Eunice Seniors Dec 2010

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harry bellard

The eunice newsSunday, December 26, 2010

Harry Bellard, retired Eunice businessman. See page 2.

By Myra [email protected]

Harry Bellard, 78, retired owner and manager of Eunice Poultry, Mama’s Fried Chicken and Crispy Cajun, now enjoys his 30-piece musical and me-chanical collection of toys and items, given to him by an old service friend from Raceland.

Bellard laughed, saying that his grandchildren enjoy play-ing with his collection of toys. He said, “My Army friend from Raceland, the late Loveless Ad-ams, started the mechanical toy collection for me. He and his wife Katherine vacationed and traveled, and at each stop, they picked up something for me. My favorites are the American sing-ing bear and the Army soldier. The soldier wears my Army dog tag number, US 54097425.”

Bellard was born on August 14, 1932 to the late Joseph Bel-lard and Lucille LeBlanc in Carencro. He is the third-oldest of seven boys.

Bellard attended school in

Sunset until 8th grade. He then went to work to help his family’s income. “I worked at a potato kiln in Lewisburg.”

Bellard met his wife Ruby at a dancehall, The Step-In Club in Lawtell. “My brother Leroy and I met up with Ruby. We danced and continued to date for two years.” The couple also enjoyed dancing at the Green Lantern.

Bellard, 19, married Ruby Fontenot of Plaisance on June 2, 1951 at St. Landry Catho-lic Church in Opelousas with Fr. Olan Broussard officiating. Best man was his brother A.C. Bellard and maid of honor was Jane Bellard.

A year and half later he was drafted into the Army serving two years as Chef and finished his rank as Corporal. He was stationed at Camp Carson, Colo, St. Louis, Mo., Camp Irwin, Ca-lif. and Ft. Knox, KY.

The couple’s first home was in Opelousas. He attended T.H. Harris Technical College for two years, earning a degree in Me-chanics.

Bellard’s first job was working

for Holsum Bread as a salesman for eight and half years.

The Bellards moved to Eunice in 1965 where he opened and served as part owner/manager of Eunice Poultry alongside Ashton Bellard, his brother, and Leon Stelly. He worked there 30 years.

He said, “Back then, Eunice Poultry sold fresh chicken only. We delivered to local and nearby grocery stores, which was our main sales,” He said.

Bellard was also part-own-er/manager of Mama’s Fried Chicken Restaurant and Crispy Cajun Restaurant.

Bellard retired at 62, “I en-joyed serving our regular cus-tomers. I came to know them well,” he said.

The Bellards have three daughters, Debbie Reed of Mau-rice, Linda Ouelette of Eunice and Heidi Champagne of Caren-cro. They are grandparents of six granddaughters and six great-grandchildren, with one on the way.

Bellard serves as Sergeant-At-Arms for CFMA (Cajun French

Music Association) and is a for-mer Knights of Columbus mem-ber at St. Anthony’s Church. The Bellards give free Cajun dance lessons every June as part of the CFMA.

The couple are members of St. Anthony Catholic Church.

Bellard enjoys cooking. He makes a mean homemade corn-bread. He laughed saying, “I learned when I was real young how to bake a cornbread. That’s what we ate a lot of back then.”

He enjoys assisting with the Eunice Mardi Gras Boucherie. “I help every year cooking crack-lins.”

Bellard enjoys fishing with his brother Leroy in Lacassine. “I fish for just about anything, whatever bites!”

2 Sunday, December 26, 2010 The Eunice News Senior Supplement

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Serving chicken was his business; now he enjoys musical & mechanical collection

Ruby and Harry Bellard, 1953

Eunice Manor3859 Highway 190 457-2681 Eunice

Employee of the Month

Felicia Lavergne, SSD

Resident ofthe monthMs. HazelDarbonne

December 2010

Felicia Lavergne is celebrating 20 years of employment.

By Rose FontenotSocial Security District Manager

Social Security’s homepage, www.socialsecurity.gov, has a new look.

Our redesigned homepage now features a service chan-neling guide on the left side of the page, which lists the most sought-after services and infor-mation on the site. You’ll find the information or service you want quickly and easily, includ-ing links to:

*applying online for benefits;*estimating your retirement

benefits;*Extra Help with Medicare

prescription drug costs;*services for people who al-

ready receive benefits; and* getting or replacing a Social

Security card.You can find great information

categorized by general topic at the top of the home page, includ-ing Retirement, Disability, Sur-vivors, Supplemental Security Income, Medicare, and Business Services. At the center of the page you’ll find information tar-geted for specific groups, such as Congress, the press, wound-ed warriors, government em-ployees, as well as useful links

ranging from emergency office closings to getting help with your situation. You’ll also find information about our agency, such as careers with Social Se-curity, and the history of Social Security.

A news section keeps readers up to date on important Social Security news, and a large ques-tion mark to the right of the page takes you to our frequently asked questions.

Please visit our redesigned home page the next time you need a service or information from Social Security. Find it now at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Your Resolutions For 2011:

It’s that time of year: out with the old and in with the new. You may be thinking about your list

of New Year’s resolutions for 2011. There are many impor-tant things to consider. May we suggest a few? Each of these will take only a matter of minutes.

