Mitch Landrieu: “Last week--very close, actually, around the Senator's birthday--we lost our superintendent of education, Dr. Cecil…”

“Last week--very close, actually, around the Senator's birthday--we lost our superintendent of education, Dr. Cecil Picard. Cecil Picard died prematurely of Lou Gehrig's disease, but he died in the arms of his loving wife of many years, surrounded by his children and his grandchildren. We knew for a time--and he knew, of course--that the disease that he had been diagnosed with 2 years earlier was going to be fatal. Although he fought it bravely and courageously, it took his life last week. My husband, Frank Snellings, served on the board of elementary and secondary education, and I want to say publicly what an inspiration Dr. Picard was to us, to our family but, more importantly, what an outstanding leader he was in the area of education reform in a State that he loved, a community which he loved and in which he served as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and then as superintendent of education of our State. His passion and commitment to early childhood education was contagious.”