Rodney Charles Galatas

RODNEY CHARLES GALATAS passed away at 6:21 p.m. on Sunday, August 10, 2008 at the age of fifty-two. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 29, 1955 and he grew up in Slidell, Louisiana. Rodney was the son of Salvador and Albertine Galatas and was the third of six children. He was a 1976 graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana with a BS in Accounting, and in 1995 he earned an MBA in Finance from the University of St. Thomas. He was a Certified Public Accountant in Louisiana and Texas. Rodney is survived by his wife of twenty-seven years, Marcia King Galatas; a son, Rodney C. Galatas II; his parents; two brothers, Lonnie Steven Galatas of Tacoma, Washington and Carl Anthony Galatas of Slidell, Louisiana; a father-in-law and mother-in-law, Walter and Viola King, and a host of relatives and friends. Rodney resided in Spring, Texas and more recently, Houston. He was employed by ExxonMobil Corporation in 1978. He worked there for twenty-eight years in various accounting and financial staff, supervisory and managerial assignments in New Orleans, Houston and overseas. From 1996-1999, he was assigned as Finance and Administration Manager for the corporation's newly opened office in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia. In his last assignment as Audit Division Manager of ExxonMobil's Upstream Africa Operations, he was based in Lagos, Nigeria where he managed the company's internal audit activities throughout West Africa. He retired in August, 2007. He was a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Internal Auditors. He was also a committee member and served on the Boards of Directors of Coastland Federal Credit Union and Energy Capital Credit Union. He was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and an active participant in numerous school, church and civic organizations. A memorial service will be held at the Chapel of St. Basil on the campus of the University of St. Thomas, 3802 Yoakum St., Houston, TX 77006, at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, Father Carl Belisch, C.S.B., and (con-celebrant) Father Michael Buentello, C.S.B., officiating. In lieu of the usual remembrances, contributions may be made to the Rodney Charles Galatas Endowment Scholarship Fund, c/o Wendy Johns, Director of Development and Planned Giving, Southeastern Louisiana University, SLU 10450, Hammond, Louisiana 70402, wjohns@selu.edu. For more information and to sign the online guestbook, please visit www.beresfordfunerals.com.