1. Get an estimate of your fu-ture Social Security benefit. In just a few minutes, you can have an instant, personalized esti-mate of your future Social Secu-rity benefit. Our online Retire-ment Estimator gives estimates based on your actual Social Se-curity earnings record. This is valuable to know when you’re making plans for your future. Check it out at www.socialsecu-rity.gov/estimator.

2. Read your mail. Be espe-cially careful about looking at mail that arrives from Social Security. About two to three months before your birthday, you should receive your annual Social Security Statement. Your

Statement is a concise, easy-to-read personal record of the earnings on which you have paid Social Security taxes dur-ing your working years and a summary of the estimated ben-efits you and your family may receive in retirement, survivors or disability benefits as a result of those earnings.

3. Visit the ballpark. Not that one; the Ballpark Estimator. It will help you do a better job of saving for your future. It’s true that times have been tough lately. But no matter how much you earn, it’s a good idea to try to save. Check out the Ballpark Estimator for a projection of how much you should save for a comfortable retirement. Go to the ballpark at www.chooseto-save.org/ballpark.

Senior Supplement The Eunice News Sunday, December 26, 2010 3

Social Security can show you the way to find assistanceSocial Security

Rose FontenotPublic Affairs Specialist

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Photo SubmittedGoodhope Place tenants got into the Christmas spirit and deco-rated their own Christmas orna-ments.

Ornaments at Goodhope Place Apartments

Photo SubmittedGoodhope Place tenants par-ticipated in a Christmas Door Decorating contest. Barbara Leday, tenant, was named the winner. Right, Chief Gary Fontenot served as the judge.

Door Decorating Contest at Goodhope

Photo SubmittedVida Chaumont and Jenny Ardoin, Oak Lane residents, enjoy danc-ing during their annual Christmas Party.

Oak Lane residents dancing


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Miller celebrates 80th birthday

Photo SubmittedRose Mary Fontenot Miller celebrated her 80th birthday Dec. 3 at a surprise birthday party hosted by her children. Miller, born on Dec. 3, 1930 to the late Harry and Mable Bertrand Fontenot of Eunice, married Leonard Miller, and the couple had five children, Linda Miller Miller, the late Sandra Miller Guillory, Marilyn Miller Johnson, Randy Miller and Darla Miller Brown. Pictured from left are Darla Brown, Marilyn Johnson, Rose Miller, Linda Miller and Randy Miller. Miller has 12 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Oak Lane resident Bessie LeDoux celebrated her birthday in the month of December. The birthday cake provided by Med Express was enjoyed by all residents.

December birthday at Oak Lane

Classified Ad deadline for

garage sales is Tuesday before

12 noon.

W.W.J.D.O.B.F.?What Would

Jesus Do On Black Friday?

Would Jesus have gone run-ning out into the streets in dismay, or gone “Temple” like in the Bible? Probably Temple.

Does anyone over the age of 35 really recog-nize what Christmas has become anymore? One friend told me that it really bothers him that his wife spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars on gifts, and months of shopping, only to have the whole show over in 5 minutes on Christmas morn-ing. He said that in the fury of the unwrapping, all of the appreciation is sucked out. The Christmas paper is not even cold yet. And, my friend is a millionaire.

The thesis of what I am saying is, we need a “redo.” We need to go back to a time when all this was not about the “gift,” but about the “intention.”

I will be first to admit I love giving people gifts, I really do. I really, really enjoy the “sur-prise look” and then the smile or laughter. It is great. And, in my life, I have been lucky enough to be able to give some expensive gifts and some inex-pensive gifts. But, they all had a common thread. They all no matter what the price

had the intention of making the person feel good. I had either overheard something the person said, or knew from some experi-ence we shared, or just knew their personality well enough, to know they would enjoy it. It was never about the price. (FYI: We will ignore all bad sweater presents… or politi-cal satire presents, never good ideas.)

I will admit I have some things I really love: I love gadgets. All gadgets. I love all things electronic, because they do cool things. But, I do not have to have a relationship with my IPhone. And, I really enjoy very, very fast cars. I like the smell of the leather on a high-end designed car. I like all things about automobiles, design, speed, torque, radius, you name it. But, in the end, if a car cannot get you from Point A to Point B, it is worthless, no matter how good it looks or drives. What I am saying is I feel like I know how to put it all into perspective. At least I hope I do.

With so many people out of work and so many people who are not able to pay their funda-mental needs, I cringed when-ever I read the reports recently that records sales were set for the holidays. When are peo-ple going to get it? We are living in tight times, and I feel that this is a “teachable moment” for children. Yes, get them gifts, but reign it in. I am not Scrooge, in as much as

I am more Alan Greenspan. You don’t have to completely shut down Christmas, just get back to the real reasons behind it. Spirituality, above all. Laughter, joy, renewing ties, love. That is it, right?

Even more importantly, I feel if you pay attention to the peo-ple you love, you can always find a gift that does not cost a lot of money, but packs a wallop of meaning.

