My friend and former neighbor in Loreauville, Glenn Oubre, an extremely talented musician and vocalist, wrote this address to present during halftime at the LHS Football 50 year Reunion during the Friday night game in Loreauville on October 16, 2010.
Unfortunately, during his half time presentation, as the 1960 District Championship team stood on the football field, the microphone died. I am publishing his words on my blog so former classmates and other Loreauvillians can read his impressive tribute.
Loreauville High School
1960-2010
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Glenn Oubre, and I have been asked by Mr. Joe Judice, who organized this reunion, to help make a presentation this evening.
Some of you may have seen the newspaper article in the Daily Iberian about the team we are honoring tonight. On the field you will see many young men who came back to Loreauville tonight from all over the area, and some from out of state, to take part in this reunion.
I would like for you to go back 50 years to the year of 1960. Some of you may remember what Loreauville was like then.
There were businesses like Crip Oubre’s Grocery, Masso Restaurant, Tee Lee’s place, Granger’s Dept store, Aunt Te’s restaurant where the kids hung out after school.
Loreauville even had a hospital then. It was the time of the year like tonight, fall; you could see the smoke coming from Vida Sugar Mill refining our sugar cane.
The village was quiet and laid back as it is today, but there was something exciting and amazing going on this football field in the fall of 1960.
These young men you see lined up on the football field accomplished something that had never been done before in Loreauville. These young Loreauville football Tiger players were undefeated and finished 11-0 winning the 7B district title and went on the playoffs.
They were pioneers. It was a first. They didn’t have the size or the speed that you see on the field tonight, but they had heart, and they played as a team.
They were coached by the late Jay Broussard and Benny Lissard. These two dedicated men did a wonderful job of molding these young boys into winners.
Of course many years later, Coach Kirk Crochet was able to put Loreauville on the map again by winning 12 championships and carrying on this great tradition. He is in the Hall of Fame today, but I believe the ground work, which I’m sure Kirk would agree, all started with these young men on the field tonight and the coaching of Jay Broussard.
We are also thankful that we have Coach Delahoussaye who is keeping the tradition going and will bring home more championships for LHS.
I am going to call the names of the men who are on the field. Please hold your applause until I called out all their names.
Also, this all came about through the hard work of Joe Judice, Number 12, who not only planned and coordinated this event but wrote a synopsis of each game played that amazing season to present to the other players. Please give him a round of applause.
Since I am a vocalist, Joe asked me to sing a song that would have some meaning tonight. I selected the song STAND BY ME which was one of the top songs in 1960. I believe these young men can relate to that song because it talks about depending on one another as they had to do back then.
STAND BY ME
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me
Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me.
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me.
-------Ben E. King
Sorry I missed it. Let's not wait 50 years to have another reunion.
ReplyDeletePriscilla Dugas Daly
Really.We should plan one.
ReplyDelete