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