J. EDMUND BARNES

PHOTO: Luling resident Tom LeMaire displays the rewards of taking up golf. He recently placed second in the Knights of Columbus tournament in Houston. (Staff Photo by J. Edmund Barnes) LULING – Tom LeMaire turned 62 years old this past May. He is retired from American Cytec, but he doesn’t let that slow him down at all. Between golfing and bowling, LeMaire is keeping busy. He’s also got a lot to show for his efforts, like placing second at the Knights of Columbus International Tournament in Houston this past June. LeMaire who, by his estimation, has been playing golf for 15 years now, shot a 156 during the two days. After subtracting his 26 handicap, he came away with the runners-up plaque for his flight. But this wasn’t his first Knights of Columbus Tournament. He’s also played in St. Louis, Mo. and Detroit, Mich. One common thread, though, seems to haunt his tournament play. “Last year in Detroit, at the Inkster Golf Course, I was surprised to find that the course was similar to Louisiana in that it had swamps. I had to hit the ball across the swamp. (The course) had a little bitty fairway. The next shot was across more swamp to the green. (Inkster was) the worse golf course I’ve ever been on – water on every hole.” This past June’s tournament was not different in the water problem, but for different reasons. Tropical Storm Allison hit the Houston area hard, dumping more than 20 inches on some areas. The golf course, not surprisingly, was a little soggy. “This year Houston was all wet due to Allison,” said LeMaire. “I go all over. I try to play two to three times a week. I usually play at Hahnville, but I try to go to different places as often as I can,” said LeMaire. LeMaire says his short game is his main strength. “Most of the time I can putt pretty good, but lately I’ve been driving pretty good,” explained LeMaire. “I got a gold medal at Willowdale in October of 2000 in the Senior Citizens 60-64 years old regional qualifier. I got to go to state.” After retiring in 1981, LeMaire devoted most of his time to doing volunteer work at Lakewood Elementary School. He was in charge of the computer room. But after his son Brett drowned in 1989 he quit. The teachers at Lakewood gathered some money and presented the Lions Club with it to start a scholarship in his name. In 1990 the Brett LeMaire Memorial Scholarship was founded. Money collected from golf tournaments and bingo games at Fashion Golf Course in Hahnville is put into a trust fund and is presented yearly to a deserving Hahnville High School student. “So far, the Brett LeMaire Memorial Scholarship has helped 13 kids go to college because of it,” said LeMaire.