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After graduation from Marksville High School, Laborde enrolled at his father's ''alma mater,'' [[Roman Catholic]]-affiliated Loyola University in [[New Orleans]], where at the age of eighteen he played on the 1945–1946 Loyola national championship [[basketball]] team.<ref name=hoffame>{{cite web|url=https://lapoliticalmuseum.com/inductees.php|title=Political Hall of Fame: Raymond J. Laborde|publisher=Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame|accessdate=November 3, 2019}}</ref> He graduated from Loyola in 1949 and then launched his Raymond's Department Store at 317 North Main Street in Marksville.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://giving.loyno.edu/s/1135/giving.aspx?sid=1135&gid=1&pgid=653|title=Alumni Donors, 1934–1949|publisher=giving.loyno.edu|accessdate=December 19, 2009; no longer on-line}}</ref> He was later a captain in the Louisiana National Guard.<ref name=adtt/>
In 1951, Laborde married the former Nellie Sanchez. The couple has four children, Donald A. Laborde, Raymond Laborde, II, Charles Laborde, Minnie C. Lafargue, and Rachel Karam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avoyellestoday.com/content/laborde-bass|title=Laborde-Bass|publisher=Avoyellestoday.com|accessdate=December 19, 2009; no longer on-line}}</ref> ==Pol==Political career==
Avoyelles Parish has been known for its colorful but mostly local politicians. One who stood out, Fabius Odell "Potch" Didier, Jr. (1919-2007), the [[sheriff]] from 1960 to 1980, actually spent seven days in his own jail after having been convicted of malfeasance in office.<ref name=adtt/> The mothers of Laborde and Didier had the common maiden name of Neck (pronounced "Nick") and were distant cousins.
In 1978, Laborde was named "Avoyellean of the Year."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.angelfire.com/la/avoyelles/|title=Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|publisher=angelfire.com|accessdate=November 3, 2019}}</ref> In 2003, he was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.<ref name=hoffame/>
==Life after politics==
He operated his Raymond's Department Store, which once had eight competitors downtown. The store, no longer in existence, was the oldest jobber of Dickies work wear in Louisiana and later specialized in school uniforms.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Raymond%27s+Department+Store+in+Marksville&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Raymond%27s+Department+Store&hnear=Marksville&cid=6247615245347302389|title=Raymond’s Department Store|publisher=maps.google.com|accessdate=November 3, 2019}}</ref>
