By Stephen Hemelt
L’Observateur

LUTCHER — The St. James Parish School Board will not take a position on a recent request to rename the road outside the St. James High School football stadium in honor of an alumnus who died in combat, a school leader said.

St. James High School graduate Jay Gauthreaux died fighting for the U.S. Army in Iraq, and a petition was formally presented to the St. James Parish Council last month asking for the road outside the under-construction stadium be renamed in his honor.

Superintendent Dr. Alonzo Luce said the school board would not address the issue because the road in question — Champion Street, which is located outside the football complex at Louisiana 3127 and Louisiana 20 — was already named at the school board’s request and turned over for parish control.

“We really don’t have any input into that, because now it’s a public road that the parish council decides on,” Luce said. “We don’t really want to get into their debate.”

Gauthreaux graduated from St. James High in 1998, and his father Michael Gauthreaux said Jay enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately after, leaving for boot camp and skipping a class trip in favor of serving his country.

Gauthreaux died at the age of 26 on Dec. 4, 2006, in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device exploded the Humvee he was in, where he patrolled as a gunner.

He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed in action.

Col. Linda Colar of the St. James ROTC and Jill Griffin — Jay’s cousin — presented a petition that included 700 signatures, asking the St. James Parish Council change the name Champion Street to Sgt. Jay Ryan Gauthreaux Way.

It was also requested one of the football stadium’s entrances be named in Jay’s honor.

“We really think that should be the parish council that would decide about that street at this point, because it is no longer our road,” Luce said, adding as a military man himself, he believes in honoring the men and women who serve the country.

Luce said a memorial for Gauthreaux has been dedicated at St. James High School around a flagpole.

Griffin, who said she is acting on behalf of Jay’s mother who lives in Missouri, said she is unsure of her next move, adding her desire was never to stir up controversy in St. James Parish.

Griffin said she grew up in Vacherie with Gauthreaux, describing him as a big brother. She recently named her 5-month-old son Jay in honor of Gauthreaux.

“I don’t want to stir up the parish and the community, because everybody has really mixed feelings about it,” Griffin said. “It is something I would like to see, and I think it is a really good thing.

“I don’t want to push this too far. What’s done is done. It’s still really hard to think (about Gauthreaux’s death). It brings up all kind of memories. I was extremely close to him. I 100-percent understand why you wouldn’t (name the road after him.)”