Clifford Leo Deslatte
“Leo” · Born November 5, 1946 · Pineville, Louisiana
Leo was born in Alexandria, LouisianaThe seat of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana, on the Red River. Founded in 1805, it is the commercial hub of the region known as Central Louisiana, or “Cenla.”, on November 5, 1946, at the Baptist Hospital — known today as Rapides Regional HospitalA full-service hospital in downtown Alexandria. It began as the Alexandria Sanitarium, was operated as the Baptist Hospital from 1917, and became a community hospital in 1970.. What followed was a life that refused to sit still: an athlete, an officer, a self-taught programmer, a hotelier, an instructor, a mayor, an inventor, and an entrepreneur, all in turn.
This is that story, told the way he tells it — one milestone at a time.
Early Life & Education Pineville, Louisiana · through 1964
Graduated from Pineville High School
Leo finished as a member of the Pineville High SchoolA public high school in Pineville, Louisiana, opened in 1952. It is the largest high school in Rapides Parish and a magnet center for the creative and performing arts. Class of 1964 — the same class his family website still celebrates today.
Rebel General — “Mr. P.H.S.”
He was crowned Rebel General, “Mr. P.H.S.” — and later married the Campus Queen, “Miss P.H.S.”
Captain of the Football Team
Leo captained the football team and set a school pole vault record that would stand for the next thirty years.
Military Career U.S. Air Force · 1968 – 1976
Joined the U.S. Air Force
Leo joined the U.S. Air ForceThe air-warfare branch of the United States armed forces, established as a separate military service in 1947., completed Officer School, and achieved the rank of Captain. He went on to become a Certified Fighter ControllerA fighter controller practices ground-controlled interception — guiding fighter aircraft to their targets by radar from the ground, acting as the pilot’s eyes and direction. Instructor.
“William Tell”The U.S. Air Force’s worldwide air-to-air weapons competition, first held in 1954. Teams from across the Air Force compete in live-fire fighter exercises. — the Air Force’s Top Gun
Leo competed in the worldwide Air Force competition “William Tell” — the Air Force’s version of Top Gun — and represented all Air Forces in Europe as the top Fighter Controller. He also trained the first female Fighter Controller in Europe.
Left the U.S. Air Force
After his standout performance in Europe, Leo left the U.S. Air Force in the middle of 1976.
Construction & Technology Tudor Construction · 1976 – 1989
Joined Tudor Construction
Leo joined Tudor Construction as an accountant.
Paper to Computer Accounting
By mid-1977 he was assigned to supervise the transition from paper accounting to computer accounting. He learned the programming languages RPGA programming language created by IBM in 1959 for business reports and applications. The name stands for Report Program Generator. and DatatrieveA query, reporting, and data-management tool from Digital Equipment Corporation that let users retrieve and report on data without writing a full program. — a COBOLCommon Business-Oriented Language, created in 1959 for business data processing. Designed to read almost like English, it still runs many banking and government systems. subset now known as SQLStructured Query Language, the standard language for storing and retrieving information in relational databases. — and, with two mainframe programmers, wrote an entire accounting system.
Leading the PC Revolution at Tudor
As personal computers emerged, Leo took charge of Tudor’s entire PC program — researching and purchasing the machines, selecting the software, training the staff, and converting the estimating system to Lotus 1-2-3An early spreadsheet program released in 1983 and the dominant business spreadsheet of the 1980s, before being overtaken by Microsoft Excel. spreadsheets.
Critical Path Method Scheduling
Leo purchased Critical Path MethodA project-scheduling technique that maps every task and its dependencies to find the longest chain of work — the “critical path” — which sets the shortest possible project duration. (CPM) software for the mainframe and learned to use it, entering every construction job and keeping schedules updated alongside the project managers.
The Overton Red River Lock & DamOfficially the John H. Overton Lock and Dam, one of five locks and dams on the Red River Waterway in Louisiana, built in 1982 to make the river navigable.
A construction company needed Critical Path services for the Overton Red River Lock and Dam — and at the time, no one between DallasA major city in north Texas and a center of banking, technology, and the oil industry, anchoring the large Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. and AtlantaThe capital of Georgia and the economic and transportation hub of the U.S. Southeast. offered that capability. Moonlighting, Leo built the original project schedule.
Independent Programming & Consulting Early to mid 1980s
A System That Lasted 18 Years
Leo developed a complete sales and commissions tracking system for Rod Noles, the largest realtor in Central Louisiana. The system was used, unchanged, for eighteen years.
Training on Mainframe Report-Writing
He also trained Computer Service customers on mainframe report-writing systems — among them, the Vernon Parish School BoardThe public school district serving Vernon Parish in west-central Louisiana, headquartered in Leesville..
The Hotel Bentley Alexandria, Louisiana · 1981 – 1989
Building the Financial Pro Forma
Leo was asked to create the financial pro forma for the Hotel BentleyA historic Renaissance-style hotel in downtown Alexandria, built by timber baron Joseph Bentley and opened in 1908. Generals Eisenhower and Patton stayed there during the WWII Louisiana Maneuvers., including the income and expense analysis used to acquire the loan. He also handled job-cost tracking and researched every technical system — the phone system, booking and reservations, the kitchen, and the bar.
