Festivals abound in October
October 19, 2011
Grand Réveil Acadien!
October 19, 2011
Robert and Ruth Wright were not visibly present last Monday when their family and friends joined members of the Bayou Cane Fire Prevention District to permanently honor the couple with the placement of a plaque on the front of Fire Station No. 2.
Mr. Wright passed on June 12, 2010, and Miss Ruth, at the age of 92, was hospitalized during the clear and comfortable mid-day ceremony and reception in the fire station at 4617 W. Park Ave., but neither had been forgotten for their contributions to the area.
The Wrights had provided land upon which the fire district was able to build this station. When the facility was heavily damaged by a giant pecan tree that smashed onto it during Hurricane Gustav in 2008, rebuilding was accomplished with the Wrights closely watching every step.
“I think it was 155 acres dad had out here,” Rick Wright said of the original area from which approximately one-half acre was separated for construction of the 3,200 square-feet firehouse in December 1984.
“We thought it would be a great idea to donate a plaque to honor [the Wrights] on this building and Robert Wright’s choice of letting us have this property.” Bayou Cane Fire Protection District Chairman Bobby Cockerham said.
“This building was built to withstand the wind conditions of a hurricane,” Assistant Fire Chief Kenny Hill said. “The guys moved into this [new] building at the end of March.”
“This building was in such deplorable condition that we figured the best thing to do was strip it down to the cement and give these guys something where they could actually stay and go from there,” Cockerham said.
Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said that the contribution offered by the Wright family and work of the Bayou Cane Fire Prevention District has proven beneficial by providing a rating that results in lower fire insurance costs for the area.
“When the Wright family made this donation, little did they know that the land would prove even more valuable,” Claudet said.
On a typical 24-hour shift three fulltime firefighters live and work out of this station with a ladder truck, a pumper truck and a squad unit available for emergencies.
A Houma native, Robert Wright was a World War II and Korean War veteran. He graduated from LSU with a degree in civil engineering and returned to his hometown where he opened a civil engineering business.
The unveiling of a permanent plaque pays tribute to Robert and Ruth Wright for their donations that made having the new Bayou Cane Fire Protection District Station 2 possible. MIKE NIXON
