2016 Second Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 4
BY SENATOR CLAITOR AND REPRESENTATIVE FOIL
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of
Louis D. Curet.
WHEREAS, Louis D. Curet, age eighty-eight, was a respected Baton Rouge attorney,
generous philanthropist, dedicated supporter of Louisiana State University, and a recipient
of the prestigious Golden Deeds award; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet was born in New Roads, Louisiana, in Pointe Coupee
Parish and after completing his secondary school education he traveled to Baton Rouge to
earn both his undergraduate degree and his Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University;
and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet married Jean Harvey Curet, and the couple raised their
adored daughter, Jeanne, together and enjoyed thoroughly their forty-nine years devoted to
each other and their family; and
WHEREAS, upon graduation from law school, Louis Curet began a law practice with
Sam D'Amico, a Baton Rouge criminal defense attorney, and the two located their office on
Third Street in downtown Baton Rouge; and
WHEREAS, D'Amico and Curet became a small, well-respected firm with
considerable influence within the legal community that emanated largely from the firm's
partners acting as informal mentors for many fledgling attorneys recently out of law school
who would gather at the firm's office, not far from the courthouse; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Curet set about establishing an esteemed law practice and becoming
involved in his community beyond the courthouse and the law office, a goal attained as he
looked back on his years of law practice upon his retirement in 2005 after fifty-five years
as an attorney; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet served as president of the Baton Rouge Bar Association in
1972, a position that came with a seat on the board of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation,
which allowed him to broaden his view of the many needs of the nonprofit groups and
projects in the greater Baton Rouge area; and
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WHEREAS, Mr. Curet's efforts within the legal community earned him the honor
of a fellowship with the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and, in 2004, he was
named one of two distinguished attorneys in Louisiana by the Louisiana Bar Foundation; and
WHEREAS, almost from its inception in 1971, the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center,
named for a law school classmate of Mr. Curet's, was a focus of support for both Louis and
Jean Curet and, eventually, both of them underwent cancer treatment at the facility with
surgeries performed a mere thirty days apart; and
WHEREAS, Jean Curet succumbed to cancer in 2000, but Louis Curet continued as
a tireless fundraiser and supporter of the center, eventually serving as chairman of the board
of the center and earning the designation of Director Emeritus; and
WHEREAS, because of his indefatigable fundraising efforts on behalf of Mary Bird
Perkins Cancer Center, the Louis Curet Volunteer Fundraiser Award is named in his honor;
and
WHEREAS, with a small group of like-minded individuals, Mr. Curet founded the
Friends of French Studies at Louisiana State University, and at the organizational meeting
in 1998, he was chosen as the group's first president; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet believed that the establishment of a community support
organization to assist the French Department at Louisiana State University in furtherance of
its mission to promote and preserve the French language and culture in Louisiana was much
needed; and
WHEREAS, since its inception, the Friends organization has raised sufficient funds
to establish thirteen professorships in Louisiana State University's French Studies
department, as well as many scholarships for summer intern programs in Barcelonette,
France; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Curet referred to his distinct accent as Creole, a remnant of his
childhood in Pointe Coupee Parish where many people in the early twentieth century spoke
only Cajun or Creole French, which inspired him to teach himself French and ignited his
lifelong commitment to maintaining the influence of French in Louisiana culture; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet was a member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club beginning
in 1952 and he worked diligently in support of the group's annual pancake breakfast held at
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the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at Louisiana State University, which raises funds to
support the group's many philanthropic projects; and
WHEREAS, combining his love of history and his devotion to the practice of law,
Mr. Curet served as both member and chairman of the Supreme Court of Louisiana
Historical Society; and
WHEREAS, recently, Louis Curet established the A.B. Curet Scholarship for
Agriculture at the Louisiana State University School of Agriculture in honor of his father,
A.B. Curet, who was the county agent in Pointe Coupee Parish for forty years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Curet, over the years, served on the boards of the Baton Rouge
Foundation for Historical Louisiana and the Our Lady of the Lake Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet's wide-ranging interests included service to the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul, the Friends of the Louisiana State University Library, Sigma Chi alumni
association, Phi Delta Phi International Fraternity, and the church of which he was a
member, Sacred Heart Catholic Church; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet's colleagues, younger attorneys he mentored, and those he
encountered in his role of philanthropist describe Mr. Curet as a gentleman, a person who
set about getting things done, a tireless and articulate advocate, and a lover of people; and
WHEREAS, in 2001, Mr. Curet was inducted into the Louisiana State University
Alumni Hall of Distinction, being recognized for his positive impact upon and unflagging
devotion to Louisiana State University and its mission of providing an excellent education
and an enriching university experience; and
WHEREAS, in 2006, Louis Curet was honored to receive the Golden Deeds award,
given by the Inter-Civic Council of Baton Rouge and The Advocate, capping a long life of
involvement in philanthropy and community activism born of his kind-hearted nature and
his tenacious efforts to make the lives of others richer and more meaningful; and
WHEREAS, Louis Curet was devoted to his daughter, Jeanne, and her husband,
David McQuire James and their three surviving children as well as many others in his
extended family; and
WHEREAS, on the day of his death, Louis Curet attended an exercise class with his
daughter and two downtown functions in Baton Rouge before succumbing to a heart-related
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condition in the evening; and
WHEREAS, as a philanthropist and community leader, Louis Curet's impact upon
his beloved Baton Rouge reached into nearly every area of need or human endeavor over
nearly seventy years of service; and
WHEREAS, for more than eighty-eight years Louis Curet lived a life of warmth,
action in support of others, empathy for others, dedication to the highest ideals of the legal
profession, trust in his religious faith and an abiding sense of wanting to make the lives of
others better each day, a noble intention and a promise kept.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere condolences upon the death of Louis D. Curet, a Baton Rouge philanthropist,
attorney, and community leader.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Jeanne Curet James.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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