Slidell Magazine, June 2021 by Slidell Magazine

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF SLIDELL

WE KEEP IT FRESH

SAY KEEP IT POSITIVE

DADDY DAY CARE FESTIVAL 2021

Vol. 128 June 2021

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Editor’s Letter I’m still the neighborhood weirdo. I thought after my goat died, I’d be a normal neighbor - ya know, now that a farm animal wasn’t roaming the streets of the subdivision, eating all of the neighbors’ landscaping and pooping pellets on their porches. But no. I still have 6 dogs, one of which is deaf and likes to stand in the middle of the street and LICK THE BUMPERS of the cars who are trying to pass. He can’t hear the horns blaring at him, but the neighbors sure can. So, a few weeks ago, I’m out walking my beagle at some ungodly hour in the night and I lose him. An hour later, flashlight in hand, I see movement in my neighbor’s yard. It’s the tip of Simba’s tail sticking out of a bathtub-sized hole in the ground. Are you kidding me? His nose and paws are caked with mud and the hole is so

deep, he’s having trouble climbing out. I crest the mound of freshly excavated earth and drop into the hole to retrieve him, sure that a Ring camera has captured my dog digging a canyon in their front yard. I’m mortified. I’ve never met these neighbors, but there was no getting around this. I had to fess up. Early the next morning, I wrote a long apology in a flowery greeting card, stuffed it with all the cash I had on me ($56), and attached it to a Slidell Magazine (maybe my small amount of “Dell-fame” might help my neighbors not hate me. As much.) I grabbed a shovel, gloves, and the remains of an old bag of potting soil and headed down the block to my neighbor’s house. I rang the bell and a woman answered. ...Hi, I’m your neighbor. Sorry we’ve never met before... Yes, I’m the one that had the goat... um, sorry about that too. Anywho... so my dog seems

to have dug a hole to China in your perfectly manicured, extremely expensive landcaping...(I’m rambling)...so here’s a card with money to buy more mulch and here’s a free magazine...I’m the editor... and I brought my shovel and I’m going to try to fill the hole, but it sure is deep, like wayyyy deep... my dogs are jerks... ramble, ramble, ramble. She looked bemused and waited patiently for me to exhaust myself before saying, “My husband dug up our dead palm tree yesterday to replace it.” Ohhhhhh. I was going to let her keep the card with the money, just because it was pretty awkward to ask for it back, but she handed it back to me. They put their house on the market last week and it sold in one day. Can’t wait to meet my new neighbors!

COVER: DADDY DAYCARE FESTIVAL 2021

MAGAZINE STAFF Kendra Maness Editor / Publisher Editor@slidellmag.com

Kendra Maness Editor / Publisher

Michael Bell Graphic Designer Graphics@slidellmag.com Krista Gregory Administrative Assistant Krista@slidellmag.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Case “The Storyteller”

Chuck Neuman Slidell History

Charlotte Collins Extraordinary Slidell Neighbors

Scarlett Maness Purple Hearts

Mike Rich Making Cents of Your Money

Leslie Gates Crimi-Mommly Insane

Donna Bush Stories Through My Lens

Ronda M. Gabb Legal-Ease

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artist: Manuel Ponce Manuel Ponce is one of the most prolific artists working in Mardi Gras today. A native New Orleanian, he has been working with carnival organizations for more than 35 years. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of New Orleans in 1988 and since then has simultaneously embarked on his career full time working for the largest float building company in the country, Blaine Kern Artist,Inc. Over the years he has designed for the krewes of Rex, Endymion, Hermes, Alla, Caesar, Babylon, Bacchus, and Orpheus since their inception. As an illustrator, his talents extend beyond float design to include popular throw items, such as theme cups, doubloons, and specialty medallion beads. He has also designed several limited edition carnival prints for Endymion, Orpheus, and in 2012 the Rex Proclamation. The Orpheus Leviathan and the Rex Butterfly King signature floats are just a couple of the iconic Mardi Gras floats he has designed over the years that roll down the streets of New Orleans every year. It is an honor to feature his design for Slidell’s Krewe of Dionysus on our cover! Thank you Manuel! 5

J. Lowry Curley, PhD.

A biography by Charlotte Collins

“Science and art sometimes can touch one another, like two pieces of the jigsaw puzzle which is our human life.” ~ M.C. Escher This month’s story is about the journey of coming home. Our Extraordinary Slidell Neighbor is a Camellia City native, one who spent his youth on the bayou. Like most of us, he was raised on fresh seafood and red beans. He was, and still is, that funloving, outgoing person that loves every festival and a chance to meet old and make new friends. His roots reflect the way of life that is so unique to our region. You see, he happens to be someone whose youth I know well, as he is my son. I was silly to think that this month would be an easy story for me to write. Wrong! I tried to be objective, and found that I cannot. I tried not to brag about my interviewee, when doing so is actually part of my writing style in these articles. In short, I think I hamstrung myself. But here is my best effort. Forgive me if I understate or overstate here and there... He was an extremely curious child, with endless “why’s” that continued well past my efforts to explain. He was always amazed by the natural sciences. I remember his curiosity after each 6

hurricane. He couldn’t wait to toddle out in his high-top boots, examining the bayou and marsh after a furious Mother Nature rearranged his environment. He would look for treasures that needed to be salvaged, fixed or put back to use for wildlife. That was back when a hurricane wasn’t a PTSD event, so obviously pre-Katrina. Then, there was his jovial side. I can almost hear his peels of laughter, that were so contagious that everyone in proximity was laughing with him. I dare you to watch a baby delirious with giggles and not laugh yourself!

and life size creations as a family. There was a gap when we moved out of state for my graduate school at Memphis College of Art. Lowry went off to college at Clemson University, but we all missed home. Then, Katrina hit. All of our family homes in Slidell were heavily damaged. It was time to move back home. At the same time, Lowry started graduate school at Tulane, and our lives intertwined seamlessly with our past once again.

When he was creatively engaged, he was laser-focused. One of his favorite hobbies was Legos. He would dump out bucket after bucket of those colored blocks, assembling inventions with mechanical parts for hours on end. His creativity evolved into fantastical painting and pottery, most of which I still have displayed proudly. Vividly, I remember him costumed as a baby chick hatching from an egg for the very first Mona Lisa and MoonPie Parade. We spent weeks ever year using our creativity for push-floats

Lowry, age 3, marching in the inaugural Mona Lisa & MoonPie Parade in Olde Towne

I make it sound so easy. Each of us, Lowry in particular, would have a long, upstream paddle to make our new paths successful back home. It is still hard for me to believe this boy, now 37, is a CEO who owns a growing business with over 20 employees. Add that his company is helping establish new biotechnology to help cure some of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases that are currently untreatable, and I really almost burst with pride. It was a breezy Spring day when I interviewed my son in City Park. As he walked up, I spotted those same intense blue eyes. We chatted a second about where he thought we should start his story. As quick and decisive as ever, he nodded, “We can start where the current trajectory really began.” I sat back in the swing, and reminisced as he clarified his motivation for his scientific quest. “As you know, Mom, when I was in college at Clemson, I had a neurological issue which caused a grand mal seizure. Ultimately, we found out that I had something called an ArterioVenous Malformation (AVM). Long story short, there’s a part of my brain where the blood vessels and veins were all tangled. One day, the pressure built up, which caused the seizure. We talked to a lot of different doctors and they suggested a lot of different treatment options.” Boy, do I remember those weeks of sleepless nights, researching medical journals until I had a concept of how fragile his life was at that point, and what the odds were for the various treatment plans. Believe it or not, the seizure actually saved his life, as I learned that many with no prior symptoms or warning signs die instantly from an aneurysm when the AVM bursts. He continued, matter of factly, “We ended up at Emory Hospital with a highly renowned ‘Gamma Knife’ brain surgeon.” He turned both palms up and grinned as he jumped to the present, “I received a cutting edge treatment that worked; and, today, I’m fine! I realized

along the way that, with each of these treatment options, I was looking at something that was highly innovative. It really struck me that behind each of these processes, at some point, it was some scientist’s original idea. From there, it took a team to develop it. Then a company formed around the invention as it went through all these testing steps to ultimately be used as a treatment. So, that really got me thinking - how do you get these types of technologies and treatments out into the world more quickly? I changed my major from mechanical engineering to materials engineering because I wanted to go into biomedical engineering for graduate school. Specifically, I wanted to focus on neuroscience. So, my own personal medical experience was the impetus that led me to come back home to New Orleans and get my PhD from Tulane University.” Lowry was very fortunate in that he was able to join Dr. Michael Moore’s brand new lab as he was moving from MIT to Tulane to lead neuroscience research here. Even more amazing was that Dr. Moore’s research was based very closely on what my son hoped to pursue. “I got to help him set up his lab. Ultimately, that led me to be the first grad student to help him develop what we call our “Nerve-on-a-Chip” model. Eventually, we founded a company together, AxoSim, and this model was the first technology that our company was ultimately founded on. At that point, it was purely an academic research tool. It was used for spinal cord regeneration. As of today, there’s no natural healing method for spinal cord injuries. We were trying to develop something for that condition from a research perspective but had not conceived the commercial potential.” I vividly recall Lowry presenting his dissertation. Dr. Moore met with me afterward, explaining that he hoped Lowry would return after his postdoc studies so they could resume their research and start a company.

This was music to my ears, as there were no good local job opportunities in Lowry’s field. I was concerned he may be forced to move out of state. But first, Lowry was offered a postdoc internship at Antwerp University in Belgium. Another great opportunity! Lowry recalled, “I didn’t know anybody over there. All I knew about was the research that this professor was doing, which would be very complimentary to my PhD research. A couple of months after graduation, I moved over there and started a life for myself in Antwerp, which was really exciting. Plus, I got to spend a lot of time exploring Europe.” While it may have been a solitary year in general, Lowry was busy building a great resume and conducting important parallel research that would be useful back home in the future. The “Nerveon-a-Chip” from his PhD research was a miniature version of the nervous system. Now, what he was doing in Belgium was called neural interfacing. He explained, “We researched the nerve’s electrical signals, and how they function.” Motioning with his hand, he emphasized, “Our body is controlled by those electrical signals. We worked peripherally with a company called Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. They were looking for ways to test drugs other than animal testing, which is precisely what “Nerve-on-a-Chip” could offer.” His eyebrows and the corners of his mouth both went up as his business plans now seemed even more feasible. He and Michael Moore stayed in touch during his time in Antwerp. As interesting as his travels abroad were, Lowry really wanted to come home; but he was unsure where he would land. “Frankly, I wanted to stay in New Orleans, but there just weren’t any relevant jobs here.” If you recall, after Katrina, there were proposals to build up the medical and technology industries, and create the Biomedical Corridor in Louisiana. Lowry related, “Some big conversations were going on that let me know the City 7

wanted to reinvent itself. Plus, there were many young people developing innovative startup companies. It seemed like the right time and place to help build AxoSim from the ground up.” He had been testing the waters with big pharmaceutical companies whenever they interfaced at conferences. “Scientifically, it’s becoming more understood that testing drugs on animals is just not the same as testing it on humans. In fact, 89% of drugs that go into clinical trials actually fail. Think of the investment money for laboratory research and development, the testing, and the time to go through approval by the FDA, only to fail in humans 89% of the time. Pharmaceutical companies spend, on average, $2.6 billion for one successful drug.”

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I had to interrupt at how unbelievable these statistics were. Looking at me and nodding, he agreed, “As you can imagine, that’s unsustainable. That’s why, in part, drug prices are going up so much. If you look at neurodegenerative diseases, 94% of those drugs fail. And if you really want to dive into Alzheimer’s drugs, there’s a failure rate of over 99%. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a treatment for Alzheimer’s. There was clearly a need for our technology.” Dr. Moore and Lowry met over the summer. It was clear to both of them that this technology was bigger than the research project they had started together. Their dream became reality when they founded AxoSim in 2014. Soon afterward, they received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to interview potential customers, which would be pharmaceutical companies. My son related, “We talked to over 100 different pharmaceutical scientists and asked questions like, ‘What do you need?’ and ‘What tools do you wish you had?’ We heard over and over again that they wanted an alternative to animal testing. There was definitely a desire, a need, and a market for what we were doing in our lab.” To earn a living, Lowry had a day job doing research for Tulane and working for a small biotech company. He spent nights and weekends applying for grants to fund the new laboratory, equipment, and the early stages of forming AxoSim. His efforts paid off. “By the end of 2016, we had gotten three different grants, totaling over $750,000! I was finally able to do this full time. It still felt like just a dream.” They hired four employees, which made an incredible difference in Lowry’s work/home balance.

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“At the beginning of 2017, we got our first customer and a pretty big contract. We moved the company into the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, which is a phenomenal building with larger labs that came out of federal and state funding post-Katrina. New Orleans was consciously trying to build itself up into the Biomed Corridor.”

Then COVID hit, and all of the research funding naturally focused on Operation Warp Speed, fast tracking a vaccine. Things all but slowed to a stop for AxoSim. Luckily, Lowry and his team determined to stay the course and wait it out. Now, business is picking up across the globe, and Lowry’s company is gaining momentum, along with others. Lowry offered me a tour of his expanded facilities. “Within a matter of 12 blocks, you’ve got Tulane University Hospital, LSU Med School, University Medical Center, VA New Orleans, and the BioInnovation Center. AxoSim has grown from one to three laboratories with additional office spaces, and our team tripled in size.” Lowry is proud of his teammates, and his ability to impact other young scientists. “When I graduated from Tulane, there just weren’t any biomed jobs here. And it’s been so rewarding to be part of the growing biotech ecosystem, and to be able to literally create those jobs for others. AxoSim recruited from top notch universities, and we even found young scientists that are from here and wanted to move back. Through us, they now have an opportunity. That’s one of the things I’m proudest of, outside of the scientific side.” AxoSim is continuing to grow that “Nerve-on-a-Chip” that came out of Tulane University labs. Plus, they have licensed another technology, called a “Mini-Brain”, from Johns Hopkins University. Lowry expanded, “These are really complimentary models that basically replicate different parts of the human nervous system. One is sort of anything outside of the spinal cord, or the peripheral nervous system. The other is what’s called the central nervous system, literally the brain. By having both of those technologies, it really lets us test diseases across the spectrum. We can analyze anything in neuroscience, from peripheral neuropathy to ALS, multiple sclerosis, and we have plans in the future to develop models for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases!” With each step, the implications for patients is huge!

