Jack P.F. Gremillion
Encyclopedia
Jack Paul Faustin Gremillion, Sr. (June 15, 1914–March 2, 2001), was the Democratic
attorney general of Louisiana
from 1956-1972. He was a member of the Earl Kemp Long political faction. Though he opposed school desegregation
, he was a party loyalist and was an elector for the John F. Kennedy
--Lyndon B. Johnson
presidential ticket in 1960. Kennedy and Johnson easily won Louisiana's ten electoral votes that year.
in Ascension Parish near Baton Rouge. He graudated from Catholic High, Donaldsonville and moved to Baton Rouge to attend LSU Louisiana State University
and its law school in Baton Rouge from 1931-1937. Gremillion's father was a deceased telegraph operator for the Texas and Pacific Railroad; his mother was a school teacher. Coming from meager family means, (with four siblings) he worked his way through college mainly at Solvay Chemical in Baton Rouge. He studied law in under the tutelage of Fred S. LeBlanc
, then a practicing attorney in Baton Rouge, and later the attorney general whom Gremillion unseated. Thereafter, Gremillion was admitted to the practice of law and was a member of the American Bar Association
.
On January 12, 1942, Gremillion married the former Doris McDonald (July 13, 1920—October 31, 1989). The couple had four sons and a daughter, Jack P.F. Gremillion, Jr. (born 1944), William McDonald Gremillion, Wayne Francis Gremillion (born 1947), Doris H. Gremillion, and Charles Mark Gremillion (born 1958).
He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church
and its Knights of Columbus
men's organization, the American Legion
, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Elks Club
. Before he became attorney general, he had been a counsel to the state revenue department and an assistant district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish. He was a short, stoutly-built, balding man with a loud voice and a determined, self-confident demeanor.
attorney Camille Francis Gravel, Jr.
, turned down an offer to run for the position, which paid a low salary compared to what sought-after lawyers were then earning. It has been said that Gremillion was in Donaldsonville acting as a pallbearer
at an uncle's funeral when a messenger told him that "Uncle Earl" wanted him to run for attorney general. Gremillion went on to defeat Attorney General Fred LeBlanc, who was elected first in 1944 and again in 1952 and held the post under Governors Jimmie Davis
and Robert F. Kennon
. LeBlanc also served as mayor
of Baton Rouge from 1941-1944.
As the 1955 primary campaign proceeded, Earl Long began to complain to his associates that Gremillion's constant "speech" on the stump was getting on Long's nerves. The sarcastic Long, as was his forte, belittled Gremillion. Long said that Gremillion did not "know a lawsuit from a jumpsuit" and scoffed: "If you want to hide something from Jack Gremillion, put it in a lawbook!"
In 1960, after he had won his second consecutive Democratic nomination for attorney general, Gremillion faced a Republican challenger, Baton Rouge attorney Nealon Stracener (June 29, 1916-October 26, 1990). Gremillion defeated Stracener, 86.4 to 13.6 percent. Stracener was the first Republican in modern Louisiana history to seek the attorney general's position. No Republican thus far has ever been the Louisiana attorney general. In 1963, Gremillion defeated a single Democratic primary challenger, Charles A. Riddle, Jr.
service in his campaign speeches in a bid to appeal to Louisiana's large number of voters who were also veterans.
William J. "Bill" Dodd, who was successfully running for auditor (also called comptroller) in the same primary in which Gremillion was seeking the attorney general's position, recalled how Earl Long
who, in Dodd's words, "was a draft dodger in World War I
, was sensitive and touchy about candidates who bragged on their war records, and Gremillion, who as a decorated combat veteran . . . bragged about his fine record, using as much as half of his speeches in stories about his war experiences."
Dodd continued: "I knew he had a good war record and that he had received a Purple Heart
. He got it from a gunshot wound he received while leaning over to help a fallen infantry
man. The bullet or shrapnel hit Gremillion in the belly and traveled down between his legs. Gremillion liked to talk about his Purple Heart, but he never said where he got shot."
Dodd told an unusually large crowd in the village of Montgomery
in Grant Parish that "Our hero, Jack Gremillion, was breathing gunpowder
and killing Germans. Why he almost got killed himself when an enemy shell plowed into one of his most vital organs; if you don't believe Jack Gremillion earned his Purple Heart, he will show you the scars he has to prove it."
