Many people responded to Daniel Frossard’s invitation to attend the presentation of the Knight of the Legion of Honor Medal, which was awarded to him last January. His friend, Jean Glavany, a former minister, officiated for this occasion in the honor hall of the town hall of Ibos, which is dear to the former mayor. He began his speech by mentioning Daniel Frossard as a man of conviction, « neither revolutionary nor conservative, rather a social democrat in the sense understood by Camus, committed to the fight for all individual and collective freedoms and for social justice. Always calming, always unifying, and appreciative of the work of others. »
Brillante carrière politique
While recalling Daniel Frossard’s successful political career, Jean Glavany traced their shared journey. Politics frequently brought them together; they jointly advocated for numerous causes and issues.
« I would like to recall his impressive municipal career, his major role in the development of the community of agglomeration from 1995 to 2014, his term as « councilor general » from 2004 to 2011, the presidency of the Departmental Energy Union (of which he had been a member since 1992) following François Fortassin in 2017, the presidency of the Association of Mayors from 2001 to 2014, succeeded by Viviane Artigalas, senator of Hautes-Pyrénées. The former minister wanted to pay tribute to Daniel Frossard for the courage he showed in convincing municipal officials to join the Grand Tarbes, even though Ibos had significant resources. « The mayor of Ibos was a visionary who quickly understood that this union would create the strength needed to establish a territorial logic. » Jean Glavany praised all those who were able to go beyond their own interests to serve the territory. »
He also mentioned the crucial connection with Yves Baradat, his supervisor at the tax office, as well as the deputy mayor of Pau at the time, André Labarrère. Baradat was a mentor to Daniel Frossard, expediting his entry into politics.
Un engagement total
Then came the time to talk about his personal life, with this family that animates his life. Even though Daniel Frossard is still passionately interested in politics – he is still very involved in the Socialist Party – he dedicates a lot of time with pleasure to accompany his family, but also to travel. « This love for travel reflects a love for others, for other cultures. »
When Daniel Frossard spoke, there was a great deal of emotion in the room due to the praise he received, both for himself, his family, and the friends present. « I am very proud of this distinction, which reflects on the teams that have supported me and on the village, » he explained. He recounted his successful journey, always driven by a desire to serve others, which has guided him in his professional and extracurricular activities, including unionism, mutualism, and of course, politics.
His professional career took place in Tarbes, at the tax center, where he joined in 1970.
Adhérent au parti socialiste depuis 1974, il s’est engagé dans la vie municipale à Ibos dès 1977, devenant maire en 1989 jusqu’en 2013.
Ses mandats se sont toujours concrétisés par des actions en direction du plus grand nombre : la construction de logements, d’une école maternelle, d’une maison médicale, d’un centre de loisirs, d’un cours couvert de tennis, d’une extension de la mairie avec la bibliothèque, d’une station d’épuration. La liste de ses engagements très actifs est longue.
Remerciements
He warmly thanked Annie, his wife who has always been by his side, and his children, who have « always accepted all the absences and shortcomings in family life that come with a life of being an elected official »; with a thought for his parents « who would have been proud to attend this ceremony, as they instilled in him the values of hard work, honesty, respect, modesty, and loyalty, not to mention family, solid values that have always guided him in his journey »; his two sisters who came from afar, his grandchildren, Viviane Artigalas, senator of Hautes-Pyrénées, who was responsible for awarding the decoration, his former colleagues from the General Council with whom he participated in several missions abroad as part of decentralized cooperation, all the former elected colleagues who participated with him in municipal life and those who continue with Denis Fégné, the current mayor, two former colleagues delegated from the social services of Finance, one from the Nord department and the other from Corrèze.
