In Memoriam of Mr. Wayne T. Crochet
In Memoriam
Honoring the Service of Mr. Wayne T. Crochet
InspireNOLA Board of Directors President
Founding InspireNOLA Board of Directors member and President Mr. Wayne T. Crochet passed away on April 26, 2021 at the age of 78.
“Throughout our life, we hope to meet people who can inspire, encourage and motivate our lives to be your best. Mr. Crochet was truly a man who encouraged all of us at InspireNOLA, especially me, to make sure all of our students and families received support, love and care in our schools,” said InspireNOLA CEO Jamar McKneely.
“Wayne Crochet was seriously dedicated to ensuring that the InspireNOLA Charter School Network would be outstandingly successful in providing its students with a high quality and comprehensive education,” said InspireNOLA Board Member Stephen J. Boyard Jr. “As President of the Board of Directors, he performed his duties and responsibilities effectively and with a noteworthy degree of professionalism, class, humility and congeniality. Needless to say, in collaborations with the leadership of the network and the schools, Wayne was instrumental in the level of success achieved by the CMO. He will be missed!”
Crochet was born December 31, 1942, in New Orleans and graduated from Behrman High School where he served as Drum Major under the guidance of legendary teacher and musician Milton "Whitey" Bush. He attended Oklahoma University and graduated from Loyola University, where he also earned his law degree.
He served as 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 as Forward Observer, B Company 2/35th Infantry and Executive Officer B Battery 2/9th Field Artillery. For his brave service he received many awards, including the Bronze Star Medal.
He began his career in the Oil and Gas Industry with Brown & Root, where he worked for 26 years, and practiced law for the past 30 years focusing on small businesses in the construction industry as well as estate planning and successions.
He believed in giving back to his community by volunteering. He was a lifetime member of The Harvey Canal Industrial Association (now WBIA), serving as President in the mid-eighties. As a graduate of New Orleans Public Schools, as are his wife and three children, he served as President of the Alice Harte Elementary PTO as well as President of the Ben Franklin High School PTO.
“Since 2009 when I was the leader of Alice Harte, Mr. Crochet always gave endless time and service to the students and staff members of our school. His lovely wife Mrs. Crochet was the social worker and he always supported her throughout the year,” McKneely said. “I will sincerely miss Mr. Crochet as a board member, man, and mentor. He was truly sent from God to touch our lives and we continue to thank him for his service and commitment to his family, friends, and InspireNOLA Charter schools.”