Slidell Magazine - 100th Edition by Slidell Magazine

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Editor’s Letter

Kendra Maness

Editor/Publisher Slidell Magazine

Cover Artist PO Box 4147 • Slidell, LA 70459

devin reeson

www.slidellmag.com 985-789-0687

Welcome to the Centennial Edition of Slidell Magazine! We have so many surprises waiting for you in this 100th Edition. We’ve changed things up a bit for this special collector’s issue! This edition represents lots of hard work by the staff of Slidell Magazine, in addition to many new contributors. I wanted to give our readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the writers and artists who work every month to bring you this publication. Who are the real people behind all of these wonderful stories that keep us entertained month after month? Where do they draw their inspiration? What compells them? What influences the tales they tell? Months ago, I challenged all of my writers to choose an author for their own personal story. These guest writers would tell the tales of our staff members, following the great biographical examples Charlotte Collins gives us each month with her Extraordinary Fascinating Ordinary People (EFOP) stories. We all agreed that it would be fun to introduce new writers into our format. Their different styles and approaches to each story would be Fresh and Positive, keeping with our motto.

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Kendra Maness, Editor/Publisher Editor@slidellmag.com Devin Reeson, Graphic Designer Graphics@slidellmag.com CONTIBUTING WRITERS EFOP, Charlotte Lowry Collins The Storyteller, John Case Pet Points, Jeff Perret, DVM This Month in History, Dawn Rivera Whatever the heck she wants to do, Donna Bush Crimmi-Mommly Insane, Leslie Gates Legal-Ease, Ronda M. Gabb Making Cents of Your Money, Mike Rich Go Beyond, Rose Marie Sand

CENTENNIAL EDITION GUEST WRITERS Carol Wolfram Brenda Case Cheryl Backes Brian Gates Kim Bergeron Distribution: Julie & Paul Wood

But I wasn’t done with my writers quite yet. I wanted to hear how Slidell Magazine has impacted their lives. What were their favorite stories? Experiences? I wanted them to tell me about the journey through their work with Slidell Magazine and the Slidell community.

Cover: Centennial Edition by Devin Reeson

The results are in the pages you are about to read - beautifully penned biography spotlights on each of the members of our Slidell Magazine staff from some of their fellow writers (and greatest admirers) and heart-felt prose about the family that we’ve created through our work together.

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Devin Reeson was born in New Orleans and raised in Chalmette, LA and Slidell, LA. After graduating from Southeastern LA University in 2012 with a BA in graphic design, he has hit the ground running in the field. Devin has been a graphic designer for just over 6 years and works for multiple companies - Slidell Magazine, PinPoint Mailing and ExpoSigns. “I love doing what I do every single day. Each day brings a new challenge and an interesting project that’s completely different than the one before it. It never gets boring.” This is Devin’s first cover for Slidell Magazine, although you enjoy his artwork throughout the magazine advertisements and stories each month. “One of the main things that I thought of when asked to do the cover was how many people have worked on this magazine, now and before me, and how I wanted them to be a part of the 100th edition’s cover.” The idea came to him to have each writer design their own “100” in any way they wished. Look back at the cover and you’ll see the collaborative effort from all the staff of Slidell Magazine that have been a part of this incredible journey. “My personal ‘100’ on the cover is made up of the birdhouse and two planters. My parents always had birdhouses across the entire yard as well as tons of plants. Almost every day we would sit on the back patio and watch all of the birds and listen to their beautiful songs.”

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Centennial Edition STORY BY SLIDELL MAGAZINE EDITOR & PUBLISHER, KENDRA MANESS

What do the Saints, stray dogs, and cancer have in common? They were the building blocks of Slidell Magazine. THE BEGINNING I was born and raised in Slidell, growing up along the railroad tracks off Pontchartrain Blvd. during the NASA-inspired expansion of our town. I remember riding my bike to Val’s Meat Market to buy candy, one nickel at a time, from the coin operated machines in the front; jumping from the second bridge in Eden Isles before any of the houses were built; and swimming in Bayou Liberty until dusk when my mom would yell, “Time to get out, the alligators are coming!” Even as a child, I knew our community was a special and wonderful place. When I became an adult, I made my life here, buying my family home and opening my first Slidell business - a pet boarding and grooming facility named Animal House. My love for animals eventually became a career in pet care, as I added a kennel in Mandeville, a grooming center in Abita Springs, and a non-profit adoption program for homeless pets. Seven years into what I hoped would be a long and successful career, I was diagnosed with cancer. Facing years of chemotherapy and over a dozen surgeries, I sold all of my businesses and became an unwilling, but determined, cancer patient. After completing a frenzied 3-year medical journey from breast cancer, I was whipped. I needed out. I wanted

to enjoy this new gift of life I had been granted, but I needed to find out who I was in this new normal. I needed what I call a “chi change.” I use the term “chi” to describe my attitude, my energy. It is defined as, “That which gives life.” And I needed to find out exactly what THAT was. SERENITY & SERENDIPITY

A few days later, I met with Jody at a local park. We sat on the children’s swing set and discussed the potential of making the magazine a reality. We were both crazy about animals, but we guessed that a magazine devoted solely to that subject, in rural Arkansas, would never make it. (Our town’s population was 977, the entire county’s population was only 17,000. That’s a pretty tough audience for a niche publication.) We decided to partner together to develop a community magazine.

I moved to Arkansas and bought a tiny trailer home in the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains. I fell in love with the beauty of the area, taking my dogs Jody knew the area and the stories to (23 of them at that time) for long hikes be told. He was a talented photographer through the trails and following the and graphic artist. I had years of sales dozens of bubbling streams to their cold experience and a penchant for writing. spring origins. I meditated and read and We would make a great magazine team. relaxed. And I was BORED TO DEATH. In addition, we both shared a passion Within a few months, the “search” for for positivity. We came up with our motto myself was over. What I really needed before we even named the publication: to find was some company, so I began “Keep It Fresh, Keep It Positive.” The to volunteer for the local animal shelter. magazine was eventually named the At one of their fundraising events (“Santa Spring River Survival Guide. Jody would be Paws” - your pet’s picture with Santa), I struck up a conversation with the energetic young photographer who was volunteering to take the pics. I remember sitting with Santa and the three of us discussing how we could do more to help the adoptions at the shelter. The photographer, Jody Shackelford, was a native of the area and suggested a community pet magazine. Left: Kendra dressed as the shelter mascot “Chance” at a pet adoption. Right: The staff picture for Spring River Survival Guide in The idea intrigued me. Arkansas. Kendra is to the left and Jody is center, at the typewriter.

publisher/photographer/graphic designer and writer; and I would be editor/office manager/accounting/writer and sales. It would be a free magazine, distributed to every store in the county (a smaller distribution than Slidell Magazine is now because it was wayyy rural) and the advertisers would be our source of income. Jody enlisted a few friends to help and we were on our way! The magazine was a hit! Within two years, our coverage had grown to encompass a three county area! By this time, I had completely recovered, mentally and physically, from my cancer journey, and I missed Slidell. Adding to my homesickness was that the Saints were in the middle of their 2009-2010 Superbowl season. It was killing me to be so far away from the Who Dat nation (and cajun food - Arkansas people can’t cook worth a damn). Every Sunday, I would pack the car and travel 110 miles to Missouri (Arkansas is comprised of mostly dry counties... terrible!), where I paid for the American Legion Hall to add the $99/month NFL Network package to their cable so I could watch the games and drink a beer. As the season progressed and I watched our boys in Black and Gold near closer to their destinty, I began to think seriously about moving back home. I didn’t have a job waiting for me in Slidell, but I rationalized - if I can run a successful magazine in Arkansas, where no one knows me and I have no history, I certainly can do it in Slidell where my roots run deep. Slidell was home. My family is here, my friends are here. I could return home, well and whole again; not the sick waif I was when I left.

BACK HOME The logistics of moving back to Slidell were a challenge. Have you ever tried finding a rental house with 13 dogs and a goat listed on your application? Through a stroke of luck and divine intervention, a rental house with 2 acres was found and I, along with my roommate, Kara, headed to Slidell, arriving on February 1, 2010, six days before Superbowl Sunday. When the Saints won, I celebrated with great food, tons of beer, and millions of fellow coonasses. It was good to be back. Kara waitressed at Ruby Tuesdays to handle expenses and I began to plan my first edition of Northshore’s Slidell Guide Magazine. (I kept that awkward and cumbersome name until January 2012, when I made the name change to Slidell Magazine. The change was prompted by advice from Kim Bergeron, “If you don’t take that name, another magazine will.” Best advice everrrr.) The motto: “Keep It Fresh, Keep It Positive” was still the philosophy that guided me, and it continues to appear on the cover of every edition. I knew that the first issue would have to establish my publication as The Ofﬁcial Magazine of Slidell. In order to achieve that, I had to meet the people that would help to make that possible. Little did I know then that my first day in business would set the course for the success of Slidell Magazine. I stopped in to the Chamber of Commerce to grab some information and met thenCEO, Dawn Sharpe. I pitched the idea of the magazine to her. She encouraged me to join the Chamber in order to meet the Slidell business owners who would

eventually become my advertisers. From that point on, meeting people was easy! The Chamber offered over 300 events annually and I swear I attended just about every one of them those first few years. (An added bonus was the free food at most of these events - Kara and I would’ve starved if not for them!) My second stop that day was to the office of Kim Bergeron, then-Director of Cultural Arts and Public Affairs for the City of Slidell. The City offices were still in FEMA trailers outside of Heritage Park back then. Kim quickly informed me that the constraints of the City budget didn’t allow for paid advertising in my new publication. Instead, she offered me a sponsorship opportunity with the Cultural Arts program in exchange for advertising space. As we talked, her passion for the arts and for Slidell was contagious. She promised me that an investment in the arts would yield rewards financially and intrinsically. I have been a top-level sponsor of the Slidell arts programs ever since, and Kim’s prophecy has been fulfilled many times over. Now, eight years later, Kim still serves as my mentor and a profound creative influence in my business. My first cover would be my most important ever – I needed lots of attention in order to attract lots of advertisers to pay for this dream of mine. I thought about what Slidell stood for and chose 8 people to pose for the cover, each representing a different facet of Slidell. I set my sights on meeting them, photographing them, interviewing them and writing their stories and how they made Slidell a great place to live, work and play.

Slidell Magazine has been recognized with numerous awards over the past 100 Editions! l-r: (1) Chamber Member of the Month, Nov. 2010 (2) With Kara, Chamber Small Business of the Year, 2011 (3) STARC Star Award, 2011 (4) Donna Bush wins first place Outdoor Press Assoc Award for her Slidell Magazine eagle cover, July 2014 (5) Chamber Ambassador of the Year, 2012

of enthusiasm... aaaaand... nothing. Crickets. It took another two months to finish writing the stories and completing the layout. By the time I had a print-ready edition, I had only sold three advertisements and had run out of money. I couldn’t afford to go to press. I was going out of business before my first copy hit the stands! I took a day off from work and went to Olde Towne to walk the quaint streets and clear my head. Olde Towne has such a wonderful, homey feel to it. I grew up on those streets and I needed their energy to comfort me and remind me why I wanted this community magazine so badly. God was watching over me that day as I walked into Antiques & Art on First Street to browse. The Slidell Historical Antique Association president, John Marshall, was there and our conversation led to a year-long, prepaid advertising contract. I had the money for print! I was in business! On my first cover were: Newly–elected Slidell Mayor, Freddy Drennan - representing Community Leadership McDonald’s Restaurant owner, Ray Masker – representing Employment Opportunites Chamber CEO, Dawn Sharpe – representing Slidell Businesses STARC Executive Director, Dianne Baham – representing Faith and Charity Medical Director of the SMH Regional Cancer Center, Dr. Matt McElveen – representing Healthcare Excellence Salmen High School Principal, Terri Wortmann – representing Education Excellence Slidell Youth Football Association President, John Griffin – representing Youth and Sports Sheriff Jack Strain – representing Safety and Justice Within a few days, I had written 3 of their stories and designed the cover. I rushed to Office Depot to make a few color copies, stapling the pages together to look like a mini-magazine. With these mock-ups (of which I still have a few copies), I was ready to go out and sell, sell, sell! Certainly all of the businesses in Slidell would see my vision for a community magazine and scramble to write a check for advertising, right? For two months, I visited Slidell businesses with my mini-magazines and loads

The Antique Association has advertised with me every single month since my first edition, and it is because of them, and the other small businesses of Slidell, that this publication exists. I am forever grateful that the business owners of Slidell invest their hard-earned money with me and entrust me with their public image. I strive to not only bring them business from their advertising, but also to make them proud. That’s how Slidell Magazine got its start. The rest of our journey has been well documented in beautiful art and excellent literature by the Slidell Magazine family of contributors each month since that first edition was released in June 2010. The success of Slidell Magazine depends on our readership, and we are humbled that you take the time to visit with us through our pages again and again. I know we’re in the digital age now. (That’s why we also offer an online version.) But I feel that nothing can compare to holding this magazine in your hands, feeling the weight of the paper, seeing the vibrance of the pictures and savoring the frame-worthy art on the covers. There’s something wonderful about being completely unplugged, if only for a short time. Journey with us through these pages and enjoy the quiet time that comes when you lose yourself in a story. We have so many more tales to tell. Thank you for the past 100 editions, and we look forward to covering all of the people, places, and events of Slidell for 100 more!

