Friday, October 9th, 1964, there was an article in the newspaper Know Your Neighbor: Joe Biundo is Man of Many Interests.
“Joseph J. Biundo, owner of Biundo Drug Store in Independence, is truly one of Tangipahoa Parishes most interesting and civic-minded citizens.
He and his wife, the former Ann Dantone of Hammond, have recently returned from a six-week tour of Europe. Sailing aboard the Queen Mary from New York City, they docked at Southampton, England. Both Mr. and Mrs. Biundo state that the scenery in places such as Capri, Naples, and Pompeii, is absolutely breath-taking. In Rome they attended a performance of the opera “Aida”. Outstanding feature of their eleven-country tour was an audience with the Pope.
Joe is a very active member of the Catholic Church. He is a past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council #2952 and a Past Faithful Navigator Fourth Degree; a past Commander of the Order of the Alhambra; president of the Holy Name Society; past president of the Hammond deanery Society. He is on Bishop Tracey’s newly formed Advisory Committee for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
In civic life, Mr. Biundo is program chair of the Rotary Club, as well as a member of the Board of Directors and a past president. He is chairman of the Tangipahoa Chapter of the American Red Cross; local chairman of the Boy Scout group and past chairman of the St. Helena Tangipahoa District. This organization recently presented him a twenty-five year service pin. For seven years he has been secretary-treasurer of the Independence Baseball League. (At this point our interview was interrupted by a young man desiring some information on the Pee-Wee football program, in which Mr. Biundo is also very active.) Such a man is well-chosen to be Chairman of the Inter-Civic Council of Independence.
In the field of business, Mr. Biundo operates a very successful drugstore. Our talk was three times interrupted by persons who needed their prescriptions filled at once. Re-from Loyola in 1929, Joe worked in his native New Orleans for four years, coming back to Independence where he lived during his school years, to manage the drugstore he now owns. He has served as president of the Louisiana State Pharmacy Association, and is an elected member of their executive committee, an honor awarded to him for the past seventeen years. This association honored him with a “This is Your Life” program two years ago. In 1961 he received the Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service in the field of pharmacy. He served on the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy under Governor Kennon for four years.
For ten years he was president of the Community State Bank. Now he is Chairman of the Board. A man of wide interests, he is keenly concerned with the farm problems in our area. He has worked with the State Farm Association.
Of great pride to Mr. Biundo is the fact that his three children, Joe Jr., Geraldine, and Bruce are all graduate pharmacists. Joe Jr. has continued to become a doctor, and is presently interning at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. Geraldine (Mrs. Melvin Bourgeois) resides n Morgan City where her husband practices medicine. Bruce is a pharmacist in Houston, Texas. The Biundos have five grandchildren.
I asked Mr. Biundo a really silly question: Did he have any hobbies?
“Well,” he replied, “I think I’d like fishing or golf, but up to now I’ve never had time to take up either one.”
I believed him!
