Funeral and memorial service arrangements have been set for Dr. Ernest J. Gaines, who passed away on November 5, 2019.
Services will be held on Saturday, November 16, at Hall Davis and Sons Funeral Services, located at 9348 Scenic Hwy in Baton Rouge, according to The Ernest J. Gaines Center at UL Lafayette.
The service will begin at 1 p.m.
Visitation will be on Friday, November 15 from 4 - 6 p.m. and Saturday, November 16, from 12 - 1 p.m.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 11, at the Ernest J. Gaines Center at UL Lafayette from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
It is an unofficial memorial event and Gaines' family will not be in attendance. The event will consist of the audience listening to an audio recording of Dr. Gaines reading excerpts from "A Gathering of Old Men." The listening section will start at 6 p.m. and the Center will be open until 9 p.m.
The Center is also creating a scrapbook of people's memories to give to the family.
The Center is located on the third floor of Edith Garland Dupre Library.
Gaines was a "literary giant," according to UL Lafayette President Joseph E. Savoie. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and wrote 10 novels and numerous short stories.
Gaines was born in Point Coupee, Louisiana.
Read more about Gaines and his legacy here.
