Friday, October 15, 2021

Remembering the Late Gov. Edwin W. Edwards in Sabine Parish

Part X

Final Thoughts

It has been a walk down Memory Lane to have written these 10 articles about a gentleman who was my friend for more than 52 years. What a wonderful friendship it was.

After he was released from prison, we celebrated his 84^th Birthday with a big party at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans on Saturday, July 30, 2011. He had married Trina, the love of his life at the time, the day before. Laurie and I attended, and we also went to the press conference held prior to the party. Attorney Dan Dyess of Many and Natchitoches was also present for the event.

In an email a couple of weeks later, Edwin wrote, “The function did not go at all as I wished it to go. Although it was my coming home and my birthday party, they insisted on doing it their way. I got into a number of arguments about the plans and finally gave up trying to convince them of my wishes. Although this was not a fund raiser, the costs incurred at the hotel and unnecessary functions were barely covered by the ticket sales.”

In August 2011, the folks who run the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta asked if I would invite Edwin to be Grand Marshal for their upcoming Fiesta. He responded that he could not work it out, but added, “I love that town which has a large population of beautiful ladies with the Spanish influence.”

Come Oct. 30, 2011, I held my own funeral “before the fact” at Rebel Park in Marthaville, and Gov. Edwards came to deliver the “eulogy, insults and other fitting remarks.” My wife Laurie suggested we call it a “funeral fête,” the latter being a term for celebration or party. When I first asked Edwin about being on the program, he responded in an email, “I will be happy to attend your ‘funeral,’ however I do not think you will want to hear what I have to say about you and while alive. Maybe you should wait until after you are dead, but I guess I would be unable to make this since we are about 30 years from that date.” Also on the program was Country music legend Gene Watson and his Farewell Party Band. We had some 750 people attend. The Governor was on “Open Line” with Tedd Dumas to discuss the event a few days prior, on Oct. 25.

We had a lot of laughs that day and several good jokes were pulled along the way by the “undertaker,” played to the hilt by Barry Guillet of Natchitoches, who sported an overgrown wig and a set of bubba teeth. I remember as Galindo Rodriguez played a moving rendition of “Taps” on his trumpet from the edge of the woods on a nearby rise, Edwin leaned over to me, chuckled and whispered, “That’s just too much!”

Related to this event, my friend Homer Free of Marthaville noted after Edwin died, the unusual circumstance of Edwards speaking at my funeral, and that I also attended his funeral. Interesting I thought.

In 2012, Rick Hudson asked if I would get Edwin to speak to the Natchitoches Rotary Club. He was agreeable and spoke there on Jan. 24 of that year. After the speech, Trina rode with Laurie to Many, and Edwin traveled with me. Along the way, he told me he thought I should be inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame. I did not agree with him, but was very flattered he felt that way. In Many, we had an autograph party for his new book at the radio station building and had a good turnout for him.

Laurie told me later she enjoyed spending time with Trina on their drive back to Many, and that Trina had expressed concerns about Edwin maintaining such a busy schedule to promote the new biography that had come out. She hated to see him continue to push that hard and be so busy.

On Aug. 1, 2013, the following email came, “Eli arrived Aug. 1 at 12:52 a.m. in good health with all body parts in good shape. All vital signs are good. Trina is doing well, but greatly relieved since she had such a hard time during pregnancy. Thanks for all your good wishes and support. May we meet soon. You are among my very best friends, and I am happy to call you such.”

The man soon decided to run for the U.S. Congress and sent me a request for a donation. I sent one. Laurie and I attended the “victory party” at the Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge on Nov. 4, 2014, which turned out not to be a victory party. He took the defeat well. On Dec. 8, he wrote in an email, “It was not a day for Democrats. We all lost. Mickey Mouse, as a Republican, could have won in Louisiana. I hope they manage to get something going in DC, otherwise we will be in trouble. I am well and happy and while I would rather be in Congress, I am okay as things are. I have much to be thankful for and I am.”

Afterward Laurie surprised me with a photo from the election night party. It was of Edwin, Trina and us. And as another surprise, Edwin signed a copy of the photo for me for my office, and then he turned around and surprised Laurie by sending an extra signed copy to her to have at home. He was always thoughtful about such things.

In Observations to mark the occasion of his 89^th Birthday in August 2016, I sent him 13 questions which he answered, and I then wrote about. He said he was fortunate to reach 89, was in good health with the ability to drive and walk and sleep well. He continued, “I have four children over 60 and Eli who is three. I have no complaints. I am thankful for a long and busy life with many good friends and having had the opportunity to serve the public.”

Concerning wife Trina he stated, “She is a great help to me and very much a part of my life. I still marvel that someone as beautiful and smart [as she] has found a good life with me at my age, but we are always together.”

The question was asked, “What is your commentary on what America is going through at present and what outcome will it lead to?” He answered, “I fear we will have continued bloodshed and strife until we learn to respect law enforcement and respect the basic rights that all Americans should enjoy. We should not fear the police and they should have no reason to fear us.”

He was asked if there was anything special he remembered about Sabine Parish. His answer: “Yes, it was the only parish in the area that I carried in the 1971 election, and I have a special place in my heart and memory for the area.”

On Sunday morning, Dec. 4, Laurie and I went to the Church Street Inn in Natchitoches to meet Edwin, Trina and Eli. They had come to town for the Christmas Festival the previous day. On this day, he had some gold coins he wanted me to see to for him, as he knew that I deal in silver and gold. I took the coins, made a list of what he had, signed it, and gave it all back to him, as I did not intend to take the coins with me before paying him. “You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I trust you or I would not have brought them to you.” I told him, “Whatever I sell them for is exactly what you will get,” and that is what I did. I remember of this visit that Laurie and I marveled at Edwin’s continued youthfulness, watching him carry three-year-old Eli in his arms while walking on Front St. and playing with his young son at the hotel.

