Tom Acosta – Rotary District 6200 Governor
Tom Acosta – District Governor
Rotary District 6200 Governor, Tom Acosta, made his official visit to the Thibodaux Rotary Club on September 17, 2013.
As part of his term as Rotary District Governor, Acosta will visit the 49 Rotary Clubs throughout Southeast Louisiana from Grand Isle to Lake Charles.
Acosta noted that the roughly 2,400 members of District 6200 are part of 537 Rotary Districts across the globe with 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide. Rotary is an organization primarily devoted to service of others, and Acosta said that members are called upon to not only be Rotarians but to do something with their membership. Acosta thanked members of the Thibodaux Rotary Club for their commitment to Rotary. Thibodaux’s commitment is displayed with involvement in Earlyact, Youthact, Interact, Rotaract clubs, as well as the Thibodaux Thesaurus Project. The Thibodaux Rotary Club embraces the spirit of the 2013-2014 Rotary theme, “Engage Rotary, Change Lives”
Tom has been a member of the Port Allen Rotary Club since September, 1988. A multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Tom served as Club President, was Rotarian of the Year and Assistant District Governor.
Tom Acosta is a native of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Tom earned his BA in History at Rice University and was commissioned through Army ROTC. After earning his law degree from LSU, Tom served on active duty in Germany before returning home to practice law. He joined the Louisiana Army National Guard, and has been an attorney in Port Allen since 1986.
The American Sugarcane League | Thibodaux Rotary Club
June 11, 2013
By: Luci Sposito
Herman Waguespack presented for the American Sugar Cane League (ASCL), which is a non-profit organization representing Louisiana sugar cane growers and processors.
Incorporated in 1922, the Louisiana sugar industry was threatened with extinction by cane diseases. Consequently, the league was formed with the mission to sustain success through effective research, positive legislation, public relations/promotion, and education. The ASCL’s office is located along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in Thibodaux.
In Louisiana, there are 22 parishes producing sugarcane which accounted for about 427,000 acres of cane. The state’s 475 farms and 11 raw sugar mills produced sugar valued at about one billion dollars. If an economic multiplier of 2.75 is used, it equates to approximately three billion in generated economic value.
Although acreage has remained relatively steady, three decades of mediocre prices caused many farm operators to sell. There were 35% less farms operating in 2012 compared to 2001. However, production has remained relatively steady due to existing mills getting larger and therefore more efficient.
Although production costs have risen over the years, the average farm size has increased which has created economies of scale and therefore efficiency.
To increase yields, sugarcane breeders have been able to develop varieties to grow in our sub-tropical environment and produce yields that rival production yields of tropical countries. Variety development is accomplished through cooperation of the ASCL, LSU, and USDA.
The improved varieties have helped the industry yield more tons of cane per acre. Researchers at LSU and USDA have world class facilities to conduct research and farming practices have been improved. Ultimately, continued research and improve practices help producers become more efficient.
What does this mean to our region? In Lafourche and Terrebonne, 37 farms (39,089 acres) plus 2 raw mills generate $80,982,400 in value to the area.
Bill Crawford – Kayak Fishing – Thibodaux Rotary Club
May 21, 2013
By: Kevin Gros
On May 15th the Club was visited by Bill Crawford to talk about one of his passions, kayak fishing.
Bill is a Louisiana native and grew up fishing the Pontchartrain basin. In recent years he has fished professionally placing in numerous kayak association fishing tournaments and was recently runner up for the association angler of the year contest. Additionally, Bill guides kayak fishing trips in our area. He is Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux and the President of the Board of Trustees of the Bayou Community Academy, and resides here with his wife and three children.
The purpose of Bill’s visit today is two-fold; the first, to introduce us to the sport of kayak fishing, which is one of the fastest growing sports in America and secondly talk about the spiritual adventure of being in nature with God.
A spiritual adventure is an activity that gets us out into nature to see what God 
is up to. It nurtures our inner fire and challenges our creativity and thirst for knowledge. Bill reminded us of how important it is to reserve time in our busy lives to recharge our batteries, and talked at length of the emotional, physical and spiritual health benefits of kayak fishing. As many people depend on us we need to be at our best. A hobby like fishing helps us get there.
