Pat Clanton Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

by Karen Gibbs

IF YOU WANT TO GET PAT CLANTON TALKING, ask her about Covington—but don’t expect her to stop talking any time soon. She’s absolutely in love with her hometown—and has more than 91 years of great memories to prove it. From theater to motherhood, promotional work to civil servant, preservationist to poet, third-generation Covington native Patricia Fuhrman Clanton has devoted her life to the city.

Quite fittingly, in recognition of her outstanding contributions, Parish President Mike Cooper recently awarded Pat Clanton the 2020 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. As news of the honor spread, one could almost hear a collective cheer rising throughout the city. Everybody loves “Miss Pat,” and a look at her amazing life will explain why.

A daughter of Pauline and Sidney Fuhrman, Pat grew up in a family that valued the arts. At three, she made her debut at her father’s Majestic Theater “When all is said and done, there’s no place under the sun that I would rather be from than this little town called Covington.” a poem by Pat Clanton, 1983). singing Donkey Serenade and dancing with her sister, Rosemerry. “I was a little kid with a big voice,” she says, a nostalgic smile gracing her face.

A graduate of Covington High School, Pat attended Southeastern Louisiana University, where she met the love of her life, Richard Clanton. They were married in 1950, in the picturesque Christ Episcopal Chapel. In the early years, Richard taught elementary school in Mandeville while Pat worked at Citizens Bank. When sons Patrick and Brandon were born, however, Pat became a stay-at-home mom. Brandon recalls his mother’s exuberance: “When people are with my Mama, they go away happy. She has that gift.” Once the boys were in junior high, Pat returned to the workforce, welcoming newcomers and touting life in Covington—a perfect fit! As Patrick says, “My mother’s always been an ambassador of the city.”

Pat’s next job, working with the Chamber of Commerce, was likewise tailor made. NotingPat’s enthusiasm and knowledge of Covington, chamber officials asked her to host a radio show, Chamber of Commerce News Plus, that featured chamber news, community events and interesting local stories. With her theatrical experience and outgoing personality, Pat was a natural. Before long, she had created and hosted a second radio show, It’s a Woman’s World, that focused on women’s topics like recipes, fashion and store openings.

Meanwhile, Pat formed a woman’s auxiliary to promote chamber activities. She says, “This was in the ’60s, when the chamber was a predominately male organization.” This move proved historic because, at the time, there were only seven other auxiliaries in the country.

With two radio shows and a woman’s auxiliary to her credit, Pat felt qualified to apply for the recently vacated position of executive director of the chamber. When she inquired, Pat says, “The chamber president slapped his hand on the desk and emphatically said, ‘A woman will never have that position!’” Down, but not out, she couldn’t help but think, “We’ll see.”

Shortly after, Pat accepted the position of business manager of Playmakers, Covington’s amateur theater group, of which she was a charter member. “As kids, we’d go to Playmakers when it was in the original barn,” recalls son Patrick. “My father was in a few plays, but he also helped build the sets.”

A few years later, the Bogue Falaya Plaza shopping center wooed Pat to be its manager. Dynamic in her approach, she staged fashion events, art exhibits, boat shows and dance competitions to attract customers. Promoting these events kept her name constantly in the newspaper—something the business community noticed.

Among those was the chamber's newly elected president, Vol Holden, who invited Pat to a chamber meeting. “After introducing me, Vol asked if I’d consider the job of executive director. I replied, ‘Do you have a paper for me to sign because I have a pen!’” With those words, Pat made history again as the first woman executive director of the Greater Covington Chamber of Commerce, a position she held from 1979-1984.

The chamber’s project in the early ’80s was the restoration of Bogue Falaya Park, the “crown jewel of Covington”—something dear to Pat’s heart. The once-popular site was overgrown and polluted. Enlisting the cooperation and support of parish, city and state agencies, the chamber launched the multiyear project. “I visited Mayor Cooper and explained that it would be a feather in his cap to return the park to the people,” says Pat. The mayor agreed to allow city workers to help at no cost. Years later, the grand re-opening was celebrated with the U.S. Marine Corps Band leading a parade of dignitaries and citizens down the street to the park. “It was a glorious day,” recalls Pat.

As Pat became acutely aware of the problems facing the city and its businesses, she knew it was time to run for office and help solve them. In 1987, with the enthusiastic support of her husband, family and friends, the 58-year old trailblazer ran for and won the position of city council representative from District D. Once again, Pat Clanton made history—this time as the first woman elected to the Covington City Council. The victory, though exciting, was sobering for Pat. “I accepted this win with a great sense of responsibility. I had opened the door for other women to follow. I had to do a good job. I had to be respectful and willing to negotiate while not compromising my principles.”

Pat wondered how she would be received by her colleagues. Lynn Moore, council clerk during Pat’s tenure, recalls, “Pat used her power as a woman to defuse the testosterone in the room. Powerful in her own way, she accomplished a lot, working her magic with her ladylike ways. She was so Southern and sweet—but don’t get in her way.”

Fellow councilman Sam O’Keefe adds: “In 1987, we were colleagues on the City Council. Miss Pat was very well-versed and strong with her opinions— and that was a good thing.”