Back earlier after he was released from prison, we had started talking on the phone on a somewhat regular basis. He was not a big conversationalist on the phone and many times the visits were short. After we completed his 90^th Birthday Party on Aug. 12, 2017, he called and said, “I’m glad the Birthday Party is over, but I miss talking to you.” I appreciated that, and I told him I felt the same way. He concluded, “Call me anytime you want.”

Fuzzy and Shirley Hennigan, who run the Good Ole Days Festival in my hometown of Marthaville, called me in mid-2017 and asked if I would invite Gov. Edwards to be Grand Marshal for the big 25th Anniversary Good Ole Days Parade upcoming that Sept. 16. When I called him about it he said, “You know I can’t turn you down.” And I was glad. He, Trina and Eli came to Natchitoches on Friday, Sept. 15, and we met them at Mayeaux’s that evening for dinner. We then took them to the Chateau St. Denis Hotel where Laurie had pitched a little tent in their suite with all the trimmings for Eli to play in, enjoy and take home with him.

They arrived at the Good Ole Days Festival Grounds the next day and led the 10 a.m. parade. Following that, the Governor spoke on the program then went to Fuzzy and Shirley’s house for a great meal. They were not in a hurry and posed for pictures and visited with all the folks.

On Nov. 27, 2017, he called to say they were leaving on a Disney Cruise and would be back in eight days and he would call me when he got back. I told him he would fit right in on a Disney Cruise. On Dec. 15, he called to say he did not enjoy the cruise, and it was expensive. He added that he did not like Christmas too much, but participated because of Trina and Eli. He concluded, “We must get together after the first of the year.”

One evening in May 2018, I received a call from Edwin saying he had been trying to call me, and my phone was not ringing. I told him I was unaware of it and would get it working. He called back the next night just to be sure I had it fixed. In August of that same year, Laurie and I had a meeting in Avoyelles Parish. I called Edwin and asked him where he was born and raised and told him we would like to visit the area. He said it was in the little settlement of Johnson. We went there and found it is now a cottonfield. There was a house in the nearby community of Moncla listed as the home of Edwin, now with a sign that says Moncla Community Center. He was born there in Moncla. He called me the day after we visited to see how we enjoyed the trip. He was happy we wanted to go and see from whence he came.

Later that year, we were headed to New Orleans and since we had some extra copies of his 90^th Birthday Party Special Event Magazine, I called and asked if he wanted them. He said a lot of people would write and call wanting something from him, and he would love to have the magazines in order to fill such requests. Laurie and I drove down to his home in Gonzales and found him waiting in the driveway for us. Laurie got out and remarked, “Governor, you look amazing! What are you doing to stay in such good health?” Without missing a beat, he replied, “I’ve cut back on sex to three times a week!”

On Feb. 15, 2020, I was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in ceremonies at Winnfield. Edwin came up from his home in Gonzales to do the honors. I appreciated him doing this more than he ever knew. He had first mentioned in 2012 that he thought I should be inducted and said he would work on it. I don’t know what he did, if anything, but I am very appreciative of whatever he might have done and his support.

For years, I sent Edwin a card and/or gift on his birthday. On Aug. 11, 2020, he sent a message thanking us for his birthday card, remarking that it was “beautiful” and how much he enjoyed it. He said of Laurie, “she knows how to pick out good birthday cards and good husbands.”

I had COVID in late August of that year, and he called several times to check and see how I was doing. He sent one message wanting to know if there was anything he could do for me. One night we were sending messages back and forth and he ended by bidding me “Good night,” to which I responded, “Sweet Dreams, John Boy.” And another message of his, sent later, read, “I knew you were too tough for the virus. Great news, really glad to learn that things are getting better.”  Later in November when Laurie had it, he did the same thing, checking on her faithfully which we both appreciated.

It was the beginning of the end. On July 6, 2021, Laurie and I were in South Carolina to visit daughters Angela Collins and Jody Gentry. Early that morning I received an email from Tedd Dumas sending the news that Edwin had placed himself under hospice care. Joe Salter called me later in the morning to tell me about it. I read the news report for myself, which quoted Leo Honeycutt, (writer of Edwin’s biography), and he made it sound bad. Then the next day, another news release came out that did not seem as hopeless. So, praying for the best, I believed the more recent and upbeat news release.

I sent Trina a message of support, and she invited us to come down and visit Edwin. We came home from the Carolinas the following Saturday, July 10, and could have visited him that Sunday, but did not because we did not realize the seriousness of his condition. Into the evening, I received a message from Trina that he was not expected to make it through the night. I was up early the next morning and former Sen. Don Kelly from Natchitoches called to tell me that Edwin had passed away about 7 a.m. Later Trina informed me that Laurie and I should come to the funeral as some of his close friends. We did. It was a beautiful service.

On a side note, Edwin’s former Executive Assistant Ann Davenport, a good friend, and I were going to write a book about him in 1999. We started making plans in September, and the last email I have from her about it is dated Oct. 17 of that year. For some reason, which I do not recall now if I ever knew, we just dropped it.

After Edwin was released from prison, he and I exchanged many phone calls, email, a few letters and messages. The last message I received from him read:  “I am fine and Trina and Eli also. We are blessed. Hope [the] same with you and Laurie. When you get here, call and I will buy lunch.”

This is the 10^th remembrance article about Gov. Edwards, and I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read each article of this series. I have received a lot of comments from people about how much they have enjoyed reading my memories and I am very appreciative to those readers. In this final article, I hoped to show how down-to-earth the man was. I was a faithful friend and always loyal. I am very thankful we remained friends for so many long years. That kind of friendship is hard to find, and I am very thankful for it. Rest in Peace, my friend.

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