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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 154
BY REPRESENTATIVES GAROFALO, ABRAMSON, ADAMS, ANDERS, ARMES,
ARNOLD, BADON, BARRAS, BARROW, BERTHELOT, BILLIOT, STUART
BISHOP, WESLEY BISHOP, BROADWATER, BROSSETT, BROWN,
BURFORD, HENRY BURNS, TIM BURNS, BURRELL, CARMODY, CARTER,
CHAMPAGNE, CHANEY, CONNICK, COX, CROMER, DANAHAY, DIXON,
DOVE, EDWARDS, FANNIN, FOIL, FRANKLIN, GAINES, GEYMANN,
GISCLAIR, GREENE, GUILLORY, GUINN, HARRIS, HARRISON, HAVARD,
HAZEL, HENRY, HENSGENS, HILL, HODGES, HOFFMANN, HOLLI S,
HONORE, HOWARD, HUNTER, HUVAL, IVEY, KATRINA JACKSON, JAMES,
JEFFERSON, JOHNSON, JONES, KLECKLEY, LAMBERT, NANCY LANDRY,
TERRY LANDRY, LEBAS, LEGER, LEOPOLD, LOPINTO, LORUSSO, MACK,
MILLER, MONTOUCET, MORENO, JAY MORRIS, JIM MORRIS, NORTON,
ORTEGO, PEARSON, PIERRE, PONTI, POPE, PRICE, PUGH, PYLANT,
REYNOLDS, RICHARD, RI TCHIE, ROBIDEAUX, SCHEXNAYDER,
SCHRODER, SEABAUGH, SHADOIN, SIMON, SMITH, ST. GERMAIN,
STOKES, TALBOT, THIBAUT, THIERRY, THOMPSON, WHITNEY, ALFRED
WILLIAMS, PATRICK WILLIAMS, WILLMOTT, AND WOODRUFF AND
SENATORS ADLEY, ALARIO, ALLAIN, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME,
BROWN, BUFFINGTON, CHABERT, CLAI TOR, CORTEZ, CROWE,
DONAHUE, DORSEY-COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT, GUI LLORY, HEITMEIER,
JOHNS, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY, MILLS, MORRELL,
MORRISH, MURRAY, NEVERS, PEACOCK, PERRY, PETERSON, RISER,
GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH, TARVER, THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD,
AND WHITE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express condolences upon the death of Judge Manuel "Manny" Adam Fernandez and to
express enduring gratitude for his outstanding contributions to the state of Louisiana,
particularly during his tenure as a distinguished member of the Louisiana House of
Representatives.
WHEREAS, Manuel "Manny" Adam Fernandez was born in St. Bernard Parish on
October 15, 1942, to Manuel William Fernandez and Blanche Perez Fernandez Molero; and
WHEREAS, Judge Fernandez attended St. Bernard Parish public schools graduating
from St. Bernard High School in 1960 and then attended the University of Southwestern
Louisiana (USL) in Lafayette where he earned an undergraduate degree in economics; and
WHEREAS, upon graduation from USL, which is now known as the University of
Louisiana, at Lafayette, in 1964, Judge Fernandez enrolled in the Loyola University Law
School in New Orleans from whence he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1967; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 154
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WHEREAS, as a practicing attorney for thirty-four years, Judge Fernandez was
president and a member of the St. Bernard Bar Association, the Louisiana Bar Association,
and had been admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, the United
States Court of Claims, and all federal and state courts in the state of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Judge Fernandez devoted decades to serving the citizens of the state of
Louisiana, beginning his public service as the representative of District 104 in the Louisiana
House of Representatives where he served from 1972 through 1987, serving as a member
of the House committees on civil law and procedure, retirement, labor and industrial
relations, and natural resources for which he served as chair; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Fernandez said that as a legislator he was most proud of helping to
rewrite the community property laws so that wives had equal management rights of
community property; he also helped develop the current joint custody rights of children; and
as chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, he was the author of legislation
creating the Department of Environmental Quality; and
WHEREAS, upon his departure from the legislature, Mr. Fernandez was appointed
by Governor Buddy Roemer to serve on his "kitchen cabinet", a three-person super cabinet
that would serve as liaison between the governor's office, the departmental secretaries, and
the legislature and would enable the departmental secretaries to focus on running their
departments rather than becoming embroiled in the political lobbying on behalf of the
administration, with Mr. Fernandez serving in this capacity for two years and being
responsible for the departments of Social Services, Health and Hospitals, Wildlife and
Fisheries, Natural Resources, and Environmental Quality; and
WHEREAS, in May 2001, Mr. Fernandez was elected judge to fill a partial term on
the Thirty-Fourth Judicial District Court, Division B to which he was re-elected and where
he served until his retirement in the summer of 2013; and
WHEREAS, while serving on the Thirty-Fourth Judicial District bench, Judge
Fernandez was a guest lecturer and presenter on many legal subjects, served as the Louisiana
editor on environmental texts, co-authored an article on the rights of the terminally ill that
was published in medical journals, and he served as chief judge and was the founder of the
drug court in the Thirty-Fourth Judicial District Court; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 154
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WHEREAS, Judge Fernandez was stepson of the late Scott Molero; the husband of
Dorothy Harrington Fernandez; the father of Gina Fernandez, Jill Willie, and Amy
Ybarzabal and stepfather of Casey Hutchens; and grandfather (Pop Pop) to Nick, Eric,
Daniel, Ben, and Madeline Priola; Foster, Simon, and Samuel Willie; Adam, Gabrielle,
Kyle, and Camille Ybarzabel; and Emily Hutchens; and
WHEREAS, Judge Fernandez was proudly recognized as "Man of the Year" and
"Legislator of the Year" in St. Bernard Parish; and
WHEREAS, Judge Fernandez will be forever remembered as a loving and loyal
husband, father, grandfather, and a friend to many, who loved his community and treasured
his family; and
WHEREAS, the death of Judge Fernandez has left a great void and created a genuine
sense of sorrow in all who knew him, including the members of the legislative family, all
of whom mourn the loss of this wonderful man who served his state and this institution with
distinction, integrity, and statesmanship.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of former state representative Judge
Manuel "Manny" Fernandez and does hereby record for posterity the enduring appreciation
of the citizens of Louisiana for his outstanding contributions and achievements, particularly
during his tenure as a distinguished member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the family of Judge Fernandez.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE