Newsletter October 2013

PAGE 4
LE V E R T C O MP A NI E S
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 2
Family branch briefs

Ashley Lamar Welch and her husband Thaddeus of Portland, ME, welcomed a baby girl, Remy Louis, to the family
on June 2013. Ashley, 29, daughter of Willem “Mart”
Lamar of Jackson, MS, works with foreign exchange students in Portland, while Thaddeus is employed by Spinnaker Trust, Portland, as an assistant portfolio manager.

Samuel Lamar, 23, August 2013 graduate of Mississippi
State University with a B.S. in geology, recently went to
work for McGowan Working Partners in Jackson, MS, an
oil industry concern.

Willem Lamar, Jr. and his wife, Mary Jordan, of Jackson, MS, also welcomed a baby girl, Ava Lenior, to their
family on January 2013. Willem, 26, is pursuing a civil
engineering degree at Mississippi State, and works part
time with his father in the oil business in Jackson.

Lucius “Luke” Lamar, 18, youngest of Mart’s four children, graduated in May 2013 from Jackson Preparatory
High School in Jackson and enrolled at Mississippi State
in August to study civil engineering.
Mart, his four children, and two new granddaughters, Ava
and Remy, are members of the Albert family branch.


All 2013 annual meeting
photos by Mary and Steven Andry
Christina and Blaine Anderson of Austin, TX, have
announced the birth of a daughter, Kayleigh Blaine Anderson, their first child, on February 2013. Blaine, son of
Eugenie Toledano Anderson, is a electrical engineer in
Austin and Christina is a homemaker. Daughter
Kayleigh, father Blaine, and his mother Eugenie are members of the Robert Louis family branch.
Katrina Kirkpatrick of Reno, NV, graphics artist and
designer, conducted a power point presentation session
recently for High Sierra Writers, a publishing consortium.
Jean Baptiste, Jr. family member, she demonstrated how
she designs book covers for authors, including J. Lee Taylor of the Cindy Nesbit mystery series.
Raising Cain
(Continued from page 3)
Bink, active in cultural and
civic affairs in Thibodaux for
many years, died in 1996 at
age 86.
Six years later, in 1943,
DiDi moved with his family to
Thibodaux to replace Lawrence, Sr. as manager of the
Reinzi and Webre operations
until his own retirement in
1976, three years before his
unexpected death in 1979.
Shortly after his death,
Levert Companies established
two scholarships in his name
at Nicholls State University,
Thibodaux: L.C. “DiDi”
Levert, Jr. for business majors and Rienzi for all majors.
Like another anecdote
about DiDi, who was so full of
the joy of living that he
seemed to carry everything
and everybody along in his
light-hearted wake?
DiDi invited a cousin and
some celebrities participating
in a big parade in town to
Rienzi. Of course, he woke us
up to meet his new friends,
actors Rudy Valee and Cesar
Romero, who shook our hands
then autographed the wall in
the Rienzi bar . . .
Ira Harkey, III, editor
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 3
OCTOBER 2013
President’s message
Despite sluggish market,
Companies place attractive
properties under contract
The past few months have
been especially busy in our
attempt to continue to grow
our Companies by expanding
their inventories of incomeproducing properties. Our
efforts continue to be affected
by a sluggish real estate market that remains constricted
and provides only slight opportunities to acquire an
attractive property.
Over the past few months,
however, we have studied
and considered a variety of
properties, finally settling on
two that were recently placed
under contract and are being
further examined to facilitate
potential closings. We are
excited about the possibility
of adding these two buildings
to our stable of properties.
Stay tuned for details of
what transpires in the
February newsletter.
Troy Bellanger, vice president, Thibodaux operations,
Inside this issue
Down on the farm
2
Real estate happenings
2
Rienzi update
Keeping history in
good repair
2
3
2013 annual meeting
pictures
4
Family branch briefs 4
also has been busy preparing
for and scheduling sales of
residential lots in our latest
Plantation Acres, LLC development. Approval and acceptance of the newly constructed
Rienzi Place Subdivision, Addendum #2, Phase 1, residential development was received
from the city of Thibodaux.
Thirty of the 31 lots either are
being sold or held under contract by prospective purchasers.
If all goes as anticipated,
the Rienzi Place project
should provide a surge in
earnings for Plantation Acres,
thus, offsetting some of the
predicted loss of revenue in
Levert-St. John in 2013 resulting from depressed sugar
prices and the increased vacancy rate.
Andy Andolsek, President
L.C. “DiDi” Levert, Jr. as King Sugar of the Washington, D.C.
Mardi Gras ball in 1954.
For more pictures and for
the rest of the story about
DiDi, a grandson of Company founder, Jean Baptiste Levert, see page 3 of
this newsletter. This is
another in a series of profiles featuring descendants of J.B.
DiDi circa early 1930s.
(All photographs courtesy of DiDi Levert family.)
Work on capital projects near
