an enormous contribution to the city of Baton Rouge and to the state of Louisiana.

They love Louisiana.

Everything Louisiana stands for is the parent and foundation.

The story of the Pennington family begins with Claude B. Doc Pennington and his wife, Irene Wells Pennington, both Louisiana natives.

Doc started as a doctor and then got into the oil business and was fortunate enough to do very well, but also was somewhat of a renaissance man and a very humble man.

And that would describe the entire family.

Once he did very well, he wanted to share it with the entire community and believe that from the bottom of his heart that altruism has been spread down throughout his grandchildren.

Paulo Pennington de la Breton, 2023, Louisiana legend.

We're excited to be talking with you today to have this conversation, to get to know you better.

And the Pennington Family Foundation, for which we are honored this year.

So we're so excited to sit and and just have this discussion.

Well, thank you for having me.

So we're going to start just just right off about you growing up, Paula.

And you know, you were born into a family, a tremendous legacy.

Tell us a bit about what that was like growing up.

And even if you knew as a child that you were in this, you know, legendary family.

You know, we had no idea.

We were just kids.

My grandparents were just grandparents.

My parents well, my mom, because, as you know, my grandma, my dad passed away when I was almost four years old.

And then my mom remarried when I was eight.

But we lived at my grandparents house, especially after my father passed away.

I mean, we were like an extension of my dad to my grandparents.

They had to have a huge influence on your path.

Tell us a bit about the memories are just really what was one of the things that was probably the most influential on your path at your grandparents?

Well, I would say two things with my grandfather.

One was that the important lesson to listen to people because that's the only way that you can learn about people.

You can find out what their needs are, what their wants are, what they need to have in life, to have a productive life and just feel good about themselves.

And if you're talking, you don't listen.

You're you're talking too much to really understand and take time to get to know the person that you're speaking to.

And then the other was, you know, what would we want to do with our allies when we grew up?

I can remember sitting around the breakfast table in the kitchen at their house, and he would just go, What do you want to do when you grow up?

You need to help people.

So we would all talk about that.

That's kind of my brothers and I constantly have that message before you almost weekly or daily to say, What are you going to do with your life?

And here you are, five, maybe ten years old.

Yes.

I don't know.

But you're he had you all thinking very long term.

Yes.

Yes.

That moment.

And I think that's where I get my passion for helping people.

Because, you know, even though he had his vices and he loves puffing on those cigars every day of my life and his life, you know, vitamins were and nutrition was a very important part in his life.

And that's why he was so proud to be able to find the seed money for LSU, for the Pennington Biomedical Research Center In 1980, Doc and Irene generously donated $125 million to support the construction of a health sciences research center in Baton Rouge.

But it was after he was diagnosed with cancer and started to change his nutrition habits.

He realized that that could help cure cancer and that with science, we could learn more about that and it could help us understand about curing many diseases.

Doc Pennington's gift of 125 million in 1983, which would probably translate to three or $400 million today, was hugely significant in establishing Pennington building the institution, bringing in scientists from all over the world and from Louisiana to work on nutrition related problems and metabolic problems.

You know, we could talk hours honestly about the Pennington Biomedical, she says it's really just Pennington because everyone here locally in Baton Rouge, they know it's just Pennington and we all know what that means.

And it means so much.

I mean, to say it started in the early eighties and where it is now and all the contributions that it has made to science, metabolic life and all those helping to prevent chronic diseases and helping us to learn more about chronic diseases and where science is going to take us in the future.

In 1982, Doc started the Irene W and C.B.

Pennington Foundation, which would eventually grow to include Doc and Irene's grandchildren's visions and passions for philanthropy.

Claude Pennington focuses on public safety, disaster relief, human services and sports and recreation.

Darryl has dedicated support to rural hard to reach communities and youth programs surrounding addiction, education and recreation.

He also focuses on environmental issues and public safety.

Paula's interests include arts and science and human service programs that provide access and inclusivity with a special focus on children.

To describe the Pennington family in one word would be generous.

They give it their heart.

I'm very fortunate to know them as a family and to see that side of them where they are very just real.

The very real people.

let's talk a bit about the Pennington family Foundation.

This is something that is near and dear to you all.

Your philosophy.

