Awardee Wiltz: 'My mama is standing here with me'

The 2019 St. Mary Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Installation of Officers was held Thursday night at the Pavilion at Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel in Charenton.
Highlights of the night included Diane Wiltz’s acceptance speech for the Citizen of the Year Award, presented by longtime protégé, Ed “Tiger” Verdin.
Wiltz accepted after being joined onstage by the various mayors of the cities and towns of St. Mary Parish and being awarded keys to their municipalities.
At the podium, Wiltz said, “Maya Angelou, one of my all-time favorites, said that when she was going into a room to be interviewed, or anything, she would call-in all of her ancestors. And so, today as I stand on this stage before you, Mrs. Almetra Franklin said, ‘You’d better say something about your mama.’ My mama is standing up here with me, the late, great Geraldine Jones, because I invited her up here with me tonight.”
Wiltz went on to thank ancestors, all of the mayors, her family, friends and co-workers.
She even lead a “Who Dat” chant on her way off the stage, a nod to a blown referee call at last week’s NFC championship game between the Saints and the Rams.
16th Judicial District Attorney M. Bofill Duhe’ was also an awardee. He accepted the Virginia Tyler Guillotte Award.
Duhe’ said he felt like he was receiving an award for doing the opposite of what is usually considered excellent business practice. “In my business,” Duhe’ said, “generally my customers are very angry with me. Generally, I am not very worried about their time, and for the most part, I am trying to work myself out of a job. None of which, will ever happen.”
He thanked the Chamber and accepted “humbly,” deferring the responsibility for his being considered for the award, to those with whom he works in his offices.
The installation of 2019 Chamber Board chairman and directors was officiated by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser followed by remarks from Board Chairman Scott Berry and for the Chambers of Health, Dawn Kaiser Melancon and Dr. Gary Wiltz, who also manned the Teche Talk video camera for Mrs. Wiltz during her acceptance speech.