Lieutenant General Russel Honoré will be one of the special guests at the Creole Heritage Center’s 20th anniversary celebration, Sept. 13-15. Retired Lt. Gen. Honoré will speak at the awards banquet to be held on Friday, Sept. 14.
A native of Lakeland, Honoré was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Agriculture upon graduation from Southern University and A&M College in 1971. He holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Troy State University as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Southern University and A&M College, an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from Stillman College and an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Stillman College Prior to his command of Joint Task Force-Katrina – leading the Department of Defense response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana – Honoré served in a variety of command and staff positions which focused on Defense Support to Civil Authorities and Homeland Defense.
Honoré retired on Feb. 29, 2008, following 37 years of active service with the United States Army. He continues to speak and consult nationally on Building a Culture of Preparedness. Honoré is sometimes known as “The Ragin’ Cajun,” although he is actually of Louisiana Creole with a West Indies background, whose family came through the port of New Orleans and settled in the Pointe Coupee Parish.
The Honoré family surname is still found among the Cane River Créoles. For more information about Honoré’s appearance, contact the Creole Heritage Center at creolecenter@nsula.edu or 318/357-6685.
