SLS 23RS-1681 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 89
BY SENATOR CORTEZ
COMMENDATIONS. Commends and congratulates Will Sentell on the occasion of his
retirement from a distinguished career in journalism.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend and congratulate Will Sentell on the occasion of his retirement from a
3 distinguished career in journalism.
4 WHEREAS, Will Sentell was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, the second of three
5 children born to Bill and Nancy Sentell; and
6 WHEREAS, Will Sentell was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, and proudly attended
7 C.E. Byrd High School; and
8 WHEREAS, upon high school graduation, he attended Louisiana State University
9 (LSU) in Baton Rouge where he studied journalism and worked at The Daily Reveille
10 newspaper, where his colleagues included John LaPlante and Randy McClain, both of whom
11 later became his coworkers at The Advocate and Will's good friends; and
12 WHEREAS, Will has had a distinguished career in journalism, spending forty-nine
13 years as a statehouse reporter across four states, tracking legislative sessions, political
14 campaigns, and the workings of state government; and
15 WHEREAS, Will covered eleven governors across his career including Mike Foster,
16 Kathleen Blanco, Bobby Jindal, and John Bel Edwards in Louisiana; Bill Waller and Cliff
17 Finch in Missouri; Davie Boren and George Nigh in Oklahoma; and Christopher Bond, John
18 Ashcroft, and Mel Carnahan in Mississippi; and
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SLS 23RS-1681 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Will Sentell's first job in journalism was at the Jackson Daily News in
2 Jackson, Mississippi, in 1975 and, a year later, he moved to Oklahoma to work for the
3 Oklahoma Journal and then the Tulsa Tribune; and
4 WHEREAS, while in Oklahoma on election day in 1978, as he covered the United
5 States Senate race, Will met Donna, the love of his life, and they were married in May 1979;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, Will and his wife Donna moved to Jefferson City, Missouri, in 1981,
8 where he worked with distinction at the Kansas City Star for nineteen years; and
9 WHEREAS, Will's longest tenure as a reporter came at The Advocate newspaper in
10 Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and
11 WHEREAS, to get the job in 2000, Will submitted an email describing his
12 connection to Louisiana and his interest in a Capitol Bureau position; and
13 WHEREAS, the response to his email came from his former Reveille colleague, John
14 LaPlante, who asked if "This is the same Will Sentell who went to LSU?"; and
15 WHEREAS, Will was hired in April 2000 and was able to work again with his
16 Reveille coworkers, John LaPlante and Randy McClain; and
17 WHEREAS, Will spent twenty-three years at The Advocate, covering public
18 education and transportation issues; he became such an expert of these subjects that other
19 reporters, advocates, and political watchers routinely sought information from him, and he
20 served as a mentor to many who passed through the offices of Press Row at the Louisiana
21 State Capitol; and
22 WHEREAS, Will was always generous with his time, checked in on his colleagues,
23 offered guidance to new journalists, and worked the long hours of a statehouse reporter with
24 kindness and grace; and
25 WHEREAS, Will loved to discuss the latest news and scores for LSU football and
26 often could be found during downtime in his office or on the floor in the house or senate
27 chambers checking out football message boards for the latest gossip about the team and its
28 coaches; and
29 WHEREAS, once his adored granddaughter was born, Will loved to trade stories
30 with lawmakers and colleagues about their children and grandchildren; and
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SLS 23RS-1681 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Will is known among those he covered and those who watched his work
2 as a fair reporter and a straight shooter who spent hours sitting in education and
3 transportation hearings to understand the perspectives of all sides; he worked humbly, never
4 drawing attention to himself while explaining complex issues with ease; and
5 WHEREAS, Will retired from The Advocate on March 31, 2023, and he left the
6 Louisiana capitol as he had worked during his long journalism career: seeking little attention
7 or fanfare, even working on a story on his last day in the office while people stopped by to
8 celebrate his long career; and
9 WHEREAS, at his core, Will is a devoted family man, kind person, and dedicated
10 friend; and
11 WHEREAS, Will and Donna have two grown sons, William (wife Kristen) and
12 Jeffrey, and a granddaughter, Victoria Alyse; and
13 WHEREAS, Will loves running, biking, reading, baseball, LSU football, and doting
14 on Victoria; he is a devoted Catholic who attends Saint Aloysius Catholic Church and assists
15 with altar set-ups at weekday and Saturday afternoon masses.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
17 does hereby commend and congratulate Will Sentell on the occasion of his retirement from
18 a distinguished career in journalism.
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
20 Will Sentell.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Kathy Liberty.
DIGEST
SR 89 Original 2023 Regular Session Cortez
Commends and congratulates Will Sentell on the occasion of his retirement from a
distinguished career in journalism.
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