L-r: (1) Kim Bergeron wins first place for Best Cover from the Press Club of New Orleans, Nov 2016 (2) Community Involvement of the Year 2016, with writer Leslie Gates (3) John Case, first place, 2018 Best Column “The Storyteller,” the Press Club of New Orleans (4) BRAVO! Award for Community Service to the Arts, 2018 (5) Chamber Member of the Month, May 2018

lations Congratu ur ine for yo z a g a M l l ou Slide ! Thank y n o i t i d E r 100th tion to ou u b i r t n o c for your ucating d e d n a y t l communi kes Slidel a m t a h w about We’re “The City e” Call Hom o T d u o r P

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Dine & Discover Chamber • 11:30am-1pm Senior Appreciation Luncheon Harbor Center 10:30-1pm 13

Grand Opening Divine Nails • 3:30-4:30pm

TUE

WED

Salute the Uniform Luncheon Slidell Auditorium 11:30am-1pm

Friends of Slidell Library Concert Truffle Honeys 6pm

Slidell Cultural Center • Exhibit runs thru 12/21

Go see the 100 Covers of Slidell Magazine Art Exhibit

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SAINTS AT COWBOYS • 7:25pm

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SAINTS VS FALCONS • 7:20pm

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THU

NOLA Cheese Fest French Quarter • 11am

Hazardous Waste Collection Fritchie Park • 8am - Noon

Camellia City Farmer's Market EVERY SATURDAY 8AM-NOON

Olde Towne Slidell Christmas Market, Dec 1 & 2 Northshore Food Truck Festival Harbor Center • 11am-4pm

Christmas Under the Stars

Great American Trailer Park Musical • Slidell Little Theatre • 8pm

Nov 30, Dec 1, 7, 8 Grifﬁth Park • 6-9pm

DECEMBER

Great American Trailer Park Musical • Slidell Little Theatre • 8pm

Bag of Donuts Speckled T's 9pm

Great American Trailer Park Musical • Slidell Little Theatre • 8pm

Habitat for Humanity Fall Gala Harbor Center • 7-11pm

Cheatin' in the Next Room • Cutting Edge Theater • 8pm

10 Faith Music Fest 100 Covers of Heritage Park • 11am-7pm Slidell Magazine Exhibit Gumbo Cookoff Opening Reception Slidell Little Theatre • 11am-4pm Slidell City Hall • 6-9pm Unleashed Rescue Me Gala Exhibit runs thru 12/21 Pontchartrain Yacht Club • 7-11pm

Holiday Shopping Event Chamber • 8am-6pm Keep Slidell Beautiful Clean Up Day • 8:30am-Noon

SAT

Respect: Aretha Franklin Tribute • Cutting Edge Theater • 8pm

Carey Street Crawl Olde Towne • 5PM

Slidell Breakfast Briefing with Greg Cromer Slidell Auditorium • 8-9:30am

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Great American Trailer Park Musical Slidell Little Theater • 2pm

Veteran's Day Celebration American Legion Slidell Noon

Veteran’s Day

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SUN

2018

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Sponsored by

JOHN CASE

THE STORY BEHIND "THE STORYTELLER" STORY BY CAROL WOLFRAM

Once upon a time, a boy born and raised in a small village in the state of Mississippi grew up to have two names. One was given to him by his mother; the other, by a friend and a community. I’d like to introduce you to John Stringer Case, “The Storyteller.” For the past seven years, Case’s column, “The Storyteller,” has graced the pages of Slidell Magazine. The writing assignment began with a request from Editor/Publisher Kendra Maness, who invited Case to submit a historical piece for her magazine. “Friday’s Ditch” was born. Eighty-seven columns later, “The Storyteller” is still at it, leading readers line by line through tales that have ranged from remarkable true accounts of hometown heroes (“All American Boy,” the story of Floyd Fogg) to heart wrenching tales (“Dirty Joe”) and colorful anecdotes that could just have

easily been written about your own family (“Buttons”, “Christmas Boxes” – feel free to insert your favorite(s) here). Case’s voice is so strong in his writing that you hear him speak the words as you read, chuckling at a humorous turn of events, rumbling low when foul play is afoot, choking up at the sharing of what is undoubtedly a particularly dear personal remembrance. Though largely Case’s columns embrace Slidell Magazine’s motto, “Keep It Positive,” some have sparked controversy. “I had a protest from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on a story I wrote about black cats. It was a Halloween story, and they felt I was going to cause people to cook black cats,” Case recalled. Most of his subjects are vaguely familiar. Some of the characters are as well. “Almost

all of my stories have some inspiration from a real person or event. A few are true. Some are more fictional than others,” he noted. “I find a real person and use it as a framework. It’s like putting clothes on a mannequin.” But what about “The Storyteller” himself. What’s his story? Like many of the characters in his columns, Case was born and raised in a tiny town. Rooted in Bogue Chitto, Miss., Case went to high school in Brookhaven, Miss., and is a graduate of the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Case took away more from Ole Miss than a penchant for dapper attire and degrees in psychology and sociology with a minor in English; that is where he met his wife, Brenda, with whom he will celebrate 48 years of marriage this November.

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Well-known in the Slidell community as an insurance man, Case went to work with Lowry-Dunham in 1975. In 1990, he and Brenda bought the agency, where Case remains co-owner and corporate secretary. The Cases have two sons, Christopher and Alan. Like both parents, Alan Case is making his mark on the world of insurance. Christopher Case is an accomplished chef whose father enjoys claiming to have taught him everything he knows about cooking. John also told his son he was Chef Boyardee, a claim Chris believed without question. Unfortunately, defending Chef Boyardee's honor on the elementary school playground resulted in more than a few scuffles. Obviously, "The Storyteller" was born long before his creativity found a place on the printed pages of Slidell Magazine and beyond.

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“The Storyteller” has published two books, “Bogue Chitto Flats: Short Stories From a Southern Town” and “Saucered Coffee, Blewed and Cooled”; breathes a little life into those who have passed during guided cemetery tours; and is frequently called upon to address groups large and small. He was the featured speaker at the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce’s 50th anniversary gala and has become somewhat of a hot local commodity for the penning of eulogies. This summer, Case was awarded first place honors in the Best Column category by the Press Club of New Orleans. The announcement was made during the organization’s 60th Anniversary Gala and Awards Ceremony. “I was not familiar with either the club or the award. I did not know that Kendra had nominated me,” Case said. Though thrilled at the win, Case admits it truly was an honor just to have been nominated and named a finalist. “I was at dinner in New Orleans with Brenda and my old college roommate and his wife. I got the phone call that I was a finalist. I cried.” “The Storyteller” columns and Case’s other works of fact and fiction are created in what appears to have been a converted laundry room off the couple’s garage. There, a thoroughly modern laptop sits within the confines of a darkly stained roll away desk, circa 1908, that Case said was handed down to him by his father, who acquired it from the doctor who delivered him. With a glint in his eye, Case reveals a secret compartment within the bowels of the desk. It seems even the furnishings in Case’s home have stories to tell. Crowding the roll away in the tiny writing room is a bookshelf piled high with volumes on subjects ranging from genealogy and history to Archie Manning and Photoshop, providing a glimpse into just a few of Case’s passions. On top of the desk, a high-tech audio recorder hints at another leg of “The Storyteller” journey. Case contends he knows little about writing and less about punctuation. “Putting it on paper is not writing,” he said. Sometimes the end of a story will be “put” on paper years before its beginning is crafted. Other times, he starts a piece with no inclination of the story’s outcome, letting the characters control the narrative. What Case does know is a good story when he hears it, sees it, or even smells it. “A song or a fragrance or seeing someone … It can be any of those things,” he said.

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l-r: (1) John Case, Ole Miss sophomore, 19 years old. (2) John & Brenda circa 1975. (3) John was named the "Real Man of St. Tammany" in 2015 for his integrity and his support of Safe Harbor. (4) One of the dozens of Greenwood Cemetery tours that John offers free to the public.

Inspired by legends of writing such as William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams, Case also admires, more currently, the works of Alex Haley, Nicholas Sparks, Pat Conroy, and Rick Bragg. “(Rick Bragg) made plausible, extremely interesting stories about his dysfunctional family,” Case said. Similarly, “The Storyteller” columns read like a peek into a family hope chest whose carefully preserved contents embody experiences that are sometimes sad, frequently funny, and often are downright inspiring. The innocence of those days gone by permeates Case’s storytelling. “A lot of my inspiration comes from my upbringing,” Case said. “I had no rules, no curfews. I was in the fifth grade before we had a TV. We lived in a pure time.” Case has been both driven and encouraged by familial relationships. Sibling rivalry was a motivating factor in one case. “People always said my big brother (Carroll) got all the talent and I got all the luck,” he said. “I suppose I wanted to prove them wrong.” His brother also gave him some of the best advice he has received: “Write what you know about. If you don’t know about it, learn about it.”

Case’s big sister, Sue, was his first test reader, excited to read his work and devoid of any desire to reshape his tales. “Most test readers want to change your story,” Case admitted. Besides heavy-handed test readers, Case is bothered by both the limited venue available for short stories and for stories he has yet unwritten. “I have stories I wasn’t brave enough to write,” he said. Besides Slidell Magazine, his family, and a perfectly prepared gin martini, Case loves his community and the overwhelming response his writing has received. “It has meant a lot to me and has given me great satisfaction,” Case said. “I don’t know that it has benefitted anyone else. I desire to write more meaningful work. I would like for my stories to make a difference.” Case said after every story he finishes, he swears, “This story is my last one.” “But it hasn’t been so far,” he said. “Maybe next week.”

GUEST WRITER

Carol Wolfram Formerly a community news editor with NOLA. com | The TimesPicayune, Living section editor for the Slidell Daily Times, and community development coordinator at Slidell Memorial Hospital, Carol Wolfram is currently a technical writer with the SACOM contract serving John C. Stennis Space Center and Michoud Assembly Facility. The loves of her life are her family and friends, the New Orleans Saints, and the many organizations and individuals whose investments of time and talents continue to make the Slidell community a great place to call home.

l-r: (1) John on "Brenda's Great Adventure," a years-long journey taken in sections with family & friends to canoe the entire Black Creek. (2) With sons Alan & Christopher. (3) John & Brenda today, at their future homesite on historic Bayou Liberty

Congratulations Slidell Magazine!

REFLECTIONS BY JOHN CASE

IT'S BEEN A GOOD RIDE I guess you could say I met her when she was young. She is 100 now – 100 editions, not 100 years old – but at the time, she was only 12. The trip we have taken together has had many forks in the road and required different paths, but the journey has been a fun and a rewarding one. It has been an expedition of unexpected rewards and consequences. Therefore, to mark this special occasion, I would like to reflect and share some of the milestones in our journey. She, if you haven’t guessed, is Slidell Magazine, and for this writing, She is what I will call her. Kendra Maness, the owner and editor, came to my office and asked if I would write a bit of local history for her magazine. After years of listening to old-timers and front porch stories, I had acquired several bits of history, if only in the oral tradition. Could I put them on paper? I agreed to try. My first submission was a story about Friday Porter and his digging of a ditch across the Pearl River swamp. This mammoth task was to shorten his boat trip to see his girlfriend. From a literary standpoint, both She, the magazine, and I were young then; so we felt the story was a success, even if no one else did. A few more historical articles were produced by me in the months that followed. That was before I realized if I were to write history, I would have to dedicate more time on research than I could afford. I approached Kendra about seeking a divorce from Slidell Magazine. As in many divorce cases, this was going to be costly; my contribution had begun to gain momentum. Through counseling, the divorce was avoided. I would be allowed to stop writing historical contributions; but, as a tradeoff, I needed to write something positive that would appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. I could submit anything I wished, but any and all could be rejected. My counter offer was, “I will if I can.” That was over seven years ago, and I have provided a contribution each month. We re-ran a couple for specific purposes; but, for the most part, I have tried to give both fresh and varied content. Originally, I refused to write about a living person. I gave in. The opportunity to tell the story of Floyd Fogg, an Iwo

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Jima Marine and a professional baseball star, was too good to pass on. I didn’t give up totally on history either. I did a story about Jimmy Goldman and George Baragona, both WWII heroes from Slidell. I also wrote a story about Captain McVay, the Captain of the U.S.S. Indianapolis who, after retirement, lived on Bayou Liberty near Slidell. I even did a story on the bizarre death of Jayne Mansfield. All the above were rewarding for me, and from what I gather, they were enjoyed by our readers. As in any marriage, if it is to remain successful, there must be change and growth. It must be exciting. I would like to share with you a few highlights of my transformation as a writer. After all, you, the reader, are our family. In the beginning, my writing was very basic. Thank goodness, the story itself carried the submission, not the way I wrote it. You see, at first, I used basic techniques. My stories were written in the first person. This is an easy way to write a story, or at least it was for me. No matter who the character was, the character was still me. It was my thoughts and actions the character was taking. But even I can only take so much of me. I learned to write in the third person. At first this was a stretch, and it took a while to let the characters have their own personalities. In time, I began to develop a character and let the character take the lead. I let the character expose his or her own personality and let them tell the story. Have you read “The Surrogate Bride”? I then discovered I did not have to know how a story was going to end to start writing it. I could just let the character end it as their personality directed. I, the writer, was no more a part of the story than you, the reader. I then stepped it up a notch. I started using dialogue. I had not used dialogue before because I did not know how to punctuate it. I still don’t know how to punctuate it. I let proofreaders do that for me. The discovery of dialogue let me further develop characters. I don’t think you can really form an opinion of anyone, in person or in print, until you read their words, not mine. I then realized that most of my story endings were predictable. I had to change that, and I worked hard at developing surprise endings. At first, I tried to have stories that ended happily. After all, the motto of Slidell Magazine is “Keep it Positive”. It was time for another marriage counseling session. I would be given more freedom. I could end a story any way I wanted. This allowed me to bring my stories more into real life. It is sad to say, but not every life story has a happy ending. I now had another tool in my box, the freedom to write more complex stories. Have you read “Blood Brothers”?