completion at St. John House
Work is near completion on
the final phase of the major
capital improvements project
at St. John Plantation House,
according to Frank Kearny,
house committee chairman.
Kearny said construction
crews began work after Labor
Day to restore three of the
four upstairs bedrooms, install a support railing on the
front gallery steps leading to
the screen door, and replace
all central heating/air duct
grills on the first floor.
“Capital budget covered the
costs of painting the bedrooms
and the railing and duct grill
projects, but not hanging new
curtains and installing new
carpets, as planned, in the
bedrooms,” Kearny said.
“The plan now is to get approval at the January LevertSt. John board meeting for
additional monies so we can
hang new curtains and install
new carpets.” He said that
work is scheduled to begin
sometime next spring.
The house was not opened
to family members and
friends during September so
the crews could complete all
the remaining upgrades by
the end of September.
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LE V E R T C O MP A NI E S
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 3
Charlie: ‘Imperative we produce average or above average yields’
predictable” equipment failures and having to prepare immediately for sugarcane
planting on lands where the beans had
just been harvested, a total of 1,072 acres
in cane were planted with 221 acres of
seed being used.
“This will provide 3,443 acres for the
mill, which would be the most acreage
ever harvested by our Company,” Charlie
said. “With the start of the cane harvest
October 1, let’s keep our fingers crossed
that no hurricanes make their way to
southwest Louisiana and favorable
weather conditions prevail, thus, allowing
us to deliver all of the crop to the mill for
grinding and to realize our full yield potential.”
Charlie said with raw sugar prices currently at 30-year lows, “It is imperative
that we produce average or above average
yields to remain viable.”
Real estate happenings
Companies acquire third retail center near LSU campus
Levert Companies have acquired its
third property near the LSU campus in
Baton Rouge, according to Pam Tapie,
vice president, real estate operations.
The 17,000-square-foot retail center at
3930 Burbank Dr., known as Southgate
Village, is now retained by Campus View
II, LLC, which was formed with LevertSt. John, LLC as 75 percent owner and
J.B. Levert Land, LLC as 25 percent
owner. Pam said the center was purchased in March 2013 for less than $4
million and, she added, “We can thank
the previous years of good sugar prices
for affording Levert-St. John the ability
to acquire a stake in this entity.”
The center is currently 100 percent
occupied. It’s comprised of seven suites
and a free-standing ATM banking location. In addition to the ATM bank, tenants include restaurants, coffee and ice
cream shops, a fraternity/sorority shop,
and a tutoring center.
Meanwhile, Tapie reported that the
combined occupancy rate of the Levert
Companies is 93 percent, down from 94
percent at the beginning of 2013. Pam
said, “We are actively marketing vacan-
cies as well as negotiating renewals with
current tenants and a few new leases
with prospective tenants in an effort to
maintain and/or improve our occupancy
rate.”
‘Authentic and delicate’ — Lafargue
Construction crews begin certain demolition work at Rienzi
As part of the ongoing remodeling
project, construction crews have demolished the laundry room, formally the
1940s kitchen, at the rear of Rienzi
Plantation house and plan to restore
the rear gallery located at ground level
to provide a more “authentic and delicate” connection from the house to the
kitchen that was built in the 1960s.
John Lafargue, Rienzi owner, said
the plan is to remodel the 1960s
kitchen and furnish it with state-of-theart appliances. He said demolition began about a month ago and is scheduled
to be completed by the end of
2013.
John said that the bathroom adjacent
to the first-floor, 1960s kitchen will be
renovated – converted from a half-bath
to a full bathroom to include a shower.
The new owner, who divides his time
between Houma and New Orleans,
where he owns and manages several
properties, added that more landscaping of the seven-acre property will begin about November through January
since the fall and winter months are
the best time to plant grasses, shrubs,
and trees.
Meantime, John said that work on
the second-floor front gallery and double staircase, including the curved
PAGE 3
Keeping history in good repair
Down on the farm
Weather conditions allowed Levert-St.
John Farms to prepare and plant 304
acres of soybeans on sugarcane lands that
were “fallow” or lying in wait for the fall
planting, thus, providing for an additional
source of revenue in 2013, according to
Charlie Levert, vice president, agricultural operations.
Charlie said harvest of the integrated
soybean crop was completed September 6,
yielding 41 bushels per acre at about $14
per bushel. “This price and yield are respectable, despite several problems experienced during the bean growing season,” he added.
Meanwhile, 2013 sugarcane planting
