LMR July 2023

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86 TH ANNUAL CONVENTION Welcome to Alexandria: Exciting Past, Notable Present, Bright Future Alexandria, Louisiana. Nestled in the center of our state, making it a “gumbo” of sorts when it comes to the many cultures that breathe life into the soul of Louisiana, Alexandria is home to our 86 th Annual Convention this year. Louisiana Municipal Association members will join together in “Ellic.” They will learn and grow together, as the central city provides the backdrop for workshops and informative sessions. And what better place to be than a place that makes you feel as though you’re going home again? “As far back as 1926, the officers of Louisiana cities organized into a Conference of Mayors. The record of the first convention in Alexandria, held under that organization name, shows that 29 cities and towns of the state believed it important to join together in a program for better municipal government. The Conference of Mayors would last only three years. In the fall of 1937, a good handful of mayors of Louisiana Cities met in Alexandria again, to revive the efforts of 1927-1929. In 1939, the conference took the very important step forward of admitting all municipal officials into its folds, the name being changed to read, Louisiana State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials. At the 1941 Convention in Lake Charles, on April 5, they voted in a drastic reorganization of the Conference. The organization would cease to be one of official municipal officials only, and instead become an association of the state. This change of policy is reflected in the change of name - the Louisiana Municipal Association.” (The Louisiana Municipal Association Comes Into Being, The Louisiana Municipal Review, Volume 4, Number 3, May – June, 1941, Page 91) So, as long as the Louisiana Municipal Association can remember, Alexandria has been an instrumental and powerful ally Page 16 LMR | JULY 2023
in the building of the brand. But that’s not all Alexandria is famous for, and a trip to the Hotel Bentley would make a fascinating stop for any history buffs out there. In 1941, approximately 500,000 men (or troops) descended on the Alexandria area for the Louisiana Maneuvers. Not only was this promoted and conducted as the penultimate training event in preparation for the US Army to go to Europe amidst World War II, but it is also still known as the “largest concentration of military might in the continental United States.” (http://www.hotelbentleyandcondos.com/more/wwii-exhibit/) The Hotel Bentley served as the central command center, with the likes of General George S. Patton, General Omar Bradley, and (at the time) Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, all taking meetings and using the hotel as their homebase for weeks at a time as they collectively came up with plans to defeat Axis forces across Europe. “We’re honored to house a WWII exhibit run through Camp Beauregard,” said Hotel Bentley General Manager Martha Turner. “We host it in a small area of the hotel, with seating where visitors can watch a DVD before touring the artifacts 86 TH ANNUAL CONVENTION collected during the Louisiana Maneuvers and other WWII monumental moments. We invite Louisiana’s municipal leaders to tour the space while here with us for the LMA’s 86th Annual Convention.” And as we’re talking history, the number of United States Presidents who’ve visited Alexandria is a high one. Beginning with Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1942, Alexandria has been visited by a total of seven presidents, including Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. But enough about the past, eh? What about the Red River resting Alexandria of today? Today’s Alexandria is a culture lover’s dream come true, as there’s just so much to see and do! The Louisiana Maneuvers were an instrumental part of the fall of the Axis powers during WWII. Timelines in the Hotel Bentley show the progression of WWII, and the importance of Alexandria in securing an Allies success. Many artifacts can be found in the Hotel Bentley’s small museum. LMR | JULY 2023 Page 17
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LMR July 2023

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