Louisiana Press Association 136th Annual Convention Press Release

For more information contact: LPA executive director Pam Mitchell, CAE Phone: 225-344-9309

Embargoed to: Saturday June 18, 3:00 p.m. Photo available at http://www.lapress.com/app/garlandforman.jpg

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Garland Forman, of The Bunkie Record, was elected president of the Louisiana Press Association at its 136th Annual Convention in Lake Charles this weekend.

The (name of newspaper) is a member of the Louisiana Press Association, the statewide organization of 165 newspapers, news-related publications and special market products.

Other officers elected were: Vice-President Renette Dejoie Hall, Publisher, Louisiana Weekly (New Orleans), and Secretary-Treasurer, Sam Hanna, Jr., co-owner of Hanna Newspapers including The Franklin Sun (Winnsboro), The Concordia Sentinel (Ferriday) and The Ouachita Citizen (West Monroe), where he also serves as publisher.

Elected to three-year terms were Dan Shea, publisher of The Advocate (Baton Rouge), The Advocate (New Orleans), St. Francisville Democrat and The Watchman (Clinton); Wilbur Reynaud, publisher of Lutcher- Vacherie News Examiner-Enterprise and Assumption Pioneer (Napoleonville); and David Specht, president of Specht Newspapers including the Bossier Press Tribune and Minden Press Herald.

Elected to three-year terms with one year remaining were Gary Palmer, publisher of The Courier (Houma), The Daily Comet (Thibodaux), Plaquemine Post/South, Donaldsonville Chief, and the Gonzales Weekly; and David Francis, publisher of The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) and NOLA Media Group.

Continuing to serve as directors are: Judi Terzotis, vice president of Gannett Louisiana and publisher of The Advertiser (Lafayette); Darrell Guillory, CEO of Louisiana State Newspapers; Clancy Dubos, co-owner of Gambit; and Will Chapman, publisher of The Daily Iberian (New Iberia).

The Louisiana Press Association Foundation President and liaison to the board is Miles Forrest, LPA Past President and retired publisher.

Tom Shearman, publisher of American Press (Lake Charles), The Southwest Daily News (Sulphur), the Vinton News and The St. Bernard Voice (Arabi) will serve as Past President.

The 2016 President’s Award was presented to Norris Babin, co-publisher of The Plaquemines Gazette (Belle Chasse) and the St. Bernard Voice (Arabi) for his demonstrated leadership skills and contributions to the Louisiana Press Association.

Garland Forman, Jr. has been involved in the newspaper business for most of his life. His father worked in the composing room of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk and Garland grew up throwing a newspaper and a shopper with his father. He knew at an early age that he loved journalism. He grew up in Pineville and after finishing at Louisiana College in 1980, Forman moved to Ville Platte and then Eunice working in private business but he had started writing for the Ville Platte Gazette and then Eunice News as a stringer. He later went back to Ville Platte and worked in sports. In August 1987, he was named the sports editor at the Bunkie Record and on May 1, 1988 he was named the editor of the paper. In 1996, he picked up the title of general manager at the Bunkie Record. He also writes currently for the Marksville Weekly News and Avoyelles Journal. During his time at the Bunkie Record, the paper has won hundreds of awards in the LPA writing contest, including Newspaper of the Year three times and editorial sweepstakes six times. For several years he has served as chairman or co-chairman of the LPA contest committee before being named to the LPA Board of Directors in 2007. Forman has also served on the Legislative Committee while a member of the Board of Directors. He was also the Louisiana Sports Writers Association President for two years and serves on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame selection committee. In Bunkie, he has served on the Bunkie Chamber of Commerce Board for several years, including two years as president; member of the Bunkie Rotary Club since 1988 and served three two-year terms as president of the organization; Chairman of the Louisiana Corn Festival for two years; and has been the president of the Bunkie Panther Club, which supports the local high school since the early 1990’s. Married to the former Debbie Passman and have four children, Patrick, Susan, Jason and James, and two grandchildren, Ethan and Colin.