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I also had to overcome the fear that readers might judge me or my family by the stories I wrote. If I should write a story about an intimate, possibly adulterous relationship, I was concerned the story would embarrass my wife or family. It took some time, but I came to understand that my readers and my family realized I was The Storyteller.

Have you read “Snow Bound”? Having crossed that speed bump, I marveled at what had developed into a rather complete toolbox. In the future, you should see more stories dealing with the challenges as well as the rewards of life. I guess you could say, in the future, we will share the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Finally, I have begun to use multiple characters and subplots. Have you read “POW”? I must admit, the stories don’t come as easily as they did, but I think most of the time they have more substance. I hope to maintain a tenor of humor in all my stories. I need to work on that.

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Most surprising to me is the personal satisfaction I have gained while I have been associated with She, the magazine. I began to have people ask me about the stories. Most wanted to know how much of the story was true and how much was fiction. As time passed, I would be stopped by people I did not even know, and they would ask the same question. All this was self-glorifying and only added to my ego. If the journey had ended there, it would have been useless to mankind, just a worthless endeavor.

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I do not think it has turned out that way. Soon, I was being asked to speak at various civic clubs and charitable events. This brings me to one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. As I mentioned earlier, I wrote a story about Floyd Fogg. The name of the story was “All American Boy”. Floyd had been a standout baseball player in high school. He was certainly headed to the Pros, and with his youth and desire, he undoubtedly would have made the majors. His dream would be postponed, however, as WWII started when he was seventeen. I will not tell Floyd’s story again, read “All American Boy”, but he was a Marine who was wounded twice on Iwo Jima. He then returned home and spent several years pursuing his dream of pro baseball. It was Veteran’s Month and She was crying for an appropriate story. I had a rule. I did not write about living people. Floyd was very much alive; but rules are made to be broken. If a local baseball hero and war hero does not deserve my efforts, what would? I wrote the story.

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After the story was published, it became a favorite of the readers. Floyd and I began to go to retirement centers where I would read the story and Floyd would fill in the blanks and answer questions. The elderly residents loved it. At one of these events, Floyd told the audience that the real heroes of battle were the corpsmen that took care of the wounded on Iwo Jima. To our surprise, an elderly gentleman stood up and said he was one of those corpsmen. The two veterans, both approaching ninety years of age, embraced with a flooding of tears. The room got eerily quiet and then the silence was pierced by sniffles from almost all attending. I was nearly seventy years old myself at the time, and if those two brave men could cry over a memory that I had brought with my writing, I could also cry at the fact that I had played a part in it and was there to witness their reunion.

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Floyd has now gone to his heavenly reward, but the fact that I got to walk with him and bring memories about the Greatest Generation will always be a high point of my life, only made possible through my marriage to She, the magazine. I also wrote a story called "The Captain’s Last Command”. It was the story of Charles McVay, one of the most decorated and respected ship captains in WWII until his ship was sunk by a Japanese sub just weeks before the end of the war. The war was ending because Captain McVay had successfully delivered the atomic bomb to Tinian Island. There were lots of snafus on McVay’s journey; but, in short, the Navy lost track of the ship and did not send rescue. Out of 1,100 men who were on board, only 327 survived. Some died of exposure, some were eaten by sharks. The Navy forgot they were at sea. To cover up for the Navy’s own mistake, they blamed and courtmartialed Captain McVay, convicting him of hazarding his ship. He was the only captain tried for losing his ship in WWII, and he was reduced in rank. Later, in about 2000, his court martial was rightfully amended.

member of the band. The story was excellently adapted for stage by Suzanne Stymiest and performed at Cutting Edge Theatre. Bobby Ohler, a gifted local professional musician, added the real cornet music, as he is part of the story. The story is guided by a narrator, the well-known actor, Rickie Luke. During all three performances, the audience could hear Rickie’s voice break with emotion as he read his part. I realized that if I could evoke the emotions of a seasoned actor, maybe someday, something I write will be profound and have substance, with a positive influence on people. That is what She and I will need to do and strive to do in the future. It’s been a good ride and it is not over. Stay with us. P.S. Recently, I attended the funeral of the wife of a young man I know. She died after suffering a long time from cancer. Through his grief and teared eyes, he told me that Bogue Chitto Flats was the last book she read. Bogue Chitto Flats was the first book I wrote. He said it made her laugh. Well, maybe that was profound.

I wrote the story based on his life in Slidell. I interviewed his son, Charles McVay III, who was in his mid-80s at the time. I sent the manuscript to his son to proof. I got a tearful phone call thanking me for helping clear his father’s name. I was proud that he felt I had helped honor such a magnificent WWII figure. A few weeks later, Charles McVay III passed away. I wrote a story called “The Horn”. It was a true story about the sacrifice my parents made to buy me a cornet so that I could be a

SLIDELL MAGAZINE’S 100TH EDITION

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HERBERT LEBLANC’S 100TH YEAR PARK PROVENCE RESIDENT & WORLD WAR II VETERAN

100-year-old Herbert LeBlanc served in the Army Air Force in WWII. His bomber plane was shot down in Germany where he was held as a prisoner of war for 9 months. We are honored to celebrate his life and service. 22

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THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS By Very Reverend W.C. Paysse, V.F. Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes Church Preamble: As I take up the pen for the November 2018 issue of Slidell Magazine, on behalf of Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners, clergy and staff I extend heartfelt congratulations to Kendra Maness and her staff on the occasion of the 100th edition of Slidell Magazine. Kendra is a personable and gifted individual who truly loves Slidell and the citizens of our dear city. I tip my hat and offer a prayer for the continued success of Slidell Magazine and all those who peruse these pages with enthusiasm, joy and curiosity in being kept informed through excellent journalism. God bless Slidell Magazine!

The words of Henry David Thoreau put it this way: “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” As we enter the Thanksgiving holiday season, it is important and consoling to recall fond memories of Thanksgivings past and those not too long ago. But it is also important to give thanks for persons, events and occasions that fill our lives with joy, happiness and gratitude.

Dear Friends,

May I invite each of us to think right now about those persons, events and occasions that bring gratitude to our hearts. We are all blest from time to time because of what others do for us. Occasions and events of life sometimes line up with the stars and offer you and me a benediction we do not expect or anticipate. Simply put, we are thankful!

Thanksgiving Day is not simply about turkey, cornbread dressing, yams and pumpkin pie, but it is an attitude or disposition of the way people view and respond to ordinary life. As some have said, “It is seeing the glass half full, not half empty.”

When I think of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish family and all that has taken place since the establishment of the congregation in 1890, it behooves me to offer thanksgiving for the blessings received and for the blessings to come in the future. But each

So, as we gather with our families, friends and neighbors on Thanksgiving Day, let us hold dear in our hearts the world and all creation. Let us pray for all people of every nation, religion and race. Let us be united, thanking our Heavenly Father like the first pilgrims. As sisters and brothers, we unite on Thanksgiving Day to remember the past and to be strengthened for the future. I recall the words of Charlie Brown, an American icon: “What if, today, we were grateful for everything.” Happy Thanksgiving blessings,

Very Reverend W.C. Paysse, V.F. Pastor

NOVEMBER EVENTS CHURCH

church community and the citizens at large must gather all the blessings of a given day in the cornucopia of life and share them with all who pass our way or who are in need. The impact of our charity and love will certainly bring blessings to many, many people. After all, the Christian reflects Christ who abundantly blesses all who call upon His holy name.

SCHOOL

11/01 ALL SAINTS DAY Mass, 8:30am (parishioners & school); 10:30am OLL cemetery (parishioners & 7th graders); 6:30pm Church. Confessions 5-6:15pm

11/06 OLL PTC Business Night, 7pm, Gym. Shopping available!

11/03 First Saturday Devotions, 8:30am; Mass followed with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, Confessions & Benediction, 10am

11/09 Veteran’s Day Celebration! 8:30am Mass; Celebration in the gym, 9:45-10:30am

11/06 11/07 11/08 11/10

11/16 Grandparent’s Day,11:30am dismissal

11/11 11/13 11/15 11/17 11/21 11/22 11/27 11/29

Synod Meeting, 6pm, Rectory RCIA, 7-8:30pm, Parish Life Center 11/08 & 11/15; That Man is You (TMIY), Parish Life Center, 6am. ALL MEN WELCOME! First Reconciliation, 10:30am, Church 11/10 & 11/11; Altar Society Bake Sale after all Masses 11/11 - 11/13; Parish Mission with Father Victor, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Father will also preach at the Vigil Mass and all Sunday Masses Rosary at Marian Statue, corner of Westchester & Berkley, 6:15pm 11/13 & 11/20; Knights of Columbus Council Meeting, 7pm Men’s Club Meeting, 7pm ALL MEN WELCOME! End of Life & Wills Seminar following 4pm Mass with complimentary supper Thanksgiving Vigil Mass, 6:30pm Thanksgiving Day Masses, 7am Cook’s Mass, 8:30am I Give Catholic Campaign. Support the parish & school with your sacrifical earnings East St. Tammany Serra Club, 6pm OLL Men’s Prayer Night, 7:30pm. Contact rectory for location OLL Fair Meeting, 7pm. Contact rectory for location

11/17 Men’s Club Family Campout

MAKING

CENTS

By Mike Rich, CFP® Pontchartrain Investment Management

IT’S NOVEMBER, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. me, it’s distressing to see that money leave her balance sheet.

It’s November! Cool weather, Thanksgiving, college football, and…Long Term Care Awareness Month. How about that for getting you into an autumn mood?

If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know that I’m particularly concerned about what is, in my opinion, a coming long term care crisis for baby boomers and beyond. The sad truth is that many people are completely unprepared for the emotional and potentially devastating financial disruptions that a prolonged need for long term care can bring about. Here are some of the things I’ve been writing about:

Here’s a picture of my mother-in-law, Joanne. She’s 91 years old and, despite some health challenges, she’s going pretty strong. I’ve written about her several times in my Slidell Magazine articles. She lives at one of Slidell’s long-term care residences, having moved down here from the Chicago area a few years ago because the cost of her care up north was starting to go through the roof. Although Louisiana seems to always rank near the bottom in polls on things like education, income, and proximity to good winter skiing, we’re at the top when it comes to the relative affordability of long term care. Despite that, it’s still pretty expensive. Because she’s in the memory care section of her facility and needs some extra help with medications and such, Joanne’s bill runs to approximately $5,000 every month. Up until

A lot of people are likely to need long term care, and there’s a good chance that you’ll be one of them. March, 2017, she had a generous long term care insurance policy, but that money is long gone. Since then, we’ve been paying her bill with a combination of her small pensions and the required distributions from her IRA. I write the checks each month and, believe

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services has projected for several years now that about 70% of people aged 65 or older are going to need some type of long term care before they die.1 Whether that care is given in a nursing home,

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assisted living facility, daycare program, or in our homes, seven out of ten of us are going to need assistance with eating, dressing, bathing, using the bathroom, transferring (for example, moving from a bed to a chair), or continence, or we’re going to have a mental impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and will need care to manage our lives. We or our family members are either going to have to 1) pay for it out of pocket or with insurance, or 2) figure out how to provide the care ourselves without going broke. Of course, you might be one of the three out of ten who do not need care. One can hope, but hope is not a strategy.

Long term care is expensive. The average annual cost of a private room in a nursing home in Louisiana is about $60,000, among the lowest in the United States.1 However, even though prices are lower here, they can add up fast, and you don’t have to be a financial genius to figure out how quickly a retirement account could be brought to its knees when thousands of dollars a month have to be shelled out for someone to take care

of you, possibly for several years. Even in-home care at $16 an hour1 can add up quickly. Don’t waste your retirement money on long term care! Get someone else (an insurance company, perhaps?) to pay for it.2

Speaking of paying for it, the money might not have to leave your balance sheet. The biggest push-back I receive from clients about traditional long term care insurance is that they might not need it and will have shelled out premium payments “for nothing.” The good news is that there are other ways that are not use-it-or-lose-it. For example, you can use life insurance not only for the death benefit and possible cash value, but for a long term care benefit, as well. Also, some companies offer annuities3 that have a long term care benefit attached to them (a “rider” in insurance talk). So, if it turns out that you don’t need long term care, your money is still working for you. If you’d like to learn more about these strategies, call me, and I’ll fill you in on the details.2

The $5,000 that’s coming out of my mother-inlaw’s pocket is slowly draining her retirement account, but at least she has the money to pay for it. On the other hand, she’s told me that she’d rather be giving the money to her grandchildren, which would be a lot more fun (for them, certainly). An uninsured long term care need is expensive, and it’s a problem that’s just waiting to happen for many of us. With a 70% chance of it happening to you or your spouse and potentially blasting a big hole through your own hard-won retirement nest egg, don’t you think it makes sense to put a plan in place now to protect your money so you or your family can enjoy your money, rather than waste it on long term care? Call me today, and we’ll see what might work for you. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Clearinghouse for LongTerm Care Information, https://longtermcare.acl.gov

Benefits are based on the claims paying ability of the issuing company.

Fixed and variable annuities are suitable for long term investing, such as retirement. Gains from tax-deferred investments are taxed as ordinary income upon withdrawal. Guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuing company. Withdrawals made prior to age 59½ are subject to a 10% IRS penalty tax, and surrender charges might apply. Variable annuities are subject to market risk and might lose value. Riders are additional guarantee options that are available to an annuity or life insurance contract holder. While some riders are part of an existing contract, many others can carry additional fees, charges, and restrictions. Policy holders should review their contracts carefully before purchase. 3

Securities and Advisory Services 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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Creating Satisﬁed Customers for 40 Years! 27

CHARLOTTE LOWRY COLLINS TELLING TALES OF EXTRAORDINARY FASCINATING "ORDINARY" PEOPLE STORY BY BRENDA LOWRY CASE

All my life I have been told (although I can’t say I totally buy it) that when my mother came home from the hospital with my newborn baby sister Charlotte, my comment was a smug, "I knew she would have a nose like that!" In fact, contrary to the implication of that comment, we had very little sibling rivalry. To be 6 years apart, we were very close. Maybe partly because we lived "in the country" (you'll laugh when I tell you where that was) and had to depend on each other for much of our entertainment. Charlotte was born a couple of years after we moved to Slidell from Jackson, Mississippi. Our first home was on First Street, in Olde Towne, next door to our great-grandmother. It was a very happy and nurturing environment. Charlotte's independent personality was evident early on. I distinctly remember the day she escaped from the bathtub and terrorized downtown Slidell. As I recall, she was not much more than 2 years old at the time. Our mother turned her back while Charlotte was taking a bath and, in a flash, she was gone!

Mom was frantic! We looked everywhere, but no Charlotte to be found. Soon the whole neighborhood was involved in the search. Eventually, we got the phone call that Charlotte had been found, covered in soapsuds, as naked as the day she was born, running through the middle of the business district of Olde Towne (which at that time was the ONLY business district in Slidell). She had decided to pay a visit to our dad’s insurance agency just a few blocks from our home. Fortunately, she was apprehended before getting that far. Later, when Mom tried to explain to her that we don’t go out in public without proper clothing, Charlotte replied, “Maybe WE don’t, but I do!” A few years later, we moved to Old Spanish Trail, just past what is now I-10. At the time, the interstate had not yet been built. There was no outlet mall. There were no car dealerships. In fact, there was not much of anything. We were not on the beaten path, and there were no playmates nearby. Consequently, we had to make our own entertainment. So that’s when two

of my sister’s other strong traits became evident - her artistic interests, and oh my goodness, her love of animals! To quote Charlotte (and I remember this well): “I was always drawing, coloring, or carving on anything available. I remember one of our antique wooden tables had an enticing, decorative, brass quill pen in a cool pen holder. I have this table today, and my signature carved meticulously into the wood reminds me of two things. The first memory is how utterly satisfying that motion was as the quill pen rolled through the finish at my will, which I later learned is a technique termed ‘sgraffito.’ The second memory of that carving is how upset my mother was when she discovered my artistic creation. I genuinely was shocked when my parents were less than pleased. I was truly proud of my creative endeavor before I saw my mother’s face." Charlotte continues to tell of her childhood, "Without neighbors to play with, I immersed myself in nature in our swamp, and in everything creative. I remember producing

l-r: (1) The Lowry family circa 1955, Pomeroy, Bill, Charlotte & Brenda. (2) Portrait of Brenda & Charlotte. (3) Senior portrait. (4) Creating in her art studio. Photo by Kathleen DesHotel.

my own ‘newspaper’ every week. I wrote many diverse articles, including ‘news’, fiction, and social happenings. To add more amusement features, I created my own crossword puzzles from scratch, lexigrams, and comics. Of course, I added many visuals to elucídate each article. This was before computers entered the home, so I hand created them using my favorite number two pencil.

mother’s business, Pomeroy Lowry Interiors. She taught art and art history classes to children and adults of all ages in Mom’s building on First Street and Fremaux in Olde Towne. That building is now a studio for the artist Keith Dellsperger, and home for him and his wife Kelly. Charlotte also was an art teacher and Assistant Director of Talented Art for our own St. Tammany Parish School Board.

"I also remember lining up my stuffed animals (about 30 of them) around the house, and teaching school with art, reading, writing, and other classes to the intensely engrossed students.

All too soon, however, Charlotte, Tom and Lowry set out for Memphis, Tennessee, to pursue her master’s degree in art, and she was not to return for many years. In Memphis, she became involved in her studio and gallery. From there, her art career led her to Atlanta, Georgia, where she became affiliated with Kennesaw State University as an art, art history, and art education professor, eventually becoming tenured. Her career was going well, and kept her too busy to consider coming back to Slidell. She had always planned to end up back in Slidell, but it was not to happen quickly.

"I called Brenda 'Tish.' She was my fun sister, role model, teacher of games galore, even my hair dresser on one infamous occasion. Twiggy was THE model at that time. After her haircut, my previously long blond curls ended up so short that folks called me ‘Sonny.’ Even the parrot asked if I was a boy or girl. Aside from that, my world crumbled when Tish left for Ole Miss. All I had after that was nature, art, and my pets. "I played outside if the weather permitted, which meant my dogs, cats, turtles, frogs, mice, hamsters, and one beautiful coral snake, were subjected to my imaginative, fun lessons. They loved it as I recall. Once again, I was quite surprised when the coral snake caused a commotion.” As close as we were growing up, our opportunity to be close was interrupted for many years. I left for college, and then lived out of state for several years. By the time my husband and I moved back to Slidell, Charlotte was in college. After Charlotte’s graduation, we shared a few short years in Slidell, and I was lucky enough to get to enjoy my nephew Lowry while he was young. Charlotte opened a business, Creative Endeavors, in cooperation with our

In the end, it was tragedy that finally prompted her decision to return home. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated our parents’ historic home - the Francois Cousin house - that they had lovingly restored over a period of years. Our parents, in their early eighties, were struggling to put it all back together. Charlotte and her husband Tom drove seven hours every weekend to help my parents and others in the area, then seven hours back to work. She began documenting the aftermath of the storm, and the university awarded her a grant to photograph and interview people through the changes we encountered along our bayou. She made numerous public presentations based on the footage and interviews for local media, Rotary and Lions groups, arts organizations, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum,

GOSH Museum (Guardians of Slidell History), and with the Slidell Cultural Arts Commission. Charlotte knew it was time to come home, and found a position as Director for Southeastern University’s Northshore School of the Arts. There were no tenured positions available in this area following Katrina, much less tenured positions in art. Yet, this was a dream job for her, allowing talented high school artists to earn college credit at Southeastern University. It was our mother’s unexpected death two years later that finally moved the needle. Charlotte’s position with SELU was finalized just after Mom’s death. By then, our father was in failing health and had mobility problems. Charlotte and Tom said goodbye to Atlanta and moved back to live on the premises of our parent’s home, allowing our father to stay in his home until his death. Charlotte’s career made a sharp turn at that point. Due to budget cuts, the grant program she was hired for was discontinued. Instead, she stayed on at Southeastern in the direction of continuing education and outreach programs in art, sciences, and computers. While very different from her previous positions, she enjoyed that challenge for several years before accepting her current position at Christwood Retirement Community as a Move-In Coordinator. Now she uses the skills she learned working with our mother, who was an Interior Designer. Charlotte continues to create her own art when time allows, and continues to learn. Her art has been shown in galleries in Slidell, New Orleans, and also across Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Mississippi. She is the Director for OTAC (Olde Towne Arts Center), a non-profit organization, through which she curates exhibitions

l-r: (1) Charlotte leads her krewe with her son Lowry and his fiancee, Amy. (2) Charlotte was a founding member of Mona Lisa & Moonpie Parade, and she & Tom still serve as the Krewe's leaders. (3) Charlotte & Lowry in their natural habitat, the bayou!

to spotlight fellow artists. She is also a founding member of Mona Lisa and Moon Pie, an arts parade that marches past our childhood home. “I have been an artist and art educator most of my life. Other than the two faux pas I mentioned, my parents were very supportive of my artistic bent. I have been a student for life, as I learned drawing, painting, photography, print making, sculpture, ceramics, papermaking, and most recently fused glass and jewelry techniques.” Life is funny that way – her art career led her to teach art to students from kindergarten level through adulthood, and finally at the university level. Her university experience then prepared her for a different area of service. Her experience in living closely with our father in the twilight of his life taught her to respect and appreciate the beauty of that phase of life, which sharpened her empathy and understanding to enable her to excel at her Christwood position. As she exclaims often, “At Christwood, I get to make a difference every day! It’s priceless when you get to turn frowns into smiles at a difficult time of life for people with amazing life experiences.”

So to me, these traits that characterize my sister – the fierce independence of the naked runaway, her love of art, her love of teaching, her passion for Slidell’s history, her compassion for all people and especially the downtrodden, her free spirit, her love of creatures of all types, and her passionate advocacy for those that she loves - have all lined up the sun, the moon and stars to position her to be uniquely qualified to identify with each of the EFOP stories that she has written! She is in the process of writing a fictional story about the days of yore on the bayou, and hoping to find a publisher for her documentary “Rooted in Liberté.” When the opportunity to write for Slidell Magazine came along, Charlotte was in the perfect position to accept the challenge. For Charlotte, it has been one of the most gratifying things she has done. “I am amazed at how fascinating the lives are of those we come in contact with daily. You just don’t realize what they have to offer until you sit down with them, and let their stories unfold. It is humbling, and reminds me to do more for my fellow man.” And that is why my sister is an Extraordinarily Fascinating “Ordinary” Person herself!

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Brenda Case

Brenda Case is an insurance advisor and co-owner of Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien Insurance Agency. Brenda has been recognized as Insurance Woman of the year three times by two insurance associations, and in 2001 as Agent of the Year. She is a community servant and has served as president of the Slidell Rotary Club, the Olde Towne Slidell Merchants Association, and the Women’s Health Foundation, as well as director on the boards of the Youth Service Bureau of St. Tammany and the Slidell Heritage Foundation. She was recipient of the 2008 Athena award and was a CitiBusiness Women of the Year 2010 honoree. She was selected Rotarian of the Year in 1997. Currently she is co-chair of the Slidell Economic Development Alliance and Treasurer of the Olde Towne Slidell Association. She is a graduate of Leadership Northshore, and was Co-Chair of the Slidell LED Ready Communities Pilot Program. When she is not busy with business and community activities, she enjoys reading, boating, dabbling in genealogy research, and spending time with family and friends at the “Tree Frog” on the Black Creek.

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REFLECTIONS BY CHARLOTTE LOWRY COLLINS After four years of selecting Extraordinarily Fascinating, Ordinary People (EFOPs) to share with my readers, choosing my favorite ones would be like choosing between my favorite foods, crawfish and steak. You can’t compare them. Imagine getting to choose any fascinating person you would like to get to know, and doing just that! That’s what this article allows me to do. I am honored to be part of the Slidell Mag family. But even more, it means so much to share these people and experiences with you, the reader. These EFOPs are the ones who bring kindness, respect and positive energy to our beloved community. Slidell is truly unique. If I simply commuted to and from here, I would never know of the history in this community or the culture that our residents offer. These EFOPs may even be the neighbor you chat with occasionally. But we tend to isolate ourselves in this hectic, unsure world. We gather opinions worldwide on our devices, but what is missing is the personal, one-on-one touch. I commute, work hard at work and at home, and try to spend quality time with my husband, our pets, and my family. Believe me, I can relate to being caught up by life. This is precisely why I consider myself incredibly lucky to write this article. Thanks to Kendra, I also get to share these stories with friends and strangers alike. I begin every interview prep with a case of nerves. Imagine knocking on the door of a stranger, and asking them to tell you about themselves. It requires time for them to feel comfortable sharing little known aspects of themselves. My first interview was in the "garden room" in Olde Towne with Ellen Lamarque, and I was hooked from then on. My latest article is one I am delectably looking forward to, Sal Impastato in the kitchen of Sal and Judy’s. There were lots of fun times, like sipping wine around the table with Eric and Mary Dubuisson on the canals of Eden Isles, listening to the lonesome train whistles at Chateau Bleu with Allen and Kathy Little, on Fritchie Farm with

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December 1 - 2 • 10am-5pm Vintage Items Collectibles Crafts & More! We will be collecting Toys for Tots, coats for the cold and socks for seniors during the Market! Slidell Museum • Antiques & Art on First • Carolynn’s Wonderland Aunt Tiques Curiosities & Collectibles • Magnolia House Antiques Mall The Who Dat Shoppe • Terry Lynn’s Café • French Bee Interiors • Guilty Treasures Annette’s House of Decor • Third Generation Antiques/Consignments

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Mimi Fritchie, around the barrel pub with Gardner and Ronnie Kole, mesmerized by the marsh with George Dunbar and Louisette, and tasting Mayor Freddy’s hot smoked brisket with Glenda Drennan. Some interviews turned out to be life lessons that changed my entire viewpoint, like Laura Garrity (go back and read that article when you need a little inspiration), Alice Doucette Twillie, or Anthony Alfred. I truly value the conversations from fascinating historical perspectives of those whom are no longer with us (William Lowry, R.L. Lott, Nolan Lefort, and Salvadore Galatas). Those from "The Greatest Generation" really molded me like my father, mother, grandparents, uncles and aunts. These lessons on respect were reiterated by World War II survivors like Pete Ouder, who gave me a fresh perspective on our world. They did not believe in drama or venting anger, pain, or sorrow. They would not speak of "me," but instead of "we." The public face they willed to present would always be a positive one, albeit somewhat stoic. I respectfully hope I shared some of the inspiration they brought to me. Then, there are the chances to reconnect with old friends, and make new friends. I don’t even mind the sleepless nights pondering my next EFOP for you, or the most motivational words. I truly think about the types of people we all take for granted, in hopes of enriching your perspective. I love when you come up and talk about your reaction to my article. For readers I not yet know, I hope to meet you someday! My one wish is that I had time to take each EFOP to lunch afterwards, in hopes of helping them see themselves as impactful and meaningful for future generations. One resounding mantra I heard was the genuine desire to give back. Here in my beloved Slidell, where else do you have better opportunities to get involved? This town was founded on volunteerism, as I learned from my great-grandparents, the Dunhams. On any given weekend, the opportunity to get outside of yourself, and volunteer to make someone’s life a little better, is right around the corner. If you haven’t slowed down and walked Olde Towne, I invite you to do so. Who knows, you may run into someone as fascinating as Mrs. Ruby Henderson. Step into the shops, restaurants, and businesses, and ask what they find so endearing about Olde Towne. You may be surprised at the motivation you will find and how much you will de-stress. Slidell retained this area that feels like a small town. If you are unable to get there, I will continue to bring you a slice of this life and more, monthly. I am motivated by your feedback, so let me hear from you, and down the "rose blend" brick road we will go together. Remind me to tell you about that road some day.

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Jay is recently retired after 30 years serving the public as a high school math teacher, 27 of those years at Slidell High School. Jay also served on the Slidell City Council from 2010 to 2018 as the duly elected representative for District F which further strengthened his passion for service. Jay wishes to continue his legacy of service in his community through his association with Lowry-Dunham, Case, and Vivien Insurance.

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Christmas Under the Stars Nov. 30 & Dec. 1, 7 - 8, 2018 • 6 - 9

• Griffith Park in Olde Towne

Holiday Lights & Decorations • Santa’s Magical Mailbox • Parade of Trees • Slidell’s Nativity Life-size Christmas Cottages • Slidell Magazine exhibition at the Slidell Cultural Center Visits with Santa & Mrs. Claus in the Gazebo, 6 - 8:30 pm • Free Admission! And be sure not to miss these other festive holiday events in Olde Towne Slidell: 4th Annual Spirit of the Season Olde Towne Light Display and Decorations Contest

Olde Towne Slidell will be decked out with festive lights and decorations, Nov. 23, 2018, through January 2, 2019.

Christmas in Olde Towne Slidell • Saturday, Dec. 8 • 6 - 9 pm • Free Admission

Art displays, live entertainment, fine and casual dining, and unique shopping experiences. Sponsored by the City of Slidell, Olde Towne Slidell Main Street, Carey Street Coalition, Olde Towne Slidell Association and the Slidell Historical Antique Association. Held in conjunction with Louisiana’s Shop Local Artists Week. For more information and to view events, please visit: ShopLocalArtistsWeek.com.

Holiday Concert with the Northshore Community Orchestra Friday, Dec. 21 • 7 pm • Free Admission Slidell Municipal Auditorium • 2056 Second Street

Slidell Movie Nights at Slidell’s Bayou Christmas Heritage Park • Saturday, Dec. 22 Holiday Movie starts at 7 pm • Free Admission

Christmas Under the Stars is brought to you by the City of Slidell, the

Commission on the Arts and the 2018-2019 Cultural Season Sponsors: Renaissance, $5,000:

Baroque, $2,500: CLECO Power • Jazz on the Bayou/Ronnie Kole Foundation • The Slidell Independent Neoclassical, $1,000: Councilman Bill & Laura Borchert • Holiday Inn & Suites, Slidell Lori Gomez Art • Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien Insurance Agency • Purple Armadillo Again

Impressionism, $500: Dr. Nathan Brown, Northlake Oral & Facial Surgery • Chateau Bleu • CiCi’s Pizza Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer • Flatliners Entertainment • Old School Eats Food Truck Olde Towne Slidell Print Shop • Pontchartrain Investment Management • Roberta’s Cleaners • Silver Slipper Casino Sabrina Eats Sweets • Slidell Historical Antique Association • Terry Lynn’s Café & Creative Catering

(985) 646-4375 • MySlidell.com • “City of Slidell” on Facebook & Twitter

confidence + community + friendship = beautiful results! “We want everyone who comes here to feel welcome. We have no pretense. When a guest walks in, we want their stress levels to decrease. Our team here is amazing, a perfect eco-system. We genuinely like each other and I think that the guests feel that vibe.” These were the parting thoughts from owner Jen Baudier as I left my interview with Bella Style Salon in Olde Towne Slidell. I had just enjoyed a relaxing Fall morning with the staff of Bella, laughing and sharing thoughts and philosophies on community, friendship and beauty; and I felt it - the “vibe”. The palpable vibrance of the Bella staff is born of confidence in themselves and their talents, and their love for their community and each other. The staff of Bella Style has grown considerable since moving to historic Carey Street. And it’s easy to see why! The beautifully renovated building that was transformed into a state-of-the-art salon is both metropolitan and welcoming, attracting stylists and patrons alike. Stylist Lauren Scallan says, “I love it here. I can’t imagine working anywhere else.” Stylist Lauren Baker agrees, “We’re a family and we make a great team. Everyone is very supportive of each other.” Lorrie Kauwe has worked at Bella Style since the salon’s original location on Gause, and notes, “Olde Towne is such a charming area. We get so much support from the fellow businesses here. We all work towards the same goals – cleaning up Olde Towne and making it beautiful and bringing it back to life.” The expansive salon and growing staff also allows Bella Style to offer even more services; such as waxing, mani/pedis, spray tans and facials, giving a head-to-toe beauty experience for their guests. Shannon Orlando was a Bella Style client for 13 years before she became an esthetician. “Jen encouraged me to go for it as my second career and I love it. We focus on the health of your skin with an emphasis on anti-aging. We also give counseling and provide services for acne and teens. As women, we are given high standards of what we should look like. We all have issues with our appearance. My job is to restore confidence.”

Heather Fogarty came back as a guest service expert after years away. “I’m a people person and that’s why I came back and why I chose Bella Style. Everyone’s so upbeat and so involved in the community.” Stylist Tiffanie Landa has the passion of a true artist. “I love the challenge of up-do’s because you’re getting someone ready for a big event, like a wedding or homecoming. It’s their special night and I get to be a small part of that.” Angela Audibert has worked with Bella Style for 6 years, and can attest to the salon’s growth, as well as her own. “I see Bella Style as guidance and opportunity. I was a little lost and Jen opened a whole new world for me and made me feel more confident in knowing who I am and what I wanted to do with my life.” Noelani Herrin is a stylist and make-up artist. “With make-up, I can help bring out someone’s beauty.” She’s also part of the Neill Style Squad. Neill is the distributor for the Aveda products used in the salon. The Style Squad is an educational system where Noelani receives training, then brings back those lessons to the whole salon to keep everyone current and up-to-date on the newest products, methods, and culture. In addition to being a stylist and make-up professional, Kayli Bonnet also serves as an Aveda Ambassador and Bella Style’s team leader. “One of the things I like about Bella is how much I’ve grown in confidence. I feel beautiful and I want to impart that on people. I feel confident in my life and I want to make others feel that way too.” Indeed, Bella Style Salon’s mission is much more than helping women be beautiful. They’re doing all the right things to be successful in their community and their industry. They were a Salon Today 2017 & 2018 Honoree, awarded for financial best practices and their recycling program. They were also “Northshore’s Best” Winner for Best Salon in 2017 and Best Colorist in 2018. Confidence, community, and friendship produce beautiful results!

2265 Carey Street Slidell, LA (985) 639-1602

mybellastyle.com

THIS MONTH NOVEMBER ZODIAC SIGNS SCORPIO October 23 - November 21

Strengths: Resourceful, brave, passionate, stubborn, a true friend Weaknesses: Distrusting, jealous, secretive, violent

SAGITTARIUS November 22 - December 21 Strengths: Generous, idealistic, great sense of humor Weaknesses: Promises more than can deliver, very impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic

FLOWER The ﬂower for the month of November is the chrysanthemum. The word chrysanthemum comes from the Greek words chrys and anthemum, meaning golden ﬂower. Chrysanthemums are considered to symbolize honesty, joy, and optimism.

ELECTION DAY - NOV 6! Voting Hours are from 6:00 AM till 8:00 PM U.S. Representative 1st Congressional District Associate Justice for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st Supreme Court District L.A. State Representative 90th Representative District School Board Members Districts 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 15 Mayor, Aldermen for the Town of Abita Springs (5 to be elected) Mayor, Aldermen for the Village of Folsom (3 to be elected) Mayor, Chief of Police, Aldermen for the Town of Pearl River (5 to be elected) Louisiana 2018 Proposed Constitutional Amendments

100 MONTHS AGO In celebration of Slidell Magazine’s 100th Edition, here’s what was happening 100 editions ago: The ﬁrst Slidell Magazine was released! The New Orleans Saints are defending champions of Super Bowl XLIV.

BIRTHSTONES Topaz, symbolizing friendship, is found in many colors, but it is the orange-yellow version that is the traditional birthstone for November. Citrine, which is actually a quartz crystal that ranges from yellow to orange in color, is considered another November birthstone. It is often mistaken for the orange-yellow topaz, which is more expensive.

The Gulf states continue to suffer the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill from April. The US is still celebrating the end of the terror reign of Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in May 2010. Slidell’s new mayor, Freddy Drennan, is in his ﬁrst 6 months of his 8 year tenure. The Copiapó mining accident in Chile comes to a happy end as all 33 miners arrive at the surface after surviving a record 69 days underground. Prince William and Catherine [Kate] Middleton announce their engagement.

IN HISTORY

Story by Dawn Rivera Graphics by Devin Reeson

THANKSGIVING FACTS

NOTABLE DAYS

Sarah Josepha Hale, writer of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," led a 17-year campaign to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. A letter to Abraham Lincoln ﬁnally convinced him to declare Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863.

11/02

National Plan Your Epitaph Day: Taking folks who consider themselves “planners” to a new level.

11/03

Sadie Hawkins Day: In the late 1930’s, Sadie Hawkins Day first appeared in the popular comic strip Li’l Abner. The story goes, Mr. Hawkins was worried that his daughter, Sadie, may not marry. He organized a race in which his daughter would chase all the unmarried men in town to the finish line. If she caught one, he was legally obligated to wed her. I went to my first Sadie Hawkins dance in the 90’s – all dancing and NO capturing or marriage!

11/04

Daylight savings time.

11/11

Veteran's Day, honoring those who served in the United States Armed Forces. It originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the ﬁrst anniversary of the end of World War I. It became a national holiday in 1938.

11/13

World Kindness Day Founded in 1998 is an international holiday encouraging everyone to look deep into their hearts past religion, race, and other differences to do something nice for their neighbors and/or humankind. Sounds like something we can all use!

11/15

Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day because let’s face it, you are about to grocery shop to feed an Army soon!

11/18

Bell Telephone Company introduced to the public the push button phone.

11/19

Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address

11/22

Thanksgiving Day

The Plymouth settlers did not refer to themselves as "Pilgrims." They would have called themselves "separatists" or "puritans." It wasn’t until about 100 years later that the term "Pilgrims" started to be commonly used to refer to the settlers. Turkey was not on the menu for the first Thanksgiving feast. Venison, ducks, geese and swans were! After the American government, the Macy’s parade is the second-largest consumer of helium in the USA. More about Thanksgiving Parades: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924. However, Gimbels department store in Philadelphia was the first store to hold a Thanksgiving Day parade. Originally called Macy’s Christmas Parade, employees from the store dressed as clowns, cowboys, and knights and marched next to professional floats, live bands, and 25 live animals that were borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. It wasn't until 1927 that the parade was renamed Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. 1927 was also a notable year as it was when the first parade balloon appeared - featuring the cartoon, Felix the Cat.

