Tuesday, April 7, 2020

District Attorney Don Burkett, the head man in the fight against the coronavirus in Sabine Parish, reported that a group of Sabine Parish officials met Monday to discuss the status in the parish.  There was a discussion about closing boat ramps on Toledo Lake, but no action was taken.  Also discussed was the possibility of limiting the hours that essential businesses may operate. “Our concern is how to keep the people of this parish safe,” he remarked.

Present for the meeting were Police Jury Secretary Bill Weatherford, Many Mayor Ken Freeman, Homeland Security Chief David Davis, Sheriff Ronny Richardson, Chief Deputy John Adair, Town of Many Attorney Billy Pickett and Pat Varnado of the 9-1-1 office.  Representing the Police Jury were Jeff “Gilligan” Davidson and Mike McCormick.  Police Jurors Kenneth Ebarb and Charlie Brown were there, but had to leave as the meeting was limited to only 10 persons.

Many folks in the area are very happy that DA Burkett has taken the lead in this fight to safeguard against the coronavirus and is doing a great job of keeping the public informed on the internet.

Shown below is the proclamation resulting from Monday’s meeting:

One confirmed case of coronavirus in Many was confirmed Monday morning by Mayor Ken Freeman. He advised, “You should stay home, wash your hands regularly, keep six feet distance from each other, wear a mask should you have to go out and if you feel bad, call your doctor. The virus is here. Keep your family and yourself safe.”

As of Monday at noon there were seven confirmed cases in Sabine Parish up from five on Sunday. Statewide there were 14,867 confirmed cases with 512 deaths reported.

District Attorney Don Burkett wrote on Sunday:  “This is the strangest Palm Sunday probably any of us have ever experienced. The next few days may very well be the most critical in determining the extent of COVID-19 in Sabine Parish. Starting today my wife and I will wear masks if we have to venture out. We will continue to practice social distancing, including with family we love dearly. I urge each of you to consider the possible consequences for both yourself and others with every human contact. Do the wise and right thing not because of a proclamation, but because you care about yourself, your family and your community.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday shifted its position and said all Americans should wear a cloth face covering when out in public to avoid spreading the coronavirus. The new guidelines say members of the general public should wear cloth masks outside their homes, whether or not they’re sick. The recommendation to wear a mask isn’t mandatory.

Texas Rangers were out before dawn Sunday morning on all highways leading from Louisiana into Texas, including across Toledo Dam and on Hwy. 6 West, to enforce a recent order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.  The Texas Department of Public Safety posted the following notice:  “DPS Troopers will set up roadway screening stations to gather required forms from road travelers along the border. The area of operations will remain in Texas counties that border Louisiana. Travelers will be asked to complete the travel form required under the order and it’s important for those entering Texas from Louisiana to be prepared to stop.” The order does not apply to travel related to commercial activity, military service, emergency response, health response and critical infrastructure functions. Travelers coming into Texas must quarantine themselves for 14 days. A violation of the Executive Order is subject to criminal penalties.

Many Mayor Ken Freeman posted a notice last week that the Town of Many Facebook page is designed and intended to provide positive information about what is going on in the town. He said, “For those of you who like to use this page as a way to insult, make negative comments and in addition, to anyone using vulgar language, please use your own personal page for any negative comments. We will continue and encourage, positive, productive comments from those citizens who truly want to make your hometown a better place for us all to live.”

ATTENDING FUNERALS:  Sabrina Dubois Laroux asked DA Burkett this question:  “Why is it okay to let people stand in line six feet apart and get essentials, and it’s not okay to stand six feet apart for those who we have lost and want to pay our last respects and then go home?” She continued, “It’s so hard on all of us that have lost loved ones and we all would like to pay our respects.” Burkett replied, “There are difficult decisions to make that have serious impacts on people’s lives. I don’t take that lightly and for my part I know I’m not always right. Appreciate everyone’s input.”

ROBELINE SPEEDING TICKETS:  I passed through the speed-trap town of Robeline Sunday afternoon and there was a patrol car parked along the highway just behind a little hill and curve as you come into the town from the west. The coronavirus is not keeping those folks from keeping the peace in Robeline. Wonder what ticket writing has been like since former Rep. Frankie Howard had the Department of Transportation re-post speed limits to a smaller area? Also, there is less traffic since the coronavirus scare. Let’s all give them a gift:  Slow down to 30 as you go through the village limits.

We were saddened to learn that Pastor James Ericson and wife Bethany, of Friendship Church of the Nazarene, located at 88 Friendship Rd. off Hwy. 6 east of Many, have both tested positive for COVID-19. The church is asking for prayer for the couple. The last report we saw was that Bethany had shown improvement, but Pastor James was still running a high fever. Folks, this could be any of us at any time. Taking every precaution against getting the coronavirus is urgent – even here in rural Sabine Parish, and of course, we also believe in the power of prayer. In addition to prayer, we send our best Get Well Soon wishes to Pastor Ericson and his wife.

