SLS 20RS-36 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 8
BY SENATOR JOHNS
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of William A. Oliver.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of
3 William A. Oliver.
4 WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the citizens of Louisiana
5 learned of the death of William A. Oliver on June 24, 2019; and
6 WHEREAS, William A. Oliver was born on December 31, 1947, to Achel Palmer
7 Oliver and Ruby Rhea Sawyer Oliver; and
8 WHEREAS, he lived in Rose Bud, Arkansas, the first six years of his life but grew
9 up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and graduated from LaGrange Senior High School; and
10 WHEREAS, Mr. Oliver met the love of his life, Carolyn Marie McCool, at McNeese
11 State University in 1967 and proposed on the spot; and
12 WHEREAS, they recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary; and
13 WHEREAS, while attending McNeese State University, Mr. Oliver joined the Army
14 ROTC and was a distinguished military graduate; and
15 WHEREAS, he served twenty-one years in the United States Army Reserve as an
16 officer, retiring in 1991 with the rank of Major, having been awarded the Meritorious
17 Service Medal for his actions and dedication to duty when his unit was activated for Desert
18 Shield in 1990; and
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1 WHEREAS, Mr. Oliver holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from McNeese
2 State University and a Master of Business Administration from Tulane University; and
3 WHEREAS, he was recognized by his classmates at Tulane University with the
4 prestigious Vorholt Award for Business Leadership in 1990, and as the Distinguished
5 Alumni of the Year in 2005 by McNeese State University; and
6 WHEREAS, Mr. Oliver retired as an officer with BellSouth/AT&T in December
7 2009, with more than thirty-six years of dedicated service; and
8 WHEREAS, he served as the AT&T state president for Louisiana for more than eight
9 years, and in 1987 and 1988, he was responsible for all telecommunications services to
10 support the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, an experience he
11 referred to as a "career defining event"; and
12 WHEREAS, during his tenure as state president, Mr. Oliver was directly responsible
13 for all state, local, and municipal government relations, external affairs, regulatory activities,
14 and political action committee activities, as well as oversight responsibilities for service,
15 revenue, expenses, and media activities in Louisiana; and
16 WHEREAS, he was the AT&T liaison with the Louisiana Public Service
17 Commission from 2000 to 2002, providing leadership for BellSouth's efforts to obtain
18 approval to enter the interstate, interLATA long distance business from the Department of
19 Justice and the Federal Communications Commission; and
20 WHEREAS, in 2004, Mr. Oliver was selected to reign as the King of Washington
21 Mardi Gras, one of the greatest experiences and honors of his life; and
22 WHEREAS, he has been recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with the 2019
23 Pillar of Scouting Award, the Silver Beaver, the Distinguished Citizen Award, and by the
24 Youth Leadership Conference as an Outstanding Role Model; and
25 WHEREAS, in 2006, Mr. Oliver began working with Ochsner Health System,
26 serving as a board member for four years, and in 2010, he resigned from the board and
27 moved into a position supporting the organization's philanthropic and government relations
28 work; and
29 WHEREAS, also in 2010, he became the owner and president of William A. Oliver
30 Enterprises, LLC, which was established to provide consulting and management services for
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1 business development, government relations, media relations, external affairs, philanthropy,
2 and organizational design; and
3 WHEREAS, Mr. Oliver was a registered lobbyist for local government as well as the
4 legislative and executive branches of government in Louisiana, and previously was
5 registered as a federal lobbyist; and
6 WHEREAS, he worked closely with Senator John Breaux and Congressman Billy
7 Tauzin and was directly responsible for lobbying the Louisiana congressional delegation
8 from 1994 through 2001, with the major legislation during that time frame being the
9 Telecommunications Act of 1996; and
10 WHEREAS, at the time of his death, Mr. Oliver was building external relationships
11 through business development, hospital acquisition, and governmental affairs; and
12 WHEREAS, William A. Oliver is survived by the love of his life and wife of fifty
13 years, Carolyn McCool Oliver; three children, Christy Oliver Reeves, Lisa Oliver Thomas,
14 and Michael William Oliver; four talented and adorable grandchildren, Ellen Marie Farmer,
15 Kyra Jane Reeves, Jonathan Michael Oliver, and Lucy Sawyer Reeves; a sister, Martha Sue
16 Oliver Way; and a brother, Kenny Layne Oliver; and
17 WHEREAS, he is preceded in death by his parents, Achel Palmer Oliver and Ruby
18 Rhea Sawyer Oliver; and a daughter, Jane Rachelle Oliver; and
19 WHEREAS, the death of William A. Oliver has left a substantial void in his
20 community and a sense of loss in the citizens whose lives he touched, and his memory shall
21 live forever in the minds and hearts of all those who knew and loved this remarkable
22 gentleman.
23 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
24 express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of William A. Oliver, record for
25 posterity his outstanding achievements, and extend enduring appreciation for the tremendous
26 pride and honor that he will forever bring to his community, the state of Louisiana, and the
27 United States of America.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
29 family of William A. Oliver.
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Nancy Vicknair.
DIGEST
SCR 8 Original 2020 Regular Session Johns
Expresses condolences upon the death of William A. Oliver.
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