Retired 13th JDC Judge Preston Aucoin, 76, died Thursday, October 30, 2008. He first attended the former SLI (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) but left after two semesters to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for four years during the Korean War, with about half of that time overseas. He then resumed his studies at SLI and later earned his Juris Doctor degree from LSU Law School in 1959. He began the practice of law upon graduation, serving as a sole practitioner until his election to the bench in 1990. Before becoming a judge, he served as city attorney and city prosecutor for the City of Ville Platte. He retired from the 13th JDC in 2002.