You guys have advocated for a diverse array of causes, causes that have really impacted almost every aspect of human life.

Yes.

As I looked across the spectrum of the things that you all have done, you know, what is your philosophy?

What guides the work of the Pennington Family Foundation?

Children are our future and we have to be able to have a place in society, in our community, that fosters the growth of children, fosters the growth of future generations, fans of all ages, race, gender, just all that inclusivity, just knowing that we're helping, not only helping, but we're also leveraging the funds that the foundation has.

We're helping network with other nonprofit sets and in the community, we help with disaster relief Tell us a bit about what brings you to those projects and where the passion comes from that you decide to do these projects.

Well, of course, my passions, of course, or the biomedical center, and then I have quite a few more.

The planetarium, the Eileen W Planetarium at Las M and if you know that it was named after a living person.

So we had to go to the legislature and have that approved because she was still alive at that time.

And I remember also when we dedicated the Irene W Pennington Science Building at Saint Joseph's Academy, she was also present for that.

And then we have my grandfather in my dad's honor, the C.V. Pennington Junior branch of the YMCA.

and as you can see, we are in this fabulous performing arts theater where this is our 20th year anniversary for the Pennington great performer with our Baton Rouge Symphony, where we bring in renowned artists to perform with our symphony.

And as a patron of the arts, I look forward to it every year and some years.

You have to try.

Some years we have we get that extra treat, right.

Some really wonderful artists.

Well, thank you.

So next year will be will have will be our 25th performer that we'll be bringing to the community.

And I love sharing that because it brings in so many different people to so many different genres of music.

We can introduce young people, old people, you know, to all sorts of different kinds of music that they may never be able to have that opportunity.

And I think that's what I love about the foundation, is what we can bring to the community, not only here but throughout the state.

So, you know, my brother Daryl lives in the Philly Chanties and so he really likes to invest in things that are in his area and his where he lives.

Claude My brother Claude likes to invest in public safety and disaster relief.

So we all have our little niches, but we meld together and it really works out very well.

It'll be a family affair with it is a family foundation.

I wish you could have seen how your face lit up when we talked about the symphony series here, you said it was you were you already lit up.

But for that, you just it was it was an extra burst of energy that came across you just to talk about that.

Well, thank you after that moment for you.

But tell me a bit about the projects that you're especially proud of because it sounds like you're proud of all of that.

my gosh.

Something that you were just like, you know, it's your thing.

probably.

It's got to be to OC the Pennington Biomedical Research Center because I feel like I am and can extend all of my grandfather and now I'm going to get emotional.

But it was so heartening when we signed those papers.

I will never forget that day as long as I live.

And excuse me for getting so emotional.

No apologies.

I have never seen my grandfather cry, are getting emotional, and we're sitting in the board room and he is signing those papers and the tears just start rolling down his face.

And I mean, I was just so touched because I. my goodness.

Sorry, sorry.

He was always, you know, so stoic and he was my grandfather.

But I mean, I never saw emotion.

Whereas my grandmother I mean, not to say we didn't laugh and joke and have fun and dance around and go out to dinner and things like that.

But it was a different side of my grandfather that I had never seen before.

And it just really moved me and in such a way that I will never, ever forget that moment.

So and so it's like I want to do that for him.

I want to continue the work, the dreams that he had.

And so we're 35 years plus.

And so I can't God willing, I'm here for another 35 years.

I mean, my my grandfather lived to be 97.

My grandmother was 104.

So God willing that I'm going to be here and I'm going to be an extension of them.

And that's what I am.

That's how I see my role, is that I am an extension of them.

I just can't imagine how proud they are, are they?

They would be if they were able to see all of this right now.

And I'm just believing that they are seeing it.

Well, I hope so.

With your siblings and the families carrying this legacy on into the future, the way that you are with the same passion, if not more, perhaps because now you have them guiding you, simply saying, hey, there's still this in you, and now you're carrying it on.

And I still pray to them every day.

I talk to them every single day and my daddy and my daddy, even though I didn't get to know him.

But for years.

That's right.

He's there.

absolutely.

Paula Pennington, They love La Tom, thank you so much for joining us here as a Louisiana legend for 2023 and Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Thank you for having me.

Glad to have this conversation.