Fishing is a huge sport in our country with an estimated 16% of our population participating. The number is surely much higher here. Increasing numbers of Americans are Kayak fishing. Here in Louisiana an association of anglers formed the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club to foster the growth of the sport and increase the positive impacts of kayak fishing in our area.
The club’s signature event, Paddlepalooza, in Leeville attracted almost three hundred anglers from nine states, and has made an important economic contribution to our area. Presently the club sponsors eight events in Louisiana, with other associations beginning to sponsor similar events. The sport is an opportunity for our state to capitalize on a growing industry and with at least one event per month throughout the year the economic impact is significant.
Why should we consider kayak fishing? It’s fun. Fellowship. Inexpensive. Exercise. Emotional health. Spiritual health.
If anyone would like to contact Bill for more information or to arrange a guided trip, please email him at revredfish@gmail.com or his website www.revredfish.com.
More information about the sport may be found at the website of The Bayou Cost Kayak Fishing Club, www.bckfc.com.
Thanks Bill for an introduction to the sport of kayak fishing and for reminding us of the importance of having a spiritual adventure. Many of us will surely be giving it a try soon!
Chef Randolph Cheramie – Thibodaux Rotary Club
May 28, 2013
By: Amy Connor-Flores
Our rotary club was visited last week by Chef Randolph Cheramie. Chef Randolph grew up in the family-owned Randolph’s Restaurant in Golden Meadow, which was opened by his grandmother and father. In 1981, Chef Randy took over the business and made his own mark on it by specializing in upscale South Louisiana Regional Cuisine.
For twenty years, Chef Randy enjoyed local and regional acclaim as the hallmark of great food while in charge of Randolph’s. In 1999 he was offered an adjunct professorship teaching Classic French Cuisine at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University. He was asked to join the full-time faculty upon the sale of his restaurant in 2001.
Through the Southern United States Trade Association, Chef Randy has taught some of the top chefs from around the world the art, tradition, culture, and methods of Cajun/Creole, Southern and Soul Food cuisine. He has taught chefs from 38 countries through this program.
Chef Randy coached six American Culinary Federation student hot food teams to five bronze medals and one silver medal in regional competition. He has also coached individual students in the San Pellegrino “Almost Famous Chef” competition in which his students won five consecutive championships and have gone on to the national finals in Napa, California.
Two students coached by Chef Randy have ranked 4th nationally in that competition. In 2011, the American Culinary Federation recognized Chef Cheramie as one of the top 25 chefs in Louisiana, and he is a Certified Food Service Educator. Chef Randy’s knowledge and experience in Southern Regional Cuisine is certainly extensive and focused. He is currently the Executive Director of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute.
Chef Randy shard with us some of his experiences throughout his years in teaching. He also gave us some insight into the impact that the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute has made at a national level. The Chef is very proud of his students and their ability to compete with others from the top culinary schools in the country. It was a pleasure have him speak to us.
Thibodaux Chief of Police, Scott Silverii Ph.D | Thibodaux Rotary Club Event
May 7, 2013
By: Amy Connor-Flores
Our rotary group was visited last Tuesday by Thibodaux Chief of Police, Scott Silverii Ph.D., who informed us first that the Thibodaux Fireman’s Fair was a large success, with great presence by the Thibodaux Police Department.
He then spoke with us on a topic he often discusses with law enforcement audiences – Public Perception and Managing Your Message, or what he likes to call “Media Matters”.
Silverii related to us a story in which he was recently asked about a situation that occurred in a particular local neighborhood. Unfortunately, the Police Chief realized during the curse of the conversation that the information had been horribly misconstrued after circulating through many individuals – a common problem that the Police Department faces as they attempt to relay accurate information to the public and manage public perception.
Sometimes national perception of law enforcement can be a little less than altruistic. Many people believe that traffic tickets are administered to generate revenue for the department, when the reality in Thibodaux is quite different.
