Dr Donald B. Kearns, MD – Part 2 | Thibodaux Rotary Club

As part of the ongoing Thibodaux Rotary Club series, “Meet My Cousin,” past Rotary Club president, and present Sargent-At-Arms, Craig Stanga presents Dr Donald B. Kearns, MD.

 

Dr Donald B. Kearns, MD is Clinical Professor of Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery Surgeon in Chief, Rady Children’s Specialists of San Diego. Dr Kearns also happens to be Craig’s first cousin.

 

In part 2, Dr Kearns shares the wisdom of “Buckism.” And the role his father “Buck” Kearns played in shaping his career.

 

Part 1 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 2 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 3 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 4 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 5 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 6 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns 

 

Dr Donald B. Kearns, MD – Part 1 | Thibodaux Rotary Club

As part of the ongoing Thibodaux Rotary Club series, “Meet My Cousin,” past Rotary Club president, and present Sargent-At-Arms, Craig Stanga presents Dr Donald B. Kearns, MD.

 

Dr Donald B. Kearns, MD is Clinical Professor of Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery Surgeon in Chief, Rady Children’s Specialists of San Diego. Dr Kearns also happens to be Craig’s first cousin.

In part 1, Craig shares some little known facts about Dr Kearns adolescent years.

 

Part 1 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 2 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 3 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 4 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 5 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns

Part 6 – Meet My Cousin – Dr Donald B. Kearns 

 

The Amazing Future Of E.D. White Education

EDW studentsDavid C. Boudreaux and Michelle Chiasson, E. D. White principal, with three 9th grade students: Cody LeBouef, Andre Broussard, and John Hue; discussed the iPad program for the 2012-2013 school year.

 

In the 21st century, understanding and using technology will be an integral part of virtually every aspect of daily life. It is our school’s responsibility to prepare students for this future. Our holistic approach to education is based on the belief that a young person learns from his or her whole experience.

 

The classroom is the primary place where this preparation will occur; therefore, every classroom must be equipped with diverse technologies to support teaching and learning. Every teacher must be knowledgeable and skilled in the use of these technologies in daily instruction. When integrated into instruction, technology will support new strategies for teaching and learning by addressing diverse learning styles, accommodating individual learning rates, helping students accept responsibility for their learning, providing the means to communicate globally, and improving academic achievement. .

 

Why iPad?

 

In addition to the amazing educational apps that may be downloaded on the iPad, it has the ability to perform the following functions: 

 

▪ Create, read, edit, and produce a full set of Microsoft Office compatible documents

▪ Create dramatic video presentations

▪ Perform wide-ranging internet-based research

▪ Utilize subject-specific apps to engage the students in the learning process

▪ Take class notes including PDF annotation

▪ Save and retrieve files through Cloud-based storage such as DropBox

▪ Create simple and complex graphic organizer

▪ Read e-books and textbooks

 

After years of research, four parent informational meetings, a parent survey, and discussion by the E. D. White Advisory Council, our school will implement an iPad program for the 2012-2013 school year. The iPad has the potential to greatly enhance the way teachers teach and the way students learn. 

 

Students can take part in the school’s lease purchase plan through Apple or bring an iPad 2 from home.  They are to be Wi-Fi only without 3G capability.  All iPads will connect to the school’s network and internet filtering software.

Representative Dee Richard – Upcoming Session

March 6 Meeting;

Representative Dee Richard

Dee RichardRepresentative Richard talked about several House  Bills related to education and retirement systems. Increase the retirement age for certain state employees to age 67 or the highest retirement age provided for by the federal Social Security Act. Increase the final average compensation for certain state employees to the highest 60 consecutive months.

Increase the employee contribution rate for certain members of LASERS and TRSL by 3%..

 

Allison Clark Prime Time Reading

March 6 Meeting

Speaker: Allison Clark

Prime Time Reading

 

Ms. Allison explained that the Lafourche Parish Public Library in Thibodaux has begun a six-week literacy program targeting at-risk families whose children, six to ten years old, are having difficulty learning to read.  

The program PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME®, encourages families to read and discuss meaningful children’s books together and enables parents with limited literacy skills to create a home environment supportive of their children education. Each weekly session starts by serving a light meal and ending with a door prize.

She indicated, “I am seeking donations to help feed 50-60 people. Donations are needed for one or any date you are willing to donate.”  Dates are March 14, March 21, March 28 and April 4.

 

Dr Tina Thomas, Biological Basis of Personality

February 28 Meeting

Speaker: Dr Tina Thomas,

Biological Basis of Personality

 

Dr Thomas explained that understanding personality from the “inside-out” can help us to: be more successful in business; improve our relationships; and create more Peace, Passion & Power in our lives. A simple definition of personality is “how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, consistently over time” and this appears to be related to the high, medium, and low set points of 3 main chemicals in the brain that regulate thinking, feeling and behavior.

Understanding the biological basis of personality helps us to understand ourselves more completely as well as those whom we deal with. Learning the 9 different “languages” of personality improves your ability to communicate and to create your dreams come true in a much more elegant way that you might be able to imagine!”

 

Chris Pena – Medical Needs of Soldiers in Southeast LA during the War of the Rebellion

Chris Pena - Civil War ExpertMr. Pena was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Thibodaux with his family when he was eighteen.  Chris is a Nicholls graduate, and earned degrees in theatre, history, and nursing.  He holds a Master’s Degree in nursing form the University of Texas  He taught nursing at Nicholls for a number of years and is a retired member of the faculty;  now resides in Knoxville, Tennessee. Chris is an author, a playwright, an actor, a nurse and a Civil War expert.

 

Mr. Pena talked about the medical problems during the War of the Rebellion: Five battles, fifteen skirmishes, and countless hit and run raids and affairs were staged in the Lafourche district during May 1862 to May 1865 – conservative casualties (killed, wounded, captured or missing) -3,500 – 3,700. Among the five battles only: 230 killed, 631 wounded. Confederates underreported their casualties – for example, Battle of Koch’s Plantation (July 13, 1863) (CSA) Gen. Tom Green listed only 3 killed, 30 wounded. Union reports listed 56 killed, 223 wounded. Chief cause of death was from hemorrhage, and infection from small arms. If wounded in the head, chest or abdomen almost always mortal. doctors used bromine.

 

Bromine was applied to  the  surface of the wound or injected into the wound while the patient was under general anesthesia)  and iodine (disinfectant) as treatment for wound infections – the problem was that the treatment was  started too late. Doctors believed that bacteria came as a result of infections. They didn’t believe that bacteria caused infections. Between 1821 and 1846 only 333 surgeries were performed in USA. Surgery was the last thing opted for because of the pain.

Marcella Bienvenu, NSU-Culinary

Marcella Bienvenu is a cookbook author and food writer who has been preparing Cajun and Creole dishes since the 1960s. She is currently a chef/instructor at the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University.

 

She is the author of four cookbooks: Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux? (Book 1), Who’s Your Mama… ? (Book 2), Cajun Cook­ing for Beginners, and No Baloney On My Boat. She co-authored four cookbooks with renowned chef Emeril Lagasse. She also co-authored Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen with Eula Mae Dore, a longtime cook for the McIlhenny family on Avery Island, and Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine, with Carl A. Bras-seaux and Ryan A. Brasseaux. With Judy Walker, food editor for The Times-Picayune, Ms. Bienvenu co-authored Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, which was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2009.

 

She talked about her interest in cooking and her contributions by writing books and stated: I spoke to a group in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, and one of the ladies in the audience asked me how “did you get into food?”  Well, I was born into it. My father’s family. – large family owned the newspaper, went home for lunch. My mother’s family – farmers – had pigs, chickens, cattle, garden, canned figs and pears, and made butter.

 

My experience in Washington, D.C. and my stint at the TP – living in New Orleans opened up a whole new world to me. I became infatuated with the history of why we eat what we eat – how did the cuisines of Cajun and Creole evolve? And now I’m somewhat of a culinary historian. I teach at  Nicholls – Culinary History of the American South. And now it appears that we’ll be having our own culinary building -33,000 square feet on a 6-acre site on Highway 1 on what used to be Acadiana Plantation.

 

CASA For Children!

CASA in Thibodaux, LASpeakers:Carla Landry, Tammy Gibson, and Brooks Hebert, from CASA

History and objectives of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children. .

 In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, WA, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom. To ensure he was getting all the facts and the long-term welfare of each child was being represented, the Seattle judge came up with an idea that would change America’s judicial procedure and the lives of over a million children. He obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of the children.

 

This unique concept was implemented in Seattle as a pilot program in January 1977. During that first year, the program provided 110 trained CASA volunteers for 498 children in 376 dependency cases.

 

In 1978 the National Center of State Courts selected the Seattle program as the “best national example of citizen participation in the juvenile justice system.” This recognition,  Continue reading

Dan Borne’-The Power Of The Ask!

Dan Borne’: president of the Louisiana Chemical Association

 

Mr. Borne’ graduated from Thibodaux High School salutatorian and attended Nicholls where he was student body President and Mr. Nicholls and inducted to NSU Hall of Fame.

 

He attended LSU to work on his Masters in Mass Communications. Dan became the news anchorman for Channel 9.  Later, he worked on the staff of two senior U.S. senators, Allen Ellender, and Russell Long. 

 

Dan joined the Edwin Edwards administration as the governor’s chief assistant and executive secretary. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Baton Rouge General Hospital and General Health System, President of the Louisiana Arts and Science Center, and President of the Louisiana Council on Economic Education.

 

For the past 22 years, he has served as President of the Louisiana Chemical Association. Dan is an adjunct professor at L.S.U. and  he is also President of the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, a group of over 500 businesses. 

 

He is a member of the board of directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation. Dan is the public address announcer in L.S.U.’s Tiger Stadium and also the courtside announcer in the P-Mac for basketball games.

 

Mr. Borne’ began by saying that we are in the Renaissance in manufacturing industries which will benefit our State tremendously.  He further stated that God did not give us mountains like in Colorado or the white beaches of Florida but He gave us dead dinosaurs, Jurassic Park of minerals, oil, natural gas, and the incredible Mississippi River that provides commerce and brings Louisiana to the world and the world to Louisiana.

 

Over the last five years, the availability of natural gas  has changed the manufacturing industry in the State, because now natural gas is plentiful and relatively inexpensive.      

 

This has and will result in billions of  dollars in investments along the river in several parishes and will reverberate into all the river parishes and those bordering the river parishes.  It will create good jobs  especially for young people who receive technical, manufacturing, and business degrees. He further added that  “Renaissance of Manufacturing” is coming and it is because of natural gas and shell gas drilling in North Louisiana and Texas.

 

As an adjunct instructor at LSU, one of the questions Mr. Borne’ is often asked  is “how did you get the job as PA announcer at LSU?”  He explains the reason was that he asked for it. The message of the story was “Don’t ever be afraid to ask.”  If at anytime there is ambiguity in life as to what we are suppose to be doing on the job, with the family, or at church or volunteer activities, ask what is the next thing that needs to be done and how can one help to do it.

 

Dan said that another life lesson is the power of one person. He further added that the power of knowing one’s role and playing it well and  understanding what the role is in an organization is important. A good friend of his went for an audition and did not get the role he wanted but got a smaller role  He asked for another role but was told that there were no small roles but there were small actors. Dan tells the students who are entering into an organization to understand their roles and the part they are suppose to play and not to be intimidated by people who have bigger roles because in the grand scheme of things there are no small parts/roles in any organization.