According to Dodd, who could barely contain his humor, Gremillion later told him, "Dodd, I appreciate your bragging on my war record, but don't tell the crowds that I will show them where I got shot. Several of those darn rednecks wanted me to show them my scars and got mad when I refused to pull down my pants."
In the December 7, 1963, primary, Gremillion prevailed over his lone Democratic rival, Charles Riddle, Jr.
for a comment he made in a federal courtroom while he was opposing the New Orleans school desegregation
case. Judge Edwin Ford Hunter, Jr.
, who charged Gremillion with contempt, had been his personal friend for many years.
In 1971, Gremillion was charged with mail fraud, conspiracy
, and fraud
in the sale of securities in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge in regard to his dealings with the bankrupt Louisiana Loan and Thrift Corp. He was tried and acquitted and decided to seek a fifth term as attorney general. Then he was convicted later in that campaign year on federal perjury
charges in a related case. He was sentenced to three years in prison and served fifteen months in the facility at Eglin Air Force Base
in Florida
. Governor Edwin Washington Edwards pardoned Gremillion in 1976, and he resumed his law practice. Edwards said that the pardon was required by Louisiana law because all first offenders who complete a sentence are automatically pardoned. He signed the pardon paper to avoid any misunderstanding in Gremillion's case.
Meanwhile, Gremillion was denied a runoff berth for the Democratic nomination for attorney general in the 1971 primary. He was succeeded in the office by his fellow Democrat, then State Senator William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr.
, of New Orleans. Guste defeated his Senate colleague George T. Oubre, Sr., and then crushed the Republican
nominee, Thomas E. "Tom" Stagg, Jr.
, of Shreveport. While Gremillion had been a Kennedy elector, Guste in 1976 was an elector for Democrat Jimmy Carter
. Guste continued as attorney general for five terms.
Gremillion was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fred Cassibry in New Orleans to three years imprisonment for lying about his role in Louisiana Loan and Thrift. Judge Cassiby lectured Gremillion:
"We both know that in the United States, no man is so small as to be disregarded by the law. Neither is any man so great as to be above it. Your offenses cannot be condoned as one committed in ignorance of the law or wittingly, or in the heat of a momentary passion."
Gremillion's son, Jack Gremillion, Jr., who was an attorney for the Teamsters Union union, ran into legal troubles of his own. In 1975, Gremillion, Jr., pleaded guilty in Louisiana to a federal charge of conspiring in the obstruction of justice
. Three years later, he was convicted in Georgia
on a federal mail fraud charge. He was imprisoned in both cases and disbarred. In 2002, while he was the business manager of an automobile dealership in Baton Rouge, Gremillion, Jr., petititoned to regain his right to practice law but ran into opposition from the bar association disciplinary committee.
Jack P.F. Gremillion, Sr., died after a long illness in Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He and his wife Doris are interred at Greenoaks Memorial Park in Baton Rouge.
, to perform before the National Association of Attorneys General in their annual meeting in San Antionio
. Durante, a close friend of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
, agreed to do so. Durante was also a friend of Gremillion's chief investigator, Frank Manning.
Jack Gremillion had six brown dauchunds throughout a span of time, all named "Sam." "Sam" was also the nom de plume that Gremillion used when submitting verious articles to the Baton Rouge newspapers.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
attorney general of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
from 1956-1972. He was a member of the Earl Kemp Long political faction. Though he opposed school desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, he was a party loyalist and was an elector for the John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
--Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
presidential ticket in 1960. Kennedy and Johnson easily won Louisiana's ten electoral votes that year.
Early years and family
The French-speaking Gremillion was born to William Kossuth Gremillion and the former Genoa Henderson in DonaldsonvilleDonaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...
in Ascension Parish near Baton Rouge. He graudated from Catholic High, Donaldsonville and moved to Baton Rouge to attend LSU Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
and its law school in Baton Rouge from 1931-1937. Gremillion's father was a deceased telegraph operator for the Texas and Pacific Railroad; his mother was a school teacher. Coming from meager family means, (with four siblings) he worked his way through college mainly at Solvay Chemical in Baton Rouge. He studied law in under the tutelage of Fred S. LeBlanc
Fred S. LeBlanc
Frederick Saugrain LeBlanc, Sr., known as Fred S. LeBlanc , was a 20th century politician in the U.S. state of Louisiana who served two terms as his state's attorney general and was firmly allied with the anti-Long faction of the predominant Democratic Party.-Background:LeBlanc graduated in 1916...
