Louisiana Legends: The Series - 2023
The Pennington Family
With their long history of community service, the Pennington Family has a mission: to create a healthy and prosperous Louisiana for its people, communities, arts, culture, environment, and economy. The family’s philanthropic journey began with a simple handwritten note by Claude Bernard “Doc” Pennington identifying 25 nonprofit organizations he and his wife, Irene, wanted to support. Today, one of the recipients of their benevolence, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, is one of the foremost academic nutritional research institutions in the world. Their generosity has advanced treatments for diseases including diabetes, dementia, and obesity and has enabled scientific discoveries that have resulted in life-changing improvements to people’s health, wellness, and longevity.
Brigadier General Gary M. Jones
We look at the long and distinguished military career and service of Shreveport native, Brigadier General Gary M. Jones. Jones, served 26-years as the Deputy Commander of Special Forces Command, and Deputy Commander for Clandestine Military Operations, Counter Terrorism Center, Central Intelligence Agency, where he was responsible for the synchronization of Agency and Department of Defense efforts in Afghanistan. BG Jones’ last assignment was as the Commander of the United States Army Special Forces Command, Airborne, where he was responsible for a 9,700-man Green Beret Force with worldwide responsibility for fighting the Global War on Terrorism.
Gary Fields
Hailing from Alexandria, award-winning journalist Gary Fields has more than 40 years of journalism and communication experience and any number of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. A graduate of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Fields is an award-winning journalist with more than 40 years of journalism and communications experience, including 30 years at The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY. Fields contributed articles on the events of September 11, 2001, earning him and his colleagues a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for Breaking News coverage. Among his distinguished recognitions, he was named Journalist of the Year by the Association of Black Journalists.
Gayle Benson
So much more than the owner of the Saints and the Pelicans, Gayle Benson is an accomplished business professional and philanthropist, dedicated to contributing to the betterment of Louisiana’s Gulf South region. Community investment and giving back have been hallmarks of Mrs. Benson’s ownership of the Saints and Pelicans. She has made generous contributions to many causes including health and wellness, cancer care, education, arts and faith-based organizations.
Warrick Dunn
Baton Rouge native, Warrick Dunn, is a former NFL running back and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. In addition to his impressive on-field accomplishments, he is known for his involvement in philanthropy. As a rookie for Tampa Bay, Dunn founded the Homes for the Holidays program, which partners with local organizations to fulfill his mother’s dream of making home ownership possible for single parent families. Since its inception, Homes for the Holidays has provided down-payment assistance and furnished homes for over 450 single parents and children.