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ERATH — Fifty-seven years later, the community of Erath has not forgotten the eight men who died when the water tower fell during Hurricane Hilda in 1964.
They died on Oct. 3, 1964 when the water tower fell on the town hall, where they were among the volunteers who monitored the storm.
The eight men who died were Mayor Pro Tem Joseph Brown; 19-year-old college student Scotty Bernard, his parents’ only child; Otto “Cowboy” Bourque, the crossing guard; brothers Vernice and Duffy Broussard, both Erath High grads who worked in local stores; Clifton J. Dugas, a construction worker; Felix Dubois, a farmer; and Eutis “Noo Noo” Menard, the janitor at Erath High.
Six years ago, former Erath attorney and historian Robert Vincent, his mother Jackie, and Stacy Bodin created a short film where they interviewed survivors and those who remembered the tragedy.
“Stacy (Bodin) and I have been talking about this tragedy and the need to preserve this story for history,” Robert Vincent said six years ago. “Every year, we get another year removed from it. People who lived through it are starting to pass away. This is too important to Erath’s history to be lost. We couldn’t let it go.”
Vincent died last year, but his mother continues to honor his wishes.
Jackie Vincent took her son’s place on the Erath City Council until a special election could be held in March.
At last week’s city council meeting, Jackie Vincent showed an early version of a bronze plaque that will be placed on what is now the electrical building, behind the Erath Museum.
The plaque, which is 18 inches by 24 inches, has a picture of the water tower with the words, “1964 Fall of the Erath Water Tower.”
The plaque lists the names of the eight men who died and also explained how they died.
The plaque also includes the words, “In memory of these eight brave men, who lost their lives in the worst tragedy in Erath history.
“These men died a hero’s death. They stayed to protect others.”
Jackie Vincent told the aldermen that one of her son’s missions was to get a plaque placed on the Electrical Department exterior wall. The plaque will be located next to where the electrical building is located today. There is still a small part of the water tower on display.
Before she ordered the plaque, she first got the aldermen’s approval to place the plaque on a city owned building. They approved the location of the plaque. She has plans to place the plaque on the building in October of 2021.
The plaque was donated by the Earl “Boo” Landry family, Robert Vincent and Martial Broussard, the only survivor from the accident.

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services for Francis J. Broussard, Sr., 65, will be held Tuesday January 19, 2021 at 2:00 PM at New Life Church in Abbeville, with Pastor Lane Payne Pastor of New Life Church officiating.
Visitation will be held Tuesday January 19, 2021 at David Funeral Home from 10:00 A.M. until time of services. Burial will be held in Lindale City Cemetery in Lindale Texas, on Wednesday January 20, 2021 at 2:00 P.M..
Francis a resident of Abbeville passed away Sunday January 17, 2021 at Abbeville General Hospital. Francis was a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather and friend. He will be missed by all.
Survivors include his wife Patricia Williams Broussard; his father Edwin Broussard; three sons Reggie and his wife Katherine Broussard, Brock and his wife Shawn Broussard, and Francis Jr. and his wife Lindsay Broussard; ten grandchildren and nine great grandchildren; his brothers Edwin Broussard Jr. and Marion Broussard; and three sisters Susan B. Abadie, Sandra B. LeBlanc, and Judy B. Champagne.
Francis was preceded in death by his mother Thelma Abshire Broussard; and two brothers Michael and Gerald Broussard.
Condolences may be sent to the Broussard family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
“In order to help keep the community safe we will honor the July 13, 2020 Louisiana Mandates.
All families and their guests are required to wear a face covering while at the funeral home. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.” 
David Funeral home 2600 Charity St. Abbeville 337-893- 3777 is in charge of arrangements.

ERATH – Graveside services for Carolyn Virginia Parker, 76, will be held at 1:00PM on Saturday January 16, 2021 at LeBlanc Cemetery, with Pastor Pres Riley Pastor of 1st Baptist Church of Abbeville officiating.
A native of Madisonville and a resident of Erath Carolyn passed away Tuesday January 12, 2021 surrounded by her loving family.
Survivors include her daughter Veronica and her husband Michael Dunn of Erath; her sons Ronald Lenard, and Carl Lenard; eight grandchildren, and twelve great grandchildren; brother Albert and his wife Etta Parker; and her sister Linda Brady.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her son Randy Lenard; husband Carl Lenard Sr.; her parents Albert and Esther Deen Parker; brother Gerald Parker; and sister Shirley Sommers.
Condolences may be sent to the Parker family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home 209 E. Putnam St. Erath La.337-937-0405 is in charge of arrangements.