, then a practicing attorney in Baton Rouge, and later the attorney general whom Gremillion unseated. Thereafter, Gremillion was admitted to the practice of law and was a member of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
.
On January 12, 1942, Gremillion married the former Doris McDonald (July 13, 1920—October 31, 1989). The couple had four sons and a daughter, Jack P.F. Gremillion, Jr. (born 1944), William McDonald Gremillion, Wayne Francis Gremillion (born 1947), Doris H. Gremillion, and Charles Mark Gremillion (born 1958).
He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and its Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
men's organization, the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Elks Club
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
. Before he became attorney general, he had been a counsel to the state revenue department and an assistant district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish. He was a short, stoutly-built, balding man with a loud voice and a determined, self-confident demeanor.
Long taps Gremillion for attorney general
Gremillion was tapped by Earl Long to run for attorney general in the 1956 Democratic primary after Long's first choice, AlexandriaAlexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
attorney Camille Francis Gravel, Jr.
Camille Gravel
Camille Francis Gravel, Jr. , was a Louisiana, Democratic politician.Gravel spent much time and money supporting the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII honored Gravel with the "Order of St. Gregory" for his outstanding service to the church.-Education:Gravel graduated in 1935 from the University...
, turned down an offer to run for the position, which paid a low salary compared to what sought-after lawyers were then earning. It has been said that Gremillion was in Donaldsonville acting as a pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
at an uncle's funeral when a messenger told him that "Uncle Earl" wanted him to run for attorney general. Gremillion went on to defeat Attorney General Fred LeBlanc, who was elected first in 1944 and again in 1952 and held the post under Governors Jimmie Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
and Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
. LeBlanc also served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Baton Rouge from 1941-1944.
As the 1955 primary campaign proceeded, Earl Long began to complain to his associates that Gremillion's constant "speech" on the stump was getting on Long's nerves. The sarcastic Long, as was his forte, belittled Gremillion. Long said that Gremillion did not "know a lawsuit from a jumpsuit" and scoffed: "If you want to hide something from Jack Gremillion, put it in a lawbook!"
In 1960, after he had won his second consecutive Democratic nomination for attorney general, Gremillion faced a Republican challenger, Baton Rouge attorney Nealon Stracener (June 29, 1916-October 26, 1990). Gremillion defeated Stracener, 86.4 to 13.6 percent. Stracener was the first Republican in modern Louisiana history to seek the attorney general's position. No Republican thus far has ever been the Louisiana attorney general. In 1963, Gremillion defeated a single Democratic primary challenger, Charles A. Riddle, Jr.
Dodd recalls Gremillion's war record
Gremillion referred to his World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service in his campaign speeches in a bid to appeal to Louisiana's large number of voters who were also veterans.
William J. "Bill" Dodd, who was successfully running for auditor (also called comptroller) in the same primary in which Gremillion was seeking the attorney general's position, recalled how Earl Long
Earl Long
Earl Kemp Long was an American politician and the 45th Governor of Louisiana for three non-consecutive terms. Long termed himself the "last of the red hot poppas" of politics, referring to his stump-speaking skills...
who, in Dodd's words, "was a draft dodger in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, was sensitive and touchy about candidates who bragged on their war records, and Gremillion, who as a decorated combat veteran . . . bragged about his fine record, using as much as half of his speeches in stories about his war experiences."
Dodd continued: "I knew he had a good war record and that he had received a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
. He got it from a gunshot wound he received while leaning over to help a fallen infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
man. The bullet or shrapnel hit Gremillion in the belly and traveled down between his legs. Gremillion liked to talk about his Purple Heart, but he never said where he got shot."
Dodd told an unusually large crowd in the village of Montgomery
Montgomery, Louisiana
left|thumb|200px|First Baptist Church in MontgomeryMontgomery is a town in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded in 1712, even before New Orleans, Montgomery is situated on U.S...
in Grant Parish that "Our hero, Jack Gremillion, was breathing gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
and killing Germans. Why he almost got killed himself when an enemy shell plowed into one of his most vital organs; if you don't believe Jack Gremillion earned his Purple Heart, he will show you the scars he has to prove it."
