Lt. Gen. Russel Honore (center) speaks with Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover and Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau President Stacy Brown at the 2011 North Louisiana Travel Outlook Conference.
The 2011 North Louisiana Travel Outlook Conference was held today at the LakeHouse at Villaggio in Bossier City. Among the guest speakers were Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, whose opening speech began with a Boudreaux and Thibodeaux joke, and Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, best known for the leadership role he assumed in restoring order in New Orleans during the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Topics covered during the day ranged from the future of Louisiana’s gaming industry to the natural gas exploration outlook for 2012.
Lt. Gen. Honore spoke on the topics of American exceptionalism, leadership in crisis, and the importance of volunteerism. His advice to those in attendance: “Do the routine things well, don’t be afraid to take on the impossible, and don’t be afraid to act in the face of criticism.” Honore said that these lessons were first taught to him by his mother, but that all three lessons – especially the bit about “taking on the impossible” – struck home as he was helicoptered into New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. As he spoke, it occurred to me that this man had once had the most difficult job in the world. What may have sounded like generic platitudes coming from a lesser person carried real weight coming from him.
If you’d like to contribute to the 2012 Louisiana Bicentennial Fund, visit their website. Honore’s goal is to fun a statewide celebration without using any state, federal, or taxpayer money.
Lagniappe
View a collection of photos from the 2011 North Louisiana Travel Outlook Conference.
Read the latest update on the 2012 Bicentennial Celebration.