QUICK FACTS The name "November" comes from the Latin for nine (novem), as it was the ninth month of the Roman calendar. November was called “Blood Month” by the ancient Saxons because that was the month they sacriﬁced animals to their gods. November is also known as National Beard Month or No Shave Month (also known as "No-Shave November") and raises cancer awareness.

krewe of dionysus “Everyone’s Big Brother”

“Acta Non Verba,” which is Latin for, “Deeds, not Words,” is the motto of the Krewe of Dionysus, who is celebrating their 34th year as an allmale Slidell Mardi Gras Krewe and social club. Founded by a group of Slidell businessmen in 1985, the Krewe of Dionysus has rolled every year, and were the only Krewe in Slidell to parade for Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina. Dionysus currently has nearly 300 members, mostly from the local community, but some travel from far and wide to participate!

Past Grand Marshalls have been young men fighting cancer or living with other struggles. This year’s Grand Marshall, Tripp Buffone, is a special needs student at Slidell High School. The way in which these young men are lifted up and celebrated throughout the year often brings a tear to the eyes of the young man’s family, friends, and especially the members of the Krewe. Also, one parade float every year is set aside for first responders, or military Veteran men/women, who ride and have all their throws provided for free. The Krewe raises money throughout the year by hosting various events and partnering with other events and groups. Most recently, they participated in the Wild Game Cook-Off. Earlier this year, they volunteered and raised funds for the annual Camellia City Kids Fun Fest. Funds from this year’s Kid’s Fun Fest were distributed to a children’s charity called Riley’s Bikes. Riley’s Bikes provides custom bicycles for special needs children whom would otherwise never own or ride a bike like typical children.

If you asked a member to describe their Krewe, a common answer would be, “We think of ourselves as everyone’s Big Brother. Always there. Always ready to pitch in and help our community.” In that spirit of giving and community stewardship, the Krewe of Dionysus routinely donates tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of volunteer work to local charities and programs. Their favorite causes usually involve children, first responders, and the military.

This year’s King and Queen XXXIV are J.D. Deutschmann (a local businessman) and Mollie Bush (a freshman at Loyola University). Dionysus, which always rolls two Sundays before Mardi Gras, will roll this year on February 24th, 2019. The Krewe of Dionysus’ Grand Marshall Program was created in 2006. The Grand Marshall position (which leads the parade every year) is annually awarded to one male child or teen that is facing some type of hardship.

Dionysus is always looking for new members who want to become involved in the community! Becoming a member of Dionysus is about more than just participating in a Mardi Gras parade. It’s about joining a close knit family of people committed to improving Slidell 365 days a year. Ideal members are good fathers and husbands, have a strong religious faith, love of our country and, above all, the desire to be good stewards of the community. Adult members must be 18+, but junior members (starting at 16) can join and ride along with an adult male family member or mentor. There is also a military discount for all active-duty and retired military men.

If you would like more information about the Krewe of Dionysus, either to become a member, or learn more about their charitable events, please visit their website: www.kreweofdionysus.com or Facebook page KreweOfDionysus

Krewe of Dionysus 2019 Grand Marshall, Tripp Buﬀone For the past 34 years, the Krewe of Dionysus has hosted a weekly Bingo Game, now located at the Knights of Columbus Hall on West Hall Ave. Every Monday night, families can enjoy a meal and a fun night of bingo beginning at 5:30pm. Proceeds from the Bingo Night help fund many of the Krewe’s charitable activities. One of the upcoming events for the Krewe is their annual “Rockin Santa’s Cause” Toy Drive which benefits the Friends of the Slidell Police Foundation (FOSPF). The FOSPF helps to run Chief Randy Fandal’s “Kid’s And Police” (KAP) youth mentoring program. This mentoring program is designed to encourage positive interactions between local kids and police. On December 14-15, 2018, the Krewe

will be collecting unwrapped toys (for boys and girls) at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium from 7am - 4pm. Tickets go on sale November 1 for the Rockin Santa’s Cause event (tickets are $50 plus an unwrapped toy). This year’s goal is to collect more than $10,000 in toy donations! The toys will be given to FOSPF so that the officers may distribute gifts to children throughout the community. This year’s Krewe is led by: President, Bobby Juge (28 year member); Vice-President, Billy Baird (charter member); Treasurer, Andrew Frisard (27 year member); Secretary, Thomas Roberts (33 year member), Gary Frisard (26 year member), Leo Schmitt (charter member), Dave Wismer (15 year member), and Eric Bertrand (20 year member).

The Krewe of Dionysus will be accepting toy donations December 14 - 15 at the Slidell Auditorium (business hours) and as part of admission to the Rockin Santa's Cause Party December 15 at 7:30pm!

DONNA BUSH INSPIRED BY LIFE! CURIOSITY SEEKER! AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER & WRITER, DONNA BUSH, INVITES ALL SLIDELL MAGAZINE READERS TO JOIN HER! STORY BY CHERYL BACKES

It’s a hot, hot day in July. I sit down to talk with my dear friend, Donna Bush, about her life and her passions. We are in her lovely home and I look around at the walls covered with her beautiful photos – cheetahs, sunsets, nature scenes. And then I spy…a fully decorated 7-foot Christmas tree sitting innocuously in the corner of her living room. I make note of it. I have known Donna for over 10 years, and in that time she has gone from protecting our country’s cyber-data to becoming an award winning photographer and writer and yoga teacher extraordinaire. There are not many people who actually realize their dreams, let alone do so in retirement. When you meet Donna, you understand how she is uniquely gifted in a way that has allowed her to create an extraordinary “retirement” for herself. She is intelligent and persistently curious with a good measure of courage. She is observant and a terrific listener. And somehow, she knows just how to elicit trust so that her friends and those she interviews open up and share deeply. In her time writing for Slidell Magazine, her gorgeous photos for her column draw you in, but it is her stories that captivate you. There is so much to know about this quiet, yet friendly, person that I could not wait to start asking questions. Donna is a computer programmer, animal and nature40

lover, an accomplished photographer, writer and yoga instructor. Here’s a little bit of her story. Donna grew up in rural Laurel, Mississippi in the 1960’s. “The best thing about growing up there is that it was a small town and there were lots of woods. You could be a tomboy!” No doubt Donna was (is) a tomboy. Hiking trails with her grey-striped tabby cat following her and climbing trees to prank younger kids who happen beneath her are just two of the fond memories she holds of her childhood. Any stray dog that showed up at her parents’ house would immediately be adopted by Donna. “I named them all Sam,” she says with a slight giggle. She did have a dream job when she was young, and that was to be a policewoman. “I’ve already done that now. I rode with the Slidell Police Department, K-9 Unit. I really liked that!” Donna studied for her degree in Computer Sciences at USM and upon graduation was immediately hired by Texaco to work in Houston. Rather quickly, Donna made a name for herself at Texaco. “I was an RPG (Report Program Generator) whiz! It was such a cool language!” (At this point in the interview I am again taking in the Christmas tree and I just can’t seem to justify its existence in July in the house

of someone who considers a computer language real ”cool.”) From Texaco, Donna migrated back to Mississippi and worked at Stennis as a contractor doing accounting systems. She worked hand-in-hand with a systems programmer. “I had always been in awe of systems programmers. So I started learning about that. I interviewed at USDA and was hired there. I got into the ‘networks’ world and stayed there until I retired. I managed the firewalls.” When asked what she is proudest of from her time working in the computer science world, she replies without hesitation, “Well, there are two. One I can take partial credit for and that is successfully recovering our network and firewall system from New Orleans to Philadelphia after Katrina, without missing a beat, without missing a paycheck (to the 500,000 employees).” This was no small feat. USDA payrolled over 150 government agencies all over the country. They could not miss a paycheck (biweekly) so they sped up the processing to the Friday evening prior to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. At the same time, they were bringing on board a new agency, TSA. There were some tense moments on Donna’s team, especially when they had to “hit the button” which would essentially switch all of the information and

running of programs over to the back-up in Philadelphia. The computer operations center for Donna’s work remained in Philadelphia until 2007-2008 when the USDA moved the operations center to Denver, where they had been building a back-up data center. Donna was solely responsible for that switchover of all the firewalls. That is the job for which she is most proud during her tenure as a computer scientist. Donna retired from the USDA in 2012, but she had some back-up plans of her own. It was at the USDA in the early 1990’s that Donna met a coworker who had been a professional photographer. “My coworker gave me some intelligent tips that really clicked and made a big difference in my photography. Before that, my pictures were the ones where my friends’ heads were cut off.” From that point on, Donna nurtured her budding passion for photography. She got her first Nikon, a totally manual film camera. She joined the Photography Club at the St. Tammany Art Association and started meeting and learning from other photographers. “Film photography – you had to know a lot more, but it has helped me so much with digital photography. For awhile, I had my own dark room to develop black and white prints.” One of the first professional photography gigs that Donna had was with the Wednesday evening sailboat races on the Lakefront. “I would go out on the boat with the committee boat captain. I would take pictures of the sailboats racing. As soon as I got off the boat, I would run to Walgreens 1 hour photo, get my pictures developed, then run back to the yacht club and post them on boards for the sailors to buy.” Not long

after starting her photography business at the yacht club, Donna approached US Fish and Wildlife Services to offer her photography skills. They have since used her photographs for their brochures and in their visitors’ center. She also photographs many of their events. Donna has a very strong sense of adventure. For a kid who never traveled much further from home than Pascagoula for fishing, it’s interesting to find that she now travels all over the world photographing wildlife. She loves everything about traveling, from the transportation (planes, boats) to the new sights and experiences. When asked where the most interesting place is that she has traveled, she is stumped. “Too hard to answer. Tanzania? Brazil? The wildlife is so phenomenal in both places!” Alaska is a place that Donna has traveled many times and she considers that the most scenic place she has been (and a place in which she would not mind living). As of today, Alaska wild grizzly bear photographing has been her favorite shoot. She has had at least one rather terrifying encounter with a grizzly. “It was just my guide, Chuck and me. We’re out walking on the beach and we’re going up to where we had seen some bears. There are some grizzly bears just over a little hill and we’re watching them, taking pictures. One grizzly starts walking over the hill to the valley where I am. The bear probably passed about 3 feet away from me. I couldn’t take a picture because the bear was too close and my lens was too long. I couldn’t focus (my lens). I was afraid.” Fortunately, the bear was totally uninterested in Donna and her guide, so they both survived that incident unscathed. On another occasion, Donna tracked a

grizzly who was virtually hidden by tall grasses. And then there was the time that she was “bluff” charged by a grizzly. Donna’s favorite photo she’s ever taken: she points to the large, exquisite photo of cheetahs on her living room wall. Right next to the Christmas tree. Her next photography adventure this year will be to visit the Great Bear Rainforest in Canada to photograph Spirit Bears which are a very rare off-white sub-species of the American Black Bear. When asked if there are other animals that she wants to photograph, she says, “Yeah, ALWAYS! Tigers, maybe in Thailand, polar bears, kangaroos and koala bears.” Lest you think Donna has all of these adventures on her own, let me introduce you to her dear husband, Eric. Eric is not a piker when it comes to traveling. He accompanies Donna on most of her trips and is a world traveler in his own right. He is a Field Service Engineer working on deep sea ships' navigation equipment and in his "retirement" has not seemed to slow down at all. Through his company, Nola Nav Services Inc, Eric is contracted regularly to provide his expert services all over the world. Eric is an avid whitewater canoer and travels often with friends to seek thrills on our country’s rivers. In his spare time, he is quite the brewmaster. I have been the delighted recipient of many of his home brews and he has definitely honed his beer-making craft to a delicious level! Donna is also a nature writer. She has taken many writer’s workshops and spends much time penning articles on wildlife when she is not out in the field photographing nature and animals. Her love of animals is quite apparent. Currently, her home is

l-r: (1) World travelers, Donna and her husband, Eric Kostelak. (2) Donna is an animal advocate, rescuer and lover. Here's a typical evening at home with the kitties. (3) Donna's practiced yoga on nearly every continent!

Donna's passion for wildlife photography prompts her travels around the globe. Her award-winning eagle photo appeared on the July 2014 cover of Slidell Magazine. Her cheetah photo has won numerous awards and is one of her personal favorites. graced with two beautiful Maine coon / calico rescue cats, Annie and Missy, plus a 4-year old calico, Lucy, that adopted them, as well as a new fur baby, BB. BB was a feral kitten who had a rather lengthy rescue from the engine compartment of a vehicle. “BB stole our hearts because he was just so terrified.” It took weeks to get him to stop spitting and hissing. Many of Donna’s days lately are spent helping to rescue and re-home cats. “I didn’t get into animal rescue (consciously). (These animals) found me. I’ve always had a soft spot for animals. They’re trusting, loving.” Eric shares Donna’s enthusiasm not only when it comes to travel, but also around rescue animals. Donna has many stories about the various cats and other animals that she has rescued. She has participated in wildlife rehab training at Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary in Folsom (“lots of possums”). She did a story on Wind Dancer Horse Rescue and was moved to help them get more funding. Donna’s first story for Slidell Magazine was “Whisker Tickles.” This is the story of how Donna and Eric rescued momma and kittens from their backyard chiminea with the help of Feral Cat Consortium of St. Tammany Parish. Donna has volunteered at Big Sky where she and her husband built a feral cat feeding station. At Big Sky, she also teaches “cat” yoga for their kids’ summer camp program.

