John LaPlante
Encyclopedia
John Maurice LaPlante, Jr. (January 31, 1953 - April 14, 2007), was a United States political columnist
, news bureau
director, and college professor
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
, who spent more than three decades covering Louisiana
state government and politics. His terminal position, begun in 1998, was the editor
ship of the six-person Capitol News Bureau for the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. LaPlante's "Political Horizons" column on Sundays particularly secured a large audience and often sparked heated comments from readers and state officials.
LaPlante was the second oldest of ten children born to John, Sr., and Ann LaPlante in New Orleans. He graduated from Mandeville High School
in Mandeville
in St. Tammany Parish in 1971. Thereafter, he earned his bachelor's degree
in journalism
, including work for the Daily Reveille newspaper, at Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. After a stint in Alexandria
with The Town Talk
newspaper
during the late 1970s, he joined the Morning Advocate as a political reporter.
His obituary, based on materials supplied by the LaPlante family to the funeral home, noted that LaPlante "won respect from colleagues and politician
s alike for his persistence, writing abilities, and the fairness that he showed in his stories." LaPlante was said to have enjoyed researching government documents and covering press conferences and legislative hearings to provide a first-hand look at issues that affected the daily lives of citizens. His family said that LaPlante was "a friend to the reporters whose work he oversaw. He performed countless acts of kindness for his colleagues . . . "
LaPlante obtained a master's degree
in journalism from LSU in December 2001. He taught introductory and advanced courses at LSU thereafter. He was a longtime leader of the Press Club of Baton Rouge and a Boy Scouts
leader at St. Aloysius Catholic
Church. He directed his church's efforts to support Habitat for Humanity, and he volunteered with the American Red Cross
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
, having distributed food to the downtrodden of New Orleans.
LaPlante died in the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston
of injuries sustained in a swimming accident on April 12, 2007, at Galveston Island
. While he was in the Gulf of Mexico
with his son, David, and daughter, Anne, LaPlante was ensnared between a lateral current and a riptide
. Authorities said that he exhausted himself trying to swim away from the currents and was injured by being pushed against sharp jetty rocks. He never regained consciousness, but his children escaped serious injury.
In addition to his parents and his children, LaPlante was survived by his wife, Merrill, nine brothers and sisters, and some three dozen nieces and nephews. Services were held in St. Aloysius church. LaPlante is interred in Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge.
Former Louisiana Governor
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer, III
, of Baton Rouge recalled in a statement to the Morning Advocate that LaPlante was a most dedicated journalist: "John was a stickler for the truth. He was passionate about his work, and he was persistent. What I remember about John is the fact he was always there. If there was something happening that was shaping Louisiana, John was there."
(Four days after LaPlante's death, a second Louisiana journalist died. He was 38-year-old Tim Greening
, the Shreveport Times humor columnist. Then on May 10, a retired television
news anchorman, Ken Case
of Monroe
, was killed in an automobile
accident. On July 8, Mike Dunne
, LaPlante's Morning Advocate colleague who specialized in environmental reporting, died of cancer
at the age of fifty-eight.)
On February 2, 2008, LaPlante was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
.
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, news bureau
News bureau
A News bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; foreign bureau is a generic term for a news office set up...
director, and college professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, who spent more than three decades covering 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...
state government and politics. His terminal position, begun in 1998, was the editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
ship of the six-person Capitol News Bureau for the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. LaPlante's "Political Horizons" column on Sundays particularly secured a large audience and often sparked heated comments from readers and state officials.
LaPlante was the second oldest of ten children born to John, Sr., and Ann LaPlante in New Orleans. He graduated from Mandeville High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Mandeville
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
in St. Tammany Parish in 1971. Thereafter, he earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, including work for the Daily Reveille newspaper, at 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...
in Baton Rouge. After a stint in Alexandria
Alexandria, 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....
with The Town Talk
The Town Talk (Alexandria)
The Town Talk, started as The Daily Town Talk in 1883 and later named the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the economic center of Central Louisiana.The daily newspaper has a circulation...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
during the late 1970s, he joined the Morning Advocate as a political reporter.
His obituary, based on materials supplied by the LaPlante family to the funeral home, noted that LaPlante "won respect from colleagues and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s alike for his persistence, writing abilities, and the fairness that he showed in his stories." LaPlante was said to have enjoyed researching government documents and covering press conferences and legislative hearings to provide a first-hand look at issues that affected the daily lives of citizens. His family said that LaPlante was "a friend to the reporters whose work he oversaw. He performed countless acts of kindness for his colleagues . . . "
LaPlante obtained a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in journalism from LSU in December 2001. He taught introductory and advanced courses at LSU thereafter. He was a longtime leader of the Press Club of Baton Rouge and a Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
leader at St. Aloysius Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church. He directed his church's efforts to support Habitat for Humanity, and he volunteered with the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, having distributed food to the downtrodden of New Orleans.
LaPlante died in the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
of injuries sustained in a swimming accident on April 12, 2007, at Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
. While he was in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
with his son, David, and daughter, Anne, LaPlante was ensnared between a lateral current and a riptide
Riptide
A riptide is a dangerous ocean current.Riptide or Rip Tide may also refer to:* Rip Tide, a Doctor Who novella* Riptide , by Douglas Preston and Lincon Child* Riptide , short story anthologies...
. Authorities said that he exhausted himself trying to swim away from the currents and was injured by being pushed against sharp jetty rocks. He never regained consciousness, but his children escaped serious injury.
In addition to his parents and his children, LaPlante was survived by his wife, Merrill, nine brothers and sisters, and some three dozen nieces and nephews. Services were held in St. Aloysius church. LaPlante is interred in Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge.
Former Louisiana Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer, III
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
, of Baton Rouge recalled in a statement to the Morning Advocate that LaPlante was a most dedicated journalist: "John was a stickler for the truth. He was passionate about his work, and he was persistent. What I remember about John is the fact he was always there. If there was something happening that was shaping Louisiana, John was there."
(Four days after LaPlante's death, a second Louisiana journalist died. He was 38-year-old Tim Greening
Tim Greening
Timothy Joseph "Tim" Greening was a humor columnist and features writer for the Gannett-owned Shreveport Times in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish, in northwestern Louisiana. He died in a Bossier City hospital at the age of thirty-eight after having collapsed at the home of his mother, Ann L...
, the Shreveport Times humor columnist. Then on May 10, a retired television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news anchorman, Ken Case
Ken Case
Kenneth Craig "Ken" Case was a news anchorman, meteorologist, and sports broadcaster associated with KNOE-TV in Monroe, Louisiana, from 1967 until his retirement in 1987...
of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, was killed in an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
accident. On July 8, Mike Dunne
Michael P. Dunne
Michael Patrick "Mike" Dunne was an award-winning newspaper reporter, author, and professor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who later specialized in conservation issues. He exposed the dangers of "Cancer Alley", a term used to refer to Louisiana's petrochemical corridor...
, LaPlante's Morning Advocate colleague who specialized in environmental reporting, died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of fifty-eight.)
On February 2, 2008, LaPlante was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
.