Rykert Toledano, attorney for Covington at the time, says, “Pat Clanton is the matriarch of Covington—an institution admired by all.” One of the challenges facing the council at the time was equipping the all-volunteer fire department. “I was a volunteer with the fire department,” says O’Keefe. “We needed certain equipment, but the city always put off getting it, saying it didn’t have the funds.” Pat was determined to change that. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer. All the firemen championed her for that because we got the ‘jaws of life,’ which was new at the time.”

Pat also rallied support for preserving the historical sites in Covington, notably the two historic pillars at the entrance of the recently restored Bogue Falaya Park. She had discovered the brick-andmortar posts hidden in the bushes and vines at the park’s entrance. “They looked like two big sentinels standing there,” she says. A plaque on one of the posts revealed that they were dedicated in 1920 by Dr. Louis Stevenson to honor the CSS Manassas ironclad vessel that protected Louisiana during the Civil War!

“I was so excited!” says Pat. “This had to be saved.” After acquiring permission from the powers that be, Pat located a city mason who disassembled the posts, numbered the bricks and rebuilt the posts with new mortar. The cannonballs that had originally topped the two posts were missing, so sculptor Robert Maxwell commissioned Shreveport Brass Works to produce six replacement cannonballs— weighing 60 pounds each.

Another preservation project that Pat embraced was restoration of the Columbia Street Landing, the birthplace of Covington. This was once a very active commercial and passenger port where immigrants arrived with their meager possessions to settle in and build the city of Covington. However, over time, the river became so polluted that, in the 1960s, the city closed the street to the Landing.

A joint announcement by the council and Mayor Villere in 1987 marked the start of a campaign to clean up the Landing. “Citizens showed up to help,” says Pat. “It was amazing! A man on a backhoe volunteered, while others came with axes and saws. The street department pitched in, too. It was wonderful to see how many got involved.” Despite the outpouring of help, it wasn’t until 1994 that the restored Columbia Street Landing was dedicated. Today, the Landing is a popular venue for social and civic events.

Indeed, Pat is the consummate preservationist. “When people think of Covington history and preservation, they think of Pat Clanton,” says Parish President Mike Cooper.” She is a driving force behind not only safeguarding the story of this timeless city but also passing down its rich history from generation to generation. She is truly a jewel in our community, and her contributions will live indelibly into the future.”

Although preservation is an important part of Pat’s legacy, her most important economic contribution involved being a whistle blower. In the early ’90s, while Pat was on city business at the St. Tammany Parish Hospital, the hospital director asked if she’d like to see plans for the new hospital. “I could hardly believe it,” says Pat. Looking at the plans, Pat asked where the new hospital would be located. When she heard Highway 190 near the interstate, she thanked the director and left.

“First, I called my parish councilman, because the hospital is a parish entity. He knew nothing. Next, I went to the St. Tammany Farmer and said, ‘I don’t want to be Chicken Little, but I think the sky is falling. The business community needs to be notified that the hospital plans to move out of town.’ That’s all I had to say. Next day, the papers were full of it!”

Over the ensuing weeks, the parish council, business owners, doctors, volunteers and workers all got involved. Former mayor Ernest Cooper, Mayor Keith Villere, Representative Eddie Deano, Bob Champagne and others went to Baton Rouge. “It was huge,” says Pat. “The city fought to keep the hospital, and it won. It was one of my proudest accomplishments.”

But there were more to come.

In April of 1995, Pat and several other councilmen fought to create Covington’s first full-time fire department. “This wasn’t an easy task,” says O’Keefe, “because people didn’t like paying more taxes. But we were able to persuade enough of the electorate to approve them. Today, we have a great fire department with first-class people and equipment.”

During her tenure, Pat endeared herself not only to the firemen but also to other public servants. “Thirty-three years later, when I’m on the street downtown, I hear someone call, ‘Hey, Miss Pat,’” says Pat. “I look and it’s someone from the police, fire or public works departments. That makes my day!”

Pat retired from the council in 1995. Eight years later, she ran for—and won—the councilman-at-large position. This allowed her to serve two years representing the entire city of Covington and two years as council president. And, it added two more “firsts” to her list of accomplishments—first woman to serve as councilman-at-large and as council president.

2003 election night; from left to right (first row) Michelle Clanton, Kayla and Brook (Pat’s granddaughters), (second row) Jewel, Pat, Patrick, and (third row) Brandon.

During this time, Pat undertook another preservation project: restoring the Fairgrounds arch. The iconic red arch, dedicated in 1920 to the soldiers of World War I, was in dire need of restoration. Because it was parish property within the city limits, Pat had to get permission from city and parish governments before working on it. “At first, the Louisiana National Guard offered to help, but they kept getting called away to more important duties,” says Pat. Ultimately, Bruce Crouch, director of parish facilities, took charge and saw the project to completion. In gratitude for promoting this restoration, the Covington City Council proclaimed a “Ms. Pat Clanton Appreciation Day.” During this celebration, Pat deferred praise from herself to all who were involved in the project, something she has done throughout her lifetime.

“I was a seed planter for projects but I never finished them alone,” says Pat. “No one ever does. If the project were a fiddle, those who pluck the strings and make the music are the ones who come forward to help. Those are the ones I like to shine a spotlight on.”

Well said, Pat. But this time, the spotlight is shining on you—not as the long-ago little girl with the big voice at the Majestic Theater, but as the woman of today with the soft voice giving her life to the city she loves. Take a bow, dear lady. Take a bow.

To view actual newspaper articles about Pat, visit Ron Barthet’s blog at https://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/ search?q=pat+clanton.