SPOOKY SETTING

From left to right: Large concrete textured vase from PALETTE HOUSE & PLUME, velvet pumpkin and credenza from WALSWORTH & COMPANY, butterfly cloche from IVAN SMITH FURNITURE, organic gold vase from LAUREN ROEBUCK DESIGN, oval painting from REVIVAL DESIGN & CONSIGN, candle bust from MATERIAL THINGS, Louis Vuitton and Tom Ford books from HAVEN.

Set an eerie yet elevated scene with these decorations from local stores. Combine an antique painting with velvet pumpkins for a look that is frightfully festive.

Time to cozy up to fall with these luxurious throws from local retailers. From faux furs to chunky knits, this blanket roundup displays the best of the season.

From top to botton: cream throw from PALETTE HOUSE & PLUME, dark fur throw from WALSWORTH & COMPANY, textured feather throw from IVAN SMITH FURNITURE, grey and white leopard-print throw REVIVAL DESIGN & CONSIGN, ivory knit throw from OUACHITA ANTIQUE WOODS, burnt sienna velvet throw from MATERIAL THINGS, ruffle edge throw from FABULOUS FABRIC, chunky throw from HAVEN, charcoal throw from LAUREN ROEBUCK DESIGN. styling by TAYLOR BENNETT photography by KELLY MOORE CLARK

Wallcovering, wallpapers and decorative rugs can elevate your space. These luxurious offerings are available at local retailers.

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styling by TAYLOR BENNETT photography by KELLY MOORE CLARK

CHILDREN ARE BACK IN SCHOOL, WHICH MEANS football season, cooler temperatures and pumpkin spice everything are on their way. However, the change of weather seasons also marks the beginning of cold and flu season. One cough or sneeze can spread those illnesses throughout a classroom and your home. Therefore, you need a plan to protect yourself and your family.

Hand-washing is one of the most important things you can do to ward-off germs. Wash your hands often, especially before preparing food and eating. You should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Just sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice to gauge how long you have been washing them. Also, stock up on hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes for emergencies. If you do not feel well, stay home. This way, you avoid passing an illness to others.

As part of your planning for cold and flu season, you may want to make an appointment with your primary care physician. They will know if you are up-to-date on all of your vaccines, including flu and COVID-19. Routine tests can help diagnose any health issues before they become severe. Your doctor could prescribe everything from medication to a lifestyle change to help keep you healthy.

Ochsner LSU Health primary care physicians take your healthy seriously. Their top priority is to keep you well and out of the hospital. They believe in a comprehensive approach to health. That includes caring for your mind and body. Exams include blood work to screen for any possible issues; checking your blood pressure, weight and other vital numbers; looking for any muscular problems, such as osteoporosis; and making sure your reflexes are still “kicking.” If you suffer from back, foot or other pain, some of our primary care physicians also specialize in sports medicine. We will work with you to alleviate your daily pain.

Our doctors will review your lifestyle choices and help provide options to live a healthier life, including a mental health check. If our team is concerned, we will recommend resources where you can find some added help to work through the stress and problems in your life.

At Ochsner LSU Health, we have a team of physicians who treat a variety of illnesses and diseases. If you require a specialist, our primary care physicians can make a referral to an Ochsner LSU Health doctor who specializes in the additional care you need. Your primary care physician will work with your specialty care team every step of the way to ensure that your care is in line with the plan you and your physicians have agreed upon.

We also believe that seeing a doctor should be easy. That is why our primary care physicians and other specialists are located near you, in neighborhood clinics. Each clinic treats patients from newborns to senior citizens. Also, patients can easily and quickly receive test results, schedule appointments, communicate with providers, manage prescriptions, pay bills and e-PreCheck for appointments with the MyOchsner app, a personalized and secure online patient portal. To sign up please visit my.ochsner.org/lsu. Finally, many of our clinics have on-site lab and imaging services for your convenience. Check out the location closest to you:

PRIMARY CARE & URGENT CARE LOCATIONS: Ochsner LSU Health – Monroe Medical Center, Family Medicine Clinic 4864 Jackson Street, Monroe, LA 71202 Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Ochsner LSU Health – Monroe Community Health Center 1625 Louisville Ave, Monroe, LA 71201 Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Ochsner LSU Health – Urgent Care, West Monroe 207 Thomas Rd, West Monroe, LA 71291 Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Saturday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

To schedule an appointment at any of our locations, call 318-330-7168.