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Another aspect of his research that may surprise you, beyond searching for cures, is reducing side effects. The “Nerve-on-a-Chip” is also capable of testing for prescription drugs that actually damage the nervous system; chemotherapy, for example. Elaborating, he explained, “Unfortunately, a lot of chemotherapy patients develop what’s called neurotoxicity, or damage to the nervous system. Neuropathy is one of the most common symptoms, ranging from a little bit of tingling and numbness in your hands or feet, to chronic pain. At the extreme of the spectrum, some people can’t even walk. While the priority is to get rid of the cancer, nobody wants to experience the loss of quality of life.” Giving an example, my son continued, “One of the companies that we work closely with had a chemotherapy drug they were developing. Their concern was discovering

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1.) Lowry in 1st grade at Bayou Woods Elementary. 2.) With his beloved dog, Dixie, during his post-doctorate internship year at Antwerp University in Belgium. 3.) Lowry with AxoSim co-founder, Dr. Michael Moore, receiving their first grant check. 4.) Lowry, mom Charlotte, wife Amy, and friends at the Mona Lisa & MoonPie Parade in 2018.

side effects before human trials, as they had seen some signs of effects in animals. We were able to convince them that this drug was going to be too toxic for humans. It was a disappointment, but saved many disabilities, even lives. It is odd that this is almost the opposite of helping cure disease. But, frankly, it’s just as important because it never would have made it through clinical trials, harming people during the process. All of us at AxoSim were really proud of that discovery.” “We know that the path to helping patients is a long path. Along the way, we’ve helped companies understand how some drugs work early in their research. Even if we can help them ‘fail fast’ or weed out the ineffective or toxic drugs, they can shift resources to versions that can potentially save lives. And that’s where we see the wins.”

When things slow, Lowry concentrates on workforce development and volunteering within the community. His team spent a Saturday helping repaint Sci High, and every summer they host interns from the NOLA region. “Youth Force NOLA has been a great group, and we are so proud of this opportunity.” Lowry now has a soul mate, his wife Amy, who is also a neuroscientist. She shares the same passion for scientific research. He and Amy Feehan, now the “Drs. Curley,” clicked right away. He met her at a crawfish boil with mutual friends and they bonded over science and beers. Grinning, he allowed, “We quickly realized that we were compatible on so many different levels! But what is great is that our jobs are different enough. By day, we both focus on the science, then it’s important to have time to relax your brain. We’re not

one of those couples that just talks work and science all day, every day. I married my best friend on March 23, 2019. We adopted our dogs, Luna and Bruce, to round out the family.” He was beaming by this point. Amy says, “With the high-intensity, often-stressful work that we both do, it’s really amazing to have a life partner who understands the ups and downs unique to research. I also couldn’t be married to someone who doesn’t always wonder about things - that’s one of my favorite parts of Lowry’s personality. I think the constant questioning of the world around us would drive other people crazy.” When COVID slowed things down for AxoSim, it skyrocketed for Amy, the Research Scientist in the Infectious Diseases Department at Ochsner Health. She wrote and received the

Left: One of the three AxoSim laboratories. Middle: Dr. Lowry Curley and Dr. Anup Sharma at their AxoSim office in the BioInnovation Center in New Orleans. Right: Lowry was honored with the cover and a feature story in New Orleans Biz Magazine in August 2018. 10

High resolution microscope imagary of AxoSim’s breakthrough technologies, “Nerve-on-a-Chip” and “Mini-Brain”.

grants for the earliest testing in New Orleans and Baton Rouge for SARSCoV-2 prevalence. Her team figured out how many people had been infected at a time when testing was not widely available. Their study was one of the first to indicate that a loss of smell and taste was associated with infection and pointed to clear racial disparities in infection rates. Lowry asserted, “Because of her, New Orleans was one of the first cities in the world to have SARS-CoV-2 prevalence data in a representative population. What was really scary was the number of people who were contagious, but didn’t have any symptoms. She’s basically taken her career to another level and really built a nice reputation for herself!” We shared our pride with Amy’s success. Recently, AxoSim announced an investment from a new venture capital

firm, Benson Capital Partners. Yes, that’s Gayle Benson, of the New Orleans Saints. She is making a commitment to help grow the New Orleans ecosystem. “We were the first investment that Benson made out of this venture capital fund. They’ve been great partners. And they’re able to open a lot of doors and bring so much experience from all the different companies that they now help.” My last question was about the next goals. “There’s just so many different areas we can grow. Some day, we may merge with another larger company, with thousands of customers, and thousands of employees, but that means our new technologies need to keep up. Right now, I’m completely focused on AxoSim’s vision and getting our technology out into the world. But I have no doubt that I can find something new that needs to be

translated. Growing and developing new technologies is really where I’m passionate.” For my part, as a mother, I can only offer a shoulder, an ear, and a breath of fresh air, as needed. Lowry states, “For me, all I need is to come for a visit. I love the solitude of the bayou. Sitting on the porch of my Grandparent’s old home, overlooking the marsh, or just going for a quiet boat ride down Bayou Liberty, clears my mind. The peaceful solitude and scenic beauty is rejuvenating in a unique way for me.” I knew exactly what he meant. No matter how beautiful other destinations may be, they rarely offer the utter solitude, sense of ancient hardwoods and marsh, with abundant wildlife that Slidell has in Bayou Liberty. I suppose there is also the underlying sentiment that there’s no place like home.

Left: Drs. Lowry & Amy Curley with his parents at their 2019 wedding. Middle: The Curley family: Luna, Lowry, Bruce and Amy at their Treme home. Right: Lowry & Amy enjoying some downtime on beautiful Bayou Liberty. 11

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LA Dept of Environmental Quality • Public Hearing

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Storyteller

THE LAST COON HUNT The racoon is a very smart animal. They are fast, sometimes almost vicious if cornered, and appear to have the power to reason. They can learn to unlock latches and other accomplishments and retain this knowledge for up to three years. They can be a nuisance as they can destroy crops and scatter trash. They have been observed with one racoon holding the garbage can open while the other plunders its contents. Catching a racoon, locally called a coon, takes some skill, patience and physical endurance for both the dog used to track them and the dog owner. During the poverty of the Great Depression, coons were hunted for meat. Many families made it through the tough times eating coon and baked sweet potatoes. This was prevalent in rural, more impoverished areas well into the 1950’s. Out of the necessity, to harvest the food source, hunters became adept at training dogs

that could pick up a coon’s scent, trail it and chase it into a tree where it could be captured. By the early 1960’s very few people ate racoon, but a sport had evolved; a sport whose success depended on the skill of the dog, and the skill of its owner. Daryl and Sonny, when they were both seniors in high school, were the best coon hunters for miles around. ********** It is said that, when you look back on your life, you can count your true friends on one hand. Nothing could be truer than the friendship between Daryl Hart and Sonny Smith. It had been thirty years since they had seen each other, but on the weekend of their 50th class reunion, the bond was as if it had never been broken. The friendship could have ended just prior to high school graduation if the facts had been known, but circumstances were

never revealed that would threaten their close relationship. These two friends loved to coon hunt. Even the old timers would tell you, as teenagers, they were the best at the sport. There was not a better dog than Daryl’s black and tan dog named Dan, unless it was Sonny’s blue tick hound named Rowdy. It’s hard to say which was the better dog, or who was the better owner; but no one questioned the fact that one of these two was the best. Coon hunting was usually done on cold winter nights. This was most likely because the coon’s habitat was deep in the swamp that, in warm weather, would be infested with both mosquitoes and snakes. The cold weather also added to the ambiance of the occasion that was just as much a part of the sport as the hunt. Good friends, maybe a half dozen, would gather to tell tall tales of past hunts and listen to the dogs run. Often on a cold night, they would build a fire, adding to the allure of the occasion. They would gather around the fire and wait until the dog or dogs had “struck.” Struck meant picked up a scent. There was no question when this happened, as each dog has a specific bark. The dog’s bark has a certain sound when it strikes, and another when it “trees.” Trees is the term used when the dog has trailed the coon to a specific tree. Each dog has his own unique voice, but some are chippers - they make a sharp sound as they trail the coon - and others are howlers. Dan was a chipper and Rowdy was a howler.

