July 30, 2021
Remembering the Late Gov. Edwin W. Edwards in Sabine Parish
PART II
1975-1984
The election for Governor was held Nov. 1, 1975. Edwin Edwards carried Sabine Parish with 63.1% of the vote for 5,595 of the 8,878 cast. He won re-election with 62.3% of the vote statewide.
Back in the parish on April 23, 1976, Edwards spoke to both the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters and the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association meeting in convention at Toro Hills Resort. As he flew into Hart Airport he was met by Sheriff George Cook, Deputy Travis Bennett, Deputy Billy Ray Skinner, KWLA’s Don Lyons, State Troopers Frankie Bozeman and Jack Martin, and from the Index, Donna Smith [now Ammons] and me.
Speaking to the broadcasters, he promised that his administration would be transparent, adding, “I have a great deal of confidence in the State of Louisiana. Any state smart enough to elect me twice can make responsible decisions, too.”
There were financial problems with the Superdome in New Orleans at the time. The dome was an unfinished project of Gov. John J. McKeithen, but Edwards said, “It’s not my baby, but it looks like I’ll have to rock it.”
The Governor returned to Sabine Parish on May 27, 1976 for the dedication of the Toledo Bend Tourist Reception Center on Hwy. 6 West.
On Sept. 16, 1977, Gov. Edwards again came to Many to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Many Lions Club with a banquet at Toro Hills. Five persons who had been Lions for 25 years were recognized including Dr. S. F. Fraser, Bob Lowrey, C. A. Hays, Bob Clark and Horace Tompkins. The program was dedicated to the late Sheriff T. M. “Pappy” Phillips. Paul Chachere was president of the Lions and served as Master of Ceremonies. Guests included Mr. and Mrs. Fred Roberson of Zwolle, he being president of the Chamber of Commerce.
President Jimmy Carter had recently signed the Panama Canal pact and Edwards was critical of it. Said he, “We have been pushed around in too many areas. We have been too nice and too much of a good guy in too many parts of the world. I believe the people and nations of the world are beginning to lose respect for the United States. We are not willing to stand up for the rights of this country to the nations of the world.”
Prior to speaking that evening, Edwin said he wanted to pull a joke and needed the name of a person whom he could tell had a phone call in the lobby so he would leave the building. I told him, “Gailor Phares.” During his talk, someone handed the Governor a piece of paper. He read the paper, “Gailor Phares, you have a phone call in the lobby.” Smelling a rat, Gailor got up and started out, and said rather loudly, “Robert.” Edwin replied, “No, I’m not Robert, I’m Edwin.” The audience laughed.
Dick Davis, who had introduced me to Edwards wanted to come to the banquet and since Tedd Dumas and I planned it, I seated him at the end of the head table because he asked me to. By that time, Davis and Edwards had parted company and not so amicably. I was seated by the Governor, and when he looked down and saw Dick he asked, “What’s that s.. of a b…. doing here?” I replied, “He just wanted to come.”
The Governor was guest speaker at the 60th Anniversary Banquet of the Downtown Shreveport Lions Club on Oct. 27, 1977. Chachere and I attended.
A group of persons from Sabine Parish who were interested in the Sabine River Authority made a trip to the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge on Feb. 9, 1978 to talk about the matter. In the group were Sen. James David Cain, Sen. Don Kelly, Attorney Ken Simmons, Rep. Joe Salter, SRA member Warren Smith, Tedd Dumas and I.
A week or so later, on Feb. 17, 1978, at the invitation of Sen. Bryan A. Poston, I attended the Grand Opening Celebration for a $130 million expansion at Boise Paper Mill in DeRidder. Edwards was guest speaker and said, “I’m not sure I’m in my right mind boosting a plant that will make more paper on which to print newspapers and write more books.” He was referring to the fact that he had been at odds with some of the state newspapers and a former aide, Clyde Vidrine, had recently written a tell-all book about him. While at the gathering, Edwards asked State Sen. Poston if he was going to run for U.S. Congress. He responded a simple, “No.”
On May 5, 1978, another group met at the Governor’s Mansion to talk to Edwards about the low and fluctuating level of Toledo Lake. In the group were Col. Ted Brunson, President of the Toledo Bend Lake Association; former Rep. Cliff Ammons, known as the “Father of Toledo Bend” [we never knew who the mother was], District Attorney James Lynn Davis, Rep. Claude “Buddy” Leach of Leesville, Tedd Dumas and I.
Tedd Dumas and I attended a reception a few months later for Rep. Buddy Leach, who was running for Fourth District Congress. It was on Aug. 29, 1978 at the Petroleum Tower in Shreveport. We saw several Sabine residents there, including Many Mayor Virginia Godfrey and Pete Abington. The Governor said at that gathering, “I have five good friends in the race and I am supporting them all and endorsing none.”
The Index office had recently been destroyed by fire on June 16, 1978, and I was surprised when the Governor called me aside at the reception for Leach and expressed his sympathies about it. “I don’t know what your financial situation is,” he said, “but if you need it, I want to offer you a position on the Pardons Board.” That was a pretty good-paying job. I had not told him about the fire and wondered how he found out. I very much appreciated his thoughtfulness, thanked him, and told him I was not interested.
Gov. Edwards was back in the area on Saturday, Dec. 2, 1978, when he served as Grand Marshal of the 52nd Annual Natchitoches Christmas Festival. He always walked the parade route when he was Grand Marshal, unlike others who preferred to ride. Edwards was a hit, as always.
