The Krewe of Cosmos celebrated
its 70th annual Mardi Gras pageant on
Saturday, February 22, 2020. The Krewe
is the oldest in Calcasieu Parish and has
opened its pageant free to the public
since it was founded in 1951. The pageant
was held in the Sulphur High School
auditorium.
The wizards from Harry Potter ushered
everyone in through the library
shelves at the Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry to reveal the
Storybook Villains. The pageant began
with the presentation of colors by the
Boy Scouts of Troop 83, followed by the
National Anthem sung by Krewe member
Joe Castro. This was followed by
the presentation of the Krewe officers:
President Jill Lockhart, Vice President
Steve Louviere, Treasurer Wendy Dutel,
and Secretary Karen Farnum. The Master
of Ceremonies for the evening was
James Guilbeaux.
The presentation of the night’s Royalty
began, as the Captain of Cosmos led us
on a villainous chase through the library
shelves where our Storybook Villains
would be revealed.
Th e fi rst to be presented was the Duke
and Duchess of Th e Wizard of Oz, Duke
Clint Schaefer and Duchess Kerri Beth
Schaefer. Born in Sulphur, Clint is a 2011
graduate of Vinton High School and graduated
from Louisiana State University with a
Bachelor of Science in kinesiology in 2015.
He went on to the LSU Health Science
Center in Shreveport where he earned a
Doctorate in physical therapy in 2018. He is
employed at STAT Home Health as a physical
therapist. Kerri Beth was born in Sulphur
and is a 2013 graduate of Sulphur High
School. She graduated from McNeese State
University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science
in elementary education. She has been
employed by the Calcasieu Parish School
Board as a 5th grade teacher at Cypress Cove
Elementary for the past three years. Kerri
Beth has been a Krewe member in 2016, with
Clint joining this year. Th ey have participated
in Krewe parties, parades and the Gala. Th ey
are members of Henning Memorial United
Methodist Church.
Th e next couple was the Duke and
Duchess of Sleeping Beauty, Duke Jody
Lane Gautreaux
and Duchess
Dominique
Gautreaux.
Jody Lane was
born in Lake
Charles, and is
a 2004 graduate
of Sulphur High
School. He is a
foreman for Directional
26 • MARDI GRAS SOUTHWEST • FEBRUARY 24, 2020
Service
South. Born in
Baton Rouge,
Dominique is
a 2009 graduate
of Sulphur
High School
and received
a bachelor’s
degree in mass
communications
with a concentration
in public
relations from McNeese State University in
2013. Dominique is a stay-at-home mom
to their two sons, Griffi n Lane (2 ½) and
Gaines Fitzgerald (9 months). Th e Duke
and Duchess have been in the Krewe for
two years and are active in St. Th eresa’s
ACTS Program.
Next came the Duke and Duchess of
Princess Bride, Duke Grant Dunn and
Duchess Kayte Leger. Grant was born
in Lake Charles and is a 2011 graduate
of Sam Houston High School. He graduated
from McNeese State University in
2015 with a degree in marketing and
management, and has been a loan officer
at Dunn Mortgage and Associate for
three years. Kayte was born in Sulphur,
graduated from Sulphur High School in
2011, and received a bachelor’s degree in
accounting from McNeese in 2015. She is
an accountant for the Broussard Group
and plans to sit for the CPA exam. Grant
and Kayte have been members of the
Krewe for two years.
The Duke and Duchess of Aladdin
were Duke John Wells and Duchess Janet
Wells. John was born in Lake Charles
and graduated from Sam Houston High
School in 1980. The district manager
for HiLo and O’Reilly Auto Parts from
1980 to 2006, he and Janet became the
owners of Mead’s Automotive in 2006.
Janet was born in Opelousas and raised
in Port Barre. She moved to Sulphur in
1977 where she graduated from Sulphur
High School and then obtained a
Bachelor of Science degree in accounting
from McNeese State University. The
couple attends Immaculate Conception
Catholic Church and have three children,
Leslie (30), Ryan (27) and Jessica (25), a
daughter-in-law, Carly and a grandson,
Harrison James Wells. They have been
Krewe members for two years.
Finally, the Duke and Duchess of the
Pirates of the Caribbean, Duke Gerrit
Lawrence and Duchess Barbara Lawrence
made their appearance. Gerrit was born
in Waukesha, Wisconsin and is a retired
Desert Storm Veteran who served in the
United States Air Force until 1995. He has
2020 King and Queen of Krewe of Cosmos
Harvey and Asella Daigle