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In utopian thought, this was before young adults experimented with more mind-expanding drugs, and even before the use of any considerable amount of alcohol. It was not, however, unusual to see someone light up a cigar. The favorites were Honey Rum Crooks. They were cheap and you could buy them at Pistol Sasser’s store on the way to the hunt. Bogue Chitto was a small community, a village you might say, and everyone knew each other. Most of the teenagers had been in school together from the first grade. Most attended the First Baptist Church and their dependence on each other had formed a very close-knit circle. Even the adults knew most of the kids in the area.

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Coon hunting was their favorite recreation; that is, other than basketball. If there was not a game on a weekend night, they would be coon hunting. They had done it without parental supervision since they were twelve years old. There were lots of good coon hunters in the area and surrounding counties, but the fame of Daryl, his dog Dan, and Sonny, with his dog Rowdy, had become legendary. It was March, and warm weather would be coming. There was only time for a few more hunts. The community must have known that the era of coon hunting was coming to an end, or that these two boys would be moving on. Not many stayed in the small town after graduation. Before it was too late, everyone wanted to know who had the best dog - Daryl or Sonny.

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Word of the “Great Hunt” to crown the “Bogue Chitto Coon Dog King” had spread throughout the area. Both boys wanted their dog to win and, regardless of friendship, it was heated competition. Wagers were placed at Dude Morgan’s pool hall. Rules were drawn up. The winner was the dog that had the first verifiable “tree.” In other words, the coon had to be seen in the tree the dog had indicated. The dog owner would rule when his dog had treed, and then the hunting party would go to verify. Due to the popularity of the contest, there was concern that there would be a crowd, and this would distract the dogs. It was decided that only four people would accompany each hunter and his dog. Even with these rules, dozens of people, maybe as many as a hundred, wanted to witness the event. They were allowed to come; but they were required to park and stay in Busby’s field, about a quarter of a mile away. Daryl would release his dog by the old sycamore tree at the section marker, and Sonny would release his about two hundred yards away by the squirrel tree, an old hickory that was famous for having eight squirrels shot from it in one day. ********** As they say, a lot of water had run under the bridge in the fifty years since the two old friends had hunted together. Neither lived in Bogue Chitto anymore. Daryl lived in North Carolina and Sonny in Louisiana. They had seen each other once at the funeral of a friend, but that was thirty years ago. Coincidentally, they had both booked rooms in the same hotel in Brookhaven, the nearest town of any size. Once they realized they were in the same hotel, the importance of the class reunion was secondary. They had a lifetime of catching up to do. The reunion festivities lasted until almost midnight Friday night and, when they returned to the hotel, the conversation was brief before retiring. Saturday night, they both decided to skip the reunion and just visit with each other. They talked about winning the state basketball championship their Junior year, still questioning how they won when both had fouled out with eight minutes remaining in the game. They tried to recall the Freshman’s name who came off the bench and scored twelve points in those closing eight minutes. They couldn’t recall. They talked about the class trip that lasted twenty-five days their Junior year; how they rode a school bus and camped all the way to Hoover Dam and back. The trip influenced their lives. If not for the trip, they may have never left Bogue Chitto. Each agreed that not leaving Bogue Chitto may not have been a bad thing. Eventually, they began to reflect on the coon hunts. Neither had coon hunted again since that night. Both tried to explain

why, and both agreed the reasons were numerous: Coon was no longer a part of the Southern diet, the loss of land available for hunting, transition to deer hunting... but, mostly, there was no opportunity for them to do it together. And there would never be two dogs like Dan and Rowdy. They talked about Dan and Rowdy and the contest. Each could sense that the other was holding back on details of the hunt in depth. There was something that neither wanted to tell. After a few awkward pauses in the conversation, Daryl brought the discussion to a point, “I was never happier than when we found Rowdy alive.”

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Sonny responded, “I remember, you crazy fool, you were so excited you jumped in the river and it was thirty degrees. What made you do that?” Daryl didn’t answer. Sonny continued, “Well, I was glad you won. You and Dan deserved it. I guess, after all these years, I can tell you what I tried to do. “You see, I had read they have a coon dog graveyard in Alabama where the best coon dogs in the world are buried. I wanted Rowdy to be in that graveyard someday. I had to win.” Sonny continued, “If you remember, I had a pet coon we kept in a cage. We called him Bandit. About three hours before the hunt, I took Bandit down to where I knew you would release Dan. I walked him about a half mile in the woods and then circled back to where your truck would be parked. I could just imagine how the crowd would be laughing when Dan returned to the release point fifteen minutes later. “It didn’t happen that way, though. Dan was smart. He struck on a fresher scent and went for it.

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“I never told you and, since you won, I guess I should have. But it bothered me all these years that I would do such a thing to my best friend and his dog.” Sonny watched Daryl’s expression. He just smiled and exhaled deeply. “Well, since this is true confession night, I have a story to tell you... “I didn’t know anything about a dog graveyard, but Delos Howard had offered me a two-hundred-dollar stud fee if Dan won. That was a lot of money in those days. I had to win. So I had an idea how to do it. “I put some red cayenne pepper in a paper bag. You know, those bags your mama used to put your sandwiches in to take to school? My intent was to scatter it all around the hickory tree before you got there, so I went about an hour early. I knew that, if Rowdy got a nose full of pepper, he would be useless. When I arrived, there was a crowd already gathering and I didn’t have an opportunity to scatter the pepper. I put

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the bag in my front jeans pocket. “When Dan struck, I could hear Rowdy already on a fast trail going toward the railroad. I knew you heard it, too. You remember, we always tried to keep the dogs away from the railroad. I knew and you knew it was about time for the Number 3 freight train to come through. Then I heard the train coming. “When the train passed, I did not hear Rowdy again. I remembered, just the year before, Clem Britt’s dog was killed running under a train trailing a coon. I also knew Rowdy wouldn’t pull off the trail either. “Dan was still trailing, but I pulled off the chase to go look for Rowdy. I beat you to the track as I hoped I would. I knew how you loved that dog. I walked up and down the track. If he had been killed, I didn’t want you to find him. I saw no blood, but I did not see Rowdy either. That’s when you got there and that’s when it happened.” “What happened, Daryl?” Sonny questioned. “Just as I told you, I saw no blood. I realized the bag in my blue jean pocket with the pepper had broken. I had a hole in my jean pocket and, let me tell you, that pepper has no respect for tender parts. “As you recall, we looked for Rowdy about thirty minutes; then we heard him. He struck. You called him off because Dan had treed and we both knew my dog’s voice and he was not lying to us. There was a coon in the tree. I was burning so bad I couldn’t think straight. “Finally, just by the river, Rowdy comes up unharmed. I didn’t jump in the river to celebrate, I did it for relief! Never had pain like that, not even when I had kidney stones. “You conceded that I was the winner, and I took the two hundred dollars and went to Junior College. Dan died while I was gone, but I came home and buried him. To tell you the truth, I buried him in the family cemetery. I didn’t tell any of the relatives. They wouldn’t have approved.” Sonny smiled, “You SOB, you were as devious as I was! But I have a follow up to the story. Delos Howard told me 18

he had some puppies by Dan. I bought one of the puppies and later bred her to Rowdy. Some folks didn’t like the fact that I mixed a blue tick with a black and tan, and I guess they were right. Maybe coon hunting is just in the blood. I didn’t coon hunt anymore, but I wanted to train that dog to deer hunt. Never could break it from chasing coons. It could be on the trail of the biggest buck in the woods, but if it crossed a coon trail, off it went.” ********** After both had revealed their transgressions, they reflected on other hunts. One they remembered was the night they got lost. It was a Sunday night and they missed school the next day. Because they missed school, Coach Calhoun suspended them from the Wednesday night basketball game. They lost. They also talked about the guys who hunted with them. Some were deceased but some very much alive. They talked about Tommy. He was the designated tree climber. They tried to guess how many coons he shook out that had been treed by Dan and Rowdy. They agreed to meet soon and deer hunt. They did. Somehow, without Dan and Rowdy, the hunt was disappointing.