BY DARIAN ATKINS

ANGELA PUGH WEARS MANY TITLES AND ONE OF them is a proud LDCC alumna. Angela attended Louisiana Technical College (now Louisiana Delta Community CollegeWest Monroe Campus) in 2009 to obtain the skills needed for her barber/ stylist license. Upon completing the program, she worked part-time in a salon. Angela decided she’d also pursue her barber instructor’s license. After earning both licenses, she was offered a full-time teaching job at Cloyd’s Barber school in Monroe. Angela then both taught and worked in a salon during that time.

While teaching, she realized there was a lack of teaching regarding ethnic hair. “I took students to Atlanta, Dallas, Tyler and other places to learn how to properly care for textured hair and I also met with many educators to learn things to help my students prepare for a career in the hair industry,” shares Angela.

Later, Angela gave birth to her first daughter and took a break from teaching for a year. “I returned to teach at Celebrity Barber and Beauty School as there were no openings at Delta. The school was smaller, and I was able to really be hands on and teach in a different way,” explains Angela.

She became pregnant with her second daughter while there and decided to focus on building her clientele full time in the salon. Says, Angela, “I worked for a corporate salon and was able to build my clientele quickly.”

After having her girls who are biracial and have textured hair, Angela expressed she felt heartbroken at the thought that they would ever walk into a salon and be turned away because of their skin color or hair texture. Says a concerned Angela, “I have watched it happen too many times in schools and salons/barber shops. Thankfully I had already had the training and had been educating others on how to do different types of hair.”

Angela’s dream has always been to own her own salon and it be one who services all people with all types of hair. Two and a half years ago that dream became a reality. Today, another title Angela has is entrepreneur. She owns Harmony Salon and Spa in West Monroe, Louisiana. “I am married and have four daughters. My husband and I own our salon and a private gym as well.

Anyone regardless of race, gender, hair texture, skin tone etc. can come in and get a service done in a high-end salon environment and treated with kindness and respect,” says Angela.

Angela’s instructor in Barber Styling School was Tracie Carroll Blackstock. Says Tracie, Angela was a model student here at LDCC. Her goal to have a multi-cultured business has been a sure success.” Angela doesn’t take her success for granted. She says God has really blessed her and their family business. “In the two years we have been open, we have been voted 2nd and 4th in our area for best salon and spa. There have been many hard times, and many days I doubted my career choice. One thing I can say is if God gives you a passion or a dream for something, keep moving forward no matter how hard it gets! I am an example of the success of that journey,” explains Angela.

The Barber Styling program is one of the most successful programs LDCC offers. You can work for yourself or an established salon. Says Tracie, “At LDCC Barber College, we teach our students to have an open mind and how to adapt. Life is not a straight line and is full of curves, upticks, and deep dives. The ability to thrive comes with accepting that truth and learning how to navigate the course. You need that grit and ingenuity to make it in this business. Creativity and adaptability are everything.”

Barber Styling is only offered on LDCC-West Monroe Campus located on Camp Road. “Every day in our business, we are setting trends while fostering that special connection between a person’s inner and outer self. Our success is built on the testimony of the people who sit in our chairs on a day-to-day basis,” says Tracie.

For information regarding this program, call 318-397-6100. Barber Styling students can earn a 53-credit hour technical diploma. This pathway is for those who want to take charge of their career and money-earning potential. Call today!

BY ROBERT WRIGHT

OTHER THAN A COLLEGE DEGREE, THERE IS NO higher honor to be bestowed upon a woman matriculating at a historically black college and university than to be voted, named, and crowned as the campus queen. At Grambling State University, the campus queen is not just a student crowned at the coronation, but she serves as ambassador for the university. Along with the crown comes a scholarship, free room and board during her year of reign, and free travel with the university to dozens of events throughout the school year.

Last month, Kelli Jo Anna-Katrice Copes, a native of Grambling, Louisiana, was crowned the 69th Miss Grambling State University. The theme of the September coronation was “Heavy is the Crown: Great is the Legacy.” The Mistress of Ceremonies was Dr. Gloria George and the Master of Ceremonies was Mr. Paul Caliste. President Rick Gallot said that he is confident that Copes will meet the challenge.

“We congratulate Miss Grambling on attaining this tremendous honor and are confident that she will represent our beloved institution with dignity and grace during her reign,” said Gallot.

Copes is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joe L. Copes. She is a senior majoring in biology/pre-medicine and aspires to become a gynecologist and give back to her community. She has been involved in many extracurricular activities and maintains a 3.96 cumulative GPA. She was the Student Government Association Vice President for the 2021-2022 academic school year as well as serving as Miss Sophomore, the Favrot Student Union Board’s Calendar Miss November, and Miss Academic Excellence for the 2020-2021 school year.

Kelli is a member of the Delta Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Earl Lester Cole Honors College, the Favrot Student Union Board, GRAMbassadors, the International Student Organization, NAACP, Biological and Pre-Doctoral Society, National Society of Leadership and Success and the President’s Student Leadership Initiative, where she has served as the secretary.

Her involvement also includes membership on various campus committees and student representative for the Campus Master Plan Committee. Kelli has conducted campus voter registration drives, blood pressure screenings, and is an advocate for mental health and self-empowerment. Off campus, she is active in her community, works for the Lincoln Parish Clerk of Courts office, and serves as the choir president of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Mass Choir.

At the coronation, four other ladies from Grambling State University were presented as class queens. These four ladies will travel along with Miss Grambling throughout the year to various academic and sporting events. Anslei Marie Kelly, a native of Farmerville, was presented as Miss Freshman. She was escorted by Mr. Jordan Browley. Angel DaNae Moore, a native of Houston, Texas, was presented as Miss Sophomore. She was escorted by Mr. Morgan Patton. Ariel Karai Tiaujay Box, a native of Denver, Colorado, was presented as Miss Junior. She was escorted by Mr. Tyriq Miles. Taylor Nicole Shorter-Johnson, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was presented as Miss Senior. She was escorted by Mr. Kourtlin Williams. The escort to Miss Grambling State University is Mr. Ja’Quel Brooks.

A campus queen at a historically black college and university is lauded as the ambassador for the university. She is also revered as a role model for beauty and ambition on campus and in her community. She is very active in the classroom and out of the classroom. Voted on by the student body, Miss Grambling, along with her other honors, also enjoys her own office space in the Favrot Student Union Building on campus.

Copes joins a sisterhood of 68 other women who have worn the crown and served as ambassadors for Grambling State University during their years of reign. The past ten Miss Grambling State University crown bearers were: Faith Daniels (2021), Ashley Dabney (2020), Rickenzie Johnikin (2019), Jamariea Davis-Miller (2018), Jimmitriv Roberson (2017), Astra Watts (2016), Joiya Smith (2015), Ginia Smith (2014), Ambra Brice (2013), and Geralka Jackson (2012).

During her acceptance speech at the coronation, Copes thanked her friends, fellow students, and family for believing in her and supporting her. She spoke special words of commendation to her mother.

“I’d like to share her with the world, but….she’s mine,” Copes said.

Grambling State University’s motto is “Where Everybody is Somebody.” Throughout the 2022-2023 year of reign, Kelli Copes has been given the job of ambassador for the university. She certainly understands her role and is ready to fulfill the charge that “Heavy is the Crown, Great is the Legacy.”

DOTTIE GIBSON ALLDAY DOTTIE GIBSON ALLDAY DR. PATRICK SMITH

LONG, CURLY, AND BROWN WITH GOLDEN HIGHLIGHTS— that was Dottie Gibson Allday’s hair. Dottie, an OR nurse, wore a surgical cap for her 12-hour shifts, and when she removed her hat, allowing her hair to fall down her back, no one recognized her.

After a breast cancer diagnosis—invasive mammary carcinoma— this year, Dottie learned she would undergo chemotherapy in May. So, she cut her waist-length hair to shoulder length. Then, after her second chemo treatment, she experienced what she describes as a “really painful” moment.

“I was washing my hair, and it started falling out by the handfuls. I dried off, walked into my living room, and started brushing my hair. So much hair was falling out that it got stuck in my hairbrush. And that’s when my tears started to fall, too,” Dottie said, her voice thick with emotion. “I asked my boyfriend to help; he stood behind me, brushing my hair so I wouldn’t see how much he was pulling from the brush.”

Dottie believes in the power of humor. After her boyfriend finished brushing her hair, she looked in the mirror and, through her tears, smiled and said: “Well, it’s a good thing my name is Dottie. It matches the spots on my head.” She waited until her boyfriend left for work, reached for the clippers she purchased upon learning of her diagnosis, shaved her head, and told herself it “didn’t look half bad.” In many ways, Dottie has always been prepared. Her mother’s younger sister, who ate healthily, exercised, and didn’t smoke, died of breast cancer in her 40s. Dottie began having regular mammograms at 35 years old.

After this year’s mammogram, she was called in for a follow-up ultrasound and then a biopsy on her right breast. Soon after, she learned of her breast cancer diagnosis while at work.

“My world came crashing down,” Dottie remembered. “And then I thought of my mother. I knew this was something I couldn’t tell her over the phone. I left work, and when I arrived home and saw her face, I slipped into little girl mode. It took all I had to keep it together. When I told her, she replied, ‘I wish I could take this from you.’ And then she hugged me, and we both cried.”

Dottie loves her job as an OR nurse. She has a passion for taking care of people. “I remember telling mother: Considering how many women I have taken care of with breast cancer, it’s my turn. Meaning: it’s not always somebody else. We get in this mindset that this disease happens to other people. I was the other people this time.” That night, she began thinking about who she wanted to perform her breast cancer removal surgery. One name immediately entered her mind: Dr. Patrick Smith, a surgeon at the Surgery Clinic of Northeast Louisiana.

She has worked with Dr. Patrick Smith at Ochsner LSU Health in Monroe, where he teaches medical residents. While at work, she quickly noticed how he treated his residents. Dottie said, “Dr. Smith truly wanted to teach them, and he was incredibly patient and kind with his residents; that says a lot about him. And I loved how he was with his patients.”

She contacted Dr. Smith, who instantly agreed to see Dottie in his office that day. He reassured her and presented her with options.

Dottie underwent surgery in March for cancer in her right breast. During her follow-up appointment with Dr. Smith, she could tell by the look on his face that something wasn’t quite right. And yet, he remained calm.

“Dr. Smith gently let me know the margins weren’t clear. I burst into tears, and we started discussing options.”

The cancer in her right breast was much larger than anticipated, and there were signs of cancer in the left breast. Dottie was devastated. She and Dr. Smith decided on a double mastectomy, a surgery in which both breasts were removed on March 18. She finished her last chemo treatment in July.

Today, Dottie, who has also lost her eyebrows, wears a wig and a bra with foam inserts as she awaits her reconstruction surgery. “I’m learning to draw my eyebrows, and I’m learning that if I want to, I can make them expressive or angry,” she said, laughing.

Dottie’s faith has grown throughout this past year. “As healthcare professionals, we must be in charge—we have to be in control. When this started, I realized I was not in control. It’s probably the first time in my life that I said: ‘God, please take control over this.’ I knew I couldn’t handle it on my own. Then, everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

She understands women often put their health last and instead manage the health of their families. “It’s difficult to think about, but you must realize that when you put yourself on the back burner, no one will be there to take care of your family when you’re gone. A mammogram is short, and you’re worth it.”

She recommends Dr. Smith at the Surgery Clinic. “It’s difficult to articulate what he did for me. His surgical skills are excellent, and he is incredibly caring, continuously asking for ‘Dottie updates.’ He saw me through this journey.”

In addition to Dr. Smith, the Surgery Clinic of Northeast Louisiana is home to surgeons Dr. Walter Sartor, Dr. Bart Liles, and Dr. Mohamed Bakeer. The Surgery Clinic also houses Delta Vein Care.