Rice Festival Senior Citizens’ Ball

Presiding over the 45th annual Golden Age Coronation Ball will be Queen Phyllis Benoit. The ball is to be held at the International Rice Festival Building on the evening of Wednesday, October 14.

Phyllis Marie Benoit was born May 3, 1946 in Kaplan. She is the second of six children, Harry, Dalton, Judy, Eve, and Cathy, to Dalton H. Meaux and Louise Vendia Trahan Meaux. Her paternal grandparents are the late Dupre Meaux and Ophelia Leleux Meaux. Her maternal grandparents are the late Odilion Trahan and Celeste Leleux Trahan.

Phyllis attended Kaplan High School and graduated in 1964. She is the proud parent of two children, Charles Darren Benoit and Clara Lynette Benoit, five stepchildren, Charles Patrick Benoit, Sammie Gayle Trahan, Victoria Istre, Richard (Dickie) Benoit, and Gregory Benoit. She also has 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Phyllis currently serves as the secretary for the Rice City Seniors and donates volunteer hours for many different organizations. She is a parishioner of Wesley Methodist Church, where she serves as a Sunday school teacher.

Phyllis loves her savior, Jesus Christ, her family, and friends. She is also a follower of Major League Baseball, and the Atlanta Braves are her all time favorite team.

Phyllis has been an avid reader all her life, where she enjoys true crime books, books about the Kennedys, and the author James Patterson. She reads an average of 20 books per month.