Welcome to Central

Welcome to Central!

It was a little over four years ago when I first met Vickie Carney of French Town Road. We got together at what was my very first meeting of the Greater Baton Rouge Federation of Civic Associations where I was invited to speak about the magazines I began publishing a couple of years before in South and Southeast Baton Rouge.
Those magazines are closely tied to various civic associations in the southern third of East Baton Rouge Parish where I have lived for more than 40 years.

When Vickie suggested I consider publishing a version of Neighbors in Central, my response was not atypical of most people from South Baton Rouge back then: “You know I have heard of Central, but I really don’t know where it is. How would I get there?”

A few days later Vickie had me drive half way across the parish to meet Aaron Moak who was then President of CABA or the Central Area Business Association. CABA is now the City of Central Chamber of Commerce and everyone in South Baton Rouge knows of the brand new city and school system. I tell this story to let readers know that anything I say from here on about Central comes from a total outsider who did not even know where the place was four years ago.

Central Neighbors was born in that first meeting with Aaron and Vickie. They were so enthusiastic about Central’s bright future that they convinced me to risk my entire new publishing venture on the fact that a publication about people living in Central would be popular and, therefore, successful. Little did I know they invited me to become part of an exciting adventure which it has been my pleasure to be involved with.

Before long Aaron introduced me to Ian James, Lee Rome, Claud Derbes, Chuck Langlois, Russel Starns, Bodie White, Dr. Tony LoBue, Bill Porche, Joan Lensing, Cliff Richardson, Juanita and Lucky Ross and many, many others who shared the idea that the tightly knit, somewhat rural and somewhat isolated community in the northeastern part of East Baton Rouge Parish could come together to form a city and create a locally owned and operated public school system. The most amazing thing is that they not only thought it, they did it!!

As an outsider, I have to tell you I had my doubts. But when Louis DeJohn and his crew led the effort to raise $100,000 with Cookin’ for Our Neighbors and gathered in nearly twice that much, any interested observer just had to be impressed. Like the LSU Fighting Tigers when they get to that five yard line, you could see it was going to take a whole lot to keep them from getting across the goal.

Of course the name most on my mind as I tell this story is Jim Sartwell who we lost last week. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife, Deborah, and the entire Sartwell family. As chief of staff for the Central Chamber of Commerce, Jim was a strong fighter on the Central team. He will be sorely missed.

Jim came out of retirement to take a leadership role in creating an organized effort to bring new business to Central. Taxes paid by businesses are needed to fund the area infrastructure improvements that must come as Central’s population increases. Jim moved the situation forward over the last year, and the Central Chamber recently opened its new office next door to Central Drug Store near the intersection of Hooper and Sullivan Roads.

Still not a Central insider, I was proud to be in the group gathered to say a final farewell to Jim at the funeral mass at St. Alphonsus last week. One thing I know for certain is that Jim believed in Central’s strong future, and he would not want Central to miss a beat because of his passing.

Those in leadership positions must carry Jim’s strong spirit with them as Central continues moving forward. Because I guarantee you, that is how Jim would have wanted it.