Changes

He developed his staff and provided opportunities of women and minorities. Reporter Elizabeth Roberts Martin, a 1966 graduate of [[Louisiana State University]], was promoted as the first woman to hold editing positions at ''The Town ''Town Talk.' LaBorde hired Cleo Joffrion, an Alexandria native, as the first [[African-American]] reporter at the paper. He promoted [[Cecil Williams]], a native of the [[Kentucky]] [[coal]]-mining area, from assistant managing editor to business edito, from which position Williams won numerous awards.<ref name=bio/><ref>"Cecil Williams obituary," ''Alexandria Daily Town Talk'', May 4, 2008.</ref>​

He developed his staff and provided opportunities of women and minorities. Reporter Elizabeth Roberts Martin, a 1966 graduate of [[Louisiana State University]], was promoted as the first woman to hold editing positions at ''The Town ''Town Talk.' LaBorde hired Cleo Joffrion, an Alexandria native, as the first [[African-American]] reporter at the paper. He promoted [[Cecil Williams]], a native of the [[Kentucky]] [[coal]]-mining area, from assistant managing editor to business edito, from which position Williams won numerous awards.<ref name=bio/><ref>"Cecil Williams obituary," ''Alexandria Daily Town Talk'', May 4, 2008.</ref>​

 

LaBorde sent a young reporter Leonard Sanderson, Jr., to Baton Rouge in 1974 to cover the legislature. Later Sanderson moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], where he set up his own consulting firm.<ref name=bio/> Jeff Cowart, an Alexandria native and LSU graduate who began as a reporter under LaBorde, in 1988 was appointed as first press secretary to Governor Buddy Roemer and later established a  management consulting firm, Media National, in suburban Washington, DC.<ref>[http://www.medianational.com/ Media National], official website</ref>​

LaBorde sent a young reporter Leonard Sanderson, Jr., to Baton Rouge in 1974 to cover the legislature. Later Sanderson moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], where he set up his own consulting firm.<ref name=bio/> Jeff Cowart, an Alexandria native and LSU graduate who began as a reporter under LaBorde, in 1988 was appointed as first press secretary to Governor Buddy Roemer and later established a  management consulting firm, Media National, in suburban Washington, DC.<ref>[http://www.medianational.com/ Media National], official website</ref>​

Three ''Town Talk'' staffers, Larry Collins, Betty Luman, and Chet Hilburn, moved on to the larger ''Houston Chronicle''. Jack Harp came from [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]] to ''The Town Talk'' at the age of twenty-two to work on the "wire desk." The technology changed so much over the following three decades that the term "wire desk" was replaced by "Metro desk." Rebecca Jo Tubb Mulkey (1949–1999), originally from Magnolia, [[Arkansas]], wrote feature stories before moving to the ''Torrance Daily Breeze'' in Torrance, [[California]]. William Chaze went on to become an [[Associated Press]] editor, foreign news editor for ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' and editor-in-chief of ''The Journal of Defense and Diplomacy''.<ref name=bio/>​

Three ''Town Talk'' staffers, Larry Collins, Betty Luman, and Chet Hilburn, moved on to the larger ''Houston Chronicle''. Jack Harp came from [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]] to ''The Town Talk'' at the age of twenty-two to work on the "wire desk." The technology changed so much over the following three decades that the term "wire desk" was replaced by "Metro desk." Rebecca Jo Tubb Mulkey (1949–1999), originally from Magnolia, [[Arkansas]], wrote feature stories before moving to the ''Torrance Daily Breeze'' in Torrance, [[California]]. William Chaze went on to become an [[Associated Press]] editor, foreign news editor for ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' and editor-in-chief of ''The Journal of Defense and Diplomacy''.<ref name=bio/>​

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LaBorde's tenure at the newspaper coincided with the management of publisher Joe D. Smith, Jr. (1922-2008). ''The Town Talk'' was owned by Mrs. Smith's father. Thereafter, the Smiths sold the paper to Central Newspapers, Inc., of [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]], which later sold it to the [[Virginia]]-based Gannett Company.<ref name=bio/>​

LaBorde's tenure at the newspaper coincided with the management of publisher Joe D. Smith, Jr. (1922-2008). ''The Town Talk'' was owned by Mrs. Smith's father. Thereafter, Joe D. and Jane Wilson Smith sold the paper to Central Newspapers, Inc., of [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]], which later sold it to the [[Virginia]]-based Gannett Company.<ref name=bio/>​

Active professionally, LaBorde was the charter president of the Central Louisiana Press Club and held membership in the United Press Newspaper Association of Louisiana. Fluent in French, LaBorde promoted his cultural heritage through the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, better known by the acronym CODOFIL.<ref name=bio/>​

Active professionally, LaBorde was the charter president of the Central Louisiana Press Club and held membership in the United Press Newspaper Association of Louisiana. Fluent in French, LaBorde promoted his cultural heritage through the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, better known by the acronym CODOFIL.<ref name=bio/>​