(January 19, 2015)

Consul General of France to visit Shreveport for ceremony at Centenary College

SHREVEPORT, LA — On Thursday, January 22, the Consul General of France in New Orleans, Grégor Trumel, will visit Shreveport to award the prestigious French Legion of Honor (Légion d'Honneur) to three American World War II veterans during a ceremony at Centenary College.

"Consul General Trumel was appointed by French President François Hollande last summer, and this will be his first visit to Northern Louisiana and Shreveport," said Vice Consul Olivia Lamy. "The French Consul General leads missions and visits outside of New Orleans once or twice a month. He is very excited to go north and to meet with the people from Ruston, Poverty Point, Monroe, and Shreveport."

Before arriving in Shreveport for the Legion of Honor ceremony, Consul General Trumel and Cooperation Attaché Raymond Hinz will tour the Poverty Point World Heritage Site near Delhi in a visit organized by Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne. The 3,400 year old geometric earthworks at Poverty Point were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2014, placing them alongside such cultural and natural wonders as Stonehenge in England and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The Consul General's visit is intended to facilitate new scientific and academic cooperation between France and Louisiana to further study and preserve the site.

Consul General Trumel will conclude his first official mission to North Louisiana with a private ceremony at Centenary College to bestow the Legion of Honor, France's highest-ranking military medal, on Mr. Rollin H. Cochran, Mr. Ethan A. Gillispie, Jr., and Dr. William C. Wilkins, Jr. The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to honor his bravest and most outstanding soldiers, and decisions to award the medal are made directly by the President of the French Republic.

Centenary is a leader in preserving and promoting French language, culture, and heritage in North Louisiana through its heritage-language press, Les Editions Tintamarre, and with innovative academic programs such as Centenary in Paris. Centenary in Paris provides all incoming freshmen with the opportunity for an intensive international experience at the beginning of their college careers and allows them to earn four hours of college credit prior to the start of the traditional fall semester. The program returns for its second year in August 2015.