HLS 19RS-956 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 9
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
COMMENDATIONS: Commends John Oswald Colson on his 2019 induction into the
Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend John Oswald Colson upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana Folklife
3 Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.
4 WHEREAS, established in 1976, the Louisiana Folklife Center is a research facility
5that serves as an archival repository of eight hundred artist and subject files, one thousand
6five hundred audio recordings, one hundred videotapes, a growing print library of books and
7periodicals, and five thousand photographs; these resources have been used by CBS Evening
8News, Turner Broadcasting Company, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting and other
9individuals, groups, and agencies; its faculty also coordinates the Natchitoches-Northwestern
10State University Folklife Festival; and
11 WHEREAS, an agency of Northwestern State University, the Center's mission is to
12identify, document, and present Louisiana's rich history of folklore and folklife; and
13 WHEREAS, deeply rooted in Louisiana's folklife is its inimitable cuisine, and John
14Oswald Colson is a purveyor of the roux upon which much of the state's deliciously edible
15and choice cuisine is based; he is a consummate filé maker, having acquired the skill from
16his mother and the generations before her; for more than sixty years, John has continued the
17tradition of the Colson family to provide filé for the Cane River community; he also is a tour
18guide and an oral historian; and
19 WHEREAS, John Colson participates annually in the Natchitoches-Northwestern
20State University Folklife Festival and contributes to projects and events for the Cane River
21Creole National Historical Park, the Cane River National Heritage Area, Northwestern State
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HR NO. 9
1University's Creole Heritage Center, the National Center for Preservation Technology and
2Training, the St. Augustine Society of Isle Brevelle, the Experience Louisiana Festival in
3Eunice, Creole Culture Day at Vermilionville, the Sassafras Festival in Texas, and summer
4workshops at the Tunica-Biloxi Museum in Marksville; and
5 WHEREAS, in October 2018, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser officially
6recognized John Oswald Colton as a Louisiana Tradition Bearer; his expertise in the
7preparation of filé seasoning, his vast knowledge of Cane River, and his ability to relate the
8histories of his hometown community have simmered together in John to produce a cultural
9and historical human gumbo with the distinct flavor of Louisiana; John Oswald Colson
10merits a special measure of commendation upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana
11Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.
12 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
13Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend John Oswald Colson upon his 2019
14induction into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists; does hereby
15congratulate him on his sterling ambassadorship of Louisiana's culture and history and the
16preservation of a staple of its cuisine; and does hereby extend to him every good wish for
17continued success, prosperity, and happiness in the future.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
19to John Oswald Colson.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 9 Original 2019 Regular Session Cox
Commends John Oswald Colson on his 2019 induction into the La. Folklife Center Hall of
Master Folk Artists.
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