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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 148
BY SENATOR HEITMEIER AND REPRESENTATIVE SIMON
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Peter J. Calamari III, former
deputy assistant to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and
Hospitals, office of behavioral health in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
Legislature of Louisiana learned of the death of Peter J. Calamari III on Saturday, April 28,
2012, at the age of seventy; and
WHEREAS, on August 2, 1941, Peter Calamari was born in New Orleans to Ruby
Ann and Peter J. Calamari Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari attended and graduated from Holy Cross High School in
New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari later graduated from the University of Notre Dame near
South Bend, Indiana, where he went on to graduate from Notre Dame Seminary; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari was ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of
New Orleans and served in various church parishes from 1968 until 1981; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari continued his dedication to others outside the workings
of the Catholic Church, by founding and developing the Discovery Early Childhood
Development Program in 1984, to provide high quality early childhood experiences for
young children, and remaining active in the program until 2004; and
WHEREAS, at the same time, Mr. Calamari embarked on his thirty year civil service
career with Louisiana's office for citizens with developmental disabilities, first at the
Metropolitan Developmental Center in Belle Chasse, then as administrator of the Hammond
Developmental Center, as the deputy assistant secretary for the office of citizens with
developmental disabilities, and as the deputy assistant secretary for the office of behavioral SCR NO. 148 ENROLLED
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health; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari had a passion for helping all people, but the most
vulnerable in society were those he remembered first; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari's work and personal sacrifices impacted positively the
lives of so many in Louisiana and he brought his talents to help in the consolidation of the
state offices of addictive disorders and mental health into the newly created office of
behavioral health; and
WHEREAS, in his role as deputy assistant secretary of the office of behavioral
health, he helped a historic transformation in behavioral health care currently being
implemented around the state; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of his thirty years of unselfish service to the citizens of
Louisiana, in 2011, Mr. Calamari was nominated for and received the Charles E. Dunbar Jr.
Career Service Award; and
WHEREAS, those who nominated Mr. Calamari for the career service award stated:
"There are dreamers and doers, but Mr. Calamari has demonstrated that he is one of the few
exceptional people who embraces both of these roles. He is a visionary with a meticulous
plan tucked firmly under his arm"; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his many professional achievements, Mr. Calamari was
a devoted family man and a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari is survived by his beloved wife, Catherine Ann Sage
Calamari, and the mother of Gloria, James, Bruce, June, Karen, and Gregg, his fifteen
grandchildren, and his nine great-grandchildren, by whom he was greatly loved and will be
sorely missed; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari was also survived by his brothers Michael P. Calamari
and Paul D. Calamari, nephews Michael P. Calamari Jr. and Peter J. Calamari IV, nieces
Suzanne C. Ledet, Katherine C. Cobb, and Victoria C. Lombard, as well as six great nieces
and nephews; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari will be profoundly missed among his peers for his
remarkable leadership, his brilliant intellect, and all of the incomparable talents that he lent
in service to his fellow citizens of Louisiana; and SCR NO. 148 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari's loyalty and dedication to his profession and his co-
workers were inspiring and unwavering; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Calamari represented all that is good about Louisiana and its people
as a man with unique gifts and a charitable spirit who shared his abilities with his family, his
community, his friends, and his state, and he will be sorely missed but will never be
forgotten by all whose lives he touched.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Peter J. Calamari III, former
deputy assistant to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, office
of behavioral health in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Mrs.
Catherine Ann Sage Calamari.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES