Florien native Joe Reece Salter was honored by the Louisiana House of Representatives Thursday afternoon, April 18. The presentation was made upon Joe’s retirement after many years of public service in many different fields.
Members of the House stood in honor of the former Speaker as Rep. Francis C. Thompson of Delhi read a special resolution. It was only the second time in the last 15 years or so that a special guest was allowed to come to the podium on the House floor.
Afterward, Joe was honored with a reception in the House members’ lounge. About 100 people, including relatives, friends and former work associates, came by to offer Joe their best wishes.
Sabine Parish folks who attended were Court of Appeal Judge Elizabeth Pickett, Sabine Judge Verity Gentry, former Many Mayor and Mrs. Ken Freeman, Pete Abington, Mr. and Mrs. William Ruffin, Many natives Trish Lowrey and Colby Cook, and Robert and Laurie Gentry.
Among those who came to share their best wishes were Sen. Alan Seabaugh, a sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn, and many other present and former lawmakers.
Sec. of State Nancy Landry, one of the numerous well-wishers, noted that she had asked Joe to stay on after having served as Chief of Staff under Sec. of State Kyle Ardoin, but he declined, instead opting for retirement and a more leisurely pace at the end of 2023. Joe officially retired on Dec. 31 of last year.
Former Index pub- lisher and longtime friend Robert Gentry said, “We congratulate Joe on this well-deserved honor and thank him for his many years of faithful friendship and committed service to his fellow man.”
The full text of the House Concurrent Resolution follows: 2024 Regular Session HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 47 BY REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON AND SENATORS ABRAHAM, BARROW, BASS, BOUDREAUX, CARTER, CONNICK, DUPLESSIS, EDMONDS, FESI, FIELDS, FOIL, HENRY, HENSGENS, HODGES, JACKSON-ANDREWS, JENKINS, KLEINPETER, LAMBERT, LUNEAU, MILLER, MIZELL, MORRIS, OWEN, PRESSLY, PRICE, SEABAUGH, TALBOT, AND WOMACK A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION To commend Joe R. Salter, former speaker of the House, on the occasion of his retirement from public service.
WHEREAS, Joe is a native of the village of Florien in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, and he graduated from Florien High School; he received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Northwestern State University in addition to completing thirty additional hours of graduate studies; WHEREAS, Mr. Salter is an incredibly civic- minded individual who has served the state of Louisiana in various capacities; he is a former alderman of the village of Florien, a former teacher in Sabine Parish and Vernon Parish, a former auditor for the Caddo Parish School System, a former principal of Florien High School, and a former assistant superintendent of Sabine Parish schools; and WHEREAS, Joe represented District 24 in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1986 until 2008; he also served with great distinction as the sixty-second speaker of the House; during his time in the legislature, he served as chair of the House Legislative Bureau and the Rural Legislative Task Force, as vice chair of the House Committee on Education, and as a member of numerous committees including the House Committee on Appropriations, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and the Joint Committee on Capital Outlay; and WHEREAS, as speaker, Joe demonstrated his outstanding leadership skills by expertly guiding the House and Louisiana’s citizens during the aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita; he provided strength, dignity, and determination throughout the unprecedented recovery process and helped the citizens of Louisiana to endeavor to rebuild the state; and WHEREAS, Mr. Salter has been the deserving recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Champion of Senior Citizen Issues in Louisiana Special Award from the Louisiana Council on Aging, the Fleur de Lis Health Care Leadership Award, the Guardian of Small Business Award, and the Louisiana Public Broadcasting President’s Award; he is a three-time Legislative Golden Apple Award winner, and he has been twice honored by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers with the Representative of the Year Award; and WHEREAS, Mr. Salter is affiliated with a number of professional, civic, and business organizations including the National Conference of State Legislatures and its education committee; the advisory council of the Southern Regional Education Board; the Education Commission of the States; the board of directors of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts; the advisory board of Northwestern State University at Fort Polk in Leesville; the Coushatta- Red River and Sabine Parish Chambers of Commerce; the Florien Lions Club; the Many Rotary Club; Phi Kappa Phi; the Blue Key Honor Fraternity; Phi Delta Kappa; the Toledo Bend Citizens Advisory Committee; and the Toledo Bend Lake Association; and WHEREAS, after the end of his House service, Mr. Salter continued his state public service as the director of governmental relations for the state Department of Education; and WHEREAS, Mr. Salter’s wife, Bettye, and their children and grandchildren celebrate with him as he enters the next chapter of their lives together; and WHEREAS, Representative Francis Thompson paid tribute to Mr. Salter on his election as Speaker: “I don’t believe I have met anyone with more integrity, honesty, loyalty, and ability to get along with people than Joe Salter”; and WHEREAS, Joe most recently served as the first assistant to the Louisiana Secretary of State; for nearly four decades, he has committed his unique blend of intelligence, compassion, and dauntless courage to the service of the state, and he is most deserving of the highest recognition for his work.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Joe R. Salter on the occasion of his retirement from public service and does hereby extend sincerest wishes that he continue to prosper in all of his endeavors as he begins a new journey in retirement.
Phillip DeVillier, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES John Cameron Henry Jr., PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE