Rotary hears about welding and annual Pro-Life Gala

School board member Arthur Savoy was the guest speaker at the March 2 meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary. He told members about his time as a teacher for 40 years.
Savoy, originally from Opelousas, graduated from OHS in 1976. After graduation, he went to welding school for six months and graduated in 1977. In 1980, he was offered to teach at the Evangeline Parish Career Center and stayed there 10 years. Savoy said he was fortunate at the Career Center to work with Jim Coldiron, Ed Fontenot, and Roland Smith, who was the director. Savoy said these men guided and supported him.
In 1982, Charles Coreil asked Savoy to teach a night class at the vo-tech school. He took the opportunity and taught two nights a week at the vo-tech while teaching full time for the Evangeline Parish School Board as a welding instructor. By 1990, Charles Coreil asked him to teach full time at the vo-tech. The last 30 years he taught there, the school was number one, number two, and number three in the state of Louisiana for enrollment and job placement. Savoy credited Coreil with helping the teachers, but he particularly thanked Smith. “Even when I left the Career Center, once a month Mr. Roland Smith would drive his little Dodge truck, checking on us.”
There used to be 15 programs, such as refrigeration and mechanic shop offered at the technical school, but now only nursing and welding are left. According to Savoy, about 10 years ago, Governor Bobby Jindal merged the vo-tech with the community colleges. The name of the vo-tech was changed and the tuition tripled. Something else that hurt the school was removing the pipe welding and tig welding from the curriculum, which were in high demand. Meanwhile, the technical school only got what was left from state funding after the community colleges took what they needed.
Savoy praised the good people and industries of Evangeline Parish who came forward anytime the technical school needed anything. Residents and businesses would give money, clothes, pay for text books and tuition, even fixing the parking lot. Some people would even cook for Savoy and his students or give fish or deer meat and Savoy would cook. Savoy took care of his students, often picking them up and bringing them back after school if they didn’t have a vehicle, and making sure they stayed off the streets. Some of them couldn’t afford to eat, so he’d feed them.
One industry he thanked the most is Cameron-Schlumberger, in particular Gary Wilson, the welding supervisor. Savoy said he has always given the school a helping hand and is still helping today. “Anything you needed with welding equipment he’d bring it. All the concrete work and painting and furniture, etc.,” said Savoy, and then he thanked Cabot, Union Tank and other companies.
A week prior, the Rotary Club heard from Amy Miller from First Baptist Church Ville Platte and Connie Landreneau on behalf of the New Life Pregnancy Center in Mamou.
Landreneau spoke about the Pro-Life Annual Gala set for Saturday, March 13, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church Eunice.
A silent auction preceded the event on Facebook and will conclude at the gala where there will be a live auction.
Music will be provided by The Harpers, and there will be a buffet dinner with servers.
After the meeting, the Rotary board voted to donate $500 towards the New Life Pregnancy Center.