That’s “free range cats. Cats on the yoga mats walking all around.” Any story about Donna would not be complete without mentioning her Yoga life! Donna started her own yoga practice while she was working at the USDA back in 1999. Her mother had kidney cancer and it was a very stressful time all around. Donna was hooked on yoga from the very beginning. “It’s that whole mind-body-spirit connection.” Donna received her 500hr RYT (registered yoga teacher certificate) and her 200hr E-RYT (experienced registered yoga teacher certificate). She taught her first classes at Heart Pine Studio in Slidell in 2012. She currently teaches regular classes at Sculpt Fitness in Slidell, at a private home in Covington, as well as several private students. This fall she will be again offering her very popular, free-to-the-public yoga classes at the St. Tammany Parish Library, Slidell. Donna is very passionate about what she wants to convey to her students about yoga. “The biggest thing is I want them to understand that yoga is for every BODY, meaning every physical body. You don’t have to be able to fold into a pretzel, you don’t have to be able to sit in Lotus for 30 minutes… You just need to show up, it’s all you really have to do. And there’s a benefit for you. If you show up, there’s something for you.”

Oh, the Christmas tree: It’s for the cats! “Our two senior cats are getting so much older and in the wintertime they lie on the tree skirt underneath the tree with the lights on because the lights give them warmth. We leave it up a little while every year, but this year we’ve left it up so long that we are calling it the ‘holiday’ tree. Every time we start talking about taking it down, I look over there and one of them is laying on the tree skirt.” What’s Donna looking forward to in the next 10 years? “More adventures!” And I have no doubt that this remarkable woman will be having many more of those!

GUEST WRITER

Cheryl Backes

Cheryl Backes is an integrative wellness health coach. Her background is in biology and biochemistry but her true passion is inspiring and educating others around food and lifestyle choices. She is the owner of Radiant Health Solutions where she tailors individual wellness programs for her clients. Cheryl is married to a brilliant research scientist and she is the proud momma of two young men who are also involved in the healing arts.

WOW! Next time you see Kendra, ask her how many times that has come back to bite her. For me, it has been an absolutely fantastic journey! I had only written two stories for Slidell Magazine when I returned from a two-week all girls photo safari in Tanzania. I pitched the story to Kendra and she said yes. When I sent her the story and the images, she called me. Let me just say, I get really nervous when Kendra calls me about a story. I’m always afraid I’ve screwed up! But, she wanted to tell me how much she LOVED the photos and wanted more story, more photos and two parts! WooHoo! Score!

REFLECTIONS ON MY JOURNEY WITH SLIDELL MAGAZINE BY DONNA BUSH What do I love about working with Slidell Magazine? First, we must start with my Slidell Magazine business card. I bugged Kendra for ages to get me my own business cards with the Slidell Magazine logo. I needed them to prove to my interview subjects that I was legit. I must digress and share this story with you. When I wrote the story about the New Orleans streetcars and interviewed Michael, the praline salesman at the end of the St. Charles run at Clairborne, I asked to take photos of him. He said his buddy wanted to know if I was legit or was I going to take his picture, photoshop him naked and post it on the internet! LOL! Yes, Kendra, I need Slidell Magazine business cards. We agreed on my award-winning cover from July 2014 as the cover shot on my business card with the logo below. She already had all the pertinent contact information for me. So, I left my editor in charge of creating the backside information pane. Wow! Was I surprised when she sent me a proof and she, KENDRA, had written: Award-Winning Photographer Amazingly Talented Writer Adventure Seeker – Nature Lover (and able to talk her Editor into ANYTHING)

From there, I moved on to several local stories – gardening for wildlife, kayaking, honeybees, etc. Can’t forget the story about eagles and ospreys, as it landed me a cover shot of a bald eagle, which won me awards with both Louisiana Outdoor Writer Association (LOWA) and SouthEastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA). And it's on my infamous Slidell Magazine business card. Then I persuaded Kendra to let me write ‘Hollywood South.' You see, they were filming a movie based on Nicholas Sparks’ book The Best of Me near my house. Curious as I am, I walked up there and met Albert Quaid, the Locations Director. With my inquisitive nature, one thing led to another and I interviewed the 1st AD (Assistant Director), Eric Hayes. I really wanted to visit a set to see for myself how they shoot scenes and fold it all into what we see on the big screen. Eric said, “Absolutely, yes!” but he had finished filming The Best of Me so he recommended that I visit when he started filming a new series called, NCIS:New Orleans. WOW! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! One thing led to another: At least 8-10 visits on their set – some at their studio, some on location around the city - a two-part story on filming the show, and then I worked as an extra, made the cut and appeared on TV. Wow! I never saw that happening! I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many non-profits in our area and write about the wonderful work they provide – STARC / COAST, Wind Dancer Ranch Equine Rescue, Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary, Big Sky Ranch / Catnip Foundation and there are probably more, or will be more. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a big heart for all animals. That brings me to more horses, big horses! Can you say Budweiser Clydesdales!! I knew that the Clydesdales were stabled at NOPD Mounted Division Stable in City Park when

l-r: (1) Donna delivers her Slidell Magazine cover story to the crew of NCIS: New Orleans. (2) On a glider adventure with Eric. (3) Her twopart story on the Budweiser Clydesdales was one of our most popular stories ever! (4) Winner, LA Outdoor Writers Association.

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they visited for Mardi Gras each year. An email and a phone call later, I had a personal invitation to watch their arrival! I was treated to interviews with the New Hampshire Hitch Supervisor, Dave Thomas, and Dave Waguespack, head of NOPD Mounted Division. All of this led to a 2-part story about the Budweiser Clydesdales, which included private interviews and personal tours of Warm Springs Ranch, the breeding facility; Grants Farm, their kindergarten; and the Merrimack New Hampshire location, finishing school. And I conducted phone interviews with trainers for the Clydesdales commercials. Out of all this, I came up with the idea to write a story about both NOPD and SPD’s mounted divisions and canine divisions. This earned me one-on-one interviews with members of both divisions and observation of both canine teams in action performing drills and searching for explosives. I was also able to ride along with Officer Clint McCall, K-9 Quest and meet the crew of Live PD. I visited with the NOPD Mounted Division during rider training and SPD Mounted Division during patrols at Fremaux Towne Center.

My stories always educate me in new and fascinating ways. Take for instance, pigeon racing, Infinity Science Center, learning how to pick grapes and make wine, alligator hunting, the meaning behind prescribed burns and so much more. I’ve gone up in gliders, even taking the controls for a bit. I’ve taken you along on my adventures in Ireland, Brazil and Alaska. We’ve shared eagles, whales, jaguars, and sheep farming. I’ve kayaked and camped in Prince William Sound. And I ate lobster every single day, some days every meal, while in Maine visiting lighthouses. I shared my 60th birthday trip along the Pacific Coast Highway and told you about our Chief of Police, Randy Fandal’s amazing hike on the Appalachian Trail. Last month I wrapped up my 12-part series about Cajuns helping others. That was a huge step outside my comfort zone to commit to 12 consecutive stories along with my regular story. But I learned something from every story and I hope I educated some of you also.

and his support of all my endeavors. He’s been my Sherpa on numerous photography trips and provided travel opportunities for past and future stories. He is truly my biggest supporter and fan. He is also my editor and sounding board, tirelessly listening to and reading each one of my stories, offering advice and suggestions. He’s helped me narrow down each story’s photo submissions. Kendra, you owe him! I know I send you too many photos, but just imagine how many there could be if Eric didn’t help me eliminate some! I have to say that when I retired from USDA-NFC, I hoped I would be able to market and promote my writing and photography, never dreaming that it would lead me to a regular monthly story. I’m lucky Kendra took a leap of faith and gave me a chance. I look forward to sharing many more adventures and my inquisitive and curious nature with my Slidell Magazine readers. Stay tuned!

One constant throughout my career at Slidell Magazine is my wonderful husband, Eric,

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LESLIE GATES

Crimi-Mommly INSANE STORY BY BRIAN GATES

What motivates someone to share their experiences, their personal thoughts and their emotions with thousands of people they don’t know? Where does that confidence come from? These questions were on my mind as I sat down with your Crimi-Mommly Insane columnist, Leslie Gates. The question became a journey through the life of one of Slidell’s own. Leslie was born in Slidell a week before Christmas, on December 17, 1977. She has an older brother (five years) and sister (nine years), and is fortunate that they still live in Slidell. Her mother and father provided a secure and stable household as she spent her entire childhood living in the same house in Westchester Estates. Slidell was much smaller back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Video games weren’t what they are now, so she spent much of her time playing outside with the neighborhood kids who were mostly boys. So she tells it, they played games like “Army,” “Cops and Robbers” and “Cowboys and Indians,” and when the heavy rains came, the deep ditches along the neighborhood streets turned from World War One trenches into swimming holes. Although the most significant childhood injury she had was 48

a broken arm, no matter what game they played, she became a wounded warrior with a broken leg (I imagine a little blonde haired girl limping on a stick shouting, “Help me! Help me!” but never quite falling to the ground). Leslie’s father was a Technical Writer who worked on manuals for large businesses such as Boeing and for the military. His contracts took him away from Slidell for months at a time. On top of that, he was in the U.S. Army Reserves, and spent nearly a year in the deserts of the Middle East during DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM when Leslie was twelve. Those events - those absences - tested Leslie and her mom, a strong woman who raised the kids, worked a job in a medical office transcribing doctors’ scribblings, and ran the house for long stretches on her own. Somewhere in there, she made the opportunity for Leslie to take dance lessons, which she eventually used to become a Spartanette on Salmen High School’s dance team. In those hours when Mom was busy and Dad was gone, Leslie developed a strong sense of imagination and an ability to occupy herself with activities such as writing and drawing. I asked if she remembered the first thing she wrote and, as luck would have it, I

got to read “The Two Spies,” written in the fourth grade about two siblings who were stranded and separated in a war. The main characters, she says, are eerily like her and her brother. As we moved along through her childhood, a song came on the radio and she seemed to know what it was on the first note. She has an incredible memory for songs and some movies. Freddy Krueger in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movie series still gets Leslie’s vote for horror films. However, some of her other favorite movies growing up in the 80’s really seem to represent her relationship with the elementary and high school setting: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” School was a bit of an adventure. She spent much of her time trying to suppress her sense of humor and restlessness long enough to sit in class. Sometimes, she didn’t quite get the job done. As kids do, she was known to get caught passing the odd note to her friends and having them read out loud. But once in a while, she went much further - like sneaking out the window in the middle of class while the teacher looked the other way and spending time hanging out in detention with some of the other notorious spirits in her class.

As she continued on, I noted the life-long friends she made along the way and the central role family plays. Her favorite memories of childhood include Christmas gatherings at her maternal grandmother’s house, bonfires in her parents' back yard, Disney World and visiting her dad’s parents in Huntsville, Alabama. Leslie has spent most of her life attending the same church in Slidell. Her maternal grandmother was instrumental in getting the church started and Leslie developed her Christian faith there. Through Easter egg hunts, Christmas programs and weekly services, Leslie cemented a faith that, while shaken at times, has given her the strength to know that she can “accomplish all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens” her. Her longest absences from that church have occurred while she was absent from Slidell. As she looked toward high school graduation, Leslie weighed her options. Her family history with the U.S. Army includes her father and grandfather who, as an engineer officer during World War Two, helped design and build the facilities at Oak Ridge, Tennessee that propelled the U.S. into the nuclear age with the Manhattan Project. That history together with a large helping of patriotism served up at home, pointed her toward enlistment. Together with one of those life-long friends, she went down to the recruiting station in Slidell and signed up to become a soldier. Like millions before her, basic training introduced her to Army life. She never really imagined what it was really like. Her Service began at Fort Jackson, SC. She learned a lot. She experienced a lot, both good and bad, in a relatively short time. In training, she learned technical skills like how to fuel a Blackhawk helicopter, to drive and maintain a HEMMT fueler (that’s a big truck that can carry 2,500 gallons of fuel across a battlefield) and how to establish a refueling site for M1 tanks. On the more human side of things, she learned that there are good and not-so-good people wherever you go. Many people, like her Drill Sergeant, stress you out emotionally and physically to toughen you. Like a blacksmith, his work didn’t always seem pretty; but, in the end, she came to know his efforts and intent were to make her strong. Like the flip-side of a coin however, she experienced sexual politics, and assault, from a different instructor. She walked out of basic slightly scarred, but a strong, proud soldier.

