Louisiana Poet Laureate Jean M. Boese Dead in Alexandria

Alexandria, LA, Daily Town Talk | 04-08-03 | Not given

[Theodore R.]

LOUISIANA

I love Louisiana with its cotton fields and trees

And the Spanish moss that flutters with the slightest bit of breeze.

I love the fields of sugar cane, the grazing cattle herds,

The sweet scented magnolias filled with brightly colored birds.

I love the lazy bayous that meander through the state,

Where bass and bream and speckled perch and crawfish lie in wait.

I love the mighty rivers that flowed where we now tread,

Atchafalaya, Mississippi and the clay filled Red.

I love the forests filled with game, I'm proud that from our soil

Come shrimp and oysters from the Gulf, and sulphur, salt and oil.

I love the lush green levees stretching far as eyes can see.

Louisiana has my love, because it's part of me.

Jean McGivney Boese Louisiana Poet Laureate

A memorial ,mass will be held on Monday, April 12, 2004 at 3 p.m. at the St. Frances Xavier Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army.

Mrs. Boese is survived by her son, Robert Lamar Boese, daughter-in-law, Dierdre Digiglia Boese and granddaughters, Erin and Kelly Boese.

Mrs. Boese was appointed in 1996 by Governor Foster as the Poet Laureate of Louisiana. Mrs. Boese was serving her second appointment as Poet Laureate under Governor Foster and her fourth appointment since 1980. Governor Treen appointed her to the post in 1980, and Governor Edwards retained her services from 1984 to 1988.

Born in New Orleans and educated at Newcomb College, Mrs. Boese resided in Alexandria with her husband, retired surgeon Dr. H. Lamar Boese (deceased). She has taught, written for educational television and worked as a social worker for the Red Cross.

Additionally, Mrs. Boese was the first woman to serve on the Alexandria Civil Service Commission. She has also served on the Review Board of the Alexandria Zoning Commission. On the state level she has served on the Commission on Indian Affairs, on the Commission on Salaries for State Judges and on the Election Code Commission. She was the first woman appointed Vice-Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee and has been a Republican National Committee woman for Louisiana.

Her business and professional prospectives consisted of being a social worker for the American Red Cross (1945 & 1946). She taught exceptional children in New Orleans; her community activities were, St. Frances Cabrini Hospital Auxiliary, Poet's circle member and past President, member of Woman's Auxiliary of Rapides Parish Medical Society and past President; former member of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Altar Society; former member of Matinee Musical Club; served on the Human Rights' Committee of St. Mary's Training School for Retarded Children.

Her political activities consisted of being a delegate to the Republican National Convention of 1964 and 1968; elected and reelected Republican National Committee woman for Louisiana in 1968-1974; elected Vice-Chairman of Republican State Central Committee from 1964 thru 1974; appointed and served as a member of the site committee of the Republican National Committee in 1971. Louisiana State Commissions: Governor's Commission on Indian Affairs in 1972, Steering Committee of Governor's Conference on Libraries in 1972, Governor's Committee on Election Code; Governor's Commission on Compensation for Elected State Wide Officials in 1974 and Governor's Commission on Compensation for Judges in 1975; City of Alexandria: Served as a member of the Alexandria Civil Service Commission from 1975-1979, Served as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment & Appeals of the City of Alexandria from 1979-1984.

Her honors were in 1965 she was the winner of Louisiana Farm Bureau Freedom Award in education; 1967 she received the Distinguished Service Award from the 12th District Department of Louisiana-Veterans of foreign wars; 1969 Freedom Award of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation in Religion.

She is listed in "Who's Who in America" and "Who's Who of American Women". Her major poetic works were The Messiah Mosiac, Holy Spirit and Other Poems, and Holy Spirit and Haiku. In 2000 she was named to the McGehee High Schools Hall of Fame.

[Wonder Warthog]

As an ex-Louisiana boy, I concur with all the sentiments expressed in the poem. Thanks for posting--it made me a bit homesick (in a pleasant way).

[Support Free Republic]

---

	The page cannot be found
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is unavailable.
Please try the following: If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. Open the www.freerepublic.com home page, and then look for links to the information you want. Click the Back button to try another link. Click Donate to help support the best site on the web. Face it, you don't want to sit down to start freeping someday, only to see... HTTP 404 - File not found

---

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There was a Croatian-Creole restaurant in New Orleans called Drago's. Probably the only one in the world...

[EagleMamaMT]

Theodore R., thank you so much for posting this. I'm so sorry to hear about her passing. I knew Mrs. Boese. I worked for a few years for her husband, Dr. Lamar Boese. They were such wonderful people. I've been gone from Louisiana for a long time and didn't know Dr. Boese was dead. Mrs. Boese, was a lovely, kind lady and she will be greatly missed.

[Theodore R.]

You are so right. I knew Mrs. Boese too. She had a fine sense of humor. I did not realize how excellent was her poetry -- the kind that the average person can appreciate. She was a terrific spokesman for the Republican Party. She told me in 1976 that she thought Carter would be a "Democratic Dewey." Of course, her wishful thinking entered into that comment. The obit did not give her age. I would think she was about 78-80.

[Theodore R.]

Her name is pronounced BOZE, as in Bozeman, MT. Or in the kind of radio that Rush Limbaugh advertises on his program.

[EagleMamaMT]

I think you are probably right about her age. When I worked for Dr. Boese in 1987-89, he was semi-retired and was only coming into the office three days a week (he had two other doctors in practice with him). I believe he fully retired in 1991. I think 78 to 80 would be a good guess. I'm pleased to find out she was such a leading force in the Louisiana Republican party. I wasn't too political back in those days (I was young) and politics was never discussed around the office, so I didn't know. It's nice that Mrs. Boese's poetry is well recognized and will live on after her.

Reading about Mrs. Boese makes me S-O-O-O homesick for Alexandria. We're supposed to go down for a visit in June to see my husband's new grandbaby. I can't wait!