Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I want to recognize the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church of New Orleans, Louisiana, as they celebrated 85 years of service on Sunday, January 16, 2022.

Greater St. Stephen deserves our collective recognition, not only because of its longevity, but because of the unique contributions it has led in building a wide-reaching community of both faith and service. Since the people of the church are the church, not just its edifices or buildings, we also recognize those members of Greater St. Stephen who are sterling examples of how everyday people, placing their trust in God, can accomplish extraordinary things.

Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church has played a vital role in New Orleans and has dedicated itself to spiritually uplifting the community and its congregation. I myself am grateful to have a sacred space within its walls.

There are deep roots in my family here at Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. I am especially proud to say my Mother, Pastor Eartha Flemings Carter, prayerfully served this Congregation, and became an ordained Elder. My sister-in-law, Elder Constance Carter, was one of the first women to be ordained as an Elder at the Church in September 1993.

Founded in 1937 by 69 faithful members, by its 50th anniversary, Greater St. Stephen grew to over 10,000 members; and by 2005, to over 20,000 members, the largest congregation in the State of Louisiana and one of the largest in our country. Operating in three locations around New Orleans and from a separate headquarters, the church served as a model and a training ground for other expanding churches as to how to manage their affairs.

More than that, Greater St. Stephen birthed the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship movement that would revolutionize the African American church landscape, expanding, at its height, to over 1,500 churches and hundreds of thousands of members in virtually every major city in the United States and in places as far flung and diverse as the nations of Africa, the Caribbean and Great Britain. It is famous for its powerful and inspiring gospel choir.

With all of its well-deserved national and international acclaim, however, Greater St. Stephen kept its roots and focused on its local community through its service at home by its vast network of volunteer members. The church established a seniors' residence; a program for women in need of special services; a college scholarship program to assist high achieving-needy students; a learning center for elementary students; and a middle-class housing subdivision community, Greater St. Stephen City, among other unique undertakings.

None of this great church's accomplishments would have occurred except through the stalwart leaders who God envisioned its members to wisely choose. This began with Rev. Arthur Gundy; through Rev. Percy Simpson; and on through the dynamic leadership of Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr. and his wife and partner in leadership, Dr. Debra B. Morton. Under Bishop Morton was when the ministry was extended to New Orleans East and the Westbank, becoming one church in three locations.

The promise for the future of Greater St. Stephen remains bright under the current leadership of Dr. Tyrone D. Robinson and his wife, Elder Jasmine M. Robinson.

Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church has continuously persevered through the homegoings of Pastors Gundy and Simpson, natural disasters including deadly storms like Hurricane Katrina, a devastating fire of the ministry's original Uptown location, and most recently the challenges of navigating the coronavirus pandemic.

Today we proudly salute Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church following its 85th Anniversary because of what it has meant and still means to our community and our country. I wish it many, many more years of distinguished service.

I thank them for so proudly shining the light of our Lord upon the Greater New Orleans community.

Madam Speaker, I rise to remember the life, spirit, and leadership of The Very Reverend Peter C. Weiss, S.S.J.

I knew Father Weiss during his service as a Pastor to All Saints Catholic Church in my home community of Algiers and his time as Chaplain at the New Orleans Fire Department.

He was an inspiring orator and a kind soul that steered the church through difficult times.

Peter C. Weiss was born in Brooklyn on June 26, 1951 to Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Weiss.

He was a member of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart for 43 years until he passed away last week at the age of 70.

Ordained in 1979, Father Weiss ministered primarily to African American communities across the country, including in Baltimore, Houston, Birmingham, and Washington, D.C.

However, his longest ministerial service was in New Orleans, where he made a lasting mark on the community.

Along with ministering to elderly, sick and homebound parishioners, Rev. Peter Weiss was a reserve fireman, a Chaplain to the local branch of the FBI, and taught at St. Augustine High School for 30 years.

At the school he played indispensable roles as a Theology Teacher, Director of Color Guard, and Chief Religious Officer.

In everything he did for St. Augustine, All Saints Catholic Church and the community, he kept Christ at the forefront.

I'm sending prayers to Father Weiss' family, friends, students, colleagues, and church community.

He will be so missed.

I take comfort that now, he is at peace with his Savior in heaven.

Madam Speaker, today I remember Lawrence Brooks of New Orleans, the United States' oldest living World War II veteran, who was laid down in his eternal resting place on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at the age of 112.

Mr. Brooks was born in 1909 in Norwood, Louisiana and grew up outside of Stephenson, Mississippi. As part of a large family, his parents were sharecroppers, and then worked at a sawmill during the Great Depression.

He was drafted into the Army at 21 in 1940 and was a participant in the famed Louisiana Maneuvers, where hundreds of thousands of soldiers conducted readiness exercises at home to prepare a response to Germany's invasion of Poland and France.

After his required one-year service, Brooks was originally discharged and returned to New Orleans. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor he re-enlisted. As he himself put it, after Pearl Harbor, ``There was no question'' that he would continue his service.

He joined the 91st Engineer Battalion, a unit comprised of 1,193 Black enlisted soldiers and 25 white officers. Soon, the unit boarded a converted ocean liner in New York and headed to the South Pacific.

After an extended voyage due to dodging submarines, the 91st arrived in Queensland, Australia, an Allied Forces defensive base in the war against Japan.

Private First-Class Brooks fondly remembers the Australian people's acceptance of the Black soldiers and the equal treatment they experienced without the specter of segregation.

Without Jim Crow, Brooks made white friends, and attended dance halls, cinemas and hotels freely--freedoms he had never experienced before.

Brooks did not see combat during this deployment, instead serving as a staff member to officers, lieutenants, and captains.

While the white officers ate and lived separately from the Black soldiers, the private said he never experienced discrimination or racism during his service.

Their battalion was also tasked with building several buildings, hospitals, roads, housing, and recreation centers throughout Horn Island, Papua-New Guinea and the Philippines, dodging Japanese bomb raids.

Brooks' unit left the South Pacific in 1944 and he left the service a year later. Many of his stories focus on the positive--a sign of his outlook on life.

He received the Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Presidential Unit Medal. He wanted to attend college, but he never received his GI benefits--an injustice tragically felt by many Black veterans of the Second World War. His daughter Vanessa Brooks says that he was also never offered a low-interest bank loan or a reduced down payment for a house.

Asked in late 2021 what he would like his legacy to be, he said, ``I would like to be remembered as a strong man. A good soldier.''

He certainly will be.

Mr. Brooks was a local celebrity, and in 2021 for his 112th birthday he was honored with a drive-through party. He danced on his porch during a serenade serenaded by the World War II museum's musical trio, the Victory Belles.

A military flyover flew above his Central City home in New Orleans.

He loved the New Orleans Saints and spent this past holiday season cheering them on with family.

Mr. Brooks lost his original Army uniform during Hurricane Katrina, but was presented with an authentic reproduction and his old unit's badge last November.

His family says they plan to bury Mr. Brooks in his replicate uniform, as was his request.

My thoughts are with the Brooks family as they say goodbye to their beloved patriarch.

I pray that Mr. Lawrence Brooks is at peace after his 112 years of life. We are all indebted to his service and should be inspired by this ``good soldier's'' positivity and zest for life. I know I am.

Rest in God's peace, Lawrence Brooks.

Madam Speaker, 20 States, including Louisiana, still have the same hourly pay floor as the Federal minimum wage: $7.25.

Louisiana also has the second highest poverty rate of any State. That is because minimum wage is a poverty wage--a full-time salary is less than $16,000 a year. No one can survive on that, much less raise a family on that wage.

While the Federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009, the costs of housing, medicine, food, and childcare have all exponentially increased. We cannot simply subject millions of our constituents to endure the trials of poverty. It is not a mystery. We can, we must, and we know how to help. It is time to finally increase the Federal minimum wage and lower the costs with the Build Back Better Act.

Mr. Speaker, NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, is known as America's rocket factory.

For over 55 years, Michoud has manufactured large vehicles and components for NASA, from the Apollo program to the space shuttle to the Space Launch System, or the SLS.

Michoud is the main manufacturing and assembly site for SLS, which will take us to the furthest reaches of our solar system.

This site employs approximately 3,500 people but supports more than 6,000 jobs nationwide. This includes government civil service workers, contractors, and staff of other government agencies, as well as commercial firms, including firms from Louisiana that create a significant number of jobs and economic opportunities.

The National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, a partnership between NASA, the State of Louisiana, Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and the University of New Orleans, also calls Michoud home. The total economic output of Michoud is over $830 million.

All this to say, Michoud is an indispensable part of the New Orleans' economy, New Orleans' community, and our Nation's space program.

Sites like Michoud would benefit greatly from the passage of H.R. 5746, which reauthorizes the enhanced use leases needed to keep up production.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill and ask that all Members support this bill. I urge a ``yea'' vote for this incredibly important piece of legislation to maintain and to continue the work that we have done at Michoud with NASA for our country.

Madam Speaker, today I want to recognize Dr. Charles C. Teamer, Sr. of New Orleans, Louisiana, a civic leader and accomplished banker in my district. He has been a role model, an educator, a businessman, and an inspirational mentor to myself and so many others over the years.

Born on May 20, 1933 in Shelby, North Carolina, he received his B.S. degree from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958, and later received his M.A. degree from the University of Nebraska and his Ph.D. degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Teamer has worked as a business manager at several colleges and universities, ultimately becoming the vice president of finance at Dillard University and was promoted to chief financial officer in 1968. In 1983, he was appointed by Governor David Treen as the first African American Commissioner for the Port of New Orleans.

Dr. Teamer has been a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for 70 years and is a current member of the Sigma Lambda chapter. From 1985 to 1988 he served as the Fraternity's 27th general president. He is also a longtime member and former Grand Sire Archon of the Sigma Pi Phi.

Dr. Teamer was co-founder and chairman of Dryades Savings Bank. After retiring from Dillard University, Teamer led an investment partnership to open The Cotton Exchange and Holiday Inn Express Hotel in downtown New Orleans. He also served as president of the World Trade Center of New Orleans.

From serving as executive director of the Amistad Research Center and a consultant to the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Teamer has also held numerous board appointments. These included the Board of Education of the United Methodist Church, the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers, the Ford Foundation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Ochsner Medical Foundations, the Audubon Institute, and the Common Fund. He also served as chairman for the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Harrah's New Orleans Casino, the Metropolitan Area Committee, the Greater New Orleans Foundation and the United Way.

Dr. Teamer was a member of the business and higher-education council for the University of New Orleans as well as served on the board of the Southern Education Foundation. This do-it-all man was also president of fiscal affairs at Dillard University and Clark Atlanta University and president of the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers. He served on the board of supervisors for the University of Louisiana System and for Tulane University. Dr. Teamer also had tenure as the Entergy New Orleans director.

As you can see, Dr. Charles C. Teamer, Sr. is a busy man, and I am grateful that our paths have crossed so many times throughout his illustrious career. I want to express my thanks to him and his family, Linda Phoenix Teamer, Charles Jr., Roderick, and the late Mary and Cheryl Teamer, for all of the time and energy he has given to New Orleans. Dr. Teamer has given so much to the community he loves and has lifted up all boats with him as he achieved success. The entire state of Louisiana is grateful for his longtime work and service.

Mr. Speaker, this week, a Louisiana legend turned 102 years old. Dr. Attorney Johnnie Jones, Sr., has lived a lifetime fulfilling every day with service, activism, and love for family and country.

Born in 1919, he was one of eight children in a successful family who leased land in eastern Louisiana. He attended Southern University until being drafted into the Army in 1942 during World War II where he was the first-ever African-American warrant officer in United States Army history.

Jones was injured in the battle at Normandy on D-day 77 years ago. Before landing on the beach, his ship hit a mine, and he flew from the second deck down to the first. As he described it, he flew like a bullet, but he survived, coming ashore on Omaha Beach, facing off with German snipers. Later in the war, he was hit with shrapnel during a bomber attack and finished his military service in the Battle of the Bulge. These nightmarish memories have remained with Mr. Jones until today.

Much of his paperwork and records of service were lost during Hurricane Katrina, so it was earlier this year, at the age of 101, that Dr. Attorney Jones finally received the Purple Heart award in recognition of his battle injuries.

Through all that he endured, he persisted. He returned home to Louisiana, where he began to serve in a different capacity, this time as a lawyer. Just 15 days out of Southern University's law school in 1953, the Reverend T.J. Jemison recruited him to organize the United Defense League's 8-day bus boycott in Baton Rouge and defend the participants.

After the Baton Rouge City Council revoked the licenses of Black- owned transportation companies, many African Americans were forced to ride segregated buses and sit in the back of the bus or stand.

When hundreds of patrons boycotted riding in protest, some positive changes were made, though segregation still remained the law of the land. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King used the Baton Rouge protest as a model for his bus boycott in Montgomery 2 years later.

Dr. Jones defended students in drugstore sit-ins and other actions as civil rights protests spread throughout the South. During these efforts, his car was bombed twice. Immediately after his return from war, he was beaten by a White officer on his way to a doctor's appointment.

``Things weren't right,'' said Dr. Jones. ``I wanted to fight and make it better.''

Here is a man who has been through so much, who has tasted the evils of the world and has every reason to be bitter, but he isn't. However, he has insisted on focusing his life on sharing love for our State and fighting for equality.

Jones was the first African-American member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. He served in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Throughout his career as a lawyer, he successfully sought pay equity for teachers and sued to desegregate parks and communities in Louisiana.

He also represented student protesters at Southern University during the civil rights movement and countless indigent defendants, and he challenged voter discrimination practices throughout the South.

I was grateful to have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Attorney Johnnie Jones on Veterans Day to thank him for his incredible service to our people in America.

On his birthday, he celebrated with friends, family, and good Louisiana seafood. Today, let's all thank Dr. Jones for his great advice that he shares with us, which is: ``You have to deal with the past, and you have to deal with the history. You have to read and understand so we don't repeat the past.''

Let's build better. Let's build a future for everyone.

Please join me in wishing Dr. Attorney Johnnie Jones, Sr., a happy 102nd birthday.

This is our moment. Now is the time to deal the working people back in.

We need to prove to the people that the government works for them, not just for those on top.

Build Back Better lowers family healthcare costs by strengthening the ACA, capping the price on insulin, adding in hearing benefits for Medicare, and much more.

This bill would be transformative for American families. With the child tax credit, childcare, and affordable, high-quality preschool, our Nation will finally invest in our children.

We must address the climate crisis, and we can't leave any community behind. Our health, our culture, and our economy depend on it.

We cannot wait another day to build back better for the working families of America. Let's start now.

Mr. Speaker, let me paint a picture. It is the east side of New Orleans in 1959. A Black man at a swimming pool jumps off the high dive, arched in the sky. Fellow swimmers and passersby watch him from the shade of a palm tree. A Ferris wheel turns at the amusement park, and families picnic on the sandy shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

That is what Lincoln Beach was like in its heyday: a beach, amusement park, performance area, and pool for the Black community of New Orleans who were not allowed at the all-White swimming pools in the area.

Growing up, my community had fond memories of Lincoln Beach, as it was in the process of shutting down after courts decreed a racial nondiscrimination policy for private facilities on public lands, desegregating the all-White pools.

Since its closure in the sixties, Lincoln Beach has fallen into decline. It was a site for picnics and outings. Without any maintenance, and over the decades, mountains of debris have piled up. This historic site, where so many Black kids and families built communities in New Orleans East, was fenced off and forgotten to many, but not to everyone.

During COVID-19, some inspiring local activists and community members including Sage, Reggie, and Bliss, took it upon themselves to take the first steps toward reopening historic Lincoln Beach. They got into some good trouble and cleaned up the beach all by themselves, spending their own resources, time, energy, and money.

All on their own time, their own dime, they removed hundreds of bags of garbage and debris. About 3 tons of refuse was removed by these good-doing volunteers. After Hurricane Ida, they are facing some setbacks once again with flooding that floated the more than a year's worth of trash collection away. However, these committed activists are already back to work, cleaning up the beach and trying to remove obstacles to the future of what can be a revitalized, renewed Lincoln Beach.

After Hurricane Katrina, the primarily Black community of New Orleans East repopulated essentially at the same rate as the city of New Orleans, but businesses did not come back at the same strength. Many of the major commercial areas are full of vacant businesses in this thriving, rich, strong community of New Orleans East. The once-popular mall was razed instead of being rebuilt.

In 2019, a report said that 19 percent of the homes are vacant. Reopening a beautiful beach on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain could be a catalyst that will attract a renaissance of economic development in a community that has historically been underserved and should have equitable investments.

One of the most important things a Member of Congress can do is to fight for allocations to fund projects for development to improve the lives of the constituents in a particular area, like New Orleans East. This is an equity issue. This is a racial issue. This is an issue of economic development. This is an environmental issue and a recreation issue.

Lincoln Beach has a rich history, important cultural significance, and a huge potential for the future of this great community. I support the efforts of the city of New Orleans to direct RESTORE Act funds toward the project and today, I reaffirm my commitment to support the renewal of Lincoln Beach in any way possible from Congress, State, and local resources.

I came to Congress to fight for the people of the Second Congressional District, to fight for good jobs, healthy communities, equity and opportunities. One way to achieve this fight is for us to revitalize New Orleans East and to bring Lincoln Beach back to its full luster and beauty for the community to enjoy, to use as a catalyst for further economic development, to show what revitalization and community efforts, joining with Federal, local, and State resources, can do.

We can and we will do better. The people of New Orleans, the people of Louisiana certainly deserve it, and we will fight to continue to bring those resources to bear.

Madam Speaker, we were meeting with victims of violent crimes. They flew to D.C. to meet with members of Congress. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 362 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 363.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize New Orleans' own Lake Forest Charter School and its designation as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education.

This is the second time in the last decade that Lake Forest has received this honor, only one of eight in the entire state of Louisiana and one of 325 schools across the nation.

This recognition is particularly important because Lake Forest Charter School is fairly unique among the list of Blue Ribbon schools.

The student population is 99 percent students of color, and 71 percent of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Lake Forest Charter School is a living example of how schools can create a space that allows their students to thrive and succeed at the highest levels.

This week, Blue Ribbon Schools are being celebrated at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. hosted by the Department of Education.

It is my sincere honor to add my voice to the chorus of congratulations for Lake Forest's students, teachers, and staff.

Additionally, I want to add a special acknowledgment for Mardele Simmons Early, who is a recipient of the 2021 Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.

Congratulations.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember Dwight Orville Boyd, a son of Louisiana, who transitioned to his eternal heavenly rest late night on Saturday, October 16, 2021.

He was at peace in his final moments beside his loving family.

He was 65 years old.

As the oldest of five sons, Dwight's family was always at the center of his world.

His brothers, including Glynn Boyd, one of my dearest friends, looked up to their older brother and recounted many stories from his life.

He shared how Dwight was the first to get a part-time job at Winn- Dixie, and that even as a young man, Dwight always made sure to give all his siblings gifts during the holidays.

Friends remember him graciously blessing them through his angelic voice when singing at church, in weddings, or at the 50-yard line during a high school football game.

He loved the New Orleans Saints, celebrating Christmas with family, music, and politics.

He made life]ong friends that described him as being the pillar of the community. Dwight still held childhood friends from Hahnville High School, where he was known as ``Mr. Hahnville High School.''

He studied journalism at LSU, and throughout his life was never afraid to speak his mind, but always respected the views of others.

He shined a light on everyone he encountered.

My thoughts are with Dwight's mother Mrs. Beverly H. Boyd, his loving family, friends, and neighbors as they reel with this loss.

Rest easy, and may God bless his memory.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember Dwight Boyd, a son of Louisiana, who transitioned to his eternal heavenly rest late night on Saturday, October 16, 2021.

He was at peace in his final moments beside his loving families.

He was 65 years old.

As the oldest of six, Dwight's family was always at the center of his world.

His brother Glynn Boyd, one of my dearest friends, looked up to his older brother and recounted many stories from his life.

He shared how Dwight was the first to get a part-time job at Winn- Dixie, and that even as a young man, Dwight always made sure to give all his siblings gifts during the holidays.

Friends remember him graciously blessing them through his angelic voice when singing at church, in weddings, or at the 50-yard line during a high school football game.

Dwight, known by childhood friends as earning the title of Mr. Higgins High School, shined a light on everyone he encountered.

He loved the New Orleans Saints, celebrating Christmas with family, music, and politics.

He made lifelong friends that described him as being the pillar of the community.

My thoughts are with Dwight's loving family, friends, and neighbors as they reel with this loss.

Rest easy, and may God bless his memory.

School supplies, gas for the car, swimming lessons, payment for rent, these are just a few of the ways my constituents in southeast Louisiana are spending their child tax credit payments. Especially as my community recovers from Hurricane Ida and has unexpected costs, the dependability of monthly child tax credits-- an average of $410 for my constituents--has meant a lot.

While this program expires at the end of December, the problems facing American children and families will not. The Build Back Better Act includes provisions to continue this program.

Studies show that extending the child tax credit permanently is sound economic policy and that it can be done better to have better healthcare, better health outcomes, and more economic opportunities for families.

We need to put our money where our mouth is and invest in our children, invest in our families, and pass the Build Back Better Act.

Remembering Musician Bennie Pete

Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has taken over 725,000 lives. One person gone too soon that I want to highlight is Bennie Pete, a New Orleans jazz musician. He passed away at the age of 45 from complications of COVID-19, shortly after deciding to get his first vaccine shot.

Bennie played the tuba and cofounded the celebrated Hot 8 Brass Band. Born in the Upper Ninth Ward, he helped found the band by the age of 18. They played on street corners, parades, and funerals, and then at bars and bigger venues, and as second lines.

When Hurricane Katrina hit, Hot 8 brought music to the city in a way that only New Orleans can in the challenging days after the storm, playing at evacuation shelters and medical centers. The band became local heroes, a sense of hope, a sense of energy in the days immediately following great despair.

The Hot 8 grew in popularity, touring in Europe and playing at Tipitina's and the Jazz and Heritage Festival.

New Orleans will never be the same. We have lost a little bit of our soul with the passing of Bennie Pete. May he rest in peace.

Improving Louisiana's Environment and Industry

Mr. Speaker, Louisiana's Second Congressional District includes an industrial corridor of nearly 150 oil refineries, plastic plants, and chemical facilities. Many sites provide high-paying jobs that lift families out of poverty or build a better life. But it is, foremost, a place that my constituents call home.

As their Congressman, it is my job to make sure that it is a safe and prosperous place to live. Sadly, there have been longstanding concerns over elevated and disproportionate rates of cancer and respiratory conditions in this region. It shouldn't be this way. Industry and community can coexist, with proper monitoring and regulation.

That is why I am calling on EPA Administrator Regan for Federal assistance to study, monitor, and improve the impacts of emissions and polluting substances in the river parishes. No one should have to die for their job.

I stand ready to bring both environmental stewardship and a robust economy to Louisiana. We can do this. We must do this.

Madam Speaker, Duplain W. Rhodes, III., (fondly known as ``Pete'') transitioned to his eternal heavenly rest early morning on Thursday, September 23, 2021, at the age of 61. He was at peace in his final moments beside his loving wife, Sherry Landix Rhodes.

Pete, born on November 14, 1959, was the only son of the late Doris Millaud and Duplain W. Rhodes, Jr. He spent his formative years in the Chef Menteur and Lacombe family homes with his beloved older sisters, Sandra Rhodes Duncan, Duplynn Joan Rhodes, Stephanie Rhodes Navarre, Kathleen Rhodes Astorga, and the late Edith Gomes. Pete was extremely close to his family, his dear Mable, and childhood dog, Annabel. Pete made lifelong friends in the Rhodes Drive neighborhood with Dennis Walker, Jimmy Robert, Cyril Barthe, Ronald Woods, Don and John Scott, Eugene Bart, the late Corey Williams, Kenneth Walker, C.J. LaSassier, and Yancy Robert.

Pete attended Martinez Kindergarten, Valena C. Jones Elementary School, and was a proud graduate of Saint Augustine High School (class of 1977). He later attended Louisiana State University (LSU), Morehouse College of Atlanta, Georgia and obtained his degree in Mortuary Science from Worsham College in Wheeling, Illinois (class of 1991). Pete forged lasting friendships with ``Morehouse men''--Joe Lewis, Chuck Releford, David Boyd, Michael Moultrie, Mark Moultrie, Richard Harleaux, and Ernest Cherrie--until the end.

