News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 10/15/04   Click on image for publication quality photo  SOUTHEASTERN CHANNEL TO AIR SPECIAL ON ST. TAMMANY PARISH      HAMMOND – St. Tammany Parish may now rank as the most prosperous in the state, but it wasn’t always that way, according to the latest episode of the Southeastern Channel’s new documentary series, “The Florida Parish Chronicles.”      “St. Tammany Parish:  Overcoming Obstacles to Prosperity” reveals how the parish endured centuries of hardship and poverty before enjoying its current-day growth and expansion.       The new “Florida Parish Chronicles” episode will debut at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20. It will also air at 5 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m. Sunday, and 9 p.m. Monday on the Southeastern Channel, Southeastern Louisiana University’s educational access channel on Charter Cable Channel 18.      “Many people in this region aren’t aware of St. Tammany’s difficult journey from poverty to prosperity under four different flags,” said Rick Settoon, general manager of the channel and the show’s producer.       “This episode is an eye opener and really makes one appreciate St. Tammany’s modern growth.”      Host Sam Hyde, director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies and Ford Chair in Regional Studies, narrates a segment following St. Tammany from its pre-historic origins through Indian, French, British, Spanish and finally American governance. The piece traces the parish’s history from the bleak Civil War and Reconstruction periods to the brink of its 20th century prosperity.      “No region of the Florida Parishes has experienced as great an economic and cultural transformation as St. Tammany,” Hyde said. “From an impoverished socio-political backcountry in the early 19th century, St. Tammany today stands as a shining example of success achieved through hard work, perseverance, and a geographic location offering progressive opportunities.      “This episode highlights indigenous qualities of the parish and the people who’ve helped  develop the region,” said Tammy Bourg, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The show is certain to stimulate interest in an area that has overcome determined adversity to achieve remarkable success.”       In a studio interview, Judge Stephen Ellis of Covington, a noted St. Tammany historian and author, reveals how the parish took huge leaps of progress with the development of the Lake Pontchartrain causeway and the current interstate highway system.      In the on-location “Parish Travels” segment, Hyde looks at how two communities, Madisonville and Abita Springs, represent the contrast between St. Tammany’s past and present. Madisonville Mayor Peter Gitz and former Abita Springs Mayor Bryan Gowland explain how the towns have responded to rapid parish growth with efforts to preserve the past.      The St. Tammany program is the second episode of the new “Florida Parish Chronicles” series.  The first episode, “The Railroad:  Transformation of the Backcountry,” covered how building the railroad spawned the development of modern-day Tangipahoa Parish.       The program was videotaped and edited by Southeastern Channel staff member Pelle Eriksson.