John S. Case June 2021

It’s time to Celebraate Slidell! The City of Slidell’s cultural events are returning this summer!

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National Camera Day nvironmental Science Reporting" E " ns a e rl O w e N Donna Bush, Winner of 2020 Press Club of

Story and Photos by Donna Bush

a photographer, I relish June 29, National Camera Day. Let me share with you a little of the history of cameras, film and digital, along with some of my favorite photographs.

“You take the photograph; we do the rest.” - George Eastman

The first “cameras” were not what we think of as a camera today. They didn’t produce an image. Instead, they were used to study optics. Many people credit George Eastman with the invention of photography. While he is often called the “Father of Photography,” he did not invent the art. Even though he left school at age 14 to support his mother after his father’s death, he became quite the inventor and entrepreneur. At age 23, anticipating a family vacation, he purchased a camera and became fully engrossed with photography. He found his purchase to be awkward, heavy and costly. He set about developing something more affordable and easier to use. He founded the Eastman Kodak Company in 1892 and soon crafted easy-to-use cameras, making photography accessible to most everyone. His invention of a flexible film was critical to the launch of the movie industry. In 1935, Kodak Research Laboratories moved the world to the modern era of color photography with their invention of Kodachrome 35mm slide film, which provided rich, warm tones and sharpness. Think Paul Simon’s song Kodachrome – “Kodachrome They give us those nice bright colors Give us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, oh yeah I got a Nikon camera I love to take a photograph So mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away” Kodachrome was the preferred film for 70 years, despite the more complicated processing required. Kodacolor 35mm negative film was released in 1972 and soon became the favorite among amateur photographers.

Introduction of 35 mm Film The 35 mm film most people know today was invented by Kodak in 1913 for the early motion picture industry. In the mid-1920s, the German camera maker Leica used this technology to create the first still camera that used the 35 mm format. The drawback to nitrate-based film was that it was flammable and tended to decay over time. Kodak and other manufacturers began switching to a celluloid base, which was fireproof and more durable, in the 1920s. Triacetate film came later and was more stable and flexible, as well as fireproof. Most films produced up to the 1970s were based on this technology. Since the 1960s, polyester polymers have been used for gelatin-based films. The plastic film base is far more stable than cellulose and is not a fire hazard.

If I remember correctly, my first camera was a Kodak 110, considered a Pocket Instamatic Camera using the 110-film cartridge. It really didn’t matter at that time what kind of camera I used; I was really bad at taking photos. I was the photographer who cut off people’s heads and took photos facing into the sun. From there, I moved to a Kodak Disc 4000, quite futuristic looking with film on a disc rather than a cartridge. The Disc cameras only lasted a few years. But, before we move on, I must tell you about the Minolta Disc-7 that included the first “selfie stick!” Although it was called a stem, it was definitely the precursor to today’s selfie stick. I’m sure I had other unremarkable cameras over the years. After moving to Louisiana, I purchased a Pentax IQZoom-90 35mm film camera. I asked for photography tips from a coworker who had been a professional photographer in the past. Those tips really resonated with me and I dove into composing the perfect shot. Don’t get me wrong, I still had lots to learn about photography! After all, this was still just a point-n-shoot. However, I still have several framed photographs taken with this camera and have even sold a few!

How many of you had or used a Polaroid camera? Land’s Polaroid Corporation refined black-and-white film and instant cameras with their fast, cheap and sophisticated invention in 1948. Their invention of color film in 1968 and their folding camera in 1972 allowed users to instantly hold a photograph of whatever they shot. What about a disposable camera? I used my share of those over my teenage years. Both disposable and reusable cameras were a mainstay of the 70’s.

A 1970’s magazine ad shows the cutting edge camera technology of that time 23

Point and Shoot Cameras (P&S) These cameras don’t allow the photographer a lot of control over their image. Most are used in “auto” mode where the camera chooses aperture and shutter speed. Most give the photographer a choice of focal distance with a zoom lens, but no option of interchangeable lenses. From there, I bought my first totally manual 35mm SLR (single lens reflex) camera – a Nikon FM-2, which I still have today. It allowed me to learn the finer skills of manual photography – manual exposure, manual focus and manual film speed. I had my camera, one lens, a few filters and lots of film. It was perfect for hiking and landscape photography. But, without a telephoto lens, I would have to be really, really close to wildlife to get a good photo.

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I advanced to more sophisticated film cameras with autofocus and better sensors when I purchased a Nikon F100. I expanded past my one lens, adding more to my collection, enabling me to get close-up shots of wildlife. Of course, I wasn’t as mobile as I was when I only had one camera and one lens. I added a tripod for longer lenses and delved even deeper into my love of photography, nature and wildlife. I moved from negative film to slide film. Photography trips involved carefully packing camera gear and tons of slide film, nicely asking airport security to hand-check rather than x-ray the film. Sometimes they would and sometimes they wouldn’t. Negative Film vs Slide Film

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• Negative film is more likely to degrade over time than slide film. • Slide film is higher resolution, finer grained and sharper. • Slide film, when metered correctly, will produce true colors of the scene; while negative film is a victim of the development process I would guess that most photographers either had or wanted their own darkroom. I did! As the name suggests, a darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark, to allow processing of light-sensitive photographic

materials, such as film and photographic paper. In the mid-1990’s, I purchased some used darkroom equipment – an enlarger with two lenses, a safelight, timer, a lighttight box for storing paper, various trays, tongs, etc. I ordered the necessary chemicals and paper, and turned an extra bedroom into my very own darkroom. I convinced a fellow photographer to let me observe his work in his darkroom to learn the proper steps. It was so incredibly cool to watch an image taken by me revealed on the paper!

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SLR vs DSLR An SLR is a single-lens reflex camera and a DSLR is a digital single-lens reflex camera. Both of these use an internal reflex mirror that allows the user to see what the lens sees and will capture using an optical viewfinder. Some DSLRs also offer an LCD screen where the image can be viewed. The most significant difference between the two is the sensor. An SLR is strictly a film camera for capturing still images. The DSLR has an added digital sensor which also adds video capability. While the SLR uses film as the medium for image capture, limiting the number of images captured per roll of film, the DSLR uses memory cards and is only limited by the size of the card. Ability to alter film speed is another advantage of a DSLR over and SLR. In the film days, if I wanted to alter the set film speed, I could by pushing (increasing the speed) or pulling (decreasing the speed). I would just note this when I had it processed by the lab. However, this meant that this entire roll of film would have to be shot at that speed. With digital, I can change film speed as often as I like “in camera.” Eventually, I made the move to a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, but not immediately. By this time, I was super comfortable shooting slide film and felt I had mastered the exposure almost perfectly. I had a few different digital cameras over the years as they were improved and perfected. My favorite, by far, is the Nikon D500. A crop-sensor camera, it has two card slots – one holding an SD card and the other an XQD card. Both are incredibly fast. Crop vs Full-frame sensor

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Full frame cameras have a sensor the same size as 35 mm film cameras – 24mm by 36mm. Crop sensors are smaller than the standard 35mm, thereby cropping the edges of the image for a tighter field of view. While initially this might not sound good, it actually multiplies the focal length of the lens by the crop factor. Most camera manufacturers have a 25

1.5 mm crop factor, meaning that if you are shooting with a 50 mm lens, your results will be as if you are using a 75 mm lens. This is very helpful when shooting wildlife. Did you know the first ever digital camera was created in 1975 by a Kodak engineer? Built out of leftover parts found in the Kodak factory, it was about the size and weight of a toaster and took 23 seconds to capture a single 0.01-megapixel black-and-white image. The first digital camera for consumer purchase was also made by Kodak in 1991 by modifying a Nikon F3 film chamber and winder to make room for the digital sensors. An external storage unit attached by cable to the camera was required to hold the 1.3-mexapixel images. Photojournalists were the targeted purchasers. Oh! And the camera cost $20,000. Digital photography has come a long way from that first 0.01-megapixel Kodak camera up to the 100 megapixels offered in the Hasselblad H6D-100C. Digital cameras are a lot like computers. The technology is advancing and everchanging. My first digital camera was a whopping 6 megapixels. My current is 20.9. Even my iPhone has a 12-megapixel camera!

in May 1999 in Japan and sold for approximately $325. The first U.S. camera phone launched in November 2002, sold by Sprint for around $400. The New York Times reported sales of camera phones were higher than stand-alone digital cameras in 2003. Supposedly in 2006, camera phones exceeded sales of both digital and film cameras. Our smartphones of today are offering two and three rear facing cameras with a wealth of software for editing still shots and video.