Pete earned his Funeral Director and Embalmer's License from the Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors in 1992, after completing an apprenticeship under his oldest sister, Sandra. At an early age, Pete worked in the Rhodes' family businesses and was a servant leader in the New Orleans community. His parents instilled the value of hard work and education. Pete traveled with his parents and siblings. He participated in a fact-finding trip to France for Louisiana Economic Development opportunities. Pete grew professionally as a funeral director, embalmer, and remarkable businessman. Pete accepted responsibilities at the New Orleans International Airport during the years of Airport Rhodes.

He was the President of Duplain W. Rhodes Funeral Home, a director on all Rhodes corporation boards, and proudly served as funeral director to many grieving families. Pete was also the manager of Rhodes Limousine Service, Rhodes Care Center, and supervised upkeep of the 80- acre tree farm in Lacombe, LA. He was appointed to serve on the State of Louisiana Embalmers and Funeral Directors board where he served in multiple roles including Secretary, Treasurer, and most recently Vice President. In July 2021, he was extended for an additional four-year term. He served on the Louisiana Judiciary Commission (1997-2001).

As an investor with the Jazzville Group, Pete was instrumental in successfully bringing the only land-based casino to New Orleans. He was a member and integral in reinvigorating the Crescent City Funeral Directors. Pete was a member of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and former member of Young Men Illinois Club. He was also active in the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association (NFD&MA) and National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA).

To balance his demanding life, Pete found peace among the bayous and large oaks of Lacombe. He enjoyed holidays with family there and loved traveling weekly to visit Lacombe with his son. Pete enjoyed exhilarating activities such as flying airplanes, deep

sea scuba diving, water skiing, and snow skiing. He would often travel to Belize with close friends and family to scuba dive and snorkel in the coastal waters. He also spent time swimming, tossing a frisbee, shooting pool, boating, and fishing. A proud moment for him was purchasing his first boat, a 1982 Mitchell, with his sister, Joan.

Along with his family, Pete created and hosted the infamous Rhodes boat parties held in Lacombe. Pete appreciated fine vehicles, including his most prized Camaro Rally Sport, pop-up headlight RX7, and a laundry list of other fun models. After a long day at work, he could be found spending time with family and friends on ``the veranda'' or enjoying time with his friends from Michelli's.

Pete was the loving husband of Sherry Landix Rhodes and to this cherished union of 24 years was born their son, Duplain W. Rhodes, IV, and daughter, Alexis Erique Rhodes. From his first marriage to Irene Leon Grant (William) was born his eldest daughter, Amanda Duplynn Rhodes Segovia (Oscar). Pete was a loving and devoted grandfather, affectionately called ``Pop-Pop,'' to Jacqueline Sofia Segovia and Matthieu Santiago Segovia.

Pete loved his children and grandbabies very much. He was never more than a phone call away and often talked about their accomplishments with pride. He especially enjoyed vacationing with his family in Biloxi, Destin, Fort Walton beach, and skiing in Utah annually, as well as hurricane and birthday escapes to Memphis. Pete was a strong role model to his three godchildren, Ashea Duncan, Tiffany Barthe, and Jonathan Plustache.

Pete lived by some classic principles: ``Keep it Simple,'' ``Facts over Tears,'' ``Get it Done,'' ``Let's solve it over lunch,'' ``I've got this,'' I'm going to see a man about a dog,'' ``I'm going to the library,'' ``Make good choices,'' I'm not getting in the grass over this,'' ``Kill them with Kindness,'' ``Sit in the Front Row.''

Pete was an adored uncle to many nieces and nephews: Lisa Ramsuer Fuller, Walter Manuel Gomes (Yvonne), Sabrina Brustie Duncan-Rose (Frank), Otis Barrington Duncan, Jr., Orrin Rhodes Duncan (Lurline), Omar Laneth Duncan (Gina), Ashea Lanette Duncan, Jasmine Monique Navarre, Gregory Hammond (Antoinette), Yonus Millaud Astorga, Jason Henry Astorga (Candace), Willie Jaimon Navarre (Ashley), Vernon Leroy Aych, Jr., Desantos Joseph Manning, Jr., Nicholas Malik Manning, Trinity Faith Manning, and the late Kellie Erique Brown. Also survived by great nieces and nephews, other relatives, and many friends.