Dennis Freeman
Encyclopedia
Harold Dennis Freeman, known as Dennis Freeman (April 23, 1940 – November 23, 2007), was the mayor
of historic Logansport
, a town
adjacent to the Sabine River in DeSoto Parish in northwestern Louisiana
from 1984 until his death. His contributions were particularly significant considering the otherwise limited role of a small-town mayor. For some sixteen years, he worked patiently with highway officials in Louisiana and Texas
to construct a new border bridge
over the Sabine River, a project nearing fruition. Freeman also fought to keep the pending Interstate 69
route in western Louisiana closer to Logansport. He helped to establish the first fire and ambulance districts in DeSoto Parish.
Steve Stephens of Logansport said that his friend "did a magnificent job and will be sorely missed. Dennis understood problems and knew how to get things done in government
. His death is a loss for this community and this area." Near the end of his life as he fought cancer
, Freeman was also attempting to mitigate the closure of a Georgia Pacific plywood
plant, the largest employer in Logansport. He worked with state and local agencies to help displaced workers and to procure solutions to the economic gap created from the loss of the plant.
, located in Shelby County
in east Texas across the Louisiana line from Logansport. He graduated from Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
and earned his livelihood for nearly forty years as an independent insurance
agent. As Logansport mayor, he worked to procure grants for water
, street
s, sanitary sewer
s, park
s and local government operations. He was an officer of the Louisiana Municipal Association and a board member of the Sabine River Authority. He was a director for the Bank
of Logansport.
Freeman was charter president of the Logansport Lions Club, Logansport Chamber of Commerce
, Logansport Development Corporation, and Logansport Athletics Booster Club. He was active in the DeSoto Parish Chamber of Commerce.
in 1984, 1988, and 1992, Freeman switched parties and won thereafter as a Republican
in 1996, 2000, and 2004. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Louisiana House of Representatives
in District 7 in the jungle primary
held on October 20, 2007, even though he had been undergoing treatment for the cancer that took his life a month later. He received 1,427 votes (11 percent), having finished last in a five-candidate field. The seat, which covers all of DeSoto and ten precincts of adjoining Caddo Parish, went to a Republican, Richard Burford
of Stonewall
, the easy winner of the November 17 general election
. Burford is a departing three-term member of the DeSoto Parish Police Jury. Had Freeman been elected, he would not have lived to have taken the seat on January 14, 2008.
In 2004, Freeman was unopposed for his sixth term as mayor. In his last contested election in 2000, he narrowly defeated a fellow Republican Joe C. Liles, 303 votes (51 percent) to 295 (49 percent). Having won his first three terms as a Democrat, Freeman switched to the GOP and secured his fourth term in the 1996 general election over Democrat Andrew D. McGlathery, Jr., 437 (62 percent) to 271 (38 percent). He was within thirteen months of completing an unprecedented sixth mayoral term.
, the seat of DeSoto Parish, recalls his former colleague as a "hard worker" who was well thought of in the community and throughout the state. "He was a great leader who never said 'no' to responsibility. He was just a good mayor, and Logansport, the state, and I will certainly miss him," said Cornett, who, as an honorary pallbearer
, joined the mayors of Mansfield, Grand Cane
, Stonewall, and Natchitoches as well as other elected officials and parish residents at Freeman's funeral.
Some three hundred gathered at the First United Methodist Church in Logansport, where Freeman was a member and sang in the choir, to pay respects to a man noted for his personal "passion". The Reverend Kemper Smith said that Freeman was "passionate about what he believed. . . . His determination served him well because he was a born leader." Daughter Pamela Kaye Freeman (born 1970) of Logansport addressed the mourners and read from a letter that Freeman's wife, the former Katherine Thomas, then seventeen, wrote to him in 1958:
"I admire you for standing by what you think is right." Replied Pam Freeman: "Doesn't that sound familiar?" The Freemans were married for forty-six years. He was survived by two other daughters, Susan and husband Steve Simmons of Frisco, Texas
, and Kathy and husband Billy Alger of Logansport, five grandchildren, and three brothers.
Freeman is interred in Logansport Cemetery
located near the riverfront. His marker reads "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." The riverfront had been an unattractive briar thicket until Freeman directed its renovation. Now, it is a welcoming entrance off U.S. Highway 84 into Louisiana from Texas. It has a terraced landscape, veterans' memorial, walking paths, gazebo
, picnic tables, and a pavilion, mostly financed from grants and private donations.
Freeman's wife Katherine (born November 14, 1940) is finishing out her husband's term as mayor of Logansport.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of historic Logansport
Logansport, Louisiana
Logansport is a town in western DeSoto Parish adjacent to the Sabine River in western Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,630 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
adjacent to the Sabine River in DeSoto Parish in northwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
from 1984 until his death. His contributions were particularly significant considering the otherwise limited role of a small-town mayor. For some sixteen years, he worked patiently with highway officials in Louisiana and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to construct a new border bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
over the Sabine River, a project nearing fruition. Freeman also fought to keep the pending Interstate 69
Interstate 69
Interstate 69 is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It exists in two parts: a completed highway from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and a mostly proposed extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas...
route in western Louisiana closer to Logansport. He helped to establish the first fire and ambulance districts in DeSoto Parish.
Steve Stephens of Logansport said that his friend "did a magnificent job and will be sorely missed. Dennis understood problems and knew how to get things done in government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. His death is a loss for this community and this area." Near the end of his life as he fought cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, Freeman was also attempting to mitigate the closure of a Georgia Pacific plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
plant, the largest employer in Logansport. He worked with state and local agencies to help displaced workers and to procure solutions to the economic gap created from the loss of the plant.
Early years, education, civic leadership
Freeman was the youngest of six sons born to L.L. Freeman and Britt Annie Freeman in tiny JoaquinJoaquin, Texas
Joaquin is a city in northeastern Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. It is located on U.S. Highway 84 and the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad.-Geography:Joaquin is located at ....
, located in Shelby County
Shelby County, Texas
*Arcadia*Brooklyn*Center*Dreka *Huxley*Joaquin*Possum Trot*Shelbyville *Tenaha*Timpson*Weaver-Education:The following school districts serve Shelby County:*Center ISD*Excelsior ISD...
in east Texas across the Louisiana line from Logansport. He graduated from Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
and earned his livelihood for nearly forty years as an independent insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agent. As Logansport mayor, he worked to procure grants for water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s, sanitary sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
s, park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s and local government operations. He was an officer of the Louisiana Municipal Association and a board member of the Sabine River Authority. He was a director for the Bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
of Logansport.
Freeman was charter president of the Logansport Lions Club, Logansport Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, Logansport Development Corporation, and Logansport Athletics Booster Club. He was active in the DeSoto Parish Chamber of Commerce.
Political campaigns
Elected as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in 1984, 1988, and 1992, Freeman switched parties and won thereafter as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in 1996, 2000, and 2004. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
in District 7 in the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
held on October 20, 2007, even though he had been undergoing treatment for the cancer that took his life a month later. He received 1,427 votes (11 percent), having finished last in a five-candidate field. The seat, which covers all of DeSoto and ten precincts of adjoining Caddo Parish, went to a Republican, Richard Burford
Richard Burford
Richard T. "Richie" Burford is a beef and dairy farmer from Stonewall, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 7, southern Caddo, DeSoto, and Sabine parishes, in the northwestern portion of the state...
of Stonewall
Stonewall, Louisiana
Stonewall is a town in northern DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,668 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, the easy winner of the November 17 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Burford is a departing three-term member of the DeSoto Parish Police Jury. Had Freeman been elected, he would not have lived to have taken the seat on January 14, 2008.
In 2004, Freeman was unopposed for his sixth term as mayor. In his last contested election in 2000, he narrowly defeated a fellow Republican Joe C. Liles, 303 votes (51 percent) to 295 (49 percent). Having won his first three terms as a Democrat, Freeman switched to the GOP and secured his fourth term in the 1996 general election over Democrat Andrew D. McGlathery, Jr., 437 (62 percent) to 271 (38 percent). He was within thirteen months of completing an unprecedented sixth mayoral term.
Freeman's legacy
Former Mayor Harold Cornett of MansfieldMansfield, Louisiana
Mansfield is a city in and the parish seat of DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,001 at the 2010 census. Mansfield is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, the seat of DeSoto Parish, recalls his former colleague as a "hard worker" who was well thought of in the community and throughout the state. "He was a great leader who never said 'no' to responsibility. He was just a good mayor, and Logansport, the state, and I will certainly miss him," said Cornett, who, as an honorary pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
, joined the mayors of Mansfield, Grand Cane
Grand Cane, Louisiana
Grand Cane is a village in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 191 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Stonewall, and Natchitoches as well as other elected officials and parish residents at Freeman's funeral.
Some three hundred gathered at the First United Methodist Church in Logansport, where Freeman was a member and sang in the choir, to pay respects to a man noted for his personal "passion". The Reverend Kemper Smith said that Freeman was "passionate about what he believed. . . . His determination served him well because he was a born leader." Daughter Pamela Kaye Freeman (born 1970) of Logansport addressed the mourners and read from a letter that Freeman's wife, the former Katherine Thomas, then seventeen, wrote to him in 1958:
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
, and Kathy and husband Billy Alger of Logansport, five grandchildren, and three brothers.
Freeman is interred in Logansport Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located near the riverfront. His marker reads "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." The riverfront had been an unattractive briar thicket until Freeman directed its renovation. Now, it is a welcoming entrance off U.S. Highway 84 into Louisiana from Texas. It has a terraced landscape, veterans' memorial, walking paths, gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
, picnic tables, and a pavilion, mostly financed from grants and private donations.
Freeman's wife Katherine (born November 14, 1940) is finishing out her husband's term as mayor of Logansport.