Rotary honors Parquet as Citizen of the Year
Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 1, 2000
LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / April 1, 2000
LULING – His deep, warm voice breaks down the barriers between the generations. His caring attitude brushes aside teen-age angst. Ben Parquetcan really talk to young people.
Parquet, 60, retired from the St. Charles Parish School System, capped astellar career as teacher and administrator. Since his 1995 retirement,though, his days (and sometimes nights) are taken up with counseling troubled students.
“He’s a miracle worker,” said Kandy Dejean of Landry Middle School.
The St. Charles Rotary Club recognized Parquet for his continuingcontributions to youth and their families by honoring him last night as Citizen of the Year for St. Charles Parish.”I was nominated for it, but I didn’t think I’d win it,” Parquet recalled. “It’s aprestigious honor.”He was nominated by Patrick Yoes of the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office. Yoessaid in his nominating letter: “Mr. Parquet has all the qualities needed towork with the youth of today. He is patient, understanding, positive andknowledgeable. He has an ear for listening, a shoulder to cry on, and he is arock to lean on.”Parquet grew up in Montz and has lived in Norco and Destrehan. He graduatedfrom Bethune High School in 1957 and Southern University of Baton Rouge in 1962. He’s since earned a master’s degree and plus-30 certification.He began teaching junior high school, moved to the Child Welfare office and then became assistant principal at Lakewood Elementary before returning to Child Welfare, using his considerable skills in keeping students on the straight and true.
“I really enjoy it,” Parquet said. “It’s a real challenge. They need a caring ear- that’s part of being successful with kids.”He added that most parents are very good with their children, but once in a while another person is needed to reach a troubled child. “A lot are not majorproblems, but sometimes they just need to vent.”He gets students referred to him by teachers, principals, coaches and parents. He’ll often spend Tuesdays talking to east bank children andThursdays on the west bank.
“It’s a privilege to work with these kids,” he observed. “It’s not a chore. Itcomes easy.”Parquet’s technique is in-your-face, showing his personal concern for each and every child he sees. And they respond to his overtures and open up tohim.
“The only payback I want is for them to help somebody else,” he said.
He tells the story of the old man walking on the beach, picking up starfish and tossing them back into the waves. A little boy watched and told the oldman the waves will keep pushing the starfish back on shore where they will die. The old man says, “If I can save just one, it’s worth it.”Parquet said he provides the children with the opportunity of thinking through their choices and consequences of their actions. Somehow, he feels,something is working. Juvenile crime is down in St. Charles Parish, Parquetobserved. And while he can’t claim credit for it, he said, “There’s a lot ofgood things going on.”Married to Arthur Dee Parquet for 35 years, they have one son, Eric, who teaches and coaches at Destrehan High School, and a new grandson, Joshua Dylan Parquet. His wife is in her 38th year of teaching at St. Rose Primary.Parquet is sometimes asked how long he’ll continue reaching out and counseling students. “I’ll do it as long as I feel effective,” he said.With that attitude, it may be a long time.
“I can’t say I’ve helped every child, but I’ve helped a lot. You never give up,”he said.
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