began August 7 and ended September 13.
Levert said in spite of some “annoying,
LE V E R T C O MP A NI E S
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 3
Just how did DiDi raise his cane . . . oops Cain?
(Editor’s Note: The
“Tales of DiDi” presented in italics are
provided by Winnie
Goulas, one of DiDi’s
three daughters.)
He would motor to the
[Thibodaux] Sheraton, park
his car, turn on the parking
lights, and walk into the La
Pirogue lounge. Inevitably,
someone would walk in and
yell, “Someone left his lights
on in the parking lot.” He
would stand up and tell him,
“That’s how I find my car
when I want to go home . . .”
Family members have any
doubt who this amusing story
is describing? While many
younger family members may
not be sure, it probably would
take older members five or six
seconds to figure it out.
Of course, it’s Lawrence
Constant “DiDi” Levert, Jr., or
DiDi as he was known by the
family. Who else?
Here’s another entertaining
tale – family secret? – that
tells a lot about the popular,
fun-loving DiDi and how he,
in fact, raised his cane, or
Cain, as it were:
DiDi liked to gamble . . . he
introduced most of the young
men in Thibodaux to his game
of craps. When our dates came
to pick us up at Rienzi, he was
waiting for them. He’d take
them into the bar downstairs
and get them to shoot craps
with him, take their money,
and we’d be left with nowhere
to go, because he took all our
dates’ money.
Like his grandfather, Company founder Jean Baptiste
Levert, and his father, Lawrence, Sr., DiDi gave added
prestige and honor to an old
distinguished family name –
Levert – long associated with
growing and manufacturing/
processing sugarcane in South
Louisiana.
Respected and admired as
an adroit sugar farmer and
long-time plantation manager,
businessman, and civic leader,
he began his career in the
sugar industry learning firsthand and working with Albert
Levert, his uncle and eldest
son of Jean Baptiste. He
helped his uncle direct the St.
John Plantation and St. John
sugar mill operations in St.
Martinville as field superintendent and also worked with
the tenant farmers. In 1943
he transferred his talents and
skills to Rienzi and Webre
plantations near Thibodaux,
remaining there for the next
33 years.
(Uncle Albert died in 1942,
after having managed St.
John Plantation and the
sugar mill for Levert-St. John,
LLC and his father since the
early 1890s – one of the longest management tenures – 50
years – in the history of the
Louisiana sugar industry.
DiDi’s father, meanwhile,
banisters and columns, is more than 95
per cent completed.
Bink and DiDi in their prime.
Bink and DiDi on their wedding day in 1937 at
Bink’s home at Valley Head, Alabama. John B.
Levert, Jr. is ring bearer.
retired in 1943 to his beloved
Banker Plantation near St.
Martinville and lived there
until his death in 1961.)
Because of his keen interest
in sugar planting, the “hellraising” DiDi probably enjoyed nothing more than to
plant a large amount of sugarcane in his fields, wait for it
grow, trim this cane for more
sugarcane, which can be used
to grow another generation of
cane – this process being repeated indefinitely, yielding a
regular supply of cane without
the hassle of having to cover
large areas of his fields.
And also like his grandfather, especially, DiDi loved
the Mardi Gras. He was a
member of several carnival
clubs as well as many civic
and professional organizations, including the American
Sugar Cane League and Lafourche Parish Police Jury. He
served for many years as vice
president of J.B. Levert Land,
LLC and on the boards of directors of Levert-St. John,
LLC and the defunct Caldwell
Sugars Cooperative Inc., in
Thibodaux.
Honoring the Louisiana
sugar industry in 1954, he
reigned as King Sugar of the
seventh annual Mardi Gras
ball in Washington, D.C.
When he was King Sugar he
had crawfish, packed in ice,
flown up to his Washington
hotel. When the crawfish arrived they were numb from
being packed in ice, and DiDi
decided to liven up things by
turning some loose in the
halls . . . in those days many
people not from Louisiana had
no idea what a crawfish was,
let alone had ever seen one . . .
you can just imagine the people’s reaction upon seeing the
crawfish crawling around in
the halls.
DiDi was born Aug. 9, 1911,
on Banker Plantation, oldest
of two sons born to Amelie
“Lulu” Gauthier Levert and
Lawrence C. Levert, Sr.
(younger brother Dr. Edward
“T-babe” Levert preceded him
in death in 1964). DiDi spent
much of his youth on Banker.
The plantation was a wedding
present to Lulu and Uncle
Lawrence from Jean Baptiste
when they were married in
1910.
DiDi was graduated from
St. Martinville High School,
studied engineering at
Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C., and later
attended the University of
Louisiana, Lafayette. In 1937,
he married Winston “Bink”
Tutwiler of Valley Head, Alabama, and the couple had four
children: the late Jacqueline
Andolsek and Winnie Goulas,
both of Thibodaux; Lawrence
C. “Boo” Levert, III of St. Martinville; and Stephanie Marie
Levert of Baton Rouge.
Raising Cain
(Continued on page 4)