Dennis Freeman

Harold Dennis Freeman (April 23, 1940 – November 23, 2007), known as Dennis Freeman, was the mayor of Logansport, a town adjacent to the Sabine River in DeSoto Parish in northwestern Louisiana from 1984 until his death. His contributions were particularly significant considering the otherwise limited role of a small-town mayor. For some sixteen years, he worked patiently with highway officials in Louisiana and Texas to construct a new border bridge over the Sabine River, a project nearing fruition. Freeman also fought to keep the pending Interstate 69 route in western Louisiana closer to Logansport. He helped to establish the first fire and ambulance districts in DeSoto Parish. Steve Stephens of Logansport said that his friend "did a magnificent job and will be sorely missed. Dennis understood problems and knew how to get things done in government. His death is a loss for this community and this area." Near the end of his life as he fought cancer, Freeman was also attempting to mitigate the closure of a Georgia Pacific plywood plant, the largest employer in Logansport. He worked with state and local agencies to help displaced workers and to procure solutions to the economic gap created from the loss of the plant.