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Mr. Paul Hardy

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Email: PAULHARDY13@aol.com

Information below was provided on June 21, 2010 by Dr. Pon Flourent Hardy, for placement of Paul’s name in nomination for the UL Athletic Hall of Fame.

Pon Florent Hardy, Jr., Ph.D.
State Archivist and Director
Louisiana State Archives
P. O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
(225) 922-1200

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1. Nomination letter to Tiffany Harris
2. Resume’
3. Biopraphical information

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1. Nomination letter to Tiffany Harris

Ms.Tiffany Harris
C/O UL Lafayette Alumni Association
Ragin’ Cajun Lettermen Club
P. O. Box 40151
Lafayette, Louisiana 70504
June 21, 2010
Dear Ms. Harris:
Please accept this correspondence as my nomination of Paul Jude Hardy to membership in the ULL Athletic Hall of Fame. I have enclosed a résumé and a brief biography for your review. I would appreciate notification if any additional information is required.
Thanks for your efforts and sincere consideration of this outstanding graduate of our fine alma mater.
Sincerely,
Florent Hardy, Jr., Ph.D.
State Archivist and Director
USL/66, 69, 72

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2. Resume’

Paul Jude Hardy
Paul Jude Hardy was born on October 18, 1942. A native of Cecilia, he is an attorney, banker, businessman, and consultant. He and his wife, Sandi Gatlin Hardy, reside in Baton Rouge. Their son, Gregory Paul Hardy, is an attorney in St. Martinville and their daughter, Yvette Hardy Gross, a University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) graduate, lives in Baton Rouge. Paul and Sandi have two granddaughters. Paul is the son of the late Florent Hardy, Sr., and Agnes Angelle Hardy of Cecilia.
In 1960, Paul graduated from Cecilia High School with honors and was selected as the Outstanding Senior Boy. He lettered in four sports and received the awards for Outstanding Trackman and Sportsmanship. In 1965, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from USL, as did his wife Sandi. While at USL, he was a member of Phi Kappa Theta, Phi Lambda Beta, and the Newman Club. He was a three-year letterman on the USL Track Team, and won the Gulf States Conference high jump competition for two consecutive years. He received the Track Team Scholastic Award for the highest grade point average on the team. In 1966, he received a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola in New Orleans. He was Senior Class President and Senior Representative of the Student Bar Association. He also received the Loyola Student Council’s Service Award. In 1966, at the age of 23, he began practicing law in St. Martinville, and was a partner in the law firm of Willis and Hardy. He was an attorney for the town Breaux Bridge, and the first attorney for the town of Henderson.
In 1971, Hardy was elected State Senator for the Parishes of Iberia and St. Martin in a major upset victory. He was named the Outstanding Newcomer in the Senate by the Baton Rouge State Times after his first legislative session. In 1974, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation named him the Legislative Conservationist of the Year. As State Senator he was listed in Who’s Who in Louisiana, Who’s Who in Government, Who’s Who in American Politics, and Outstanding Americans in the South.
In 1976, he was elected Louisiana Secretary of State in one of the greatest upset victories in Louisiana history. He came from behind to beat his opponent who had received 49% of the statewide vote in the first primary and won by more than 20,000 votes in the runoff. As Secretary of State and because of his literacy in the French language, Hardy was invited to represent the United States in an international government seminar in Quebec, Canada, in 1976. In 1977, the Louisiana Jaycees named him Outstanding Young Man, one of three in Louisiana. The National President of the Woodman of the World presented him with that organization’s 1977 Conservationist of the Year Award. In 1979, although he carried more parishes (18) than his opponents, he barely missed the runoff in the Governor’s race by only 4% of the vote. During 1980-1984, he served as Louisiana’s Secretary of Transportation. While he was the Secretary, the Louisiana “DOT” set a new record of $2 billion spent on highways, and the
“DOT” set record levels of federal funding for three consecutive years: 1981, 82, and 83. He helped local entrepreneurs in the production of the full-length feature film of the Cajun movie Belizaire the Cajun. He was associate producer and played a bit part in the movie. In 1987, he was elected as Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor. He led the way to enact legislation creating Tax Free Shopping, which still today gives foreigners a great incentive to come to Louisiana because of tax rebates on purchases they make in our State. In turn, this concept has resulted in tremendous increases in our tourism-related jobs, and in 1989 alone increased tourist spending by a record $1.2 billion. Under his leadership, the movie industry’s economic impact increased by $51 million after his first year as Lieutenant Governor. In 1989, the award of Man of Achievement was presented to him by the Phi Kappa Theta National Fraternal Organization. In 1991, he was presented the New Orleans World Trade Center’s highest award, The Order of the Plimsoll.
Hardy is a member of several organizations: The American Bar Association, the Louisiana Bar Association, the St. Martin Bar Association (Past President), the American Judicature Society, the St. Martinville Jaycees (Past President), Knight’s of Columbus Cecilia Council, and USL’s “S” Club. In 1977, he was Honorary Chairman of the Louisiana American Heart Association; President of the Evangeline Area Guidance Society; and the Honorary Chairman of the Louisiana United Cerebral Palsy Association.
Hardy has been on the Board of Directors of St. Martin Bank for 32 years. He has interests in the Health Care Business in Grant, Rapides, and St. Martin Parishes.
After hunting, fishing, and skiing for years, Hardy is now into tennis and his favorite sport of bow fishing.
Historically, Paul Hardy is the only person in Louisiana who was elected to two different statewide offices from two different political parties: as a Democrat, Secretary of State, 1976-1980; and as a Republican, Lieutenant Governor, 1988-1992. Hardy has always said that his three successful elections; State Senator (Iberia-St. Martin Parishes), Secretary of State, and Lieutenant Governor would never have happened if he could not communicate in Cajun French with the Cajuns in South Louisiana and especially Acadiana.

