History of Rotary and our club, as Rotary founder Paul Harris’ 155th birthday is on April 19

A New Orleans native and a ninth generation descendant of a French Colonial Louisiana family, Michael has been a member of the Rotary Club of New Orleans since 2007 and served as president of the club in 2016-2017. Prior to joining RCNO, he was for 13 years a member of the Metairie Sunrise Rotary Club and served as president of that club in 2001.

A retired attorney, Michael has for more than fifty years immersed himself in a broad range of community affairs and volunteer activities, most actively in the fields of historic preservation and neighborhood advocacy.

Married for 48 years to the former Bettye Brousseau of Baton Rouge, Michael and Bettye have for the past 29 years resided downtown on Baronne Street in the Lafayette Square Historic District in a three story c. 1860 Henry Howard designed townhouse, a property they purchased more than 40 years ago. Living above the family business in the old style, the ground floor of the house serves as the shop for Duplantier Fine Framing, LLC, providing museum quality custom framing since 1976. Michael and Bettye have two grown sons, Michael and Scott.

Long fascinated by New Orleans history, Michael has begun research of the early years of the Rotary Club of New Orleans and has commenced writing of what he hopes will one day be the definitive history of the 113 year old club.