Speaking of phones, almost all of us walk around with a camera each and every day, whether in a purse or attached to our hip. The first commercially available cell phone with a camera was produced

The newest addition to the world of photography is mirrorless camera systems. It works without a reflex mirror. Light passes through the lens directly to the digital sensor, which

Digital 26

Slide

then displays your image on the camera’s LCD screen, allowing you to adjust settings and preview your image before its shot. Mirrorless vs Digital (DSLR) Mirrorless cameras: • Are lighter weight. • Offer real-time viewing of exposure and contrast, allowing you to tweak it before actually taking the image. • Have a shorter battery life due to the electronic viewfinder requiring battery power. • Have greater image stabilization, due to a lack of a mirror and fewer internal moving parts.

iPhone

• Due to the newness of mirrorless systems, they offer fewer accessories, such as interchangeable lenses. • Even though DSLRs are capable of really fast shutter speeds, most mirrorless cameras can shoot faster due to their simpler internal mechanism. • However, with smaller sensors than DSLRs, they are less ideal for low-light conditions. • Mirrorless cameras have less accurate autofocus systems than DSLRs.

Most have heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is the theory behind photojournalism, the process of telling a story using photography as the main medium. If you are as old as me, you must remember Life Magazine, which was the icon of photojournalism.

Whether you are a photojournalist; taking pictures of your grandkids or favorite pet; or photographing a special trip; with whatever type of camera you have, go out and capture those special moments and have memories to last a lifetime!

Photography has come a long way over the past 130 years. It is our window into the world around us, educating us and connecting us to nature, countries and cultures that we may never have the opportunity to explore in person.

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Why is the lake named “Pontchartrain”?

Slidell: Our History Story by Chuck Neuman

Most Slidell residents have spent a good part of their lives looking at the waters of Lake Pontchartrain without wondering how it got its name. This is a recitation of some information available in books and on the internet that may excite a bit of curiosity or, more likely, partially relieve the boredom of spending a long time looking at the lake. First, Pontchartrain didn’t discover, map, explore, or ever see the lake named after him. Furthermore, Pontchartrain was not the name of the person who talked King Louis IV into funding Iberville’s

expedition which discovered the lake. Pontchartrain was a title, Comte (Count) de Pontchartrain, which went to a senior member of the family. It is not explained in any of the history books available, but the young upcomers in the Phélypeaux family got the title Comte de Maurepas (which explains the name of the smaller lake) and then assumed the title Pontchartrain when a father died, retired, or got promoted. Pontchartrain is the name of the family estate owned by the Phélypeaux’s. The estate is still maintained in France as a

Château de Pontchartrain family estate in France

tourist attraction, and it looks impressive. It is owned by somebody else now because the last Phélypeaux owner lost his head in the French Revolution about 100 years after the events discussed here. Maurepas is the name of a village near the estate which had a population of 247 in the earliest data available (1793) and has almost 20,000 now. The hero of the story is (with editing) Jérôme Phélypeaux (1674-1747). He started life as the second son of Louis Phélypeaux a man who worked all his life to reestablish the Pontchartrain branch of the Phélypeaux family into the good graces of King Louis XIV (the Louis who Louisiana is named for). The family started with a bad reputation in the 1660’s because the senior member defied the king’s preferences and voted to sentence a disgraced treasurer to prison instead of death. It took decades of loyal service to erase that scar. Jérôme started life destined for the priesthood, the usual career for second sons whose brothers inherited the father’s titles. Then his older brother died, and he was expected to assume the role of respectability. However, he had problems. His face was scarred from

a childhood disease, he was missing an eye, and he was fond of telling stories not appropriate for ladies of the royalty. The painting to the right shows none of his shortcomings. He learned the duties of a secretary of the Navy that he inherited from his father, and he did something far more important – he married well. In those days, France was governed by two types of people, and they didn’t mix. Jérôme Phélypeaux come from the type that were loyal servants of the king, but not personal friends. The other type was a group of people who lived in the castle with and socialized with the king. The opportunity came when Louis XIV decreed that anyone who wasn’t Catholic was no longer welcome in the Royal Court. The parents of Eleonore Cristine de la Rochefoucauld de Roye (Mademoiselle de Chefboutonne) left her in France when, because they were Protestant, they decided that it was a good idea to spend the rest of their lives in England. History documents don’t tell us why she was attracted to Jérôme, but her circumstances give us a clue. The big lake is named Pontchartrain because daddy had the ear of the king when he decided to fund Iberville’s exploration. It was Jérôme, Comte de Maurepas, who had the wisdom to believe that this worthless land might be useful someday. The big lake is named for the father because the son didn’t have the pull to make anything happen. Detroit has a similar history. The fort that was built by Cadillac a few years later was named Pontchartrain. Iberville did name the fort first built after discovery Maurepas in honor of Jérôme. No trace of the original fort survives.

Oil Painting of Jérôme Phélypeaux, the Count de Pontchartrain by Robert Tournières

About the time Iberville and Bienville were naming things, Louis XIV complicated matters by naming the senior Phélypeaux to be head of the French judicial system, a job so elevated that he didn’t need the title Comte de Pontchartrain, and Jérôme was given the title. Jérôme’s son was Comte de Maurepas for a couple decades and then became Comte de Pontchartrain too.

Purple Hearts

by Scarlett Maness

Scarlett

Kelly

Nothing got past the ladies in black.

Catholic school nuns were sleuths. Long before crimes were solved with forensics, observation skills alone were the key to any investigation. I’m convinced that they had super-sonic hearing devices under that elaborate headdress. Law and order were upheld with the Board of Education- a foot long paddle that was painted and stenciled and hung by a leather strap in the front of Sister Raymond’s class. The school had to have both of your parent’s written blessings for you to meet the ‘Board of Education’. There were probably skid marks behind my parent’s signatures! As a school law offender, I was also subjected to the ‘nose in the circle’ punishment. A circle was drawn on the blackboard about 4 inches higher than my actual nose. I had to stand on tiptoe to put my nose in the circle. I think I snorted the equivalent of a box of chalk before the 8th grade. School nuns had their own ideas of what was offensive. But capital punishment seemed to be the penance for even the most minor infraction. If you were a Boy Scout or a Brownie and you were out of uniform -punishment. If your saddle oxfords were scuffed, if your skirt was too short, if you forgot your lunch money – you get the idea. Looking back, it seems like most of the infractions were on the part of my parents. I’d love to have seen Mom and Dad with their nose in the circle! My parents took a great deal of pride in the way they sent me to school. My white blouse and pleated, navy blue skirt were starched and ironed. My hair was extra neat in braids or a ponytail that was so tight I couldn’t blink until after lunch. My dad cleaned and polished my saddle oxfords every weekend. Sometimes my actions belied my angelic appearance, but my parents tried! At Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School, there was a large field where the church now stands. The field was divided by a long, wide ditch. The first half was called the “little field” and K-4th grade students used this field. The far side of the ditch was called the “big field” and was for students 5th-8th grade. This was probably because little kid’s legs were too short to jump the ditch. The big field was bordered by thick brush and students were strictly forbidden to go past the cut grass. But, just at the edge of the grass, temptation called out like sirens to a sailor. Blackberries. Huge, plump ones that clustered on the stickered bushes, tempting children. My best friend, Kelly, and I were in the 4th grade and our recess was restricted to the little field. Kelly was always a rebel. She was always getting the nuns’ attention, but never in a good way. She was often right beside me with her nose in the circle. And she would give me the

giggles, which always extended our circle time. In the heat of a Louisiana summer, the blackberries edging the big field were especially desirable. Kelly suggested that we jump the ditch and pick some at recess. She was sure that we could sneak back to the little field without the nuns noticing. We crept, stealthily, to the edge of the field where the ditch was narrow and we were less likely to be caught. We ran, took a huge leap and landed on our knees in the forbidden field, our field of dreams. We already felt older and more important. We kept to the edge of the thicket, seeking out the deep purple orbs that we were craving. And then we saw them! (Imagine heavenly music and ethereal light). Our mouths were watering. We began picking the ripe fruit and stuffing our cheeks. Oh, the satisfaction! The berries were everything we imagined! We were greedy. We picked all the berries we could reach. We made bowls of our school skirts by tying knots in the hem. We were eating and picking and laughing. We had foiled the sleuths! And then… the bell rang. Uh oh! What were we going to do with all the berries? Sister Raymond couldn’t know we had been on the big field. And we couldn’t jump the ditch and hold our skirts and protect the berries. Kelly suggested that we fill our starched, white shirt pockets with the best berries. We quickly selected enough to fill the pocket on each of our shirts. We ran, jumped the ditch, arriving in class seconds before the late bell sounded. Our knees were muddy. We were sweaty. I was nauseous from gluttony. But we were sure Sister Raymond didn’t know what devils we were at recess. And we had the juicy berries to enjoy later. I started to work on my spelling words. I could feel Sister Raymond’s eyes on me. I tried to concentrate on my lesson. Sister Raymond called my name in her Irish brogue, “Scarlett, stand up!” Then, “Kelly, stand up!” We did as she commanded. I sat 3 seats

in front of Kelly so she couldn’t see my face and I couldn’t see hers, but I knew both of us were beet red. “Have you two been on the big field?” Sister Raymond demanded. “Noooo, Sister!” Kelly and I replied in unison. We were doing our level best to avoid Sister Raymond’s eyes. “Look at me!” she ordered. Kelly and I looked at Sister Raymond sheepishly. She was not making eye contact, but looking directly at my chest. In fact, the entire class was looking at my chest. Now, there was nothing compelling about my chest in 4th grade, but Sister Raymond had laser focus. I followed the direction of her eyes. I looked down and gasped. My left chest looked like a purple heart was trying to escape the confines of my body. The berries in my pocket were smashed and the purple ooze had bled to beneath the waistband of my school skirt. For a brief moment, I wished my actual heart was bleeding. If I died shortly, I wouldn’t have to face Sister Raymond - or my mother. I was sure, and I know Kelly was, too, that we would meet the Board of Education that day. But, instead, Sister Raymond sent us to the principal’s office for Sister Lucy to decide our fate. Sister Lucy had the same laser focus that Sister Raymond had. When she finally looked away, she pulled our files and started dialing our mothers. Real panic set in when I thought about how my mother would react to my, surely permanently, stained blouse. Fifteen anxious minutes later, my mother arrived in the office. If looks could kill, I’d have died in the principal’s office. Again, the laser focus! I was hopeful that my mother had brought me a fresh blouse and that I could return to Sister Raymond. I was nearly certain that nuns couldn’t kill children, but I was iffy about my mom. But, no. My mother told me to get in the car. Kelly and I looked at each other like it was the last time we would see one another on earth. When I got home, my mother made it clear that getting the stain out of my

blouse was my number one priority. Meanwhile, she would decide the rest of my punishment. Well, no amount of bleach, scrubbing, and old fashioned elbow grease would get the stain out of my blouse. My mother held my measly allowance for a month for a replacement blouse. I had a one year-old baby sister that was still in diapers. Cloth diapers. Mom decided that a month of diaper duty would teach me the importance of taking care of my clothes. Every day after school, that smelly diaper pail would be waiting for me. Dirty diapers are labor intensive - soaking first, then rinsing, then washing in Ivory Snow, then hanging them on the line I could barely reach, then folding and putting them away. EVERY DAY for a month. It was a long, smelly month! Kelly’s mom inflicted a similar punishment, but Kelly didn’t have a baby at her house, so she just did regular laundry. Lucky break! On the last day of school every year, students would get their school shirts signed by their classmates and teachers as a keepsake. Wouldn’t you know it… Kelly and I showed up to school in matching shirts, our purple hearts there for all to see. And, my shirt was starched and ironed as if my mother wanted everyone to know that the disaster was not of her doing. Sister Raymond signed all of the 4th grader’s shirts except Kelly’s and mine. Sister Lucy took a pass on signing our shirts, also. I guess they didn’t want to revisit the scene of the crime. And, speaking of the scene of the crime, the next year we were 5th graders and able to go on the big field. I guess we had matured some by then, because we only picked as many berries as we could eat during recess. But, on the weekends, we would ride our bikes to the school and fill our empty K&B gallon ice cream buckets to overflowing. To this day, I enjoy fresh blackberries which is sort of strange because I still associate fresh berries with ladies in black, purple hearts, and dirty diapers!

by: Mike Rich, CFP® | Pontchartrain Investment Management

We Did It! And You Can Too. Here is a picture of my grandson, Hudson, and me. Hudson made three years old in April and, a few days before this picture was taken, he slept in his “big boy bed” for the first time. My son told me that, when Hudson woke up in the morning after sleeping through the night in his new bed, he proudly exclaimed, “I did it!” Good for you, Hudson. You’ve notched another rite of passage onto your belt. I thought about Hudson’s remark when I was working with a client couple recently. We’ve been together since 2012, working on their plan to retire at age 65. Well, the years went by and guess what happened? WE DID IT! They are both about ready to finish up at work and will cut the employment string in July. I can’t make any promises to them, of course, but

we’ve done everything possible to anticipate their retirement needs. I am excited about what the future might hold for them. We did it, indeed! My clients told me many times during our meetings over the years that they would not have been able to retire comfortably without my help. For sure, they did the hard part, saving and investing for a l-o-n-g time in anticipation of their retirement needs. But, they said that my help “made the difference.” What about you? Could I make a difference in your life, as well? To be honest, if your financial circumstances are simple, you probably don’t need me. However, having been in this business now for 13 years, I haven’t seen too many people who have accumulated a nice retirement nest egg whose financial lives are so simple

2065 1st Street, Slidell, LA mypontchartrain.com | 985-605-5066 Securities & advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC.