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3. Biographical Information

Paul Jude Hardy
Attorney at Law
7253 Woodstock Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Paulhardy13@aol.com
225/216-1610 office
225/216-1611 fax
FAMILY
Born in Lafayette, October 18, 1942
Married to the former Sandra Gayle Gatlin (USL ’65). Father of Gregory Paul
Hardy and Yvette Hardy (Mrs. Darrell) Gross
EDUCATION
Juris Doctor, Loyola Law School, New Orleans, LA, 1966
President, Law School Senior Class; Secretary and Senior Representative, Student Bar
Association; Loyola Student Council Service Award
Bachelor of Arts, University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana),
Lafayette, LA, 1965
Phi Kappa Theta, Phi Lambda Beta, Newman Club, Track Team: Three-Year Letterman
and USL Track Team Scholastic Award
Cecilia High School, Cecilia, LA, 1960
Outstanding Senior Boy
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Partner, Willis & Hardy, Attorneys at Law, St. Martinville, LA, 1966 – 1976
Member, Board of Directors, St. Martin Bank, St. Martinville, LA, 1973 to present
Co-Owner, St. Agnes Nursing Home, Breaux Bridge, LA
Co-Producer/Actor, Movie: “Belizaire the Cajun,” Lafayette, LA, 1985
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE
State Senator: St. Martin and Iberia Parishes, 1972 – 1976
Achievement: Outstanding Newcomer in the Senate by the Baton Rouge State Times
Honors: Legislative Conservationist of the Year by the LA Wildlife Federation
Who’s Who in Louisiana
Who’s Who in Government
Who’s Who in American Politics
Outstanding Americans in the South
Louisiana Secretary of State, 1976 – 1980
Achievements: Youngest elected Secretary of State in the United States of America
during first year in office, returned over $1.2 million in surplus funds; reduced the $4 million budget by 28%, largest reduction ever in the office of Secretary of State.
Honors: Represented the United States of America at an international governmental
seminar, Quebec, Canada, June, 1976
Selected by the Louisiana Jaycees as one of three Outstanding Young Men
in Louisiana, February, 1977
Presented the Woodman of the World Conservationist Award, 1977
1979 Gubernatorial Candidate: Received 227,000 votes; carried eighteen parishes, more
than any other candidate; missed the second primary by 4% of the vote.
Louisiana Secretary of Transportation and Development, 1980 – 1984
Managed 7,000 employees and a budget exceeding $1 billion annually
Set new record of $2 billion spent in highway construction
For 3 consecutive years, set record levels in obligation and reaching maximum of available federal funds
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor, 1988 – 1992
First person in Louisiana elected to two different statewide offices from two
different political parties – Democrat as Secretary of State and Republican as
Lieutenant Governor.
Pioneered bold legislation, similar to European programs, creating “tax-free
shopping,“ which helped break all tourism-related job records – an increase of 6,000 jobs and $1.2 billion spent by tourists, an increase of 18%, in 1989; the motion picture industry’s economic impact on the state increased from $33 million to $84 million in 1989.
HONORS
Phi Kappa Theta’s Man of Achievement National Award, 1989
New Orleans World Trade Center’s highest award, The Order of the Plimsoll, 1991
ASSOCIATIONS
American Bar Association
Louisiana Bar Association
St. Martin Parish Bar Association (past president)
American Judicature Society
St. Martinville Jaycees (past president)
University of Southwestern Louisiana “S” Club
Evangeline Area Guidance Society
Knights of Columbus Council 3356
Honorary Chairman, Diocese of Lafayette Bishop’s Appeal
Honorary Chairman of United Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana
Honorary State Chairman of the American Heart Association – Louisiana
Ms. Tiffany Harris
C/O UL Lafayette Alumni Association
Ragin’ Cajun Lettermen Club
P. O. Box 40151
Lafayette, Louisiana 70504
June 21, 2010
Dear Ms. Harris:
Please accept this correspondence as my nomination of Paul Jude Hardy to membership in the ULL Athletic Hall of Fame. I have enclosed a résumé and a brief biography for your review. I would appreciate notification if any additional information is required.
Thanks for your efforts and sincere consideration of this outstanding graduate of our fine alma mater.
Sincerely,
Florent Hardy, Jr., Ph.D.
State Archivist and Director
USL/66, 69, 72