According to Dodd, who could barely contain his humor, Gremillion later told him, "Dodd, I appreciate your bragging on my war record, but don't tell the crowds that I will show them where I got shot. Several of those darn rednecks wanted me to show them my scars and got mad when I refused to pull down my pants."
In the December 7, 1963, primary, Gremillion prevailed over his lone Democratic rival, Charles Riddle, Jr.
Gremillion's legal troubles
In 1960, Gremillion was charged with contempt of courtContempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
for a comment he made in a federal courtroom while he was opposing the New Orleans school desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
case. Judge Edwin Ford Hunter, Jr.
Edwin F. Hunter
Edwin Ford Hunter, Jr. was the longest-sitting U.S. District Court judge in the nation, having served the Western District of Louisiana for forty-eight years. Hunter was based in Lake Charles in the southwestern portion of the state, from 1954 until his death, four days after his 91st birthday....
, who charged Gremillion with contempt, had been his personal friend for many years.
In 1971, Gremillion was charged with mail fraud, conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
, and fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
in the sale of securities in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge in regard to his dealings with the bankrupt Louisiana Loan and Thrift Corp. He was tried and acquitted and decided to seek a fifth term as attorney general. Then he was convicted later in that campaign year on federal perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
charges in a related case. He was sentenced to three years in prison and served fifteen months in the facility at Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Governor Edwin Washington Edwards pardoned Gremillion in 1976, and he resumed his law practice. Edwards said that the pardon was required by Louisiana law because all first offenders who complete a sentence are automatically pardoned. He signed the pardon paper to avoid any misunderstanding in Gremillion's case.
Meanwhile, Gremillion was denied a runoff berth for the Democratic nomination for attorney general in the 1971 primary. He was succeeded in the office by his fellow Democrat, then State Senator William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr.
William J. Guste
William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr., is a New Orleans attorney, businessman and popular Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1972 to 1992. He succeeded the scandal-plagued Jack P.F. Gremillion, a fellow Democrat who had held the position since 1956. Guste received recognition for molding the...
, of New Orleans. Guste defeated his Senate colleague George T. Oubre, Sr., and then crushed the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee, Thomas E. "Tom" Stagg, Jr.
Tom Stagg
Thomas Eaton "Tom" Stagg, Jr. , is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, politician, and jurist who has served as a United States federal judge for the Western District of Louisiana since his appointment by President Richard Nixon in the spring of 1974...
, of Shreveport. While Gremillion had been a Kennedy elector, Guste in 1976 was an elector for Democrat Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. Guste continued as attorney general for five terms.
Gremillion was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fred Cassibry in New Orleans to three years imprisonment for lying about his role in Louisiana Loan and Thrift. Judge Cassiby lectured Gremillion:
"We both know that in the United States, no man is so small as to be disregarded by the law. Neither is any man so great as to be above it. Your offenses cannot be condoned as one committed in ignorance of the law or wittingly, or in the heat of a momentary passion."
Gremillion's son, Jack Gremillion, Jr., who was an attorney for the Teamsters Union union, ran into legal troubles of his own. In 1975, Gremillion, Jr., pleaded guilty in Louisiana to a federal charge of conspiring in the obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
. Three years later, he was convicted in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
on a federal mail fraud charge. He was imprisoned in both cases and disbarred. In 2002, while he was the business manager of an automobile dealership in Baton Rouge, Gremillion, Jr., petititoned to regain his right to practice law but ran into opposition from the bar association disciplinary committee.
Jack P.F. Gremillion, Sr., died after a long illness in Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He and his wife Doris are interred at Greenoaks Memorial Park in Baton Rouge.
Trivia
In 1965, Gremillion asked one of his favorite entertainers, Jimmy DuranteJimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, to perform before the National Association of Attorneys General in their annual meeting in San Antionio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Durante, a close friend of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
, agreed to do so. Durante was also a friend of Gremillion's chief investigator, Frank Manning.
Jack Gremillion had six brown dauchunds throughout a span of time, all named "Sam." "Sam" was also the nom de plume that Gremillion used when submitting verious articles to the Baton Rouge newspapers.