Normand Ouellette papers

Normand E. Ouellette was born in Fall River in 1930. He attended Msgr. Prevost High School, graduating in 1949, and continued his studies at St. Francis Xavier Junior College in Biddeford, Maine. In 1965 he married Lynette M. Landry, who taught French in the Westport school system for many years. They had one child, Robert G. Ouellette. Like his wife, Normand was involved in many community-based organizations throughout his life, holding leadership positions in most. Through many of these organizations he enthusiastically promoted Franco-American culture and use of the French language in the United States. He was a founding member of the Massachusetts Lafayette Society, which was instrumental in the repair of the Lafayette statue in Fall River, the installation of a plaque honoring the Revolutionary contributions of the Marquis de Lafayette, and the establishment of Lafayette Day, May 20, as a Massachusetts holiday. Mr. Ouellette served as a records liaison officer to Massachusetts communities on behalf of the Executive Office of Communities and Development, and was instrumental in passing legislation that created the American and Canadian French Cultural Commission of Massachusetts. Some of the offices he held include: president, New Bedford Richelieu Club; board member, Catholic Financial Life; president, St. George Chapter (#441) of the Union Saint-Jean-Baptiste; board member, Prevost High School Alumni Association; member, St. George Parish Finance Committee; governor, Richelieu International; president, New England Fraternal Alliance; president, La Ligue de Franco-Americaines de New Bedford; and neighborhood commissioner for Boy Scouts of America, Massasoit Council. He received many awards and honors for his service on behalf of the Franco-American community, including the Officer Les Palmes Acadamiques from the French Republic and Ministry of National Education. He was a highly valued supporter of the Claire T. Carney Library Archives and Special Collections, soliciting several collections that were donated to the Franco American Historical Collections. These include the records of the Franco-American Civic League of Fall River, the records of Le Cotillon, the papers of Bernard Theroux, and records of the New Bedford and Fall River chapters of the Richelieu Society.