For example, my stepmother Gwen is really a great person to give a gift. She is so apprecia-tive, and she really sees when someone is trying to give her something that has meaning. It is not about the price for her, either. It does not hurt that she has a wonderful smile and it is is magic to make her smile. I feel that she gets the real mean-ing of all of this.

Because this column runs in the Senior Edition, I feel that you, as an older person, have a duty to the younger people in your life--whether it is your chil-dren or grandchildren--to buy a gift with meaning. We cannot keep on going at the rate we are

going. We are keeping up with the Jones Family to our serious and great detriment.

Just an idea: What about giving your grandchildren a modest gift, and then a small savings bond with it? Or, how about just buying them a sav-ings bond? And, EXPLAIN to them about what these bonds do. Savings bonds are not about the now, they are about the future.

Moreover, explain to them about your childhood Christmases. Was Christmas a time where you got essen-tials--like clothing and school supplies--because your parents were struggling to feed a fam-ily or to make ends meet? Or, explain to them the values of the time period. If you are of a certain age, you were probably raised by a child of The Great Depression. What do you think we are in now?

I believe your history (what you saw, what you had to go through, how you made your life

to what it is today, and what you are today) is the greatest gift you could tell them. And tell them about tough times, and what you had to do to get by. It means something. It means a great deal.

Look, all of this does not have to be dour. It can be “teachable.” And, turn on the music and laugh. I will always remember the Christmases—every sin-gle one—where my Dad would make a fire and turn on Nat King Cole.

One final thought: One time as a child, I went into our pan-try, only to see that my Mother had reorganized it. In one sec-tion, there were a number of fruitcake tins (some even in the freezer)---all presents from my “Big Mama”, my Mother’s Mother.

“Big” had a thing every year: Every one of her children (and subsequently, their families) got a fruitcake. One fruitcake per


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Santa (pause) or how I learned about the real meaning of fruitcakes

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family. Yes, we could be here all day talking about the love/hate relationship concerning the merits/faults of The Fruitcake (it is a hotly contested subject), but fruitcakes are really the old school versions of Twinkies: They are an acquired taste; they last forever; you can eat them in a pinch when there is absolutely nothing sweet left in the house, no mold grows on them; and finally, after a nuclear holocaust, they will all survive—along with roaches and the singer Cher.

I remember asking my Mom why she was keeping all of those fruitcakes. I mean...I wanted to know if there was

a famine coming. And, if there was, I wanted something tastier than fruitcakes. Like Johnson’s boudin, or some salt meat. Maybe a wedge of cheese to tide me over.

She got kind of misty-eyed, and told me that she could not throw them out--even despite the fact that no one had eaten one since 1985--because they were a gifts from her Mother. In that moment, I got the meaning of Christmas, and a new-found respect for The Fruitcake.

Happy Holidays. Please be safe and spread your love as wide as it can go.

It is free, very precious, can’t buy it, and it is the hottest gift you can give this year.

Cheers!

SantaContinued from Page 6 People often talk about cut-

ting stress completely out of their lives (best-case scenario) or reducing it to a degree (real-istic scenario). But some experts are saying stress in low doses actually can be a good thing.

Stress produces a boost of energy for the body. Think about a deadline looming or the first few moments before a potential accident. When the brain gets clued into these situ-ations — physical or psycho-logical stress — it triggers the heart to start pumping faster, sharpens senses, and produces a rise in glucose throughout the body. The chemicals cor-tisol, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine also start racing through the body. These short-term bursts of stress can

help a person perform better and more efficiently. They may also improve memory.

Give Stress a Chance:Recognizing good stress is

achieved by examining your feel-ings after the stressful event. Do you feel a sense of accom-plishment or excitement? This is a good stress. If you’re feeling completely overwhelmed, it’s bad stress. Good stress actually stimulates the body and can be an immune system booster, experts say. It helps improve heart function and can make you more resistant to infection.

Studies into good stress have provided interesting results. In some circles it is believed that good short-term stress benefits memory function and can help protect against diseases like

Alzheimer’s. Other investiga-tions reveal that good stress may staunch estrogen produc-tion, thus helping to prevent breast cancer.

When Good Stress Goes Bad:Doctors and scientists indi-

cate that when stress continues longer than 24 hours and is chronic, all of the good benefits to stress can sour. If the body is overrun by these flight-or-fight hormones too long, consequenc-es such as high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, and fatigue can occur.

For many people it’s difficult to dial-down stress when it is happening. So, what started out as minor stress can escalate and produce the negative health effects.

Can stress ever be good?

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The Silver Belles perform at annual Christmas dinner

The Silver Belles dance members entertained seniors during an annual Christmas Dinner held at Southeast Center Dec. 15. Members from left are Faye Odom, Glenda Young, Irene Sattler, Pat Manuel, Claire Smith and Mary Lou Guillory.

Seniors enjoy Bingo at S. East dinner

Photos by Myra MillerMyrtle and Wesley Neville enjoy Bingo games at the annual City-Wide Christmas seniors dinner held Dec. 15 at the Southeast Center in Eunice.

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Eunice Seniors Dec 2010