Please Help Us Honor Dr. Robert Guthrie Jarrell, Jr.

KTVE Interview with Ashley Doughty

Friday March 23, 2018

Ashley: We have with us today Tana Trichel, President and CEO of NELEA, Northeast Louisiana Economic Alliance, and Dr. Russ Greer, a neurosurgeon, retired from operating, now a Medical Director at Vantage.

Ashley: What is your mission today?

Answer: We are here to honor the late Dr. Robert Guthrie Jarrell, Jr. (Show Picture) We have secured permission from the Mayor of Oak Grove and the Town Council of Oak Grove to establish a Memorial Plaza in his honor.

Ashley: Tell us more about Dr. Jarrell!

Answer: He has done so much for this region that many wanted a way to honor him. On the plaza, we want to have a plaque that denotes some of the wonderful things we remember about him. We have engaged a professional sculptor from Provo, Utah, Matt Glenn. Dr. Robert Guthrie Jarrell, Jr. was born in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana and grew up in Epps, Louisiana where his parents owned the pharmacy. He became a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology and delivered literally thousands of present citizens of Northeast Louisiana and elsewhere. He functioned as Chief of Staff of St. Francis Medical Center, Monroe, Louisiana. He was an ardent supporter of Louisiana Tech University and donated many thousands of dollars to the Athletic Department. He was instrumental in activating the groundswell of activity to get support for promoting and developing Poverty Point to get National Recognition which eventually became a World Heritage Site. As he was born in Oak Grove and that is the Parish Seat of West Carroll Parish, while he was still alive, he mentioned to me that is where he would wish to be honored.

Ashley: How do you make the Dr. Guthrie Jarrell Plaza?

Answer: We are selling memorial bricks where fans of Dr. Jarrell can be remembered permanently, by placing their name on their brick. The bricks form the beautiful plaza. These bricks are from the same firm that Louisiana Tech uses on their campus.
For $100, a brick would be inscribed with your name. As he delivered over 15,000 citizens, for a modest addition, those delivered by him could have a symbol of a stork engraved. Those fans of La Tech, could have a La Tech logo engraved. Friends of Poverty Point could have the logo of the Poverty Point World Heritage Site.

Ashley: You mentioned a statue!

Answer: Our objective is a life-sized statue honoring a Northeast Louisiana local hero. In today’s world some of our historical leaders have been dishonored. Dr. Jarrell was a compassionate lifetime servant of the people. His medical practice was dedicated to delivering healthy babies and maintaining the health of the mothers. So many people you meet were delivered by him, including our interviewer, Ashley, and her daughter. He was a quiet philanthropist including La Tech. To participate in honoring this leader in our Region, you can go to our webpage: www.nelea.us and click on the tab that says Dr. Robert Guthrie Jarrell, Jr. We can accept PayPal or Credit Cards. We have engaged a professional sculptor from Provo, Utah, Matt Glenn. Bricks start at $100 and $25 for the logo representing your support of his many achievements or your being one of his delivered children. A Corporate sponsorship of an 8X8 brick is $250 and a memorial bench to be placed in the memorial plaza area is $2500. The funds will go 100% toward the memorial, including the cost of the bricks, engraving, and bricklaying. By raising enough funds, we can dedicate a statue of Dr. Jarrell in the center memorial court in Oak Grove, Louisiana. Oak Grove is the Northern entrance to Poverty Point, a project Dr. Jarrell was instrumental in bringing to the international stature it has today as a World Heritage Site.

Show: Russ Clark’s rendering of the memorial.

We look forward to your support honoring Dr. Jarrell; and again, our website is www.nelea.us.