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that they don’t need help. My guess is that you or someone you care about might be in the same boat. So, here are two reasons why you need me as your financial advisor: 1) I will help you organize your financial life. One of the biggest hurdles people have to success with money is financial disorganization. Just about everyone has four or five or six different parts to his or her financial life. For example, you might have homeowner’s insurance, a checking account, a mortgage, a 401(k) at work, a cash value life insurance policy, and maybe a lot more. Here’s the issue: are all of those parts of your money life working together to optimize your financial well-being? For example, is your car insurance agent aware that you have enough money in your savings account to handle a bigger deductible, which will lower your premium, thus freeing up cash for investing? Does the HR person at work know that ALL of your retirement money is tied up in your 401(k) and that you will have to pay taxes on every penny of it when you retire, and maybe it would be a good idea to have some tax-free money to spend when you’re old? If you don’t have a financial advisor, how would you know this and other important things about your money? Is someone on the Internet going to tell you? 2) I will work hard to keep you from making “The Big Boo-Boo.” Without a doubt, this is one of the most important things I do for my clients. What’s The Big Boo-Boo? The

gory details are different for everyone, but it boils down to making a huge mistake with your money at the worst possible time. Like, selling your 401(k) to cash when the pandemic market melt-down hit in 2020. Like, using CD ladders because you don’t trust the stock market. Like, claiming your Social Security benefit too early because “I want my money.” That kind of stuff. It can really mess up things financially, and my job is to keep it from happening. I might be wrong, but my guess is that more people than not would like someone to guide them financially. They just don’t know where to turn. Who can I trust? How much will it cost? How long will it take? What value will I get? These are legitimate questions. Hudson doesn’t have to worry, because I’m already working on a plan for him. But, what about you? Call me, make an appointment to come in, and let’s talk. Mike Rich, CFP® Pontchartrain Investment Management 985-605-5064 Securities and Advisory Services are offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA, SIPC. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

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SHAPE THE FUTURE OF SLIDELL! The City of Slidell is excited to announce a new planning effort called the Slidell 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The plan is a framework for public and private decisions about future growth, preservation, and change that is broad in scope, covering a range of issues, with a long horizon for implementation. It is crucial that the community provide input, share thoughts, and engage in the development of the plan. We need you, your friends, and your neighbors to tell us what you love, what’s working, and what could be better in Slidell!

Take the survey, sign up for the newsletter, and keep in touch with us at www.slidell2040.com!

“Your Estate Matters” By Ronda M. Gabb, NP, JD, RFC

Legal-ease

louisiana

LAW-niappe Sometimes there just isn’t enough on one topic to fill an entire column so every now and then I will throw in some Louisiana LAW-niappe: SENIOR FREEZE – You may be surprised that you can qualify this year! While the age requirement is still age 65 or older (by December 31st of the first year of the freeze application), Louisiana voters passed a big increase in the amount of income one can have and still qualify for this “Age Freeze” (and the other Special Assessment Levels too). If your Adjusted Gross Income on your 2020 tax return is $100,000 or less (married or single, so there is a definite “marriage penalty” the way the law was written), you can qualify to have the assessed value of your property permanently frozen, assuming you do not make improvements to the property that would increase the value by 25% or more. Many of my clients will qualify for the Senior Freeze in 2021 because RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions) from IRAs were NOT required to be taken in 2020 (it was waived due to COVID-19), so their AGI may have temporarily fallen below $100k in 2020. Take advantage of this temporary dip in income and apply for the Senior Freeze, which is permanent! The $100k AGI will stay

in place through 12/31/2025, and in 2026 will go up annually according to the Consumer Price Index. Call or visit your local tax assessor’s office ASAP and ask what they require (usually proof of age and a copy of your tax return). SECURE ACT Speaking of IRAs and RMDs, according to the SECURE Act, you are not required to begin taking RMDs until you reach age 72 (if you were born on July 1, 1949, or after), it used to be age 70½. The SECURE Act also removed any age restrictions for continuing to contribute to your IRA. As long as you (or your spouse) have the earned income to offset the contribution, you can add to your IRA, even if you’re 95! IRA contributions can further reduce your AGI, perhaps making it fall below the $100k to allow you to qualify for the Senior Freeze. 100% FOOD AND BEVERAGE DEDUCTION (my favorite topic!) The IRS published Notice 2021-25 to temporarily (01/01/2021-12/31/2022) allow one-hundred (100%) percent expense deduction for food and beverages. (It’s usually only 50%.) The reasoning behind this deduction was to help restaurants whose businesses have suffered because of COVID-19. It

certainly applies to “dine-in” restaurants but also to “take-out” as long as the food/beverage order was meant for “immediate consumption”. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to grocery stores, pre-packaged foods, liquor stores, etc. Just make sure the beverages are on the same bill as the food; it is not lavish or extravagant (and that’s a very broad definition); and the taxpayer (or their employee) is present--you know I would never miss a good meal and a bottle of wine! HURRICANE SEASON IS HERE Have a plan. Make sure you have videoed and/or cataloged your furnishings and collections and take that with you if you evacuate (or store a copy in the Cloud). Same goes for your important original documents (like Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney). If your originals are in a safe or safe deposit box, you may want to put them in a Ziploc bag. Check coverages on your Homeowners and Flood insurance policies. Do you have ample contents coverage on both of these policies? If you have made any additions/renovations, did you increase your coverage accordingly? As always, please visit my website at www.RondaMGabb.com and my Facebook page for other articles and videos of interest.

See other articles and issues of interest! Ronda M. Gabb is a Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. She is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Governor’s Elder Law Task Force. Ronda grew up in New Orleans East and first moved to Slidell in 1988, and now resides in Clipper Estates.

40 Louis Prima Drive (off Hwy 190, behind Copeland’s) • Covington, Louisiana • (985) 892-0942 • RondaMGabb.com

New Healthcare Choices Now Available on the Northshore Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group has grown, expanded and refreshed patient care services in Slidell. In early January, the Our Lady of the Lake Physician Goup opened new offices inside the Fremaux Medical Office Building at 1810 Lindberg Drive, Suite 1100, conveniently located near the Fremaux Town Center and I-10. Primary care and specialist providers offer a wide array of healthcare services, including rapid COVID-19 testing, same-day access to care, and on-site lab and x-ray services. Other services include preventive medicine, acute illness care, major injury treatment, wellness visits, physical exams, school and sports physicals and chronic disease management. The primary care clinic is located on the first floor of the building with 10,000 square feet of space and 21 exam rooms.

president. “We’re committed to making it easier and more convenient for Northshore residents to access the care they need when and where they need it.” On the Northshore, Our Lady of the Lake offers 20 primary care providers, nearly two dozen specialists and two pediatricians and support staff who perform more than 70,000 clinic visits each year. Additionally, Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa employs more than 500 team members and is the center of a rural family medicine residency program that provides training for 18 LSU medical school resident physicians. All this means YOU have more healthcare choices than ever before.

The new facility has 60,000 square feet of space on three floors and was designed to accommodate future population growth as well. What’s more, next door to the new medical office building is the new Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital, which provides outpatient surgical care, connecting you to seamless service. “We are providing comprehensive health and medical services to the Slidell community,” said Rene Ragas, Northshore region 38

OLOLPhysicianGroup.com/northshore

For more info, call 985.781.3650 or go to harborcenter.org

EVENTS!

DANCE RECITALS IN JUNE

JUNE 5th

THE LOBBY LOUNGE PRESENTS

Studio of Classique Vibe

DANIKA & THE JEB JUNE 30

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

JUNE 7-8

PUBLIC HEARING

JUNE 22

The Dance Project

JUNE 9-12

Just Dance Academy

JUNE 26th

JUNE 14-20

JOB FAIR JUNE 24th

Elite Dance Revue

Our steps to keep you well when you return:

• Providing hand sanitizer stations

• We recommend guests maintain social distance

• In accordance with state & parish mandate, masks are mandatory at all times while inside

• New floorplans that provide social distancing

• Sanitizing frequent touch points hourly during events

• Conducting wellness checks of staff

• Sanitizing the facility & equipment after each event 39

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