Three make Abbeville High Hall of Fame

The Abbeville High Hall of Fame Committee has selected three people to this year’s Abbeville High Hall of Fame class.
Two members are former AHS athletes, while the other is an honorary inductee.
The two athletes are David Suire and Ashley Cormier, while the honorary inductee is Barbara Gayle LeMaire, who helped create the AHS Hall of Fame.
They will be honored Thursday at a special ceremony at Magdalen Place in Abbeville and for the football game on Friday at halftime.

David Suire

David Francis Suire is the son and third child of Ronald Francis Suire and Lydia Kay DeCuir, born in Abbeville on January 6, 1977.
His two older sisters are Christina Dayries and Mitzi Dohrman. Before starting kindergarten, David’s family moved to Meaux.
While growing up, he participated in the seasonal sports of baseball, basketball, and football with his friends, later adding track in junior high.
Once in junior high at North Vermilion, David decided to focus on football as his main sport after playing on the varsity football team as an 8th grader.
After a fire at his family home in Meaux, David moved to Abbeville. He moved to Abbeville High at the start of his sophomore year, when AHS was in District 5-4A.
While only being at Abbeville for three years (1993-1995), David was able to excel in the new Wing-T offense installed by new head coach Gerald Laughlin, starting as an offensive right guard for three years.
David also was the starting linebacker his senior year. In his very last football game, a quarterfinal loss to John Curtis out of New Orleans, David only left the field for two plays proving how versatile a player he was.
While not being the biggest, fastest, or strongest, David was very technical in his approach to football and track, always working on technique.
This technical approach allowed him to maximize his abilities, and was recognized with several honors.
As a sophomore, David was named to the 1st Team All-Parish and 2nd Team All-District as an offensive guard. As a junior, he was named to the 2nd Team All-Parish, 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-Acadiana, Honorable Mention All-State by the AP, and 1st Team All-State by the Coach’s Poll.
As a senior, he was named to the 1st Team All-Parish, 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-Acadiana, and Honorable Mention All-State by the Sports Writers All-State Team.
David participated in the shot put, javelin, high jump, and long jump in track, but his specialty was the discus. As a senior, he was the district champion in the discus, throwing a personal best of 145 feet, 10 inches, and would make it to the state track meet in Baton Rouge.
His accomplishments did not end on the field. David was named to the Class 4A Academic All-State Football Team his senior year.
After graduating from Abbeville High, David decided to focus on academics and not play college football. Instead, he attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since graduating from ULL, David has worked in the oilfield, traveling as far as Brazil and Alaska’s North Slope.
As of 2021, David lives in Katy, TX. He is married to Amanda Menard Suire from Maurice and has three great children, Kennedy, Nicholas, and Allie.
David would like to thank all his coaches, especially his father, Ronald Suire, uncle, Matt Suire, Gerald Laughlin, James Gaspard and Brent Indest for helping guide him not only as an athlete but also in life.

Ashley Renee Cormier

Ashley Renee Cormier, a 2002 graduate of Abbeville High School, was born October 29, 1983, to Shelton and Anita Cormier. Ashley has two brothers Harold and Shannon, who excelled in sports and one sister Shelly Cormier who participated in Band. In addition, Ashley has one handsome son Ashton Reion Cormier who is 12 years old and is in the 7th grade at J. H. Williams Middle School.
Ashley played multiple sports at Abbeville High School, making First team honors in four different sports. During her sophomore year, her track coach (Karen Peacock) convinced her to run cross country to make her stronger for her sprint races for track and Ashley ended up placing in 3rd place in the district, which qualified her to run at the state meet.
Her junior year, Ashley was the 100 meter and 200-meter district champion and competed at the state meet.
In fastpitch, her softball her junior year, the Lady Wildcats went 18-11 in Class 4A under Coaches Mark Suire and Bill Sturgis.
Ashley earned MVP of the parish, all-district and all-state awards that year.
In basketball, her senior year, she was the only senior and averaged 16 points a game while earning 1st Team all-district honors.
Ashley led the Lady Wildcat’s basketball team to the playoffs but lost in the second round under basketball head coach Laura Lebouef.
In addition to the all parish, all-district and all state honors, Ashley was named Abbeville High School Female Athlete of the Year both her junior and senior year.
She volunteered her time as a water girl for the AHS football team when not participating in sports.
Ashley went on to sign a basketball scholarship with Louisiana State University at Eunice, where she earned Offensive and Defensive MVP honors as a freshman. She graduated from LSUE with an associate degree in General Studies.
Ashley is now a certified biller and coder and has worked for LHC group as a Business Manager for six years.

Barbara Gayle LeMaire

Barbara Gayle moved to Abbeville in 1956 as a freshman and attended all four years of high school in Abbeville, and graduated from Abbeville High School in 1960.
“I have many fond and lasting memories of my years at Abbeville High, she said. “I was very involved in many school activities and clubs. Most of the students and my classmates have remained close to my heart, like family. I cannot say enough about my years at Abbeville High, from the principals, the faculty, and students and classmates who were so considerate and caring. We were all like one big happy family.
“One of my best memories was being selected as a cheerleader and being a Wildcat member.”
She is a proud parent of two children: Gerald D. Libersat Jr. (deceased) and a daughter Lisa Ann Libersat. One of her greatest treasures her two grandsons, Brooks, and his wife Darian, who live in Iowa, LA. and Barret, an architect in Austin, TX.
In 1974, she married Teddy LeMaire.
In 1976 she had the honor and privilege to serve on the first-ever Abbeville High School Hall of Fame Screening Committee.
In 1977, the Abbeville High School Hall of Fame held its first induction ceremony - Thomas “T-Tom” Broussard and Lovic “Tiny” Touchet.
She had the privilege and honor of being responsible for hosting the AHS Hall of Fame Induction Social the Thursday evening before Homecoming.
In early 1977, she met with AHS Principal Cecil Picard concerning a room for the Hall of Fame. An empty glass room at the front entrance was available, and construction began for the new home for the AHS Hall of Fame.
Over the past 44 years, the space has become packed with Hall of Fame memorabilia,
Today the AHS Hall of Fame room has pictures and stories of more than 50 Hall of Fame Inductees and 20 Honorary Hall of Fame Inductees.
Donald Chauvin and Harris “Libby” LeBlanc (deceased) are honored as Special Inductees for the extra work, service, and dedication to the Hall of Fame process.
“My heartfelt appreciation and gratitude go out to the AHS Hall of Fame, the Nominating, Selection and Screening Committee members,” she said. “I am honored and very humbled for this honor you have bestowed upon me. It was my privilege and honor to give my time and dedication to honor all the great athletes and students who have made Abbeville High School what it is today.
“It is my esteemed honor and privilege to be selected to be among these great people. Go Wildcats!”