Architect killed in plane crash
Published Thrusday, March 13
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
A small plane crash in Louisiana has claimed the life of the president of the firm recently chosen to design Alcorn County's new regional jail and justice center.
Patrick L. LeBlanc, the 53-year-old president of The LeBlanc Group Inc., died late Monday evening when the single-engine plane he was traveling in crashed in stormy weather near Abbeville, La. on a flight from Jackson. The plane's pilot was also killed in the crash. Abbeville islocated approximately 75 miles southwest of Baton Rouge, La. and a short distance from Lafayette, La. where The LeBlanc Group is based.
LeBlanc and his brother and business partner, Michael LeBlanc, were in Corinth last month to present a proposal to Alcorn County supervisors for design and construction work on the jail project. Supervisors unanimously voted to award the contract for the project to the company in a subsequent meeting.
The jail project includes an area to be designated as a Mississippi Department of Corrections regional jail, along with housing for county and city of Corinth inmates and offices for the sheriff's department, city police department, justice and city courts and other related agencies.
Board of Supervisors President Gary Ross said he has spoken with representatives of The LeBlanc Group since Monday's crash and has been assured it will not cause any major issues in relation to the company's work on the jail project.
Ross said he and the board extend their condolences to the LeBlanc family. In addition to his architectural work, LeBlanc has a long history in business and public service. He was a member of the Lafayette Parish Republican Committee and served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. Last fall he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. LeBlanc recently purchased a chain of dry-cleaning stores and just last week he published the first edition of The Acadiana Gazette, a free newspaper he had purchased.
(Information from The Advertiser of Lafayette, La. and the Times Picayune of New Orleans.)

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