One day Sen. Bryan Poston came by my office and said, “I would like to have a testimonial for me, and I would like for you to handle it.” [For those who may not be familiar with the term “testimonial,” that’s what it was called at the time when you had a large event in support of someone with special speakers who “testified” about the honoree’s qualifications.] I told Poston I would be happy to do so, and asked Tedd Dumas and Frankie Howard to help me. We got Gov. Edwards to be keynote speaker at the event on March 18, 1979. He packed the place and Sen. Poston put some dollars in his campaign coffers that night.
Sometime in the Fall of 1979, Gov. Edwards attended a performance of “Louisiana Cavalier” at the Louisiana Outdoor Drama Theater at Grand Ecore near Natchitoches. The play had opened in 1976 and only lasted a few summers.
Louisiana Political Legend Bill Dodd, a native of Zwolle, had been a correspondent for the Index for several years. He wrote a very interesting political column that was read by many and then passed around. He asked to be identified in the newspaper as only “The Baton Rouge Political Correspondent.” On June 18, 1981, he wrote: “Gov. Dave Treen has been in office a little over a year and 90 percent of the politicians are talking about how easy Edwin Edwards will be elected next go around.”
Sheriff Frankie Howard of Vernon Parish held a testimonial in Leesville on Dec. 10, 1981. He asked Tedd Dumas and I to assist with it and we did. Gov. Edwards was the guest speaker. Again, he filled the school auditorium and Frankie’s campaign coffers.
On March 11, 1982, another testimonial for Sen. Bryan Poston was held in Leesville. Frankie Howard introduced Gov. Edwards as the featured speaker. I was chairman of the event.
On July 2, 1982, Edwards was back in Sabine Parish to speak at the grand opening of Flying Bridge Marina on Toledo Bend. Hosts for his visit were owner/operator John Wade, Many Attorney Danny Dyess and Mayor George Franklin. Radio Personality Tedd Dumas was there to broadcast the event.
An Evening with Edwin W. Edwards took place at Toro Hills on August 26, 1982. Tedd Dumas and I served as Co-Chairmen for the event. Edwards was running for re-election, and the event was for not only Sabine, but for Natchitoches, DeSoto and Vernon Parishes as well. The house was packed, and we raised him several thousand dollars.
Many Attorney Ken Simmons and his wife Phyllis held a reception for the Governor in Simmons’ San Antonio Ave. office from 4:30-6 p.m. in Many that day. Again, there was a big turnout.
That evening prior to the fund raiser, Mr. and Mrs. James Cook had held another reception at Toro Hills. The guest speaker for the event included Bill Dodd.
Sometime during 1983, I participated in a statewide motorcade ending in Baton Rouge to show support for Gov. Edwards.
It was a big deal for Sabine Parish: Edwards brought his campaign to town with a big rally at the Many High School football stadium on Oct. 4, 1983. There was a nice, enthusiastic crowd awaiting his arrival. He was making so many campaign stops that day that he was traveling by helicopter, and for his Many stop, it landed on the football field. The crowd loved it. That was a first and a last. Edwards was accompanied by his wife, Elaine.
Tedd Dumas and I were sitting in the stands in front of the big flatbed trailer they had brought in to use as a stage. It was about four feet off the ground. Pete Abington had the honor of introducing the Governor that evening. And he went on and on with his introduction. You could tell that Edwards was getting a bit impatient and ready to speak. Tedd leaned over and whispered to me, “If Pete will take a couple of steps backward, maybe Gov. Edwards will have a chance to speak.” I wrote that down on a piece of paper, walked to the front of the trailer and handed it to Edwards. He broke up laughing and read the note out loud as he got up to speak and said he agreed.
In the next week’s edition of the Index, I wrote a story about the gathering and said there were more than 300 persons present. I had gotten that estimate from Sheriff Alfice Brumley. A day or so after the paper was published, I got a letter from my good friend Valmore Byles, who was not an Edwards fan. He said he taken a picture of the gathering, and there were no more than 157 present.
On Oct. 28, 1983, I received a nice personal letter from the Governor thanking me for my support.
The inauguration of Gov. Edwards for his third term was held in the Senate Chambers in Baton Rouge on March 12, 1984. His son Stephen administered the oath of office. I attended the event at which Sen. Poston and Rep. Fowler were also sworn in.
Wasting no time, Gov. Edwards was back in Sabine Parish May 17, 1984 for a packed-house testimonial for District Attorney James Lynn Davis. Tedd Dumas and I served as Masters of Ceremonies. An overflow crowd of 600 attended.
On Aug. 18, 1984, a delegation from the Sabine Parish Police Jury met in the Mansion with Gov. Edwards at the request of Rep. H.M. “Mutt” Fowler. It was announced that he had obtained $250,000 from the Governor for parish roads. In addition, he had obtained $25,000 to hard surface the parking lot at Negreet School, $8,000 for a water well at Negreet School and $50,000 for the Negreet Water System. The meeting lasted until noon and as the meeting was adjourned, Jury Secretary Clint Worsham asked, “What are we having for lunch, Governor?” Without missing a step as he left the room, Edwards replied, “New faces!” Tedd Dumas and I still laugh to this day about that one.
This series will continue next Friday, so if you are interested in the late-great Gov. Edwin Edwards and his connection to Sabine Parish, be sure to read.
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