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