Bayou Icon | Mike Downhour

ARTICLE BY GEORGIANN POTTS  PHOTOGRAPHS BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Mike Downhour and his wife, Sheila Kay, are well-known in our region. Both have enjoyed considerable success in their careers and in their lives. Mike began with the dream of becoming an air traffic controller like his dad. His second choice? Television meteorologist. Fortunately for us, neither early dream was realized. Instead, thanks to several family moves because of his dad’s job, Mike found himself living in Monroe, Louisiana, as a 9th grader. Ouachita Parish has been his home ever since. While his career path has been curvy, Mike’s dedication to his family and our community has been unbending. From reading news headlines on KNLU (the campus radio station) as a student there to today as Director of Membership and Community Engagement for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Mike has been a positive voice championing our area. Because of his impressive career, his love for northeast Louisiana and its people, and for his willingness to do whatever he can to promote this place he calls home, Mike Downhour is our June BayouIcon.

When someone meets Mike Downhour, usually the first thing he notices is Mike’s upbeat, positive attitude. Never one to avoid hard work, Mike has spent a lifetime finding ways to make life better for others. He is a caring, warm individual with a ready smile – and one would likely never suspect the major challenges that have been a part of his life. While many people have favorite quotes that they live their lives by, Mike’s favorite piece of advice comes from the Disney film, Finding Nemo. “While others are quoting Shakespeare, I prefer to quote Dory. ‘Just keep swimming!’ reminds me to just keep pushing on until something happens,” Mike explains.

From NOLA to Monroe
Mike was born in New Orleans. He, together with older brother Bill and younger brother Matt, made up the Rolland and Frances Downhour household. Rolland (born in Morristown, Minnesota) was an air traffic controller at Moisant (now Louis Armstrong International). He became an air traffic controller while in the United States Navy (he served in the Korean Conflict). Frances (born in New Orleans) was a homemaker until her children graduated. Then she went to ULM and worked at HCA North Monroe as a Registered Nurse. Later she worked for the Veterans’ Administration until she retired. “Both were hardworking and mom was always trying new ‘projects’. Some were great like canning and anything food-related,” Mike remembers. “But there was this time when she made some of our clothes in the early years . . . Thankfully, that phase did not last long!”

Mike’s childhood memories from New Orleans are delightful. “The simplicity of growing up in Harahan (a NOLA suburb) is something that I appreciate every day,” Mike explains. “We had lots of friends in the neighborhood. We rode our bikes to school and to K&B to buy comic books. Life was good.” His maternal grandparents lived close by so he saw them often, but his paternal grandparents were in Minnesota. Every summer, the Downhours would drive up there to visit.

Another special travel memory is traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when he was 8 (which he describes as a “culture shock”). His mother took the children to visit her sister and family who lived there. While his dad stayed in NOLA to do work on their home, Mike and the family enjoyed seeing rain forests, castles, beaches, and even banana trees right in the back yard! 

Mike had his first “up close and personal” encounter with a hurricane while living in NOLA. He was 6 and his parents had everyone away from the windows as the storm roared overhead. Mike remembers that all of a sudden there was nothing but absolute silence. He and his dad went outside for a few minutes, marveling at the odd orange color of the sky. Soon they spotted the back half of the storm approaching, and they ran back indoors. That experience ignited Mike’s lifelong interest in weather.

When Rolland was named chief at a new FAA tower facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Mike’s NOLA days were over. The family moved just 3 weeks before the new school year started. Mike remembers that move as “traumatic” because of the cultural differences. Kids at his school made fun of Mike’s NOLA accent. Over time the family adjusted – but after 3 years, they had to move again. This time the destination was Monroe.

A Lion, and then an Indian
Mike began 9th grade at Ouachita Parish High School. There he was drawn to team sports and loved the competition. His class numbered 400+ and Mike made good grades. He played football for a year and a half, and then spent 2 years in Junior ROTC before the desire to “have wheels” kicked in. When he was 15, Mike began working at Danny’s Fried Chicken in Lakeshore. Saving his money, Mike bought a Mustang his senior year. At 17, he enrolled at ULM. “I chose to go to ULM and major in Radio/TV/Film to chase my dreams,” Mike says. “But radio happened.”

Mike soon found himself working on weekends and holidays as a disk jockey (DJ) and doing broadcast news/weather for KNLU. According to Mike, that combination of music and broadcasting had him “hooked,” and that is how his career began.

Mike’s professors took notice of the aspiring broadcaster. Dr. Bill Rambin, Dr. Ed Ryland, and Jeff Gibson believed in him and helped Mike succeed. During Mike’s freshman year, he was awarded the James A. Noe Memorial Scholarship and the “Most Promising Broadcaster award. Soon after, KNOE-FM102 hired the novice DJ. Mike was well on his way in a broadcasting career. “My love for all kinds of music (but especially rock and roll) and playing it on air for everyone was the final attraction to turn that into my career,” Mike says.

A singular highlight of Mike’s university years was when the then NLU Lady Indians Basketball team began making national headlines. Lance Havener (another student) and Mike began broadcasting the games. They traveled with the team from Los Angeles to Miami. This new adventure ignited a love for sports broadcasting that has never left Mike. (Mike is currently in his 37th year broadcasting Ouachita Lion football.)

“That first year, the Lady Indians made the playoffs. We hosted Idaho on a Tuesday and near the end of the game it began to sink in that we would have to travel for the second round,” Mike remembers. “But who would we play? After the victory, the PA Announcer told the full Ewing Coliseum that our next game would be facing Cheryl Miller and her USC Trojans. There. At the Los Angeles Sports arena.” 

The two broadcasters couldn’t afford to fly so they headed west with a News-Star and PowWow reporter in tow. Although they lost the game and the season ended, Mike says the memories and experience were invaluable. “The next year and the Lady Indians made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four in Austin, Texas. Very few people get to broadcast a Final Four game and I’m thankful for the experience.”

Mike and Sheila Kay Find Love
The summer after Mike’s sophomore year, he met a “gorgeous blond” while registering for a class. He asked Sheila Kay Gorum out and took her to a play on campus. Mike told her that he knew a “back way in” the theater. When they opened the door, they were literally backstage and the audience could see them. Mortified by the experience, Mike hesitated, but asked her out a second time. She accepted the dinner date and he picked her up in his T-top Camaro. On the way back to the university, Sheila Kay asked him to pullover – a bout of motion sickness had overcome her.

In spite of two shaky starts, the two soon became a couple. Sheila Kay had begun her career in radio at 17 as a high school reporter on the Oakdale radio station. She worked her way up to KRRV in Alexandria while Mike was working on KNOE-FM102, both 100,000 watt stations. Although they lived 2 hours apart, each could – and did – listen to the other while driving to work. “We spoke the same work language and it was truly God that put us together,” Mike says. “He knew what He had planned for us, to fight together to help others. And we are still together working for causes we both believe in.”

After two years of dating, on the night before Sheila Kay graduated, Mike proposed – at ULM on the steps of Brown Hall where they had first met. Four months later the two were married in Sheila Kay’s hometown – Glenmora, Louisiana. All 3 of Mike’s roommates came to the wedding – with mischief on their minds. Mike carefully guarded his car keys throughout. Just as the newlyweds were about to run to the car, Mike’s father-in-law asked for the keys so he could load the luggage. The roommates pounced on the opportunity. “For the next 3 years, I continued to clean rice out of my car every time I vacuumed,” Mike says with a laugh.

Family Matters
Mike and Sheila Kay both wanted children so they were ecstatic when Sheila Kay became pregnant. All went well until the 6th month when Sheila Kay became very sick. She was hospitalized between the 7th and 8th months with a rare liver problem. Their son Shawn had to be delivered immediately, but did well. Sheila Kay was taken straight to ICU where she stayed for 3 weeks and then spent an additional week under hospital care. She developed a bleeding disorder which required multiple transfusions (final count of blood and blood products was 100+ units) for her to survive. She also contracted Hepatitis C at the same time. Through a test program at Ochsner-New Orleans, Sheila Kay was successfully treated with Interferon.

Sheila Kay recovered, but the couple couldn’t have more children. They decided to pursue adoption, and 2 years later daughter Ashley became their middle child. Wanting a third child, the couple adopted a second baby girl, Callie, through an agency in Baton Rouge. A man claiming to be the baby’s birthfather went to court to take the baby away. He lost his claim and final custody was awarded to the Downhours. The alleged father’s family appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Downhours lost there 2-1. Although they appealed to the Supreme Court, they found no relief. They had to turn Callie over to the man. 

After an intense public awareness campaign, their story became a national story because of the Supreme Court’s denial of the Downhour’s appeal and its implications on future adoptions. After 6 weeks, the Justices reopened the case and ordered DNA testing which proved that the man was not Callie’s father. On Easter Sunday evening in 1999, 7-month-old Callie came home to her family.

The Downhours became powerful witnesses for adoption. They appeared on Entertainment Tonight with Leeza Gibbons, and testified before both the Louisiana House and Senate in support of two bills (Baby Callie Bill #1 and Baby Callie Bill #2) that were successfully passed. They attended the signing of both bills at the Governor’s office later that month. “Our terrible experience had been turned into one that nobody in Louisiana would ever have to endure again,” Mike says. 

Transitioning at Mid-Life
Mike and Sheila Kay have always supported activities that give back to the community. After working at family-owned radio station clusters for years, Mike watched as “Corporate radio” became the norm. “They (Corporate) wanted you to spend less, work more, and not do much locally,” Mike explains. “Like newspapers, Corporate radio ownership sucked the fun out of broadcasting. After fighting it for several years, it was clear I would not be happy working for Corporate radio.”

Mike became Market Manager over four Monroe radio stations, but the feeling that the stations should be doing more for the community remained. Previously he had run 24-hour toy drives for underprivileged kids, canned food drives, socks and blankets for the homeless – and Corporate didn’t want that. “I rejected that mindset, as making my community a better place was becoming a passion of mine,” Mike says. It was clearly time to transition.

That transition came in the form of friend Roy Heatherly’s invitation that Mike join the Monroe Chamber of Commerce team. “I wasn’t sure how it would be working with a ‘newspaper guy’. But this ‘radio guy’ has had a great and fulfilling experience working at the Chamber,” Mike says. “My decision to join Roy at the Chamber also led to many more community service events including supporting local businesses with seminars, ribbon cuttings, ground breakings, and open houses.” Sheila Kay also transitioned into a new career. Today she is Executive Director of Ouachita Green. Under her leadership Ouachita Green’s recycling, litter abatement, and public education programs have continued to grow.

Always Making Time for Fun
Mike has always worked hard, but he has always found time for fun with his friends and family. Skydiving is a particular passion. He jumped first in Shreveport. Years later Nell Calloway invited Mike to go up with the U.S. Army Golden Knights when they jumped. “What an adrenaline rush!” Mike remembers.

The family (which now includes 4 granddaughters) enjoys spending quality downtime together. They have attended games in Green Bay and have had season tickets to the New Orleans Saints. Spending time at a great lodge with fishing, swimming, grilling, boating, and plenty of sun is Mike’s idea of a great family vacation. “We don’t camp because Sheila Kay’s only camping location is the Hilton,” Mike says with a laugh.

When asked recently about retirement, Mike said that he sees himself finishing his Chamber career in about ten years. “There is so much positivity going on in our area and I want to help keep that momentum going,” Mike says. “But I’ll never be the guy who retires to a rocking chair. I will still be working parttime at a nonprofit trying to make our community better.”

Positivity (i.e. a positive attitude) may very well be the secret to Mike’s success. He exemplifies positivity every single day with his outgoing, optimistic outlook on life. The late Colin Powell (65th United States Secretary of State) once wrote, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”  It certainly has been for Mike Downhour.