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Regular Session, 2012
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 78
BY SENATOR PERRY
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Dr. A. David Barry upon the occasion of his retirement.
A RESOLUTION1
To commend Dr. A. David Barry, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of2
Louisiana at Lafayette, on the occasion of his retirement.3
WHEREAS, Dr. A. David Barry is retiring after holding the position of Dean of the4
College of Liberal Arts since 1994; and 5
WHEREAS, in 1975, David Barry completed his doctorate degree in French at the6
University of California and in the following year, was hired as an assistant professor in the7
Department of Foreign Languages at the then University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL);8
and 9
WHEREAS, in 1980, he became the Program Director for North American10
Francophone Studies at USL and secured a grant of nearly $350,000 from the National11
Endowment for the Humanities in order to build a foundation for expansion of the french12
studies programs, and also a Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Program; and 13
WHEREAS, as a result of this effort, in 1983 Dr. Barry was selected as Executive14
Director of the Conseil International d 'Etudes Francophones and served in this capacity until15
1989; and 16
WHEREAS, in addition, in 1984, he received the knighting rank of Chevalier from17
L'Orde des Palmes Academiques; the highest honor that the organization can bestow; and18 SR NO. 78
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in 1985, was selected as a University of Southwestern Louisiana Foundation Distinguished1
professor; and2
WHEREAS, after building the Francophone Studies Program at USL, he was3
selected as Head of the Modern Languages Department in 1988 which corresponded with4
his selection to the Governor's Committee on French and the Governor's Special5
Commission on French Acadians in 1988 serving on these committees as an integral member6
from 1988 until 2005; and 7
WHEREAS, Dr. Barry was selected as a Chevalier by Fondation CODOFIL in 1990;8
awarded the Certficat d'Honneur by the Conseil International d'Etudes Francophones in9
1992; chosen as Chairman of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in 1990; and10
selected as a member of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana in 1998;11
and12
WHEREAS, he has also been on the Louisiana Poet Laureate Selection Panel in13
2002; has been commissioner and vice president for the Bayou Vermilion District from 200814
to the present; has served as a committee member for the Comite International des Etudes15
Creoles, as the president of the Louisiana Association for Bilingual/Bicultural Education,16
as the executive director and president for the International Council on Francophone Studies,17
as an executive board member for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and as a18
board member of the Council for Development of French in Louisiana; and has also served19
as the president of the CODOFIL Consortium of Louisiana Colleges and Universities; and20
WHEREAS, Dr. A. David Barry leaves not only a legacy of great leadership as Dean21
of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but also a legacy22
of deep, caring involvement in the culture, the languages, the people and the communities23
of Louisiana. 24
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana25
does hereby commend Dr. A. David Barry, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the26
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, on the occasion of his retirement.27
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Dr.28
A. David Barry.29 SR NO. 78
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
Perry SR No. 78
Commends Dr. A. David Barry, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of
Louisiana at Lafayette, on the occasion of his retirement.