Rene J. Calais

Breaux Bridge - Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, November 27, 2006, at a mass of Christian burial in the St. Bernard Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge for Ren? J. Calais, a well known educator and community leader, 79, who died at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 23, 2006 at a local hospital. Interment will follow in St. Bernard Cemetery No. 2 in Breaux Bridge. Msgr. Paul Metrejean of Mire will be the celebrant of the funeral mass. ?Co-celebrants will be Father Allen Breaux and Father Donald Pelous. He was a native of Cecilia and grew up on a small farm and was the youngest of fifteen children. ?He learned at a very young age the value and meaning of hard work. Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Hazel Frederick Calais of Breaux Bridge, two daughters, Joy Calais Kennedy and her husband, Jim Kennedy of The Woodlands, Texas and Sherry Calais McLeod and her husband, Max McLeod of Breaux Bridge; one son, Ricky J. Calais and his wife, Debbie LeBlanc of Breaux Bridge, two sisters, Lena Calais Cormier of Nina and Lorraine Calais Pontiff and her husband, Rufus of Parks; five grandchildren, Aly, Jonathan, Claire, Ross and Kyle; and four great grandchildren, Paige, Sophia, Carter and Christian. He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Calais and Stella Dugas; eight brothers, Louis, Wade, Clay, Sidney, Allen, Wilton, Joseph, and Shirley; and four sisters, Louise, Cecile, Marie (Mrs. Clifton Guilbeau) and Agnes (Mrs. Essie LeBlanc). Mr. Calais graduated from Cecilia High School in 1945 in a class of twenty-six. ?He was the recipient of the American Legion and Woodmen of the World medals on graduation night and was elected by his peers to serve as president of the St. Martin Parish 4-H Executive Committee during his senior year and lettered in basketball and track. After graduating from high school, he joined the United States Maritime Service and received his training at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York at the age of seventeen. ?After serving in the Maritime Service for approximately one year, he joined the regular Army, received his basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas and served as part of the occupational forces with the Sixth Signal Corps in Korea. ?He was later honorably discharged as staff sergeant at Fort Ord in California. Upon returning from the service, he entered Southwestern Louisiana Institute in the College of Education. ?He worked on a part-time basis to help support his family at various jobs to include service station attendant, timekeeper at the Breaux Bridge sugar mill and helper in one of the local cotton gins. ?He also surveyed crops as an employee of the County Agricultural Service. ?He graduated with honors from Southwestern in 1954. ?He was invited to become a member of Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi fraternities during his senior year. He taught at Cecilia High School for one year and then accepted an invitation to return to Southwestern as a seventh-grade supervising teacher at the Hamilton Laboratory School during which time he taught college courses in the College of Education. ?In 1963, he was appointed as the first elementary supervisor in St. Martin Parish and later was appointed assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum, supervisor and personnel. ?Soon thereafter, he was appointed to replace Lloyd Boulet as parish superintendent of schools, a position which he held for approximately five years. ?In 1971, he was selected by the American Association of School Administrators to be the recipient of a Danforth Foundation Fellowship. ?He spent two months visiting numerous exemplary educational programs in several states in the Midwest and along the west coast. ?In 1973, he was named by State Superintendent, Louis Michot as Assistant State Superintendent in charge of curriculum, instruction, textbooks, etc. for grades K - 12. ?His last five years in public education were spent at the University of Southwestern Louisiana as staff development director in the National Bilingual Center on campus. ?Following his retirement from public education with thirty years of service, he was appointed as principal of the St. Bernard Catholic Elementary School in Breaux Bridge, a school that had been closed several years prior to this date. ?During the sixth year of operation, the school was nationally recognized as an exemplary elementary school by the United States Department of Education. He served in numerous leadership capacities during his lifetime, to include the following: ?president of the Third District School Supervisors' Association, president of the Lafayette Parish Classroom Teachers, state president of the Louisiana Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, president of the U.S.L. track officials, president of the U.S.L. Alumi Association, president of the Acadiana Senior Olympics, Chairman of the St. Bernard Church Council, and chairman of the St. Bernard Church Review Committee. ?He was a scout leader, served on the Msgr. Borel Community Center Building Committee, served as a Eucharistic Minister, usher, church choir member and altar boy. ?He served on numerous other committees as a St. Bernard parishioner and as a member of the community. ?He was actively involved for several years as a member of a Good Government Committee. He was a strong supporter of the U.L. Track and Field Program and witnessed all of the U.L. basketball games from 1949 until the time of his death. ?He participated in the Senior Olympic Games for many years and qualified for national competition on several occasions. ?At his death, he was a member of the Louisiana Association of Retired School Superintendents, the St. Martin Parish Association of Retired Teachers, the St. Bernard Ushers Society, the Breaux Bridge Knights of Columbus and the St. Martin Parish Republican Committee. He received numerous awards as an educator, to include the following: ?Outstanding Citizen Award in Breaux Bridge in 1990 presented by the Woodmen of the World, Freedom Award from the St. Martin Parish Farm Bureau in 1967, Community Service Award from the Bayou Girl Scout Council in 1989, School Principal Award by the United States Department of Education in 1987, the Louisiana State Award for library promotion by the Association of School Libraries in 1968, and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the U.L. College of Education Alumni Chapter in 2002. The family requests that visitation hours be observed from 10:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 26, 2006 and continue at 8:00 a.m. on Monday until time of service. A rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evening in the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Jonathan McLeod, Ross Calais, Kyle Calais, Jeremy Fench, Jim Kennedy, Colby Broussard, Ricky Calais and Max McLeod. Honorary pallbearers will be Chester Cedars, Dickey Guidry, Conway Yarbrough, George Hebert, III, Tommy Huval, Earl Broussard, Clifford Hebert and Stacey Montesano. Donations can be made in his honor to the St. Bernard School Foundation, 251 E. Bridge St., Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Pellerin Funeral Home of Breaux Bridge is in charge of arrangements.