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