According to a press release, on Saturday Walmart started monitoring the number of people allowed inside their stores. Customers are supposed to be admitted one by one at a single entrance – the grocery side of the store. Associates were to allow whatever number of customers in at once that would provide shoppers with an average of 1,000 square feet of store space per. That number is about 20% of a store’s normal customer capacity. Once social distance capacity has been reached inside, customers are supposed to be asked to stand in line outside the store at a distance of six feet apart. The store’s press release said the process would be as one customer leaves the store, associates would allow one more customer to enter. The store also said they would begin selling only essential items. In addition, all aisles are supposed to be marked as “one way” to limit contact between customers.

At 5:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, Observations did not see a controlled entry process in place outside the store entrance. And there was no waiting line to enter with shoppers spaced six feet apart. But in the parking lot, there were 140 cars.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has extended school closures until April 30. Sabine teachers and staff are working to provide online activities or paper-pencil activities so that students may work on skills and stay involved with their classes. Any student receiving paper-pencil activities should return those to their teacher once students are allowed to return to school. Check the Home Learning Resource page linked on the School District’s web site and Facebook for online and paper activities.

The District is providing home-delivered meals for free to students 18 and under. If you have not requested meals, but now want to participate in meals delivered, please contact your child’s teacher or principal.

Teachers will be contacting parents each week to check on students and to answer questions concerning the optional online or paper activities, meals or other questions.

The school administration is working on a plan for final grades and promotion. The state has provided guidance.

CORONAVIRUS DRIVE-THRU TESTING & SCREENING AVAILABLE

If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, there is now available drive-through community testing and screenings in Natchitoches. This health service is offered from 10 a.m. until noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the parking lot of Central Louisiana Technical College on the Hwy. 1 Bypass.

Professionals from Natchitoches Regional Medical Center are conducting the screenings and testing. Community members who have been exposed to the virus or who believe they may have symptoms will be asked to remain in their cars as they receive screening.

If after the screening, the professionals recommend testing, the NRMC Associates will do so at a testing station as a part of the drive-through process and test results will be available in about four days. All participants much bring a valid photo ID and their insurance card. All insurances including Medicaid, Medicare and commercial insurance are accepted.

When I was a lad at Marthaville High School, basketball was a big deal. Our principal, L. F. Fowler, would call assemblies just to talk about basketball. If I recall correctly, he called our team “The Big Five.” On that team one year were Ronald Byrd, Wayne Hennigan, Vernon Birdwell, Billy Ingram and Floyd Niette.  T. B. Byles was the coach.

I was only eight or nine years old, but Ronald “Ronny” Byrd was a player who stood out to me. I didn’t know him, but I sometimes watched the basketball team as they practiced. In addition, Ronny was on the baseball team, ran track and threw the discs. He pitched on the baseball team, using the same motion to pitch as he used to throw the discs, unlike most who throw backhanded to pitch. Ronny showed a lot of hustle and you could just tell that he put his heart into the game. Maybe the rest of the players did the same, but Ronny was the one who stood out to me. I don’t guess I ever had a conversation with him, but I really admired him. We never saw each other after he graduated in the spring of 1950, but I always admired him and I never forgot him.

Then late last year, our good friend Vernon Birdwell died. At his funeral, it was announced that Ronald Byrd had come from South Boston, VA for the service. Afterward, I sought Ronny out for a visit. He told me he had heard about me some through the years, and we had a great conversation and agreed we would stay in touch. And we have.

I found out that he went to school at Marthaville in the sixth and seventh grades and again in the 11th and 12th. I found out he has more degrees than a thermometer. After being graduated from Marthaville in 1950, he went on to Northwestern where he obtained both bachelor’s (1954) and master’s (1960) degrees. He received his doctorate from Florida State University in 1968. But that’s not all. In 1969 he earned the Postdoctoral Fellow from the University of California at Santa Barbara and in 2004, a bachelor’s in Spanish, Magna Cum Laude, from LSU in Shreveport.

Ronny was an officer in the Army 1954-56, a math teacher at Fair Park in Shreveport 1956-57, and a coach and math teacher at Marthaville 1957-58. From 1960 until 1966, he worked in the Austin, Nevada school system where he taught math, science and coached, serving his last three years there as principal. He then went to Florida State University as a graduate teaching assistant from 1966-68. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Environmental Stress, at the University of California at Santa Barbara 1968-69, and from there it was on to Florida State University as Assistant Professor from 1969-75.

In the summer of 1972, he was Visiting Professor at the Universidad Catolica in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He served as Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham 1975-78, and 1978-88 was Professor at LSU in Baton Rouge including six years as Director of the School of HPERD. From June-December 1980 he was a Fulbright Scholar, senior lecturer at Universiti Pertanian Malaysia.

And the list keeps going. From 1988-2009, Ronny served as Professor at LSU in Shreveport, serving six of those years as Dean of the College of Education. He was again a Fulbright Scholar, senior lecturer at the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia for a period in 2000-01. From 2009-19 he was Adjunct Online Instructor for Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia. And finally, from 2009 to the present he has been Emeritus Professor at LSU in Shreveport.

In his spare time, he has assisted with writing five books about exercise physiology, work physiology, science of weight training and badminton. He has written or participated in 134 chapters in books and articles in journals. These deal mainly with subjects relative to good health, exercise, diet, sports activity, physical fitness as well as other subjects. Ronny has made 127 different presentations, again dealing with good health, exercise, functions of different body parts, sports and much more. He has been involved in obtaining 42 grants and funded contracts. During his career he has been recognized with many awards, prizes and lectureships. In addition, he has directed 14 theses and directed 17 doctoral dissertations. Wow, what a career!

Now you may wonder how a boy from back in the woods near Beulah (the one near Marthaville) could have been so successful. He only lived in Marthaville for four years, but he said those times “rank high in my positive memories.” I didn’t know it, but Ronny was a very shy boy when he was going to school at Marthaville. I can well understand, because being from back in the sticks, I also was a very shy person. But look at his work. He has spoken to groups all over the U.S. and across a lot of the world

He explains, “Throughout my education, I never wanted to be called on in class because I was painfully shy. In fact, most times I’d just answer, ‘I don’t know’ rather than talking. During one year at Marthaville, we all had to prepare to give a brief presentation at a rally at Northwestern. Mine was maybe a 10-minute recitation of a scary story and I did great out behind the barn. I had memorized the talk and used emotional expressions and tones, but would never perform in class. I’d just say I wasn’t ready or some other excuse. No other classmate had any problem practicing in class and getting the teacher’s help and input.

Ronny continued, “For the Saturday we were all supposed to go to Natchitoches, I gave the excuse that I had to chop cotton and I stayed home and did that. Lester Durr, my uncle, would have encouraged me to go if he had known about it, but I gave the impression that I didn’t have a choice. I could not stand the idea of being up in front of a bunch of people. You cannot understand how shy I was. Then, after my doctorate, I felt a sense of security and comfort that allowed me to give many talks and lectures.”

His Marthaville years turned out to be very important. Ronny says it was during that time he developed a strong work ethic from life with Lester and Estelle Durr. He first spent a couple of years with them during World War II when his daddy was in the Army.

He relates, “Having a strong work ethic has given me an edge, professionally. I just worked harder than most of my peers. Lester and I, during the summer after the sixth grade, cut and split all the firewood for the Marthaville School for the next winter. Now, Lester had to be the world’s top optimist, to contract for that job with only me to help. Did I learn to use a saw and axe? You bet! I pulled one end of that crosscut saw all summer and we got the job done. I used what we called a pulpwood saw, as well. I contributed to splitting, by doing the easier stuff, but at the end of that summer, I was tougher and stronger and I knew something about hard labor and what a work ethic was. Those Marthaville days molded me, in large part, and I’m grateful for them.”

And he remains active to this day. He recently played his first disc golf tournament of the year. For the last couple of years, he has played in the 50+ age division and generally ends up in the middle of the pack. “I’m working hard to stay off the bottom,” he related. “Still just being able to compete is worth something, and I get a lot of support from the younger folks. I guess I let them know they can still play well for decades to come, unlike what you read about with professional athletes being over the hill and retiring before 40. More than 70 years ago, I pitched for Marthaville and I used that same motion to throw the discs, unlike most who throw backhanded. I’ll still occasionally get one out beyond 300 feet and when I do, the comments are remarkable. Also, I still play a game called pickleball twice a week and I walk or lift weights every day. This has been a lifelong pattern. I do all this because I can, and I can because I do. I know I’ll break down soon, but I’ll keep this up as long as I can. Everyone knows that exercise is good for you and everyone knows a lot about diet, but knowing and doing don’t always match.”

By the way, Ronny’s brother was the late Jerry Byrd who served for many years as Sports Editor of the Shreveport Journal. In addition, Jerry wrote several books about area sports.

When this coronavirus matter has come to an end, Ronny is going to come down for a visit and I am very much looking forward to it. And while he is here, we’ll try to get Don Winn to buy us lunch one day.

I am proud that Mike Wynne, a long-time friend from Alexandria, asked me to co-author a book called “A Life of Sunshine; Remembrances of the Extraordinary life of Louisiana Gov. James H. ‘Jimmie’ Davis.”  The book was released last week and may be purchased from Amazon Books.

The 158-page book contains accounts from nine persons who knew Gov. Davis. It also has 36 pictures, many in color, including some that have not been published before.

Other persons who have stories in the book are former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, former State Supt. of Education Bill Dodd and former Secretary of State Jim Brown. There are also writings from Al Harris, Gary Goss and James Paul Wilson, who played in Jimmie’s band. Rounding out the effort are remembrances from Rev. Bill Nash, Jack McGuire and Susie Labry.

That is all for now. Thank you for your faithful readership. To save, send or print today’s column, please click on the appropriate icon below. I love to hear your ideas and suggestions for future Observations, so give me a call at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. Observations of the last few years may be found by following the pages below. Older ones are archived on our Facebook page, where they are listed by date under Photo Albums.

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