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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 126
BY REPRESENTATIVE GISCLAIR AND SENATORS CHABERT AND ALARIO AND
REPRESENTATIVES ABRAMSON, ADAMS, ANDERS, ARMES, ARNOL D,
BADON, BARRAS, BARROW, BERTHELOT, BILLIOT, STUART BISHOP,
WESLEY BISHOP, BROADWATER, BROWN, BURFORD, HENRY BURNS,
TIM BURNS, BURRELL, CARMODY, CARTER, CHAMPAGNE, CHANEY,
CONNICK, COX, CROMER, DANAHAY, DIXON, DOVE, EDWARDS,
FANNIN, FOIL, FRANKLIN, GAINES, GAROFALO, GEYMANN, GREENE,
GUILLORY, GUINN, HARRIS, HARRISON, HAVARD, HAZEL, HENRY,
HENSGENS, HILL, HODGES, HOFFMANN, HOLLIS, HONORE, HOWARD,
HUNTER, HUVAL, IVEY, KATRINA JACKSON, JAMES, JEFFERSON,
JOHNSON, JONES, KLECKLEY, LAMBERT, NANCY LANDRY, TERRY
LANDRY, LEBAS, LEGER, LEOPOLD, LOPI NTO, LORUSSO, MACK,
MILLER, MONTOUCET, MORENO, JAY MORRIS, JIM MORRIS, NORTON,
ORTEGO, PEARSON, PIERRE, PONTI, POPE, PRICE, PUGH, PYLANT,
REYNOLDS, RICHARD, RITCHIE, ROBI DEAUX, SCHEXNAYDER,
SCHRODER, SEABAUGH, SHADOIN, SIMON, SMITH, ST. GERMAIN,
STOKES, TALBOT, THIBAUT, THIERRY, THOMPSON, WHITNEY, ALFRED
WILLIAMS, PATRICK WILLIAMS, WILLMOTT, AND WOODRUFF AND
SENATORS ADLEY, ALLAIN, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME, BROWN,
BUFFINGTON, CLAITOR, CORTEZ, CROWE, DONAHUE, DORSEY-
COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT, GUILLORY, HEITMEIER, JOHNS, KOSTELKA,
LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY, MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH, MURRAY,
NEVERS, PEACOCK, PERRY, PETERSON, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN
SMITH, TARVER, THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD, AND WHI TE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express the condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of former State
Representative Richard P. "Dick" Guidry of Galliano.
WHEREAS, with the death of former State Representative Richard "Dick" Guidry
of Lafourche Parish on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at the age of eighty-four, Louisiana has
lost one of the most notable figures in the rich chronicles of Louisiana politics; and
WHEREAS, Richard P. "Dick" Guidry was born on September 22, 1929, to John L.
Guidry and Lillian L. Guidry and he grew up by the Galliano bridge in Lafourche Parish,
graduated from Golden Meadow High School, and briefly attended LSU; and
WHEREAS, recognized upon his induction into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame
earlier this year as the youngest person to be elected to the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana, Dick Guidry served in the House of Representatives from 1952
through 1956 and again from 1964 through 1976; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 126
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WHEREAS, during his legislative career Representative Guidry served on many
standing committees, perhaps most significantly as chairman of the House Committee on the
Judiciary, Section B from 1968 to 1976; Jud B, as it was called at that time, was viewed as
the governor's committee, the committee to which bills especially favored by the governor
were referred regardless of subject matter; as chairman of Jud B and a floor leader, Dick
Guidry was a key player in the highly productive first term of Governor Edwin Edwards and
responsible for moving along much of the legislation in that historic term; and
WHEREAS, Dick Guidry had a remarkable legislative career serving Lafourche
Parish where he is still remembered for transformational infrastructure projects that changed
Lafourche Parish from a time before lift bridges allowed easy access across Bayou
Lafourche, which splits the parish lengthwise, before levees protected south Lafourche in
storms, when drinking water came from cisterns, and before giant ships docked at Port
Fourchon; Representative Guidry's vision and legislative efforts produced such
improvements as more bridges across the bayou, a pump station that pumps Mississippi
River water into the bayou to provide fresh water for a quarter-million residents of five
parishes, the South Lafourche Levee District that has provided a ring levee to protect the
south Lafourche area, and hospital districts for hospitals in Galliano and Raceland, and he
was instrumental in creating the Greater Lafourche Port Commission as well; and
WHEREAS, these accomplishments demonstrate the vision and optimism of this
remarkable man; he was a man of action, unafraid to take risks, to take on difficult problems
and seek to solve them; his career in business demonstrated the same attitude, for he was
involved in real estate development, had a booming drive-in movie theater business, and had
business ventures in banking, oil exploration, and offshore towing vessels that operated
worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Dick Guidry also served Louisiana as a member of the Louisiana
Constitutional Convention of 1973, which achieved the almost impossible task of completely
rewriting and dramatically shortening the state constitution, and he served as a member of
the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Compact; and
WHEREAS, former House Speaker Bubba Henry captured Dick Guidry well when
he said: "He was the most generous, hard-working, funny and sincere person I knew. ... He
was a good-spirited, charming person. It was hard to turn Dick down. ... He could get his ENROLLEDHCR NO. 126
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dander up ... and let you know how he felt in spades.", and those who knew him remember
him as an iconic politician and a legislative magician, and they recall the wonderful, slight
smile and most especially the twinkle that was almost always present in his eyes; and
WHEREAS, Dick Guidry is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Phyllis G.
Guidry, his children Dennis Guidry and wife Carol, David Guidry and wife Mary, Phyllis
"Fe Fe" Guidry, Lillie Ledet and husband Tad, and Lisa Guidry Rogers, by seven
grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, by his brother Robert Guidry and his sister
Rosie G. Harris, and by numerous nieces and nephews, and in addition to his parents, he was
preceded in death by his son R. Paul Guidry and his brother Lloyd Guidry.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere condolences to the family and friends of former State Representative Richard
P. "Dick" Guidry of Galliano upon his death and does record in the annals of legislative
accomplishments, not only the legendary service of Dick Guidry to the people of Lafourche
Parish and to the state of Louisiana, but also the special place this quintessential South
Louisiana Cajun legislator will always have in the celebrated history of the Louisiana
Legislature.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to
members of the family of former State Representative Dick Guidry.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE