Herman E. Thibodeaux: 1941-2011

Scaffolding Industry Association president and access icon Herman E. Thibodeaux died May 27 at the Baton Rouge General Hospital after fighting a battle with cancer. He was 69.

Thibodeaux, who served as the SIA's president from 1990-1992, was also a long-standing member of the Scaffold Industry Association and received several prestigious association awards, including the Coupling Award in 1984 and the President's Award in 1995. After retiring for nearly 10 years from the scaffolding industry, Herman started his own business in April of 2005 and grew it into a $40 million industrial scaffolding company.

Thibodeaux is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol Joffrion Thibodeaux; five children, Scott Thibodeaux and wife Camille, Stan Thibodeaux, Stacey Thibodeaux Zeringue and husband Scott Zeringue, Stephanie Thibodeaux and Shannon Thibodeaux Roberts and husband Jesse Roberts III; 21 grandchildren; a great-grandchild; three brothers, Kirby Thibodeaux, Terry Thibodeaux, and Keith Thibodeaux; and many devoted friends. Preceded in death by his parents, Herman Edward Thibodeaux Sr. and Gladys Marie Daigle Thibodeaux; and in-laws, Ray Herman Joffrion Sr. and Carolyn Laville Joffrion.