SLS 18RS-839 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 44
BY SENATORS MILLS AND BOUDREAUX AND REPRESENTATIVES HUVAL AND
TERRY LANDRY
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences on the death of Patrick J. Huval.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of Pat
3 Huval, famous restauranteur, former mayor of Henderson, Louisiana, proud Cajun,
4 and extraordinary visionary and entrepreneur.
5 WHEREAS, Patrick Joseph Huval died on January 6, 2018, at the age of eighty-eight
6 in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana; and
7 WHEREAS, Patrick Huval was born in Henderson, Louisiana, on August 22, 1929,
8 to Tom and Noelie Berard Huval; and
9 WHEREAS, growing up during the Great Depression "Mr. Pat", as he was known
10 to all, worked hard to help feed and clothe his mother and siblings, as his father had died
11 when he was only six months old; and
12 WHEREAS, Mr. Pat grew up knowing the meaning of hard work and was always one
13 who would take charge as he did when he ended his formal education in the fourth grade in
14 order to work full-time, as his mother continually searched for a full-time job, but could only
15 find odd jobs to support her family; and
16 WHEREAS, at the tender age of twelve, not yet a teenager, Pat Huval secured his
17 first full-time job working for family friend, George Dupuis, as a clerk in Dupuis' grocery
18 store; and
Page 1 of 4 SCR NO. 44
SLS 18RS-839 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, when Mr. Pat was eighteen he married Agnes Hebert and, a year later
2 in 1948, they opened a grocery store of their own, beginning the career that would make Pat
3 Huval a household name throughout South Louisiana in the heart of Cajun country, and
4 beyond; and
5 WHEREAS, the Huvals worked dawn to dusk every day, selling groceries,
6 hamburgers, and crawfish by the sack; and
7 WHEREAS, to make ends meet, Mr. Pat worked on dredging boats in the evenings
8 after the store closed; and
9 WHEREAS, Mr. Pat and Agnes added crawfish and seafood dishes to their modest
10 fare offered at the grocery store; and
11 WHEREAS, always careful with their money and focused on saving for the future,
12 the Huvals were able to purchase a local dance hall and restaurant, but in 1952, they sold that
13 business and purchased another building; and
14 WHEREAS, the second building became home to Pat's Restaurant in Henderson,
15 which soon gained fame as a place where delicious, home-cooked crawfish dishes were the
16 stars of the menu; and
17 WHEREAS, by the 1960s Pat's Restaurant became a destination for people
18 throughout Louisiana and, eventually, the world and, in addition the dining room was
19 regularly filled to capacity; and
20 WHEREAS, in the early 1960s, Pat's became a gathering spot for Louisiana
21 politicians as it was near Baton Rouge and everyone loved the crawfish and seafood dishes
22 served in the lively atmosphere; and
23 WHEREAS, with mentors George Dupuis and Robert Angelle, along with
24 politicians, the then serving Governor John McKeithen and state Senator Paul Hardy, Pat
25 Huval was encouraged to put his energy and natural business acumen to work for the people
26 of Henderson in the political arena; and
27 WHEREAS, in 1971, having spearheaded the move to incorporate, after the
28 incorporation of Henderson, Louisiana, as a town, Pat Huval ran for mayor and won, serving
29 nearly twenty-two years as the first mayor; and
30 WHEREAS, Pat Huval served on the board of directors of Farmers-Merchants Bank
Page 2 of 4 SCR NO. 44
SLS 18RS-839 ORIGINAL
1 for over ten years and in the 1990s Governor Edwin Edwards named him to serve on the
2 Atchalafaya Levee Board; and
3 WHEREAS, Pat and Agnes Huval were dedicated to progress for the little hamlet of
4 Henderson, where most of the roads were dirt or gravel; as mayor he made repairing and
5 upgrading the roads his first priority and, once most of the roads within the town limits were
6 paved, Pat moved on to build a town hall, a local jail and, eventually, a twenty-acre park and
7 established a fire department; and
8 WHEREAS, Pat and Agnes Huval had four children and they celebrated their
9 fourteen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren who were largely their focus in
10 improving the town through civic activities and business enterprises; and
11 WHEREAS, three of the Huval's children currently work in the restaurant, dance hall
12 known as the Atchafalaya Club, motel, factory, and crawfish peeling plant complex known
13 as "Pat's Fisherman's Wharf" property; and
14 WHEREAS, Pat Huval's son Harvey said of his father, "he started with practically
15 nothing in his life. He borrowed three hundred dollars to start his business and he became
16 a multimillionaire. We have . . . five businesses and all of them do well"; and
17 WHEREAS, Pat Huval did not stop at public service, he was known for little acts of
18 kindness and generosity, paying for others' home repairs, subsidizing mortgages, being sure
19 no one in Henderson went hungry, and being in line to assist the local church with what it
20 needed to serve the people; and
21 WHEREAS, Pat Huval was a man who was dedicated to his family, his town and its
22 citizens, and to establishing a business for his children to carry on; he was an amazing
23 entrepreneur and a visionary who could see his small seafood shack operation becoming a
24 thriving business enterprise for the good of his family and his community; and
25 WHEREAS, Patrick Joseph Huval will be long remembered as a community leader,
26 a compassionate neighbor, a loving patriarch, a steadfast friend, and an extraordinarily
27 perceptive citizen and businessperson.
28 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
29 express sincere condolences upon the death of Pat Huval, famous restauranteur, former
30 mayor of Henderson, Louisiana, proud Cajun, and extraordinary visionary, and entrepreneur.
Page 3 of 4 SCR NO. 44
SLS 18RS-839 ORIGINAL
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2 Huval children: Harvey, Nancy, Cynthia, and Jude.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SCR 44 Original 2018 Regular Session Mills
Expresses condolences upon the death of Pat Huval, famous restauranteur, former mayor of
Henderson, Louisiana, proud Cajun, and extraordinary visionary, and entrepreneur.
Page 4 of 4