) stand on the foundation of support built by The Gibbs Pavilion. The project inspired so many people to join our efforts to provide a facility that is barrier free and accessible to every child that attends camp. Being a new thing at an old facility, it generated an excitement in the community and a willingness to help through both in-kind donations and financial support. In my mind, every improvement we have made since (from new concrete pathways, property expansion, to splash pads and cabin renovations) has been fueled in part by the support and recognition received during the construction of the pavilion and gardens.
The Gibb’s Pavillion gave us a glimpse of what could be done at Camp Alabama. It inspired a vision for the future of the facility, and it provided a model we could perfect to achieve that vision. I am forever grateful to Brad Deal and Robert Brooks for their willingness to show us what can be done if creativity and community support are combined with passion, true service, hard work and a “can do” attitude.
Tech Professor Brad Deal: This project holds a special place in my heart because it was the beginning of many good things to come. It marked the start of my working relationship with Robert Brooks and Caleb Seney, and it was our first time using reclaimed drill stem and sucker rod. It laid the foundation for our long series of design build adventures at Camp Alabama.
Program Summary: A wheelchair accessible gathering space for the campers.
Program Statement: The value of this humble pavilion is far larger than its physical size or budget. It was designed as a barrier free space large enough to accommodate the multiple daily gatherings at a summer camp facility for children with a variety of special needs. The goal was not only to accommodate gathering of 100+ people with up to half of them in wheelchairs, but also to capture the transformative nature of the summer camp experience for children who rarely find such opportunities for, adventure and self discovery. This project serves its client as a catalyst that began an ongoing series of updates to this 1940s camp facility. In playing this role, the project was designed with the dual intent of providing the practical function of a new facility while also instantly merging with its surroundings to become inseparable from its site. The traditional summer camp experience is exceptionally transformative for this user group, and the design attempts to embody that experience in both practically and poetically. It frames the view of the camp’s lake, the gabion wall blocks road noise from the adjacent highway while also circulating water from a nearby stagnant pond. Closed and typical from the outside, as you approach the pavilion acts as a threshold into the camp. Once inside, campers experience the openness, energy and excitement camp. Inspiration was drawn from the idea of the Wizard of Oz with the pavilion evoking the role of the tornado transporting the arriving campers from “Kansas” to “Oz”.
Project Team:
Professors: Robert Brooks, Brad Deal
Students: Alayna Fritz, Ben Ford, Colton Franklin, Darrell Burgess, Evan Pringle, Alex Green, Jade Pilcher, Jake Griffin, Kaleb Bonvillain, Lonnie Bennett, Nick Mathews, Nicole Rajchel, Jacob Rhodes, Sarah Thomson, Saraya Saadat, Trenton Stevens, Steven White, Garret Price, Mitch Tatum, Veronica Ige, Matt Barkley, Logan Howard, Nick Wagner, Johnna Tooke
Recognition: 2016 AIA Louisiana Merit & Member’s Choice Awards; 2017 AIA Gulf States Honor Award
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MedCamps programs are completely free of charge to all campers with special needs. If you would like to support future projects at MedCamps, events, sponsor a campers attendance financially or volunteer please visit www.medcamps.org or email info@medcamps.org for more information.
The Chiasmus Archery and Paintball Range (2015)
Photos Courtesy of Henry McCoy
(This is part of a series on the 11 projects designed and built by classes in the Louisiana Tech School of Design at MedCamps of Louisiana.)
MedCamps Executive Director Caleb Seney: The Chiasmus was the first project constructed to impact how we do an activity. Prior to its construction Archery and marksmanship was done in an open field with a folding table, targes, long bows, and Red Rider BB guns. It was not a productive or engaging activity for campers in wheelchairs, and it was a frustrating and hot experience for our staff. Arch335 took all of that into account. They transformed the activity into one of our camper’s favorite things to do at camp.
The students designed a bow stand that holds a compound bow in place and allows some of our most physically challenged campers to draw an arrow back and let it fly, reaping the reward of the arrow hitting its target. The range allowed us to do away with bb gun marksmanship and added a targeted paintball range with pinwheels that change tone and spin when struck by a paintball. The experience is enjoyed by everyone now and rewards the participant with an explosion of color, sound and spinning pinwheels.
The Chiasmus Range took a traditional camp activity and made it extremely rewarding to all our campers and enjoyable for our staff.
Tech Professor Brad Deal: This project was especially significant because it resulted in the first master plan to guide decisions at Camp Alabama for years to come. Alongside our usual use of reclaimed steel, the team deconstructed thousands of linear feet of oak pallets to create soffit screens for the underside of the roof. Although the task was painstaking and initially met with some hesitation from the students, they persevered, and the final result was beautiful. Kendell Webb stood out as a particularly dedicated student on this project, and her experience eventually led her to return as a co-instructor in the 2025 studio.
Program Summary: An accessible outdoor shooting range with specific arrangements for archery and paintball marksmanship at a summer camp for children with a variety of special needs.
Program Statement: This project was designed for a summer camp for children with special needs to enable them to experience the challenge and exhilaration of archery and paintball marksmanship. The design embraces the realization that paintball is fast paced, loud and exciting while archery is slower paced, quieter and more contemplative. An organizational strategy for these elements was drawn from an ancient Hebrew poetry structure derived from the Greek letter “X”. The opposing vectors of this poetry structure serve to crisscross and overlap ideas rather than syllables. And at the center of the X exists a unifying, higher order element between the unique vectors. Inspired by this arrangement, the plan took on the general shape of an X, creating two lines of shooting stations and targets with each side arranged to reflect the nature of their sport. And at the center a space was created for campers to gather and share their excitement before and to tell their stories after. The project features custom designed shooting stations that hold and counterweight youth sized compound bows making the sport of archery accessible to those who cannot hold and draw the bow in the traditional manner. Also significant effort was given to utilizing reclaimed materials. The soffit cladding consists of over 5000 linear feet of 1x2s from repurposed shipping pallets, and the majority of the steel in the project was donated as scrap material from various nearby oil and natural gas well sites.
Project Team:
Professors: Robert Brooks, Brad Deal
Students: Erin Baker, Bikash Baraily, Bradley Burkart, Lauren Caswell, Nikki Crane, Casey Fair, Trent Harrison, Nathan Jordan, Ashley Kettenring, Andrew Lopez, Sean McGowan, Alaina Proctor, Matthew Roberts, Kendell Webb
Recognition: 2016 AIA I look up Film Challenge Grand Prize & People’s Choice Award:ARCH 335: Rebuilding MedCamps
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MedCamps programs are completely free of charge to all campers with special needs. If you would like to support future projects at MedCamps, events, sponsor a campers attendance financially or volunteer please visit www.medcamps.org or email info@medcamps.org for more information.
On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, shortly before 6:00 a.m., Troopers with Louisiana State Police Troop F began investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash on Louisiana Highway 557 just north of Marvin Head Road. The crash claimed the life of 24-year-old Troy Bates of West Monroe.
The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2004 Toyota Camry, driven by 19-year-old Avery Watson, was traveling north on Louisiana Highway 557 behind a log truck. At the same time, a 2014 Ford Focus, driven by Bates, was traveling south on Louisiana Highway 557.
For reasons still under investigation, Watson began passing the log truck when it was unsafe. As a result, the Toyota struck the Ford head-on in the southbound lane of Louisiana Highway 557.
Bates, who was unrestrained, suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Watson, who was properly restrained, suffered minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Although impairment is not suspected, routine toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
Troopers urge drivers to always make safe decisions behind the wheel: never drive impaired, always wear a seat belt, and avoid distractions. Taking a few extra seconds to buckle up or slow down can be the difference between life and death.
Below is the agenda for this months Lincoln Parish Library Board of Control meeting set for tonight at 5 p.m. in the Jack Beard Community Room. The public is invited.
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration’s Round Table Luncheon is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2025 inductees.
It’s next Saturday, June 28, at noon at Riverside Reserve, 104 Mill Street, in Natchitoches. There are still a few seats available among the 300 guests for the seventh annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
Registration is available for the luncheon and can be made by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255. It is a ticketed event and only a few dozen seats are still open to see and hear from 2025 inductees including Nick Saban, Andrew Whitworth, Vickie Johnson, Danny Granger, Danny Broussard and Joe Scheuermann.
Festivities begin next Thursday evening, June 26, at 5 with the free of charge Welcome Reception open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.
The Friday, June 27 slate begins with the BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. Friday evening is the free Rockin’ River Fest concert on Cane River Lake in downtown Natchitoches, from 6-10:30, with the Class of 2025 introduced at 9:15 right before a sports-themed fireworks show over the water.
Events Saturday include the free for kids Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp, the Round Table Luncheon, and the Induction Reception and Ceremony, which is sold out. A waiting list is being compiled.
The Round Table Luncheon starts with tremendous Louisiana cuisine and quickly kicks into gear with Fox Sports announcer (and 2020 LSHOF inductee) Tim Brando interviewing small groups of inductees on stage in a very informal and fast-moving setting.
A poignant scene at the 2019 luncheon unfolded before the program when Peyton Manning, being inducted later that day, stopped by to greet LSU legend Johnny Robinson, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame two months later.
Scenes like that, up-close access and the fun-filled dialog between Brando and the Hall of Fame inductees combine to provide a memorable 90-minute event.
The Hall of Fame Round Table Luncheon shapes up as a highly entertaining opportunity for guests to have a up-close-and-personal experience and be entertained and well fed in a casual setting, with a touch of elegance at Riverside Reserve on the banks of Cane River Lake just a mile from downtown Natchitoches.
This is an advertorial
A Natchitoches man stopped in Ruston by Louisiana State Police was arrested after drugs and a gun were found in his vehicle.
A state trooper stopped Thomas Hebert Harmon, Jr., 59, on June 6 for a traffic violation on La. Highway 33 in Ruston. A Ruston police officer backing up the trooper saw a glass “bong” used for smoking drugs in the rear passenger cup holder.
Harmon denied ownership of the bong but admitted he had a small amount of methamphetamine in his backpack. The trooper found the drug and a 9mm pistol in the backpack.
Harmon was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
A Ruston landlord was arrested for burglary after he took a television out of a tenant’s residence over an eviction dispute.
A Ruston man reported a 75-inch television was missing from his residence. He said his landlord, James A. Jones, 62, wanted to evict him immediately. The man said he intended to move out once his truck was repaired.
A Lincoln Parish deputy wrote in his report that he had talked with Jones earlier in the day about how to proceed with an eviction.
The deputy located Jones at his residence. Jones admitted he and his wife took the television with the intent to hold it until the tenant moved his belongings out.
The TV was recovered and returned to the tenant who said he wanted to press charges. Jones was arrested for simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
It’s about to get hot up in here, and heat means tempers might flare faster than normal. Even the food can get testy.
Please be advised…
Our friend was walking across the grocery store’s parking lot during the heat of Louisiana’s summertime when she saw a woman’s head slumped onto the steering wheel of a modest automobile.
“It looked like she was resting, waiting on someone,” our friend said. No big deal.
So she continued inside. Did her shopping. Would have taken her about 45 minutes but instead it took her an hour because she couldn’t find the squeeze cheese. It’s always something.
As she headed for her car, she saw the same woman she’d seen when she’d walked inside, still slumped over the steering wheel of the car. It was more than 100 degrees outside most every day that week; who knows how hit it was inside a car parked for more than an hour on a paved parking lot.
The shopper left her cart of groceries by her car and hurried back inside the store, found the manager, and the pair approached the car containing the slumped, unmoving woman.
The manager tapped the window. The woman inside didn’t move, but the manager did hear a voice from inside the car. And this is what it said, muffled:
“I’ve been shot!”
The voice came from the slumped woman.
The manager grabbed the door and pulled it open. Carefully, he touched the woman’s shoulder. She opened her eyes. No blood.
“My neck!” she said. “They got me in my neck!”
The store manager looked at her neck. And that’s where he found it, hugging hard on the back of her head.
A canned biscuit.
You know it’s hot outside when even the biscuits are getting angry and firing themselves, kamikaze-like, at consumers.
What happened was the biscuit had shot out of the hit-on-the-side-to-open can and struck the woman in the neck. Everyone was relieved that no one had been injured and that the lady had bought small canned biscuits and not the extra-large kind or, have mercy, a French bread, which could have been fatal.
The way the story was told to me, cooler heads prevailed and everyone then went their separate ways. But tell me, how could any of their lives ever be the same?
They’ve learned what some of us already knew: there are some conniving, dishonest, really mean foods out there. A woman once told me she was shopping in a Springhill grocery and dropped a frozen turkey on her foot.
“Near ’bout broke my toe,” she told me, teary eyed at the memory of a turkey who, despite being a corpse, AND frozen, nearly ruined a family Thanksgiving.
I know this one guy who was trying to open a can of Butternuts as he left a County Market, and he almost walked right into a moving car.
Very sneaky and stealthy, those Butternuts. Crafty.
Another friend was driving his car while reaching across the seat into a bucket of fried chicken, digging around for an easy-to-eat leg or thigh, and he crashed his car into a tree. He survived but the car was totaled, as was most of the chicken which — and I guess this was a blessing in disguise — was dead anyway.
Do you see a pattern here? There are some killer foods on the loose, and they don’t care who they hurt or how they do it.
It’s time to fight back. I hope the woman who thought she’d been shot took the offending biscuit home, cooked it right then, and left it on a saucer on the stove, uncovered, to die a slow and stale death.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Each Monday through Friday, the Lincoln Parish Journal will post a list of non-for-profit upcoming events happening in the parish. If you would like to add your event to this list or advertise your for-profit events, please email us at lpjnewsla@gmail.com.
Wednesday, June 18
7-8 a.m.: Veterans Coffee Club (PJ’s Coffee)
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
Thursday, June 19
Juneteenth
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall)
6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers)
Friday, June 20
10:30 a.m.: Mic drop on culture Juneteenth performance (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
Saturday, June 21
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
9 a.m.: Fighting Gaming Community (Lincoln Parish Library Jack Beard Community Room)
Monday, June 23
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
4 p.m.: Story hour at Lincoln Parish Library (Events Center)
6 p.m.: Toastmasters International meeting (Louisiana Center for the Blind, 101 South Trenton Street)
6-9 p.m.: Creative Meetups (Creatives at Work, 301 N. Trenton)
Tuesday, June 24
10 a.m.: Family storytime at Lincoln Parish Library (Events Center)
2 p.m.: Crafternoon at Lincoln Parish Library Community Room (Ages 5 and up)
4 p.m.: Watercolor art class for teens (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
6 p.m.: Adult Craft Night (Lincoln Parish Library; must register by calling 318-513-5510)
6 p.m.: Fitness class (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
7 p.m. Temple Patriotic Program (Howard Auditorium, Louisiana Tech)
Wednesday, June 25
7-8 a.m.: Veterans Coffee Club (PJ’s Coffee)
11 a.m.: Technology Help Hour (Lincoln Parish Library George Byrnside Conference Room)
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
Thursday, June 26
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall)
2 p.m.: Tween Time at Lincoln Parish Library Community Room (Ages 9 and up)
4 p.m.: 4-H Nutrition Class for teens (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers)
6 p.m.: Yoga at Lincoln Parish Library Events Center
7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Singing in the Rain Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
Friday, June 27
10 a.m.: Therapy Dog storytime special (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Singing in the Rain Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
Saturday, June 28
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
2 p.m.: Russ-Town Band Concert (Howard Auditorium, Louisiana Tech)
3-5 p.m.: Puzzle swap (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Singing in the Rain Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
Sunday, June 29
2 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Singing in the Rain Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Courtesy of Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
The Louisiana Tech track and field teams placed four athletes on the Conference USA All-Academic announced by the conference on Friday.
William Estes, Abdulraof Rashid and Tim Rummelhagen were part of the men’s team, while Nia Wiley was the lone Bulldog on the women’s team. The academic advisors from each institution selected the 11-person teams.
Rummelhagen recently graduated with a degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences with a 3.75 GPA. He is a four-time member of the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and received the CUSA Academic Medal in 2025. On the track, he was part of the 4×400 relay team that won four consecutive CUSA Championships between the indoor and outdoor seasons. The relay team would qualify for the 2025 NCAA East Regional.
Rashid is a junior transfer who is making his second appearance on the CUSA All-Academic Team, having received the accolade last season at UTEP. He carries a 3.80 GPA in Kinesiology and Health Sciences. He was a member of the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Academic Medalist this season. He finished with a time of 10.33 in the 100m and 21.37 in the 200m at the CUSA Outdoor Championships.
Estes is a junior studying Political Science with minors in Spanish and Sociology while maintaining a 3.91 GPA. The Ruston native is a three-time member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and three-time recipient of the CUSA Academic Medalist. Estes threw a personal best of 54.33m (179-3) in the javelin at the CUSA Outdoor Championships.
The lone female to make it for the Bulldogs, Wiley has a 3.96 GPA while pursuing her degree in Biology. The junior sprinter is a three-time CUSA Academic Medalist and member of the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She qualified for the NCAA East Regional with the 4×400 relay team, which broke the CUSA Outdoor Championship record at 3:33.60.
Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech had four players named to the All-Louisiana LSWA softball team, headlined by pitcher Allie Floyd and left fielder Elena Heng earning first-team honors.
Shortstop Nicole Hammoude was named to the second team, while first baseman Reagan Marchant received honorable mention honors.
The team was selected by a panel of the state’s softball sports information directors and media members.
Floyd, who earned First-Team All-CUSA honors, led CUSA in every major pitching category during the regular season including wins (22), innings pitched (204.0), strikeouts (182), and complete games (18). She went 22-13 circle and became the first LA Tech pitcher to register 150+ strikeouts in a season since 2011.
The East Bernard, Texas, native set a new LA Tech single season record with 13 CUSA wins. She recorded 20 games with 5+ strikeouts and set a new career-high with 11 punch outs in a win over MTSU. Floyd earned two top 25 wins in the circle after holding No. 17 Auburn to one run on one hit to go pair with nine strikeouts. She logged a complete-game victory over No. 4 Oklahoma State.
Heng earned first team honors after an incredible freshman campaign that saw her earn a gold glove for her defensive efforts in left field. The Bossier City native played and started in all 57 games in left field for the Bulldogs. She played every inning this season and was named to the All-CUSA Freshman Team.
The Airline High School product was perfect in the field, recording a 1.000 fielding percentage with 107 putouts and no errors with 114 chances. The Gold Glover batted near the top of the Bulldogs’ lineup for much of the season, finishing her rooking campaign with a .321 average, 60 hits, 40 runs and six RBI. Her 40 runs led the team, while she also stole a team-high 16 bases. Heng led the team with 19 multi-hit games.
Hammoude earned second team honors at shortstop after improving in every offense category in 2025. The redshirt senior started in all 57 games and led the team with a .346 batting average. She collected 55 hits, 11 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 42 RBI and 29 runs. The second-year Bulldog led the team with 36 walks and in on base percentage (.465). Hammoude recorded 12 multi-hit games including a four-hit performance against Kennesaw State in which she drove in a season-high five runs. She tallied 13 multi-RBI games.
Marchant earned honorable mention recognition at first base after a standout first season for LA Tech. The South Carolina transfer started in 56 games with 55 starts at first. Marchant broke LA Tech’s single season home record after hitting 18 this season. She batted .313 and collected team-high 53 RBI, while finishing with 50 hits, 11 doubles, and one triple.
Her .731 slugging percentage led the team. She registered 11 multi-hit games, including two three-hit performances, while leading the team with 18 multi-RBI contests. The redshirt sophomore drove in three runs five times. Marchant drilled two home runs against Western Kentucky while driving in three RBI. She recorded 314 putouts, seven assists and three errors at first base. Marchant became just the third player in program histroy with 50+ hits and 50+ RBI in a single season.
The four LSWA selections give the program 114 all-time honorees in program history.
James “Sonny” Foster
June 18, 1944 – June 15, 2025
Visitation: Harmony Chapel Methodist Church, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cemetery: Harmony Chapel Cemetery, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 12:00 pm
William L Ellis
Saturday 10/01/1966 — Monday 06/09/2025
Viewing: Friday 06/20/2025 10:00am at King’s Funeral Home
Celebration of Life: Friday 06/20/2025 11:00am at King’s Funeral Home
Interment: Friday 06/20/2025, Greater St. Luke Baptist Church Cemetery, 163 St. Luke Church Road, Arcadia
by Malcolm Butler
What started as an innocent conversation between neighbors almost two decades ago turned into one of the most impactful, meaningful, fulfilling partnerships that Lincoln Parish has ever seen.
Ruston residents Caleb Seney and Karl Puljak lived near each other years ago, and one day they bumped into one another.
Seney, Executive Director of MedCamps of Louisiana, had recently returned from a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he toured Camp Aldersgate, a camp for special needs children.
“Camp Aldersgate had a partnership with the University of Arkansas School of Design,” said Seney. “They had built a tree house and an archery range for Camp Aldersgate. It was wild.
“I thought it was really cool, and I immediately thought about the architecture school at Tech. I wondered if we could do the same thing.”
Seney was talking to the right man about this idea.
Puljak – now the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Louisiana Tech – was a professor in the Tech School of Architecture (now School of Design) and had started the Design Build Studio program in 2000.
“As a young faculty member (at Louisiana Tech), it seemed like there were some real opportunities for our students to help our community,” said Puljak. “I wanted to really teach the students how to build something while collaborating with a partner.
“We wanted to give our students the idea and understanding of how important the service of what architecture is not only to the client but to the community. By doing that you become a better citizen. You become engaged in the life of the place where you live.”
During those early years of design build, Tech students completed projects at Railroad Park, IA Lewis, Lincoln Parish Park, the Outdoor Wilderness Learning (OWL) Center as well as a few other places.
At the time of the conversation, the build design program was partnering with Habitat for Humanity – a partnership that would last for eight years.
“Caleb had an idea, and I thought it sounded really good,” said Puljak. “But at that time, MedCamps was still working on some things when it came to taking occupation of the property, and we still had projects that we wanted to finish with Habitat for Humanity.”
Both parties agreed the timing was not quite right.
“Karl told me he would keep us on his radar for future opportunities,” said Seney.
Enter Brad Deal.
Deal was one of Puljak’s students in one of the very first design build classes. After graduating from Tech in 2003, Deal and his wife moved to Texas where he earned his master’s degree from UT Austin and began a family.
He would spend 10 years in Texas before receiving a phone call from his old professor.
“Karl said he would love for me to come back and teach here, and if I did, the design build program needed its next person to lead it,” said Deal.
After getting the okay from his wife, Deal loaded his wife and son up in 2012 and moved back to Ruston (with child No. 2 on the way).
“I knew Brad as a student,” said Puljak. “He was intense and passionate and hardworking and relentless. I knew he would be a great teacher, role model and mentor for these students.”
His first year back in north Louisiana saw Deal and his design build students complete the eight-year partnership with Habitat for Humanity. So, what would be next for the program?
“Karl contacted me and said he thought it was time for us to start working together,” remembers Seney.
According to Seney, Camp Alabama – the home site for MedCamps of Louisiana – was in desperate need of new life. He hoped this opportunity to partner with Tech’s design build program would help fulfill that need.
Seney provided the grand tour to Puljak, Deal and Tech professor Robert Brooks (co-professor on 9 of the 11 projects), talking about what his vision was and asking for feedback from the experts.
“We just walked around camp, and I started identifying needs,” said Seney. “So many projects were talked about in that initial walk through.”
“We took a tour of Camp Alabama and saw tons of opportunities where we could help,” said Deal. “They had great needs. It just looked like a wonderful opportunity for a partnership.
“The theme for that first year was Go Big or Go Home. Both sides decided we were going to be all in and try to do a project in one quarter.”
With a budget of just $30,000 available, Deal and Brooks and the Architecture 335 class began work on the task before them.
The inaugural design build project was Larkin Gibbs Memorial Pavilion & Gardens, a daily meeting area for the campers and one of the front-facing facilities for the footprint of the camp.
In just one quarter, a class of 24 students and two professors designed and built what Seney calls “the most impactful” project ever at MedCamps of Louisiana.
“Seeing something new at Camp Alabama breathed life back into it,” said Seney. “It fueled everything else we did. Things just took off. It opened a lot of doors for design build. It opened a lot of doors for MedCamps.”
Deal agreed.
“Gibbs Pavilion was such a massive success,” said Deal, whose team utilized reclaimed materials such as drill stem and sucker rod for the project. “We didn’t know it at the time. We just put our heads down and worked towards getting it done. We worked our hearts out … the students, Robert, and me. We did not know any better.”
Gibbs Memorial Pavilion was the first of 11 projects that the Louisiana Tech School of Design has completed at MedCamps over the past 12 years. Camp Alabama has seen additions ranging from an archery and paintball range to an amphitheater to a treehouse and zip line to paddle boat launches.
Covid shut down the construction of the 2020 project: the Mosaic Art Cabin. However, the 2022 design build class redesigned it and completed it.
According to Deal, each student invests approximately 700 hours over two quarters from start to finish. So a class of 25 students would spend a total of over 17,000 hours working on an individual project.
(Note: the LPJ will spotlight all 11 projects individually over the course of the next week)
So, who is the biggest winner in this more than decade-long relationship?
“This has been a win-win-win situation,” said Puljak. “I do not think there has been anything that our school has done … that the architecture program has done … that tops this in terms of how many benefits come from it. Those (design build) students form an incredible bond that remains well after they have graduated.”
“It really is win-win,” said Deal. “We get experience and recognition for it. Caleb gets movement and motivation on the fundraising side. And the campers get the joy and the benefit of the projects.
“Architects are inherently optimistic. They see how the world is, and they think of how they can make it better. That is what we are doing here.
“I get teared up thinking about it. When I approach our (design build) students with this, it is all the motivation they need. They are ready to go to work to make something magical happen.”
Kendell Webb was a design build student and part of the Arch 355 class that designed and constructed the Chiasmus Archery and Paintball Range in 2015.
Webb, who is now back at Louisiana Tech as a professor and helped with this year’s project – the Captain’s Launch – knows firsthand what it means to be a part of the partnership with MedCamps.
“Going into such an endeavor knowing that the end user is a child with disabilities made all of the very low lows that much more worth it,” said Webb. “And then getting to see the kids interact with the projects and see the joy they get in doing something they’ve never been physically able to do showed the impact that I as a student made but also the impact that good architecture could have.”
As much as the Tech design build students gain from the experience … so do they professors who have worked on these along the way.
“Alot of the things that we get to experience every day, we take for granted,” said Brooks. “But when you put yourself in the mindset of a camper, you realize that they are getting to come to summer camp like all the other kids. It is an emotional and powerful thing.”
Many of these projects earned state awards.
“Sometimes when you are doing this in your own back yard, you know the work is good,” said Puljak. “But sometimes you are so focused on what the next project is that you don’t put things into perspective. To get people from the outside recognizing how impactful these projects are … they are design award-winning projects competing against professional architects in the state.”
The facelift provided by the projects also had a major influence on fundraising for the non-profit organization that hosts an average of 500 special needs campers each summer.
“These projects have inspired everything else we have at camp,” said Seney. “That was the fuel. The motivation that came with learning about these projects and seeing them being built inspired the (MedCamps) Board to renovate the dining hall.
“We put up a $550,000 investment into that dining hall. Then we redid the pool house. That was a $450,000 investment. All of this fed off the impact of the design build projects. It inspires people to give to MedCamps.”
That inspiration pulls both ways.
“It’s been transformative for MedCamps and for our (Design Build) students,” said Puljak. “It’s so powerful.”
“We are trying to instill the sense of service to these students and a sense of being genuinely motivated by who and what you are working for,” said Deal. “You find something you believe in and work hard at it. That formula allows the students to get a lot out of it.”
The smile on the campers’ faces and the laughter that echoes from the pine tree-covered geographic footprint of MedCamps of Louisiana every summer is proof that the projects achieved those goals.
“Robert used to always say, ‘You may never get to do another project where the goal and the mission are simple, pure joy,’” said Deal.
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MedCamps programs are completely free of charge to all campers with special needs. If you would like to support future projects at MedCamps, events, sponsor a campers attendance financially or volunteer please visit www.medcamps.org or email info@medcamps.org for more information.
To view a video about the partnership between the Louisiana Tech School of Design and MedCamps of Louisiana, CLICK HERE.
Courtesy of LA Tech University Communications
Grapheno, LLC, a tenant company at Louisiana Tech University’s Innovation Enterprise, was honored with the Campus to Commerce award from Louisiana Economic Development at the eighth annual Spotlight Louisiana Awards held in Baton Rouge, LA.
This event recognizes members of the LED Growth Network that have used the organization’s resources to accelerate growth and create new jobs.
“Recognizing Grapheno with the Campus to Commerce award is as much about the company’s contributions to Louisiana’s innovation ecosystem as it is about the incredible research and products the company is delivering,” LED Chief Innovation Officer Josh Fleig said. “Grapheno is a prime example of how combining university resources with an entrepreneurial drive can help advance the state’s legacy sectors and create next-generation opportunities. LA.IO looks forward to continuing to work with Grapheno as they turn groundbreaking research into real-world solutions with meaningful impact.”
Founded by Louisiana Tech alumni, Grapheno delivers advanced research and development services to solve mission-critical challenges. The company specializes in combating structural degradation in metal components and has developed innovative, patented application systems. These technologies have been applied in support of essential infrastructure maintenance efforts.
“We are incredibly proud to receive this recognition from LED,” said Onega Ulanova, Grapheno co-founder. “This honor reflects the power of university-industry partnerships to drive innovation, economic growth, and talent development. We look forward to continuing our work with Louisiana Tech and the Innovation Enterprise to turn bold ideas into lasting impact.”
Since its founding in 2016, Grapheno has grown to a team of seven employees supporting a multi-year Department of Defense contract, with plans to secure additional contracts and create more jobs. Recent research initiatives — including fatigue crack mitigation for legacy aircraft and a novel vaccine delivery platform — have showcased the company’s innovation and attracted growing interest. Both projects benefited from close collaboration with Louisiana Tech faculty, highlighting Grapheno’s strong ties to academic expertise.
The founders of Grapheno remain deeply committed to the region and continue to expand their initiatives. In 2018, senior leadership enhanced their business acumen through participation in LED’s CEO Roundtables. Building on that foundation, they engaged in LED’s System for Integrated Growth in 2020, gaining valuable insights and strategies for leveraging data and consultant-driven connections to scale the business. Most recently, Grapheno earned recognition as a certified Louisiana Entrepreneurial Business by LED.
In 2024, Grapheno became one of the inaugural tenant partners selected for space in Tech Pointe II, part of the Innovation Enterprise Campus which is an emerging business district supported by LED.