These are written with discretion for traffic safety concerns. The department also enforces a high-visibility program which helps to achieve a high level of social compliance in traffic safety
The department does make many traffic stops since they are aware that criminals are vehicular in nature, usually taking a vehicle from point A to point B to commit crimes. Through systematic and methodological analyzing of maps and data, making such strategic stops increases the likelihood of catching these criminals, but more than half of all traffic stops are precautionary in nature and result in a verbal warning.
Even with such a high level of discretion practiced, the department is able to maintain a high level of reduction in social harms related to crashes and crimes. The department also seeks to achieve the optimal level of self-initiated policing activities to maintain crime suppression without going overboard to a level of diminishing returns, or over-policing.
One of the biggest Mayor’s goals over the past two years has been to truly implement community policing. This includes implementing the first ever full-time bicycle patrol. Also, every officer, every day upon arriving at work, patrols on foot for at least one hour, allowing them to meet people, making them accessible and more human to the public.
The Thibodaux Police Department uses social media to its advantage, posting videos introducing members of the law enforcement team to the public and putting us on a first-name-basis with them. The videos are unscripted and allow us to relate to these individuals and understand where they’ve come from and how committed they are to working for us. The department understands how critical social media networks like Facebook are for providing accurate information to the public in a timely fashion.
Crime data is pulled off of the record management system daily and is repopulated visually onto crime maps that are accessible to the public via a Thibodaux Police Department smartphone app that was developed with Apple. It allows individuals to anonymously submit photos and tips to the department and actively assist in keeping the city safe.
YouTube videos are also created and uploaded for all press releases, engaging people from all over the country with the City of Thibodaux. The Department strives to fulfill the Mayor’s mandate of being accountable, transparent, and true public servants by pushing out a consistent message. They try to engage with the humanistic side in headlines in stories while maintaining these essential principles. This allows them to go before local and national audiences and represent themselves and our city well.
Cop Talk is another example of the department’s use of media to reach the public with a positive message. It is a local television program segment explaining various law enforcement terminology, discussing mapping or other technology, or highlighting a unit of the police department. It has been very successful in installing pubic confidence in our law enforcement.
For up-to-date-information, The Thibodaux Police Department can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ThibodauxPolice and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ThibodauxPD.
The Magic Of Westley Annis | Thibodaux Rotary Club
March 26, 2013
By: Amy Connor-Flores
Last Tuesday our rotary group was treated to a bit of magic thanks to our guest, Westley Annis. A native of Chalmette, Westley moved to Thibodaux with his family after hurricane Katrina. He is the owner of da-parish.com and his wife is a teacher at St. Genevieve.
Westley spoke with us about Louisiana Magic Weekend, a magician’s convention which takes place at NSU, in Peltier Auditorium on April 12th and 13th. The convention features 7 or 8 magicians from around the country that will speak to amateur and experienced magicians alike before performing a public stage show on the Saturday night.
The role of the magician has changed over the centuries dating as far back as the ancient Egyptians, when magicians were part of the pharaohs’ royal court. During the renaissance, magicians took on the role of gypsies, bringing their magic acts to carnivals and into the streets. But a significant influence on the type of magic we know today came from a Frenchman named Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin in the 1800’s. Houdin, originally trained as a clock-maker, brought magic to the stage and gave it a more upscale appearance through choreographed performances.
Houdini’s acts inspired another magician from Hungary, by the name of Ehrich Weiss, to hone his skills and eventually wow audiences of his own. Weiss, more commonly known as Harry Houdini, become one of the most famous escape artists and illusionists of all time. Houdini stunned audiences for years escaping from shackles, boxes, and various contraptions because of his ability to swallow objects like lock-picks and regurgitate them in order to free himself.
Westley gave us a demonstration of a similar trick when he swallowed a long piece of string and seemingly pulled the end out from his eye! He then engaged the audience in a card trick involving each member pulling four cards that represented their birth year. The remaining cards in the deck were then moved around into and out of various piles. The four birth year cards were put into the mix and seemingly lost in the jumble. However, through strategic pulling of cards, each audience member was eventually left with four – surprisingly, the very same that represented his/her birth year!
Those interested in magic, illusion and other clever tricks can attain more information about Louisiana Magic Weekend at http://www.louisianamagicweekend.com/
Student Government Day | Thibodaux Rotary Club
March 18, 2013
By: Kevin Gros
The Thibodaux Rotary Club is proud to sponsor the 2013 Student Government Day in Thibodaux, LA and Lafourche Parish. Each years students spend one day assuming the role of an elected official. Here they learn the ins and outs on how government operates on a city-wide and parish-wide basis.
The Thibodaux Rotary Club was fortunate to have Louisiana Lieutenant Governor “Jay” Dardenne, Jr as the guess speakers for this year’s student government day. You will find his talk timely, insightful and inspirational.
PART 1 – 2013 Student Government Day
PART 2 – 2013 Student Government Day
Danny Cavelle introduced his friend, Lieutenant Governor and former Secretary of State, Jay Dardenne to speak to the group about Leadership. Mr. Dardenne reminded us of the importance of public service and shred his thoughts about what makes and effective leader. He identified six characteristics that all successful leaders must possess:
Confidence – Those who aspire to be in a leadership position must be confident in what they do. It enables them to step up to a challenge and take it on. It’s important for others to be confident in their leaders and he distinguished between confidence and arrogance.
Honesty – It’s important for those in leadership positions to be honest with themselves to know they really want to step up into a leadership role.
Optimism – Mr. Darden talked about the inspiration he got from his early work with the MDA and told us about a child named Matthew Brown whom he met in Atlanta who showed him what it means to be truly optimistic how it can allow one to overcome tremendous challenges.
Integrity – A difficult word to define but an essential quality in a leader. Thomas More had it and it allowed him to stand up to Henry VIII during the protestant reformation when the King, in his effort to have a son to succeed him petitioned Thomas More the Lord Chancellor to change the law and allow the King to legally divorce and remarry. When Thomas More refused he was imprisoned and ultimately lost his life. What a good example of someone doing the right thing no matter how difficult the consequences are.
Communication – Especially listening is a quality of leadership often under-utilized by important to learning and growth. Good leaders recognize they don’t know all the answers and sometimes they can learn a thing or two by talking a little less and listening a little more.
Enthusiasm – Passion for something is important and leaders who possess this important quality will find it is contagious.
The first letter of each of the six leadership traits above spells C-H-O-I-C-E. We are reminded of the great opportunities afforded to us here in America and that all great leaders must make a conscious choice to offer themselves up for service.
The program continued with introductions of all the students participating in the program by Thibodaux Mayor Tommy Eschete, Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph and Floyd Benoit with the Lafourche Parish School Board. The house was packed and despite running low on chicken and additional tables being set up, the presentation went smoothly and concluded on time.
Special thanks to Justice Weimer, Mayor Eschete, President Randolph and Superintendant Matthews for helping to make this event possible.
Dr. Jim Barnidge – History Of The Catholic Papacy – Thibodaux Rotary Club
March 12, 2013
By: Jamie Gros
On March 12th, 2013 Dr. Jim Barnidge spoke to Thibodaux’s Rotary Club on the history of the Catholic Papacy.
Barnidge is a retired history professor from Nicholls State and has spoken to our Rotary club in the past. In fact he was voted speaker of the year for his wealth of knowledge of the crisis in the Middle East. He is also known for attending Europe trips with students and community members for 40 years now.
Given the Catholic Church is going through a change in the Papacy, Barnidge greeted the rotary club with a brief, but entertaining knowledge of the History of the Roman Catholic Church.
Jesus Christ, only taught his teachings, which the Catholic Church is based on for three years. The teachings of Christ were not put onto paper until 3o years after Christ was dead.
It was repeated by word of mouth at first. He set the foundation for his disciples to spread the Word, one of his main disciples Peter is known to have start the church. He actually started churches in several other areas before coming to the main city Rome, where his is ultimately crucified
Peter is not actually crucified in the coliseum, where most events went on in this day and age, he is crucified in what is known as the Circus, which is what Nero the Roman emperor of the time called it. The circuses were literally graveyards, which is what is known today as THE VATICAN, which was the Roman god of the dead.
During this time in the church, before converting to Christianity Peter wanted an individual to become Jewish, it was not until Paul, who was not a Jew, who changed this for the church.
The church slowly developed, its followers waited and waited for the second coming of Christ before they realized the Church needed some organization. There were no real priest at first, but to take care of the needs of their follows they appointed deacons, to take care of the sick and needy.
They also needed someone to take care of correspondence, which was the presbyter, and then someone need to see over them, which were the bishop, above them were the arch bishop and so on and so forth.
The real popularity of Christianity did not start until around the year 300 A.D. Constantine and Maxentius went to war over the Roman Empire. One group of follows was for Maxentius, were sun god worshippers and the other side were followers of Christ; even Constantine was not a Christian himself.
Constantine wins the war and makes December 25th the birth of Christ to deemphasize the sun gods because this was on the winter solstice, the darkest day for these people by also igniting the Birth of the SUN or SON. In many churches today the Saints are depicted with a ray of light behind them or a halo. This was taken from the sun god worshippers.
Constantine saw all the fighting going on and he came up with the Nicene Council to declare the beliefs of Christianity, which is the Nicene Creed, which Catholics still use today in mass. Constantine remained a pagan his whole life until his deathbed, which then he converted to Christianity.
The Catholic Church has been plagued by controversy for years and years. The voting will be done by a group of 115 cardinals, however it can be more but a cardinal cannot vote over the age of 80. There is however, global in balance.
The Latin Church makes up42% of the church population with only 16% of the cardinals; Europe is 24% of the church population and 53% of the population of cardinals, where Africa is 15% of the church population and only 9% of the population of the cardinals.
There is a language barrier located in this it is population. It is very unlikely for a cardinal from the United States become pope. There are many front runners to become the Pope of the Catholic Church; however any adult male who is baptized in the Catholic Church can become pope. But this is very unlikely.
On March 13, 2013 The Roman Catholic Church announced a new pope, First pope from the “New World”, a Jesuit priest, a man of the poor. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis I! The new pope will replace Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation last month prompted the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals to initiate a conclave, a Latin phrase meaning “with a key,” to pick a new leader for the world’s almost 2 billion Catholics.
Dr. Laynie Barrilleaux -Nicholls State University Updates – Thibodaux Rotary Club
January 29, 2013
By: Jamie Gros
On January 29th, 2013 Dr. Laynie Barrilleaux with Nicholls State University spoke to Rotary on the new updates of the university. Dr. Barrilleaux has served as an active member of Thibodaux Rotary as well as its president. She joined Nicholls as an instructor of management in 1981 and moved through the academic ranks to full professor in 1998.
During her tenure, she served as head of the department of management and marketing, liaison for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and assistant vice president for academic affairs. She has led Nicholls through successful reaffirmations of the university-wide regional accreditation and the NCAA recertification. Barrilleaux has been instrumental in securing various grants for the university and has publications in numerous journals.
Barrilleaux announce several updates on the university. The new master’s program in Nursing is starting off very successful and the university has also launched a brand new user friendly website. However, her main goal of the hour was to talk about Nicholls State University Online. Online learning gives the student the ability to attend school and/or study virtually any place, anywhere, and at any time.
This program is geared towards a more specific student. This is a student who has strong computer skills, time management skills. Can learn independently, but ultimately has conflicts with being on campus for classes and presentations. Nicholls Online is a degree that is offered through Nicholls State in a complete online format.
It is currently offering 7 degrees online in an 8 week condensed class session rather than the 16 week semesters. The program is allows students to complete classes more quickly, focus on fewer classes and graduate sooner. However, with Nicholls Online the student is still paying for accredited programs, certified faculty and education with a personal touch. The student also has the ability the extend class up to six months in the event of time restraints. Courses begin every January, March, June, August and October.
With Nicholls online the student has no additional university fees. All undergrad courses are $250 per credit hour and all graduate courses are $350 per credit hour.
Nicholls Online currently offers these degrees:
- Bachelors of Arts in History
- Bachelors of Arts in English
- Bachelors of Arts in Sociology
- Bachelors of Science in General Studies
- Bachelors of Science in general Family and Consumer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing ( for students who have encumbered RN licenses)
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
- Masters of Education in Educational Leadership
For those that are interested learning more about the Nicholls Online Program please visit www.nicholls.edu/nicholls-online/
Mark S. Kearns – History and Mystery of Life – Thibodaux Rotary Club
December 18, 2012 Meeting
By: Kevin Gros
The ninth but not last installation of “Meet My Cousin” Series returned to Rotary on December 18, with Mark S. Kearns, M.A., N.H.D. (Energy Therapist & Life Enhancement Coach) presenting “History and the Meaning of Life”.
Mark was the 2010 Rotarian of the Year and operates the Breath of Life Natural Healing Center on Bayou Road. He was accompanied by his wife Meg and daughter Mary Katherine.
According to his cousin Craig, Mark is a descendant of the late 19th century American Pioneer, Jim Bowie. Aside from his professional accomplishments which are touched on below, Craig expounded on some of his personal achievements during his introduction, which in addition to many similarities with Jim Bowie, including living in a house that looks like the Alamo and cutting a lizard in half with a pocket knife, include establishing the Nicholls student radio station, being an avid base player and drummer, and earning a brown belt in karate.
Mark received his Doctor of Natural Health, NHD, from Clayton College of Natural Health in Alabama. He has his masters degree in counseling. Mark is also a certified master practitioner and trainer in NLP, and is a certified hypnotherapist. He is the developer of the Life Enhancement Process, a dynamic life strategy.
Dr. Kearns has co-authored an NLP practitioner and Master Practitioner manual and has authored manuals for, developed and taught The Power of Self, How to Gain Personal Power and keep It, and Forgiveness (the key to all healing) seminar series. For the past several years, in addition to maintaining a private practice, Mark has taught numerous instructional classes on hypnosis, NLP, relaxation training, linguistic cues and representational systems, life coaching and the techniques of EFT, BSFF and The Life Enhancement Process.
Mark began his presentation with a photograph of an ancient Mayan calendar and being the last speaker before the 2012 winter solstice noted that if things don’t work out he’ll be the final speaker for the Club. Alas the sun came up on December 22 and we are all here to ponder his words. Much has been made of “12/21/12”.
Not only is it the winter solstice, it’s the last date on the 2,600 year old Mayan calendar which many have predicted will be the apocalypse. Many cultures have predicted some sort of event on 12/21. Planetary alignment, collisions with comets, and the second coming of Christ have all been predicted by some and debunked by others. In any event all the hype of these apocalyptic events has caused many of us to ask the question “why am I here?”
To help him answer this question, Mark began his quest for an answer where many of us begin looking for information – the internet. Unfortunately when he Googled his name he found his obituary, in Miami! Aside from now knowing there is life after death, Mark continues his search for an answer.
For most of us reality is external. We react to events. Our brain interprets them and our egos distort them. We are like passengers in a car driven by others. What should we do? We must learn to no longer be the effect, rather be the cause. Be the director in our own “movie” of life. Understand the universe and how it works. Understand our desires and how they can be positive or negative. Have an appreciation for events around us. Thoughts are the formation of things to come.
Most of us go through many thoughtless routines in our lives without considering what we are really doing. We must understand we can take control or our thoughts. Consider miracles, the earth, planets and solar system or many other things not widely considered miracles. How did we go from “nothingness” to this? Understand there are miracles all around us and we are part of a larger world in which we are an active participant. These are profound words and good advice for all of us.
In closing, Mark left us with a few words from an ancient Egyptian inscription, “The greatest power in the universe is love”, an excellent thought to take with us into the Christmas season.
Thanks to Mark for an enlightening presentation. We all look forward to the next edition of “Meet my Cousin”!
