Bert was born in Sikes, Louisiana near Winnfield, Winn Parish, Louisiana on March 9, 1927. He was the first, of four children, born to the union of William Earl Hatten and Pina Pauline Head Hatten. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ann Henderson Hatten; his parents; brother, Dale Hatten; paternal grandparents, Walter Lannis Hatten and Sarah Jane Parks Hatten; maternal grandparents, Isaac L. Head and Lizzie Mae Davis Head.

Bert is survived by his daughters, Sarah Jill Maxwell (Todd), Beth Hinton (widow of Jacky), Cathy O. Rawls (Wade); grandchildren, Olivia Greer, Maddi Maxwell, Ian Maxwell; brother, Bob G. Hatten; sister, Nova Dee Hatten Carbo; many other cherished family and friends.

In Bert’s pre-teens, he and his family moved to West Monroe and he attended Ouachita Parish High School and Northeast Junior College, both in Monroe. A Christian, of the Baptist Faith, he was also a member of the West Monroe Masonic Lodge # 419, 32-degree Scottish Rite and York Rite and also qualified as a Shriner.

Bert’s first job, still in high school, was at Zagone’s Grocery at 801 Natchitoches Street as a grocery clerk and delivery boy for $5.50 a week.

While he was still a student at OPHS, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Selman Field in Monroe became the largest U.S. Army Air Force Navigation School. At the service club on Selman Field, Hatten took a job at the soda fountain and grill as a manager for $18.50 weekly.

After failing the physical for the US Navy, Hatten was accepted for the Merchant Marines. Hatten served aboard five ships during WWII, mostly in the Pacific. When President Truman destroyed two Japanese Cities with Atomic bombs, the war ended immediately. When General Douglas MacArthur accepted the formal surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Hatten was aboard a ship, nearby, loaded with tanks, bombs, and artillery consigned to a land invasion of Japan, had the President decided not to use the atom attack.

After the war, Hatten worked for Western Electric for a short time before enrolling at the college and accepting a job as a news reporter at the News Star World, where he resigned as managing editor 16 years later. He bought The Ouachita Citizen, which he sold to the Hanna family and retired 20 years later.

Hatten was elected Mayor of West Monroe in 1966, served a total of 12 years, elected handily to three 4-year terms and did not seek a fourth term. During his years of mayor ship, the city rebuilt every city street to a high code standard, installed the city’s first sewage treatment system, built a new government and convention complex on N7th Street, stabilized the city’s fiscal base and revised the city owned Hasley Cemetery to initiate perpetual maintenance and trust funding.

After his first election, before taking office, Hatten sought the advice from several experienced area mayors, including Clyde Fant, a highly respected Veteran Mayor of Shreveport. “I found that a big help from the beginning and a great source for future questions during my 12 years as mayor,” Hatten said. Also before taking office, Hatten met separately with the recognized leaders of the warring factions that had previously eroded public support for city maintenance and progress. Their support was promised and delivered.

While Hatten was Mayor of West Monroe (1966-1978) the city successfully pushed the development of two industrial parks and many new jobs to the area.

Downing Pines Industrial was developed on an 83 acre tract bought from Illinois Central Railroad. Plymouth Tube Company committed to build its 7^th U. S. plant before the park was developed by city forces, LA National Guard and area utility companies. A mineral lease on the property yielded to the city $30,000 bonus up front and yield in production has more than paid for the land.

West Ouachita Industrial District was developed on 296 acres contingent with I-20, Hwy 80 and I. C. Railroad. This property is just west of Camp Road-I-20 which converted from a closed crossing to a large inter-change with strong support by then Gov. Edwin Edwards following his promise to a delegation that included the Mayor, City Engineer, Frank Jenkins and  Chamber Industrial Development Committee member Reuban Myles.

Long before he was Mayor, Hatten was an aggressive supporter of education requiring that all members of the Ouachita Parish School Board reside in the Ouachita Parish taxing district. Previously half the members of the Ouachita Parish School Board resided in Monroe, where all school property taxes are paid to support the Monroe City School System. Parish High Schools were previously non-existent outside of Monroe. Paying no parish school taxes, Monroe filled half their Parish Board seats and sent many students to Parish Schools.

“Repeated efforts to achieve equity in representation had failed in state and federal courts and state legislature where Monroe always controlled the political power to win,” Hatten said. We finally got justice in a Louisiana Constitutional Convention, and Hatten took great pride in having written the original draft on that part of the new constitution which now prevents such inequity for any school district in Louisiana.

“We now have three of the finest public high schools in Louisiana, West Monroe High School, West Ouachita High School and Sterlington High School,” Hatten added. West Monroe was probably the largest city in America without a public high school until West Monroe High School was founded in the mid 1950’s.

After leaving the Mayor’s office, Hatten said he was pleased with the city’s accomplishments during his 12 years in office but added, “it could not have been done without three good city councils, the department heads, city employees and especially, overwhelming support of the citizens of West Monroe.

As Bert Hatten approached his 94^th birthday, he recalled having interviewed Bob Hope, sharing a Heineken beer with Arthur Feilder, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, when both were quests of Al Hirt at the famed trumpeter at his place on Bourbon Street. Bert also had met every Louisiana governor since Sam Jones, except Jon Bel Edwards.

As a veteran, community leader, and a career newspaper man, Hatten expressed, “deep concern that our current national leadership and most of our national media are pushing our country on a fast-track course to destroy our free market government and orderly society.

Hatten said he believed “our late 5^th district Congressman, Otto E. Passman would be concerned despite his frequent saying, ‘of all our worries, great or small, most of them never happen at all.’”

Hatten said he felt very fortunate to have lived to advanced age during so many important events in his community, nation and the world, “to all of which I have tried to be a positive contributor;

I hope I have been successful .”

Funeral services celebrating Bert’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 26, 2023 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home West Monroe. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m.  until 1:00 p.m. Rev. Dub Hatten and Dr. Mark Fenn will be officiating. Interment to follow at Hasley Cemetery, under the direction and care of Kilpatrick Funeral Home-West Monroe.

Honoring Bert as pallbearers will be members of the “Syrup Mill Poker Group”.

Honorary pallbearers will be Sam Hanna Jr.,  and  Ian Maxwell.

Family would like to express their deep appreciation to Dr. Clyde Elliott, a longtime primary physician, who was tireless in his efforts to provide all the best of medicine to ensure quality for the long life he helped Bert achieve. The family would also like to thank the entire staff of the Gardens at Georgia Tucker for their generosity.

Memorials may be made to Hasley Cemetery Perpetual Maintenance Trust Fund, C/O West Monroe, LA 71291, St. Jude Children Hospital, Shriners Children Hospital, Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, Louisiana Methodist Childrens Home or Charity of givers choice.

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