ENROLLED
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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 30
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD
A RESOLUTION
To commend G.J. "Pie" Martinez, the current mayor of Zwolle, Louisiana, on the prestigious
honor of being named the 2014 Sabine Hall of Fame inductee.
WHEREAS, G.J. "Pie" Martinez was born on December 11, 1940, in Shreveport,
Louisiana, to the late G.L. and Catherine Sepulvado Martinez; he was the oldest of three
brothers and one sister, and received his nickname of "Sweetie Pie" at an early age, which
was eventually shortened to "Pie"; and
WHEREAS, G.J. "Pie" Martinez is a 1958 honors graduate of Zwolle High School,
where he lettered in basketball all four seasons and was voted "most popular" and "Mr.
Zwolle High" by his classmates; and
WHEREAS, following high school graduation, G.J. "Pie" Martinez attended
Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, before enrolling at Spencer
Draughon Business School in Shreveport, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, while being enrolled in school, G.J. "Pie" Martinez worked part time
for Wonder Bread and his father's timber business, G.L. Martinez Poling and Piling
Company, which made an impression on his life; and
WHEREAS, G.J. "Pie" Martinez married Agatha Sepulvado in 1961, and they are
the parents of four children, grandparents of fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandson
with another on the way, three step-grandchildren, and four step-great-grandchildren with
one on the way; and
WHEREAS, Martinez constantly desired to help others and worked to overcome any
obstacle that he and others in his community encountered; and
WHEREAS, Martinez began his career in the 1950s and continuously strived to keep
his knowledge current in the face of changes that he witnessed firsthand, such as the ENROLLEDHR NO. 30
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replacement of mules and horses by farm tractors with water-filled tires, log hog tractors,
and various models of John Deere skidders; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, G.J. "Pie" Martinez became foreman for a handpole peeling
crew for International Paper Co. located in Zwolle and also made selections of poles to be
cut, which was a specialized job; and
WHEREAS, because his hard work and dedication to International Paper Co. was
evident, the company moved him to supervise a fence post peeling operation in 1962; and
WHEREAS, in 1964, Martinez returned to his father's business, whereupon, after an
accident in the woods, he unfortunately lost sight in his left eye; a tragedy that took Martinez
and his family through hard times, but with G.J. "Pie" Martinez's faith and perseverance, he
overcame that obstacle and became a stronger man because of it; and
WHEREAS, Martinez has been labeled as a distinctive leader in his community
because of the help he offers to others and the support he gives to many fundraisers, youth
sports teams, the Easter Seals, and blood drives; and
WHEREAS, over the years, Martinez has had key roles in many aspects of politics
in Sabine Parish; he was instrumental in giving disabled people the opportunity to drive a
tractor-trailer rig in Louisiana, he helped with the revision of laws in moving logging
equipment, he served on a number of boards in Sabine Parish, and was appointed to the
Advisory Board for the Louisiana Technical College – Sabine Valley Campus, where he
continues to serve today; and
WHEREAS, in 1991, Martinez was honored as one of Louisiana's Northwest Loggers
of the Year; in 1992, he was awarded the Outstanding Community Service Award by the
Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce; in 1993, he was named to Who's Who in Leading
American Executives and appointed as a trustee of Sabine Medical Center; in 1994, he was
asked to serve on the Advisory Board for Peoples State Bank and received the Diocesan
Medal for Service at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Zwolle; and
WHEREAS, G.J. "Pie" Martinez is an active and devoted parishioner at St. Joseph's
Church, where he is a trustee, Eucharistic minister, and a member of the finance and pastoral
councils; and
WHEREAS, because of Martinez's hard work and knowledge in logging and forestry,
he helped establish the Zwolle Logging and Forestry Festival, which will celebrate its ENROLLEDHR NO. 30
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nineteenth year in May of 2014; he also helped the town of Zwolle purchase and develop the
festival grounds; and
WHEREAS, G.J. "Pie" Martinez spent fifty-five years in the logging business, from
which he retired in 2002; he holds the honor of being named Area Outstanding Logger and
was presented the Director Emeritus Award from the Louisiana Forestry Association; in
2007, he was inducted into the Louisiana Loggers' Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, G.J. "Pie" Martinez decided to run for Mayor of Zwolle and
is in the position that he currently holds, because he loves serving and working for the
betterment of his hometown.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend G.J. "Pie" Martinez on being named the
seventeenth inductee into the Sabine Hall of Fame.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to G.J. "Pie" Martinez.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES