LAKE ARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL'S 2009 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES HONORED FRIDAY

Members of the Lake Arthur High School 2009 Hall of Fame Athletic Class who were inducted at halftime of Friday's Lake Arthur-Hanson football game at Jack Doland Stadium in Lake Arthur are, from left, Eugene Landry, Class of 1960; David Clayton, Class of 1964; Doug Hoffpauir, Class of 1981; and Kim Turner, Class of 1984.

Mike Rizzuto

By Mike Rizzuto
Sun Times Editor

Four of Lake Arthur High School’s very best former student-athletes were inducted into the school’s prestigious Hall of Fame at halftime of the Lake Arthur-Hanson Memorial football game held this past Friday, September 18, 2009 at Jack Doland Stadium in Lake Arthur.

EUGENE LANDRY

The first inductee was Eugene Landry, Class of 1960. A member of the first Lake Arthur High School 11-man football team, Landry gained 1,229 rushing yards averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Landry was the first member of a regulation football team at Lake Arthur High School to earn First Team All-District honors. In addition, he was awarded Best Back in football for the Tigers in 1957 and 1958 and was also named the school’s Best All-Around Athlete in 1958.

Landry also excelled on the basketball court and on the track for the Tigers.
He averaged over 10 points per game in basketball and was one of the team’s best defensive players, earning Third Team All-District honors as a senior.

On the track, Landry was a sprinter and ran the low hurdles and the relays, clocking a 10.7 time in the 100 yard dash on a dirt track.

After graduation, Landry began working in the oil field and was promoted to the position of Offshore Supervisor. Landry met and married Patsy Kibodeaux and the couple had four children, Craig, Kent, Kirk and Tina Landry Neil.

Landry now lives in Houma, Louisiana and enjoys deer hunting in his spare time.

DAVID CLAYTON

The second inductee is David Clayton, Class of 1964. From the years 1962-1964, Clayton accumulated a career total of 1,123 points for the Tiger basketball team.

In 1962, as a sophomore, Clayton was named First Team All-District.

In 1963, Clayton and his teammates captured both the District Championship and Bi District Championship Titles with a record of 24-6. He was named First Team All-District, First Team All-Parish, and to the All-Southwest La. Class B Basketball Team.

In 1964, Clayton was named First Team All-District, First Team All-Parish, and Honorable Mention All-State in Class B.

Clayton was also a stellar track athlete for the Tigers, earning co-Jeff Davis Parish High Jump First Place honors during his senior year.

After graduating from Lake Arthur High School, Clayton starred at McNeese State University in tennis, earning Gulf State Conference Doubles Runner-up awards and earning two letters in the sport.

Clayton served in the United States Marines from 1969-71 and started a teaching career at Sulphur High School, coaching tennis.

In 1974, Clayton earned two Masters Degrees from Northwestern State University in Secondary Guidance and Student and Personnel Services.

His career in education took him to Clinton High School, Jackson High School and Lacassine High School, where he served as basketball coach.

Later, he was named principal at Fenton High School and was then promoted to the Jeff Davis Parish School Board, where he served as Curriculum Coordinator, Curriculum Supervisor, Assistant Superintendent, and now Superintendent.

Clayton married his wife, Linda, and the two have been together for 35 years. They have two children, 23-year-old Kyle Clayton, who is a graduate student at UCLA and is a screenwriter, and 22-year-old Dane Clayton, a student at Northwestern State University who is completing his degree online. Both sons live in Los Angeles, California.

DOUG HOFFPAUIR

The third inductee is Doug Hoffpauir, Class of 1981. Hoffpauir was an all-around athlete at Lake Arthur High School who lettered all four years in football, basketball, and track.

In 1978, Hoffpauir was named Outstanding Freshman Football Player.

In 1979, Hoffpauir was named Outstanding Football Player and earned All-Parish and All-District 6-AA Teams. In track, he earned the was the Jeff Davis Parish Pole Vault Champion.

In 1980, Hoffpauir earned Best Offensive Back in Tiger football. He was named to the First Team All-Parish and All-District Teams. In basketball, he had the most assists, and in track, he was the Jeff Davis Pole Vault Champ and the McNeese Cowboy Pole Vault Champ. Hoffpauir won first place All-District honors and was second in the Regionals in the Pole Vault.

In his senior year of 1981, Hoffpauir was named Outstanding Back at L.A.H.S., was a four-time Prep Football Player of the Week, a member of the All-Parish Football Team on Offense, as well as lettering in basketball and track.

After graduating, Hoffpauir found employment in the oil field, and in 1983, met and married Melanie Bonin of Lake Arthur. The couple had three children, twins Aaron and Alicia in 1984 and Peter, their youngest child, in 1991.

Hoffpauir is self-employed as an Oil Field Consultant and enjoys hunting and fishing. He is a member of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and contributes to many of his area’s sports events and activities.

KIM TURNER

The fourth and final member of the 2009 Hall of Fame is Kim Turner, Class of 1984.

Turner lettered in basketball and track all four years at Lake Arthur High School. Her career statistics include 14 points per game, nine rebounds, three steals, 50% field goal percentage, and 64% free throw percentage.

Turner is third in points scored in Lady Tiger basketball history with 1,409; third in rebounds with 854; sixth in steals with 260; and seventh in free throws with 64.25%. Turner also holds the record for scoring in a single season with 609 points, is the leader in steals in a season with 145, and is second in rebounding with 326 in 1983. She also grabbed 319 rebounds in 1984.

Turner was a First Team All-District selection in 1983 and 1984. She was an Honorable All-State selection in 1983 and First Team All-Stater in 1984.

Turner was also an Honorable Mention All-American High School Player in 1984.

Turner was also dynamic on the track. In 1983, she was the District Champ in the High Jump, a member of the winning 1600 Meter Relay and the 800 Meter Run.

As a senior in 1984, Turner was a member of Lake Arthur’s All-District and Regional Championship Teams.

After graduation, Turner was awarded a scholarship to McNeese State University where she lettered from 1985-89. She set the Freshman Single Season Scoring Mark with 363 points and was the team’s Best Defensive Player.

Turner was a member of the Southland Conference Championship Team in 1986 and was named McNeese’s Most Valuable Player in 1987. She ranks 10th in rebounding there with 338 career caroms.

In 1989, Turner was awarded the prestigious Fess Salter Memorial Award.

Turner presently lives in Orange, Texas and is Co-Manager at the WalMart Supercenter in Silsbee. She is active in her local church and in CASA (Court Appointed Social Advocate). According to Lake Arthur High School Lady Tiger Basketball Coach Becky Meaux, “she (Turner) is the very best player I have ever coached.”

Lake Arthur High School congratulates the school’s Hall of Fame Class for 2009!