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She next went to Airborne school at Fort Benning, GA. Stories of Airborne school generally center on physical training or the first experience jumping out of an airplane. Each has its own twist. Leslie’s time was spent overcoming a sprained knee that swelled up “three times the normal size.” At Airborne School, one of the ways they pare down the number of students is to kick out anyone who can’t make it through the physical stuff. It doesn’t matter if you are injured or not. Directed to go see the doctor for an evaluation, she chose to hide that knee. She feigned as though her other knee was sprained to get back into training. Living through real pain for a couple of weeks and hiding the limp got her through. (After all, she’d practiced for that role dozens of times as the neighborhood's wounded warrior.) Her father was there at graduation to pin her airborne 49

l-r: (1) Leslie in the Army, waiting to board an aircraft for a desert night jump out of the rear of a C130. (2) Leslie's dad pins on her newly earned Airborne wings. (3) Proud parents at Leslie's nursing graduation, where she received honors for highest GPA.

wings on her uniform, giving her a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of pride from the one person she most needed it. Leslie then went to a medical unit in Fort Lewis, Washington where she spent much of her time working odd hours in support of the medical evacuation by helicopters. Her outfit did everything from their own flight training to recovering soldiers in the field and was called in to rescue lost or injured hikers up on Mount Rainier. It was her first real Army unit. It was also her first real experience as an adult, away from home with time on her hands - time she controlled. Letters to and from home tell the story. In those, you’ll find tales of adventure in Seattle, Washington, hiking in the Great Northwest, romance, friendship, and of loneliness. Leslie wanted to be a SUPER SOLDIER, she wanted to be a hard-as-a-rock, stand-out performer. She was. She was also an attractive young woman. In 1996, the Army was 13.4% women, that’s more than 6 men for every woman. Most are in their 20’s.

She got married to a good looking guy at Fort Lewis. It was a mistake. He was physically abusive. For the next two years she continued to work hard, with the stress of her personal life weighing heavy on her mind. She was on a four-year enlistment. With a driving need to accomplish something before she got out and a desire to get away from Fort Lewis, Leslie volunteered to deploy to the Middle East, serving in Kuwait during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Like many Army experiences, it was a mix of monotony, hard work, physical fitness and moments of adventure, including a night-time parachute jump with one of the Special Forces units. During one of those down times, she took an aptitude test and discovered that she wanted to be a nurse. She enjoyed the Army, she was good at it, but she could not change jobs because her specialty didn’t have enough people. The Army wouldn’t let her reenlist and work in another field! She faced the hardest decision she'd ever made and decided to

get out. The deployment capped a short Army career and she returned to Slidell a proud Army veteran. What next? She moved home, entered the Reserves in an ambulance company and went to school to become a nurse. (At this point, Leslie mentioned trenches, ambulances and nurses and I began to picture a scene out of Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms.”) Given the tales of grade school, I was surprised that she had made the decision to voluntarily sit in a class room. But something had happened along the way. She had matured. She was an excellent student. She enjoyed the experience and revered her teachers. Somewhere in those two years, she also took the courageous step to divorce, a decision that many wait too late to make. For a while, she stayed with her parents, then her grandmother, and then she got her own place. She was working in a medical office in Slidell as she finished the degree and was ready to restart her nurse life.

l-r: (1) First dance with husband, Brian. (2) The airport reunion, after Brian served 14 long months in Afganistan. (3) Daily life with children, Devin, Brice and Carly, in Helena, AL. (4) The Gates family, 2018, on a two week Airbnb road trip.

Life often has other plans for us, however. One night, out with a friend, she met a man. Of all occupations, he was in the Army. Brian was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, KS. They spent their nights on the phone and their weekends travelling back and forth in a long distance relationship. A year later, they married. His next assignment took them to Hawaii, a beautiful place where the sunshine and beautiful weather abound. Much of the first year and a half was a whirlwind of morning sickness, back aches, hospital visits, breastfeeding and sleepless nights as child #1 came into the picture. Going to the beach, scuba classes, hiking on Oahu and enjoying the islands became possible after more than a year. Of course, it would end early. He went to Afghanistan for a year and Leslie returned to Slidell, raising Devin at her parents’ house. She spent her days being a mom and missing her husband. Toward the end of his tour, he was sent to Germany to help ready the next unit to deploy. Leslie flew to Germany to visit him. A great short trip – son Brice was on the way. Leaving Hawaii, they decided Brian would retire from the Army and they would spend his last tour close to Louisiana where they could visit family. Leslie found herself in Birmingham, Alabama. The timing of the move was a Godsend. Leslie’s family evacuated as Hurricane Katrina advanced on the Gulf. They watched in horror as the aftermath was revealed on television. All of her relatives’ homes flooded, so her parents and sister’s family spent weeks

in Birmingham, before returning to rebuild. A couple of months later, Brice was born. Leslie made the decision to be a stay-athome mom. A toddler and a baby kept her days occupied. It was controlled chaos. She loved the babies, and family time included fishing and enjoying the family parks around Birmingham. Time flew. Leslie’s third child, Carly, was born in July 2007 and five months later, Brian retired. Leslie looked forward to moving home. For the first couple of years, Leslie chased three kids around the house. Devin was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and was a handful. She struggled with his challenges and Brian’s inability to accept the reality. She pushed her way through. When she got Carly going in school, Leslie had a child in preschool, kindergarten and elementary school. She says it has been pretty much like that ever since: trying to remember schedules and differing bus times, sack lunches, sports and band practices, chasing an ever-moving target. She started painting. Her talent is apparent and she soon had a garage full of paintings. She and a neighborhood friend created a sort of art work shrine to “The Wizard of Oz” in an old garage. The creativity served as a release from the stresses of a child’s meltdowns and life. She also took on a bunch of jobs at her church, even serving as a deacon. But when those duties started to be too much, to compete too heavily for her time, she had to step back a bit. She seems to always find herself helping someone, even when she could use a little help.

Soon thereafter, she started writing for Slidell Magazine. In these pages, you can find details and hints of her life month by month. As I closed my notebook to end the interview, I looked into Leslie’s beautiful blue eyes and considered how to describe her: A nurse; a native Slidellian; a wife; a veteran; and a sometimes reclusive, dedicated, sometimes restless, giving, loving, dedicated crimi-mommly-insane mom.

GUEST WRITER

Brian Gates

Brian Gates, a Colorado native, moved to Slidell in 2007 after retiring from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. Fulfilling his childhood dream, he graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1988. He has a Bachelors degree in Computer Science, a Masters in Information Management, and a Masters in Military Art and Science. He worked as a Senior Watch Officer in the White House Situation Room, and did tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan. Brian has been married for 16 years to Crimi-mommly Insane writer, Leslie Gates, and they have three children. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family.

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WHAT SLIDELL MAGAZINE MEANS TO ME BY LESLIE GATES There are only two things I have written that have such significant importance to me, but, a very small word count limit. Two things I have written, then RE-written because I wanted to give them the justice they deserved. And, I don’t usually re-write ANYTHING. These two things are: My dad’s obituary, and, this - what Slidell Magazine means to me.

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Ten years ago, sitting at the computer in our Alabama home with three small children, no friends or family around, one outfit that fit me, and a slight tic, I decided I needed an outlet. Somewhere I could put all my motherly and UNMOTHERLY thoughts down. So, I started a blog. When we moved to Slidell and my thoughts got a little more honest and unfiltered, I started another one. They weren’t much, but it allowed me to purge out what I was feeling at the time, so I could move on to what was next. Friends and family kept up with it, which was a little scary because it felt like I had given them the key to my diary by opening myself up to their judgment. Fast forward. 2010-2012, I was in a bad place. All the way around. Going from having it all together (or at least pretending to), to poorly going through the motions. It started after waking up one morning not able to move ANY of my joints without excruciating pain. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder, Human Parvo B19, that I contracted when all our kids simultaneously had Fifth’s Disease. For six months, I couldn’t even pour milk into cereal bowls, having to wear wrist braces just to get anything done. I kept up with my blog though, because it helped, even if I had to type one button at a time. Our son’s special needs had worn me down. Mainly, the part of watching him suffer. It was an extremely helpless feeling. He ended up in the children’s psych ward at Children’s Hospital because of three years of daily violent meltdowns that had gotten progressively worse each year. I had lost total control of the situation. He had hurt a family member in the throes of a meltdown, so we had to get him immediate help. There is lots of guilt that comes with a decision like that.

And a lot that comes afterwards, because they remember it. Not much changed when he came back home either. To add more, my Dad’s disease (Parkinsons with dementia) was progressing. Having to help care for him, while watching him slowly deteriorate took another huge toll. The complete emotional overwhelm of everything was consuming me. I felt like giving up. Instead, I just numbed myself in various ways to deal with the depression. My marriage was suffering, and as much as I tried hiding it all, the kids could tell that something inside of me had changed. I decided to start therapy. When she asked me why I was there, I said, “I don’t care anymore.” In the second month of therapy, I taught myself to paint. It helped. But writing was my healing. There was something about seeing my thoughts come to life, being vulnerable to them and putting it all out there. I wanted that vulnerability to reach more people.

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Five months into therapy, I got a voicemail. It was from Editor Kendra Maness, asking me to write a family column for her magazine. Our neighbor, Carol Ruiz, who had been reading my blog, sent her the link. The timing was nothing other than a miracle. God sent.

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In these pages, I’ve worked through debilitating shame and grief from my past and present, typed through typical motherhood annoyances like lice and cleaning house. Many times, I’ve sat on the back porch with close friends and family who give input into what I've written. They cheer me on. Laugh and cry with me. Find their OWN healing. This magazine has been part of their journey, too. Our children have also contributed, directly and indirectly. This magazine has been a part of their childhood story. It’s cool that they will have archived copies to look at one day when they are parents, most likely in their OWN therapy session. Or when I’m no longer able to give advice, because my dentures are lost, or I ran away from the nursing home with the hot male nurse.

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I have met such talented and good-hearted people through this magazine family. And I feel honored to be a part of all it represents. Someone saw potential in me during a time that I was barely standing, and it slowly helped me find the way back home. Because my thoughts are never changed or altered here, I feel completely accepted for the mess that I am. Cards and messages from readers have brought tears to my eyes, and given me a whole new level of understanding. That the world is much bigger than our own story, but, our story might matter to someone, somewhere. Before I sit down to write, I always say a prayer. Part of it is for God to lead my thoughts in a direction that might help someone else. Even if it’s just a single soul. At a hard place in life. That ends up taking a different path because of it. Thank you, Carol. Thank you, Kendra. Thank you, Slidell Magazine.

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Legal-ease

WHAT IS USUFRUCT?

(NO, IT ISN’T A CUSS WORD!) If you have lived in Louisiana long enough, you surely have heard of the word “usufruct”. And when uttered, you do not need to wash one’s mouth out with soap, it truly is a real legal word. And now we will learn how to pronounce it properly…it comes from two words of Latin origin 1) USUS, meaning the “use” and enjoyment of the asset, and 2) FRUCTUS, meaning the “fruits” (like rent, income, or interest) of the asset. When you put these two words together, USU-FRUCT…you have usufruct! The most common usufruct occurs when someone dies intestate. Intestate simply means that the decedent died without leaving behind a valid Last Will and Testament. If Bill and Mary have been married for many years and all their assets were acquired during their marriage, they are classiﬁed as community property assets. If Bill dies intestate, all of Bill’s community property assets will go equally to all of his children and Mary will enjoy a “usufruct” over all of those assets. This usufruct will last for Mary’s lifetime or until she remarries, whichever ﬁrst occurs. Yes, this means that the intestate usufruct of a surviving spouse ends when they remarry. Bill’s children will inherit the “naked ownership” (legally called the abusus) until Mary’s usufruct terminates, at which point the children will then become the full and complete owners of those assets. One of my favorite sentences is this: “Naked ownership will always ripen to become full ownership upon the termination of the usufruct.” (Yes, I’m a proud nerd. Always have been.) Notice that the usufructuary (the legal name of the person enjoying the usufruct) does not have the power to sell the assets subject to the usufruct. If the usufruct is over the family home (of which Mary still owns her community half) and Mary wishes to sell, she must obtain the permission of all of Bill’s children (not just a majority), who are the naked owners. Remember, all of the above assumes Bill died without a valid Will. With a properly drafted Will, Bill could grant to Mary, as usufructuary, the power to sell the assets without needing the children’s (naked owners) permission. This “power to dispose of the non-consumables” (also referred to as a “super” usufruct) may apply to real estate, stocks, and any other type of asset. Bill could also guarantee that Mary’s

usufruct would last for her lifetime, regardless of remarriage, and state that Mary would not need to post any bond as the usufructuary. In most cases, Bill wants Mary to have full use and control of his assets during her lifetime, yet when Mary dies, Bill wants his assets to go to his children. If Mary has spent Bill’s assets, then Mary’s estate would owe the value of those assets back to Bill’s children upon her death. This protects Bill’s children so that, upon the death of Mary, no matter what Mary’s new Last Will may say (e.g. all to her new husband, or her own children, or to a charity), Bill’s children will be “made whole” upon Mary’s death. Also note that having a usufruct over one’s primary residence still qualiﬁes for the Louisiana Homestead Exemption and the Senior Freeze. With proper planning, using the unique Louisiana concept of usufruct in estate planning is very safe, convenient, and easy.

40 Louis Prima Drive, Covington, LA (off Hwy 190, near Copeland’s) 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 • www.rondamgabb.com