General Manager of the Hotel Bentley
Leo became General Manager of the Hotel Bentley and ran it for three years, earning the hotel a Mobil Travel GuideAmerica’s oldest travel-rating service, founded by Mobil in 1958. Its one- to five-star ratings set the standard for hotels and restaurants; today it is the Forbes Travel Guide. 4-Star rating — the only hotel in Louisiana outside New Orleans to hold one.
Resigned from Tudor
After more than a decade of building, scheduling, and managing, Leo resigned from the Tudor organization due to burnout.
Dale Carnegie Instructor 1989
Nationally Certified Instructor
Leo became a Nationally Certified Instructor for Dale CarnegieAn American writer and lecturer (1888–1955), author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” His name continues in the Dale Carnegie courses on communication and leadership., Inc., specializing in the Dale Carnegie Management Course — a course reserved for owners and managers of companies.
Training & Entrepreneurship The 1990s
Director of Training, Time Trend Computer
Leo joined Time Trend Computer in Alexandria as Director of Training, teaching corporate customers how to use office software.
A Family Turning Point
Leo’s youngest son was severely injured in a horrific car accident and, because of a traumatic brain injury, still requires 24/7 care today. Much of what came next was shaped around being there for him.
Founded “Computer Club”
Leo resigned from Time Trend and started Computer Club, a PC software training company — deliberately designed around work hours that fit with caring for his son.
Training Louisiana’s Major Employers
Over six years, Leo trained major clients including ClecoAn electric utility headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana. In business since 1935, it is the second-largest power company in the state., DresserDresser Industries, an oilfield-equipment and energy company founded in 1880 in Pennsylvania. Long based in Dallas, it merged with Halliburton in 1998., International PaperOne of the world’s largest paper and packaging companies, founded in 1898., Boise CascadeA wood-products and building-materials company founded in 1957, which operated a large paper mill in DeRidder, Louisiana. in DeRidderA city in Beauregard Parish in southwest Louisiana, long associated with the timber and paper industry., and Willamette ValleyWillamette Industries, a major forest-products company founded in Oregon in 1906. It ran lumber and paper operations across the U.S., including Louisiana, before Weyerhaeuser acquired it in 2002. in Pineville.
Mayor of Pineville 1997 – 1999
Elected Mayor of Pineville
Approached to run for Mayor of PinevilleA city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, across the Red River from Alexandria. It is home to the Cleco utility headquarters and several colleges., Leo won the election by a few hundred votes against a 28-year incumbent.
A Five-Year Plan in Motion
Leo created a five-year plan and went to work: he completely overhauled the police and fire budgets — which had seen no raises in the prior eighteen years — and secured agreements with the State and PinecrestThe Pinecrest Supports and Services Center, a state-run facility in Pineville that has supported people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 100 years. for the Ward 9 Sports Complex. He restored boat racing to Buhlow LakeA small lake in Pineville known for power-boat racing since the 1960s. Its flat, sheltered water has set many world speed records, earning it the nickname “the fastest lake in the USA.”, brought the National Archery Contest to Pineville, and hosted the first Professional Women’s Bass Tournament on the Red RiverThe Red River of the South flows from Texas across Louisiana. A series of locks and dams makes it navigable past Alexandria and Pineville..
Resignation — and a Hard Lesson
After two years, Leo resigned due to excessive strain. Two months later, he suffered a major heart attack, after symptoms had been showing for four months.
Engineering & Oilfield Innovation 2000s
A Portable Water Filtration System
During a long recovery, Leo began studying water processing — drinking water versus industrial water, and sewer treatment systems. He designed a portable, industrial-grade water filtration system, built a prototype trailer, and demonstrated it for Devon OilDevon Energy, a large American oil and natural-gas company headquartered in Oklahoma City. near Fort WorthA major city in north Texas, part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, with deep roots in ranching and the energy industry.. He eventually sold the patent to a company in Illinois.
From 10 Employees to 175
Staying on to help a friend with a struggling 10-employee water transfer company, Leo helped grow it into a 175-employee organization with two locations.
Buying & Selling Water for Fracking
Leo started his own business buying and selling surface water for frackingHydraulic fracturing — a method of extracting oil and gas by injecting high-pressure fluid to crack underground rock. It uses large volumes of water.. After three successful years, he sold the company — in his words, “for a lot of money.”
Water Depots — and a Sudden End
He then started another company specializing in water depots for fracking trucks. Just as business was booming, the entire oilfield shut down in a single day — and the business was lost.
Technology, Curiosity & Retirement Recent years
Renovating Home with CAD
In retirement, Leo renovated his home — buying SketchUpA 3-D modeling program used for architecture, interior design, and woodworking, known for being easy to learn. CADComputer-aided design — using software to create precise 2-D drawings and 3-D models of buildings, parts, and products. software, learning it well, and creating a full fly-through demo to show the bank exactly what he planned to build.
Microprocessors & the Internet of Things
He developed a strong interest in microprocessorsA microprocessor is a computer’s processor built onto a single chip — the small piece of silicon that carries out instructions and powers everything from PCs to appliances. and IoTThe Internet of Things — everyday devices and sensors connected to the internet so they can be monitored and controlled remotely. — sensors for temperature, pressure, and humidity, and internet-connected systems for monitoring and control.
Entering the World of AI
Two years ago, Leo entered the world of artificial intelligenceThe field of building computer systems that can perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as understanding language and recognizing patterns.. He was “blown away,” and believes its capability will grow exponentially — and then, at last, he retired fully.
A pretty unique life — so far.