In recent years, most Americans refer to The Purge as a television and movie series, that depicts the violence and mayhem which occurs when citizens can commit any crime, including murder, during a 12-hour period once a year. However, the real “Great Purge” truly happened, it was not just Hollywood fiction.
In the Soviet Union, during the Stalin years, communist party leaders purged their membership ranks of “undesirables” on a regular basis. In the “Great Purge” of 1936-38, more than four million people were executed and many more were sent to prison.
Sadly, many progressives in our country today have communist tendencies. Although these leaders are not calling for the execution of Trump supporters, many are claiming that the “deplorables” should be banished from society and should be purged from public life. Instead of a 12-hour period, they are trying to make it permanent.
Even before Hillary Clinton used the term “deplorables” to refer to Trump supporters, the President’s political base faced withering criticism and ostracism from left wing members of the media, the political establishment, and the Deep State. We should never forget the infamous texts of former FBI agent Peter Strzok, who described Trump supporters as smelly Walmart shoppers.
This week, CNN’s Anderson Cooper said the protesters who gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday will “go back, you know, to the Olive Garden and to the Holiday Inn they’re staying at, and the Garden Marriott, and they’re going to have some drinks and they're going to talk about the great day they had in Washington.” This elitism is insufferable, but it is all too commonplace among the left. They hate both President Trump and the 74+ million people who voted for him.
When rioters and looters committed acts of violence throughout the country this summer, many in the media and Democratic Party excused their actions. It was called justified even though police officers were attacked and killed. Clearly, politicians showed they are more worried about the security breach in the U.S. Capitol than the destruction of businesses owned by average Americans.
Of course, anyone who broke laws on Wednesday, breached security, stole items from the U.S. Capitol or committed vandalism should be prosecuted. The violent events which led to the deaths of five people must be vigorously condemned. Nonetheless, it should be noted that a substantial majority of the protesters were peaceful and traveled to Washington D.C. to express their free speech rights to condemn electoral fraud, not to commit violence. There is also substantial evidence that the Trump protest was infiltrated by members of Antifa, who participated in the security breach at the U.S. Capitol. These individuals must be identified and prosecuted as well.
In the aftermath of the January 6th protests, President Trump and many of his most popular supporters have been banned from social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. A pro-free speech alternative to Twitter, Parler, has been removed from app stores by Google and Apple and their servers were shut down by Amazon.
The Lincoln Project, a hate group of “Never Trump” so-called Republicans, wants to create a database of all people who worked in the administration and make sure none of them can find employment. It has become so ridiculous that progressives in Hollywood want to remove President Trump’s cameo appearance in Home Alone 2. Not to be outdone, liberals in academia have also acted. President Trump’s honorary degrees at Lehigh University and Wagner College were revoked this week.
None of this compares to the insanity being pushed by Democrats and “Never Trump” Republicans on Capitol Hill. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is calling for the resignation, impeachment, or removal of President Trump by use of the 25th amendment. These proposals show the President’s enemies only want political retribution and to divide our country even more.
The rally was held for a good reason, to show support for the President and to oppose the electoral fraud that occurred across the country. To be clear, President Trump did not issue a call for violence, only peaceful protests. He expressed his support for law enforcement and called for an orderly and smooth transition. He did not incite violence and condemned the “heinous attack” at the U.S. Capitol.
Despite the legitimacy of the President’s complaints about election fraud and his condemnation of violence on Wednesday, his political enemies are trying to eliminate any future Trump campaign. In addition, his supporters who attended the rally on Wednesday are facing a different kind of purge. Some are losing their jobs, while others are facing a boycott.
Rocker Ariel Pink was dropped from his record label after his attendance at the Trump rally. The owner of a successful grocery chain in the New Orleans area, is now dealing with a boycott of his business.
Young conservative activist C.J. Pearson, who is a student at the University of Alabama, also attended Wednesday’s rally. Because of his non-violent participation, he is the subject of a petition calling for his removal from the university. Pearson did not storm the U.S. Capitol or commit a crime, so he should not face any penalties for his actions.
In this country, we still possess 1st Amendment rights, and our citizens are allowed the freedom to speak, assemble and petition their government. Unfortunately, too many politicians and members of the media want to revoke those rights.
If elections are not secure and our constitutional rights are not being protected, the future of our country looks bleak. The progressives now have total power and want to silence the voices of all opposition. The “cancel culture” is alive and well.
If these powerful forces were confident about their positions, they would welcome debate. Sadly, the suppression of free speech that has happened on college campuses is now occurring on social media and throughout our country.
Many years ago, Lord Acton wrote, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is still true today.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance.For more information, email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com