HLS 14RS-817 ORIGINAL
Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 4
BY REPRESENTATIVE SHADOIN
CONDOLENCES: Expresses the condolences of the Louisiana House of Representatives upon the death of Wiley W. Hilburn, Jr., of Choudrant, Louisiana
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To express the condolences of the House of Representatives upon the untimely death of
3 Wiley Wilson Hilburn, Jr., of Choudrant, Louisiana, noted north Louisiana
4 newspaper columnist, editorial writer, and professor of journalism.
5 WHEREAS, north Louisiana lost a beloved voice, remembered as "the Mark Twain
6 of Louisiana", and journalism lost one of its treasured local contributors with the January 16,
7 2014, death of Wiley Hilburn, Jr.; and
8 WHEREAS, Wiley Hilburn, Jr., a native of Ruston, Louisiana, began his long career
9 in journalism as a teenager at The Ruston Daily Leader; he devoted over four decades to
10 Louisiana Tech University as chair of the journalism department and director of the news
11 bureau and, after retiring in 2009, was named journalism professor emeritus and
12 Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Liberal Arts; he was also selected to membership
13 in the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame and for 50 years, until the time of his
14 death, published widely read editorials and a cherished column in Gannett newspapers; and
15 WHEREAS, throughout his long teaching career, Mr. Hilburn guided numerous
16 students into the profession of journalism, for which he had great respect and love as an
17 important American cultural institution, and he maintained close relationships, both
18 professional and personal, with many of his students whom he had influenced and mentored;
19 and
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1 WHEREAS, Mr. Hilburn was widely known as a lover of jokes and as a practical
2 joker who concocted elaborate ruses to confound his victims, seeing also the entertainment
3 value when he was in turn the butt of a good practical joke; and
4 WHEREAS, there can scarcely be any greater tribute than to be remembered by his
5 many friends, colleagues, readers, and former students as finding "as much intrigue in the
6 lives of everyday people as he did governors and celebrities"; as creating pictures with
7 "words that were his brush strokes ... from the majestic eagle to the melodious mockingbird,
8 from the old-school Louisiana politician to the gathering of old men in a store"; as being
9 "each of us, only better"; whose writing would "cause you to stop and really see something
10 important and needed, something you'd missed, though right in front of your eyes"; and
11 being "a strong and bold voice of contemplation and reason in tumultuous times, a
12 peacemaker, a lover of nature, and a friend to many"; and
13 WHEREAS, the loss of Wiley Hilburn, Jr., is profoundly felt by his wife, Kate
14 Sartor; children, Anne Marie Hilburn, Kevin Hilburn, and Greg Hilburn and their mother,
15 Ellen LaCroix; his stepdaughter, Jenny O'Driscoll; his brother, Chet Hilburn; his daughters-
16 in-law, Holley Hilburn and Tania Hilburn; his grandchildren, Steven Ledford, William
17 Ledford, Seth Hilburn, and twins Shyla and Shyenne Hilburn, and his mother- and father-in-
18 law, C. Lane and Gloria Sartor.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
20 Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express its condolences to the family of Wiley Wilson
21 Hilburn, Jr., for their great loss.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
23 to the family of Wiley Wilson Hilburn, Jr.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Shadoin HR No. 4
Expresses the condolences of the House of Representatives upon the death of Wiley Wilson Hilburn, Jr., of Choudrant, Louisiana.
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