Hey Blake,
There is a statue in Audubon Park of a man and his grandson carrying cane fishing poles. A plaque mentions it is in honor of John P. Laborde. What can you tell me about him and the artist?
Dear reader,
John Laborde, who died in 2021 at the age of 97, was a leader in the offshore oil and gas industry, as well as a longtime local civic leader and philanthropist. The company he founded, Tidewater Inc., became the world’s largest owner and operator of offshore vessels.
Born in Marksville, Louisiana, Laborde attended high school in Hammond and started at LSU in 1940 when he was just 16. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and joined Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters staff. His assignments took him to the Philippines and Japan and earned him a Bronze Star.
Laborde earned his law degree at LSU (where the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center is named in his honor). With two of his brothers, Alden and C.E. Laborde, he founded Tidewater in 1955. As the company’s longtime leader, Laborde became involved in many charitable and civic causes.
Known as “Jean Pierre” to his family (which included his wife, six children and 16 grandchildren), Laborde is immortalized in Audubon Park with the bronze statue of a grandfather and grandson walking to a fishing hole, cane poles in hand. Laborde’s family commissioned the sculpture in 1998. It was created by Colorado artist Jane DeDecker and dedicated for Laborde’s 75th birthday.
"We were looking for something to give someone who really doesn't need anything," Cliffe Laborde said of his father in a 1999 Times-Picayune article.
The poser was given out for free and posted in public spots around the city.
