2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 180
BY SENATOR LONG
A RESOLUTION
To commend James K. Elrod upon being honored as a Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Louisiana Legend.
WHEREAS, each year, the Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting honor the best
and brightest of Louisiana's sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in a
variety of disciplines and have brought honor to the state; and
WHEREAS, James K. Elrod is one of five distinguished Louisiana legends being
honored this year; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Elrod, is the chief executive officer and leader of Willis-Knighton
Health System for fifty-three years and has the distinction of being one of the longest-
serving hospital administrators in the United States; and
WHEREAS, he began his college education in Waco, Texas, where he earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration from Baylor University in 1959, and upon
graduation, he joined the United States Air Force; and
WHEREAS, following his military service, Mr. Elrod completed a residency in
hospital administration at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, at which time he
also attended Mississippi College of Law; and
WHEREAS, equipped with his degree in hospital administration and five years of
post-graduate education and experience, in April 1965, Mr. Elrod was chosen to lead Willis-
Knighton Memorial Hospital, finding a struggling sixty-five bed facility in desperate need
of leadership; and
WHEREAS, since then, he has remained deeply committed to building an excellent
hospital system dedicated to the service of its community and its patients, particularly
reaching out to provide medical services to the underserved; and
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WHEREAS, while devoting his professional efforts to the modernization and growth
of Willis-Knighton, Mr. Elrod has given his time and attention to improving his community
as a whole, including sponsorship of the Shreveport Symphony and Louisiana Public
Broadcasting; and
WHEREAS, among his many honors, Mr. Elrod has been named one of the most
influential people in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas region by the Shreveport Times, was
honored by the United Way of Northwest Louisiana with the Clint Fant Award in 2011, and
in 2012 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Washington University; and
WHEREAS, as a leader who has impacted the state for many years, James K. Elrod
is truly a living example of a Louisiana legend.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate James K. Elrod on being named a Louisiana Legend
by the Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
James K. Elrod.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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