Gregory L. Fruge

Gregory Lee Fruge, Sr., known as Greg Fruge (born May 1948),^[1] is a businessman from Eunice, Louisiana, who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 41 (Acadia, Evangeline, and St. Landry parishes) from 1996 to 2004.^[2]

Background

Fruge (pronounced FROO JAY) was one of four sons of Leroy Fruge (June 4, 1921-December 10, 1970), a World War II United States Army/Air Corps veteran,^[3] and the former Iola "Kat" Schambaugh (January 29, 1921-November 7, 2009), a dietitian at Moosa Memorial Hospital in Eunice. The Roman Catholic couple is interred in Eunice at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Fruge's brothers are Charles Dwight Fruge of (September 1954)Bayou Chicot in Evangeline Parish, Rudy Neil Fruge (born October 1957) of Lake Charles, the late and John Ferrel Fruge (October 26, 1942-July 6, 1995) of Eunice also interred in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Eunice LA beside his mother and father.^[4]

Fruge received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is a past president of the Eunice Jaycees and Lions International. He holds membership in the Masonic lodge and its companion organization, the Shriners. He is a former vice chairman of the Acadiana chapter of the American Welding Society and a devotee of French Cajun music.^[5]

Fruge and his wife, the former Shella Fontenot (born August 1950), have at least one son, Gregory Fruge, Jr.(born September 1972) and one daughter, Brandy Lee Fruge. Fruge has also lived in Houston, Texas, and San Diego, California, dates unavailable.^[6]

Political life

The District 41 legislative seat opened in 1995 when the Democratic Representative, Dale Sittig, also from Eunice, ran successfully for an unexpired term on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. In the October 21 primary, Fruge led the Democrat Karl Rene DeRouen, II (born December 1962), of Eunice, 6,119 votes (42.1 percent) to 4,389 (30.2 percent). The remaining 28 percent, critical to the general election outcome, was shared by three other Democratic contenders.^[7] In the November 18 general election, Fruge prevailed with 8,341 votes (54.1 percent) to DeRouen’s 7,084 (48.9 percent).^[8]

In 1999, Representative Fruge was elected sergeant-at-arms of the otherwise all-Democratic Louisiana Rural Caucus, an organization formed in 1979 to promote awareness of rural issues.^[9] To win his second term in 1999, Fruge defeated the Democrat Glen Anthony Bihm (born November 1957) of Eunice, 7,524 (58.2 percent) to 5,400 (41.8 percent).^[10]

On October 4, 2003, Fruge, with 5,650 votes (41.6 percent), was toppled by the Democrat Mickey Guillory, a former Louisiana State Police officer and the Eunice city marshal, who received 7,938 ballots (58.2 percent).^[11] Fruge was believed to have been damaged in his reelection bid when the chancellor of Louisiana State University at Eunice attended Guillory's announcement of candidacy. Guillory is an LSU-E alumnus.^[12]

In 2015, Fruge unsuccessfully sought to return to House District 41; he received3,036 votes (26.9 percent). Victory went to another Republican, Phillip DeVillier, who received 6,308 votes (55.8 percent). The seat was vacated by the term-limited Democrat, Mickey Guillory.^[13]

References