St. Mary Chamber of Commerce Awards

Former St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert received the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce’s Virgina Tyler Guillotte Award Thursday night at the chamber’s annual award banquet and officer installation.
Hebert accepted the award with humility and deep emotion, saying, “I just want to tell you how honored and deeply humbled I feel to be the recipient of this prestigious award.
“I would like to thank the people of St. Mary Parish for the great joy that’s been given to me in the last 34 and-a-half years of service to the Sheriff’s Office. It’s been a career that I have deeply enjoyed.”
Hebert continued, “I thank you for the honor and privilege of your support and your confidence in the last six years of serving as your sheriff, which is something, which I cannot express the great joy of being able to do.
“The inspiration of my life, who gave me the strength to see the good in the things that could be done in this parish, that such great things can come out of tragedy, that if you look deep enough and try hard enough, you can bring hope where there is disparity, that in law enforcement it’s not all about doing the rough thing and being the bad guy, and things like that. You can help a lot of people, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with many people and many families that have gone through a lot of crises, but not without the strength and the support of my wife. She was my everything. She made me whole, and I thank her for giving me the courage to do this, and the support.
“I’ve enjoyed my service, and though I’m retired I intend to stay involved in the parish and stay committed to the things that make St. Mary Parish safe, and a great place.
“Again, thank you for your support and confidence through the years. Thank you.”