DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / August 15, 2000

At 61, Ronald Stewart is getting a little gray, but don’t think of him as getting a little old. He’s got enough muscle wrapped around him to wrestle agator while dredging a canal, laughing all the way.

For 22 years Stewart’s been working for St. James Parish OperationsDepartment. His knowledge of his work and that quick to laugh attitude iswhy he’s gone from cutting grass on the side of the road to supervisor of roads and bridges.

Back in 1978 Stewart starting working for the parish. He has been living inConvent since he was old enough to walk. Back in those days he worked onMoise Hymel’s farm. “I worked for Dale’s grandfather, so I’ve known Dale andhis family for about 40 years. He’s one of the fellows,” said Stewart.One of his fondest memories of working for the Hymels is the weekends.

“The young Hymels would come out and use the tractors, hauling cane or whatever, and we’d get to sit beck in the shade and have a beer or such,” said Stewart.

Stewart later moved back to New Orleans for a while and also joined the U.S.Army. Working for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Stewart helped rebuildFrance after the destruction of World War II. He traveled across Normandywith the Army. “I learned French enough to ask for what I needed,” saidStewart with a rolling laugh and a wink.

Back home in Convent Stewart joined the ranks of the parish work crews. Onthe road crew he helped keep the right-aways clean, cut grass and clear canals. With minimal equipment, an old cycle mower, a road grader andbriarhooks, Stewart worked long, hot days. The other crew, around GrandPoint, had a backhoe, so if there was something that needed digging they’d come and help, said Stewart.

“In the winter we’d ride around in the old Dodge truck with the floorboards almost falling out. We had an old diesel heater we’d throw in the back to keepus warm,” he said.

Back then everything was harder without the equipment the parish owns now.

There was an old pile of coal used for patching streets. The crew would breakit up with picks until it was loose enough to shovel into the back of the old truck. “Those were the good old days,” said Stewart. “We had fun doing it. Itdidn’t seem so hard. That’s they way did it.”If that doesn’t seem hard enough Stewart and his cousin would work on the side cutting more grass for the parish. Stewart mowed 11 miles of grass inthe parish. Did they have a riding mower? Stewart laughs almost to tears.”There was no such thing back then,” he said. They pushed a mower up andback those 11 miles.

After working for the parish for a few years, Stewart was promoted to foreman of the crew under supervisor Terry Louque. For over 10 years heworked under Parish President Paul Keller’s office then continued under Dale Hymel. Stewart has the highest respect for both offices, which coming froma working man like Stewart says a lot. The workers under Keller were treatedlike family, said Stewart. Hymel and the present Operations Department,Director Jody Chenier and Assistant Director Terry McCreary, have dedicated themselves to making their work crews more efficient.

Now the crews have more and better equipment at their disposal. Theiroperators are also trained better and “can do anything,” said Stewart. Theoperators can run any of the equipment or even get down into the ditches with a shovel.

“The crew are way more efficient. It’s not that the men are any different,now we have better equipment,” said Stewart.

The present Operations Departments is just as happy with Stewart. As partof the job for the road and bridges crews, in emergencies, trees must be cleared from the roads, sandbags must be set in flooding and other jobs by heat of day or dead of night. Stewart is always there at a moment’s notice,said Chenier.

“I can always find him when he’s needed, and he always knows where to find his crew,” he added.

With men working together like that, there is nothing the crews can’t do. Asproof, behind the St. James Parish Hospital in Lutcher a ditch was in need ofdredging. Lined by houses and hedges there was no way to get equipmentback there to do the job.

“Most people said it couldn’t be done,” said Stewart. He worked with his menuntil the came up with the idea to drag a 5-inch iron pipe down the ditch. Evenwith the idea in mind, many still didn’t think it would work. With a backhoechained at one end of the ditch and a bulldozer on the other, the men drug that pipe back and forth until the ditch was cleaned out. “We make it work;that’s all that counts,” said Stewart.

“I don’t regret a day I worked here,” said Stewart. Starting out at $1.80 anhour, the parish pays its men much better now. “Laborers make about $6 anhour. I had to work 10 years before I made that much,” Stewart said withanother laugh. There’s nothing bad that can be said about his crews, Stewartsays. They’re all real good workers.It’s often the quality of a crew of workers can be judged by the quality of its leadership. The road and bridges crew and the whole of the operationsdepartment have been doing incredible work in the parish. Stewart creditsthat to the equipment the parish has been supplying them with. Theoperations department gives its supervisors credit. In St. James Parish itseems they have the right equipment and more importantly the right men in the right places.

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