SLS 21RS-1486 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 49
BY SENATOR FOIL
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of Neil Graham Odenwald.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
3 death of Neil Graham Odenwald.
4 WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
5 Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana have learned of the passing of Neil Graham
6 Odenwald, on April 26, 2021, at age eighty-five; and
7 WHEREAS, he was born on May 3, 1935, in Ruleville, Mississippi, and earned his
8 undergraduate degree and PhD in horticulture from Mississippi State University and his
9 master's degree in landscape architecture from LSU; and
10 WHEREAS, Neil Odenwald's career began in the Louisiana Cooperative Extension
11 Service and he was Professor Emeritus of landscape architecture at LSU and served as
12 Director of the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture; and
13 WHEREAS, he served as Chairman of Landscape Design Schools for the National
14 Council of State Garden Clubs, as a consultant on the Time-Life plant materials publications,
15 and was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Garden Clubs of America; and
16 WHEREAS, Neil Odenwald's publications include Southern Plants, Plants for
17 Designers, Live Oak Splendor, Attracting Birds to Southern Gardens, Plants for American
18 Landscapes, and The Bountiful Flower Garden and he was a Fellow of the American Society
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SLS 21RS-1486 ORIGINAL
1 of Landscape Architects; and
2 WHEREAS, he was instrumental in founding the Southern Garden Symposium,
3 served as president of the John James Audubon Foundation, and was recently honored with
4 the establishment of the Neil G. Odenwald Distinguished Professorship at LSU; and
5 WHEREAS, Neil's restoration and preservation efforts can be seen in numerous
6 historical gardens throughout the South including New Orleans Botanical Gardens, Afton
7 Villa, Rosedown, LongVue, Bocage Plantation, and Biedenharn; and
8 WHEREAS, he was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Mable Odenwald,
9 and his brothers Joseph (Jean) and Robert (Sylvia) Odenwald; and
10 WHEREAS, Neil Odenwald is survived by his wife, Rebekah Lemoine Odenwald;
11 his sons Von (Jo-Lynn) and Jon (Sharon); his daughter Elisa (Kevin) Osborn; his
12 grandchildren Emily (Kerry) Klein, Lauren, Grant, Anna, and Grace Odenwald, and Jason
13 Osborn; his great-grandchild James Klein; his sister Ruth Claire Adair; his former wife
14 Virginia Patsy Odenwald, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; and
15 WHEREAS, the loss Neil Odenwald has left a tremendous void in his community
16 and has created a genuine sense of sorrow in the hearts of all whose lives he touched.
17 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
18 does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Neil Graham
19 Odenwald, does hereby record his formative role in the development of landscape
20 architecture at LSU and his dedicated efforts toward continued development of professional
21 landscape architecture in Louisiana, does hereby express enduring appreciation for his
22 contributions during a lifetime of dedication to his family, friends, community, and state, and
23 does hereby recognize that his legacy will live forever in the minds of all who knew and
24 loved him.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
26 Rebekah Lemoine Odenwald.
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SLS 21RS-1486 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SR 49 Original 2021 Regular Session Foil
Expresses condolences upon of Neil Graham Odenwald.
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