“Grapheno is strategically identifying and maximizing beneficial incentives to accelerate growth and amplify its overall economic impact,” said Dr. Donna Johnson, chief innovation officer at Louisiana Tech. “As a tenant at the Innovation Enterprise, Grapheno exemplifies the advantages of this partnership by leveraging University faculty, students, and graduates to foster innovation and execute its mission.”
As the company marks its first decade, Grapheno continues to identify market-driven opportunities and grow its capabilities. The Campus to Commerce award highlights Grapheno’s commitment to Louisiana Tech and vision to leverage the state’s innovative ambition and economic potential.
EUGENE, Ore. — Former Ruston High Bearcat and current Oklahoma Sooner superstar B.J. Green took home the triple jump national championship this past weekend and helped the the Sooners to a sixth place finish overall in the men’s NCAA Track and Field Championships.
Green jump of 16.81m (55’2.00″) secured the Sooners its second national championship of the day on his final attempt. His entire series of jumps would have earned him first place in the field, posting four more attempts above 16.58 meters and one foul. He becomes the second triple jumper in OU history to earn an outdoor national title, making good company with school record holder and Olympian Will Claye who sealed the trophy in 2009.
Green also earned his second NCAA Outdoor First Team All-America award.
Last season, Green spoke with the Lincoln Parish Journal about his experience at the Olympic Trials.
By RAYMOND PARTSCH III
Written for the LSWA
George “Bobby” Soileau taught his son how to throw a punch.
Every day after coaching and teaching students at Sacred Heart High School, Soileau would come home to his wife and three sons and put on his worn-out gloves and show his youngest son, Robert, how to throw a jab.
“He always loved to put the gloves on and box with me when I was little,” Robert recalled. “Every day, it is what we did together. We would box in the backyard or even in the living room. I was six or seven years old, and he would get on his knees and box me. He would let me swing, and then he would swing, and then teach me how to block. That’s what my dad and I did nearly every day.”
The older Soileau does not always remember those days of bonding with his son.
There are more days than not when he does not recall being one of Louisiana’s elite boxers with a fierce left jab that helped him claim four state championships and an individual national championship in college.
He sometimes forgets returning to his alma mater and turning the high school football program into a perennial and respected playoff team, with immense toughness and discipline. Even the faces of his former players or his assistant coaches seem like strangers to him now, and there are even days when he doesn’t recognize his son.
Dementia has taken that away from the 89-year-old Soileau. The accomplishments in the boxing ring and gridiron are only slight flickers of light now as Soileau is unable to relive those moments that will see him be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025, June 26-28 in Natchitoches. Visit LaSportsHall.com for event information.
“He just doesn’t understand,” Robert said. “I ask him the same questions every single day because the doctors told us that it helps. To his credit, he can still tell me his momma’s name, his brothers’ names, and their nicknames. He even remembers being a boxer. He will sometimes say, ‘Yeah, I was a national champion at LSU.'”
A few moments later, though, Soileau will not be able to remember his time as the Trojans’ head coach or his time serving the public as a member of the Evangeline Parish School Board or Police Jury.
“I tell him all of the stuff he did in his life,” Robert said. “How he coached at Sacred Heart for 30 years and served on all those boards, or the players that coached underneath him for years. He won’t remember it. He will ask me, ‘I don’t know where you learned all of that.’ I just smile and tell him, ‘I learned it from you. I was living with you’.”
Dementia may prevent Soileau from reliving those cherished memories and accomplishments, but so many others that he coached are honored to share those stories on his behalf.
“He taught all of us the way to handle things,” remembered Billy Joe Davenport, who was one of four brothers to play for Soileau. “He understood things and how the world worked. He taught us how to handle the football field, school, and anything else in this life.”
“We took on his character,” said Gary Inhern, quarterback on the 1967 state title team. “He was tough, but he was also a daddy to us. There is not one of us who played for him that would not have run through a brick wall. We would have it done then, and we still would.”
Born March 6, 1936 to Emery and Izola Soileau, George Willard Soileau started to put together a legendary boxing career before he reached high school.
In the 1950s, boxing was one of the more popular high school sports in Louisiana. From October through March, high school gyms and auditoriums would be transformed into makeshift boxing arenas for three-round matches drawing thousands of spectators.
For kids in that era, the passion for the squared circle began at an early age.
“The kids at Sacred Heart started young like I did,” Soileau told The Ville Platte Gazette in December of 2015. “When I was boxing at Sacred Heart, we had fifth- and sixth-graders who were training. That is just what we did.”
His prep career began in the eighth grade at Sacred Heart under famed coach Jack Reed, and he won the 90-pound state championship in 1950. He would proceed to take the 100-pound crown in 1951, the 110-pound title in 1952, and the 125-pound championship in 1954, the same year he was awarded the prestigious Francis G. Brink Trophy for being the state’s best boxer.
In his five-year career, Soileau went 96-2-1, won four state championships, and finished as state runner-up in 1953 when he lost to Plaquemine’s Bruce Boudreaux in the 115-pound title bout, a fight considered to be one of the greatest in state history.
“He was just such a good fighter,” Ville Platte High fighter Glenn Fontenot told the VP Gazette in 2015. “I think my record in high school was like 60-5. The only year I reached the state tournament, I fought Bobby in the opening match. He beat me by TKO. He took care of me. He beat everybody to the punch.”
Soileau received a boxing scholarship from LSU, which was established as one of the best boxing programs in the country. The Tigers had won the NCAA team national championship in 1949, and also had claimed several individual national championships before Soileau arrived.
“We had a good boxing team,” Soileau said in 2017. “We couldn’t box against people around Louisiana. We had to go thousands of miles away to find people who were still boxing in college. We won most of our boxing matches that we went to out of state.”
As a sophomore with the Tigers, he helped the team to a 7-1-1 dual-meet record and won the 1956 NCAA national title in the 125-pound (featherweight) division.
“Bobby was a fantastic boxer,” LSU football legend and Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Billy Cannon said in 2017. “I followed Bobby’s whole career. I went out every time LSU had a sporting event.”
Soileau’s time at LSU was cut short.
The LHSAA decided to drop boxing as an officially sanctioned sport in 1958. At the same time, universities were eliminating their boxing programs. LSU did it in 1956, and the NCAA in 1961.
“I had just won the national championship in college, and my coach called me in one day and he said I got some bad news, we are losing boxing,” Soileau said in 2017.
Soileau considered turning professional, but breaking his shoulder during a practice at the Olympic Trials in Wisconsin for the 1956 Summer Olympics derailed that, as did a pinched nerve that bothered him for the rest of his life. With his boxing career finished, Soileau took an assistant girls basketball coaching position at McKewin High School in Jackson before he returned to his alma mater the following year.
Soileau’s boxing career may have ended, but the lessons he learned inside the ring would last for decades.
“Boxing made me a better person and it made me a better coach,” Soileau said.
Discipline, accountability, and hard work were the pillars of Soileau’s three decades at Sacred Heart.
“If you put in the work, you would get off the bench,” former Sacred Heart lineman Jeff Deville said. “It takes a lot of work and sacrifice to be great. He knew what it took to get there, and he always tried to lead you down that path. If you didn’t work hard, then you didn’t play.”
Soileau did not alter his tough-love approach for anyone. Not for his players, their parents, his own coaches, school administrators, and not even the local Catholic priest.
“My dad was known for dropping a few curse words on the field during practice,” laughed his son Robert. “The local Catholic priest started coming and walking around the track at the football stadium to exercise. He showed up one day at school and wanted to talk to my dad in his office. He told my dad, ‘When I walk around the stadium’s track, I hear you saying curse words. I would appreciate it if you could watch that language coach.’ My daddy listened to him and then said matter-of-factly, ‘The only thing I can tell you, F ather, is that you need to come back at a different time because I am not changing’.”
If you wanted to play for Soileau, then you had to accept his tough love. That wasn’t all, though. You always had to be conditioned — conditioned like a championship boxer.
“The way he coached was that he was going to beat your butt in the fourth quarter,” said former Sacred Heart defensive back-return man Jeff David. “We were so conditioned. We ran more than we ran plays. We would be so tired, he would sprint us until we were blue in the face.”
“We always started out in full pads,” Inhern said. “There was no such thing as a water break. If you had a chance to drink rain water out of the ditch, or take your jerseys full of sweat and drink that, then you did it. He was a tough son of a gun.”
“It was a lot of conditioning,” said Davenport, who would go on to star at McNeese. “I am telling you the truth. We did more conditioning at Sacred Heart than I ever did at McNeese.”
The other emphasis in his tenure as the Trojans’ head coach was special teams. Soileau was having his team practice formations and trick plays, long before it became commonplace.
“I remember how they were always well prepared,” said legendary Port Barre coach Donnie Perron, a Ville Platte native who coached in the same district against Soileau. “They always played hard, and he got the most out of his kids, especially on special teams. They would do a reverse instead of a wall, and they scored so many touchdowns on that. We started doing that. That’s where I got it from.”
Soileau would lead the Trojans for 30 seasons, compiling a record of 159-100-9 and winning at least a share of nine district titles, the 1967 Class B state championship and finishing runner-up in Class 1A in 1971. He was twice selected as the LSWA Coach of the Year and inducted into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
Soileau will now receive the state’s most prestigious honor — membership in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Although he won’t be there to enjoy it in person due to his health, those young boys who he molded into young men will be there. Even after the weekend ends, they will still remember the impact he made on their lives.
“He touched so many lives,” David said. “Yeah, he coached football, but he coached you about life. The only thing that is keeping him alive is his will to live. It is the same will that he had when he was boxing and when he was coaching. That only comes from the soul. He was and still is a part of the soul of Ville Platte.”
As the years go by, the memories of a Hall of Fame career fade more and more, but they still flicker inside Soileau, even if it is only for a few moments. Every day when Robert leaves the nursing home where his father resides, he goes through a familiar routine, which he learned from sparring with his dad six decades ago. Now he gives that precious gift back to his father.
“Before I walk out, I put my hands up and ask if he can still move,” Robert said. “Without hesitation, he throws me a few of those left jabs. His hands are still really fast. He is still in there.”
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Raymond Partsch III is a multi-media sports journalist in Lafayette, where he is sports director for a radio group and hosts a daily sports radio show airing in Lafayette and Lake Charles. An award-winning writer and editor of sports sections in Alexandria and Beaumont, Partsch became the first two-term president of the LSWA since its founding in 1958.
