Always equipped with an easygoing smile and a quick joke, one would be hard-pressed to find someone more happy living in New Iberia than Larry Hensgens.

The 65-year-old senior vice president of Community First Bank has made New Iberia his home for 62 years after being born in Crowley.

“When I was 3 they kicked me out,” Hensgens said with his signature laugh.

Along with his easygoing demeanor, Hensgens has a caring heart which has driven him to volunteer countless hours to the local community. That effort and goodwill led to Hensgens’ recognition as The Daily Iberian’s 2019 Citizen of the Year.

Hensgens graduated from New Iberia Senior High as a teenager, and graduated at the University of Southwestern Louisiana as a young man. He said his goal was to work for the FBI or Secret Service.

His eventual vocation in banking started with a call from a friend who asked if he would be interested in working in the industry.

“I was waiting to get on with the state police and a friend called and asked if i ever considered a career in banking, and I said no,” Hensgens said with another laugh. “That was 44 years ago.”

His career started at Iberia Savings Loan and then moved to City Bank before eventually making the jump to Community First Bank when it was first formed, and he works there to this day.

By all accounts, Hensgens loves his job. From helping a client get their first house or assisting in shaping the financial future of local residents, Hensgens described his job as a passion that he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

However, his work off the job is just as remarkable. A listing of his current volunteer work includes:

• Chair of the Iberia Medical Center Board and member of the finance committee and executive committee member of the New Iberia Surgery Center.

• Co-chair of the New Iberia Hall of Fame Committee.

• Chair of New Iberia Museum Foundation, a non-profit group managing the operation of the Bayou Teche Museum and member of the building and capital outlay committee.

• Secretary for the board of ARC of Acadiana, and member of the finance committee.

• Member of the editorial board of Acadiana LifeStyle.

• President of Cajun Kiwanis, volunteer for Career Connections, and volunteer for United Way for the past 30 years, which includes past chairman, past drive chairman, and past pacesetter chairman.

• Volunteer for the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce, moderating political forums.

• Volunteer for several nonprofit organizations, serving as master of ceremony or judging for their activities.

When asked how he balances those commitments, Hensgens simply said he enjoys staying involved with the community.

“I’m not one to keep still,” he said. “I’m not a person to sit back and just fuss about something, or if something is not going right I dont complain about. If it needs addressing I’ll jump in and address it.”

Hensgens has a unique passion for New Iberia. While he saw some friends move to other parts of the region after their children and grandchildren moved away, Hensgens said he is vested in making New Iberia as great a community as he knows it can be for his family.

“We think our glass is half empty here and, actually, it’s half full,” he said. “We have good resources, a good cultural center, we’ve got a great healthcare unit but everyone’s so negative. It’s so frustrating because I see the resources and the hearts people have here.”

Hensgens’ work at the Arc of Acadiana has included 35 years of serving in every capacity on the board of directors, according to chief executive officer Kenny Patton.

“He has been involved with the success of the organization from its humble beginnings with three staff serving 14 people until today with over 650 staff serving 700 people and a budget of over $20 million dollars,” Patton said. “Larry has always been passionate about improving the lives of people with disabilities, whether its meeting their health needs or their desire for employment.”

According to Pat Thibodeaux of the New Iberia Recreation Department, Hensgens helped create the New Iberia Recreation Department’s Softball Hall of Fame program in 2004.

“Larry was very instrumental in helping me to organize one of the best programs we have at NIRD,” Thibodeaux said. “We have inducted approximately 130 of our local softball legends.

“I have been knowing Larry for almost 40 years and he is one of the most community oriented citizens I know,” Thibodeaux added.

Each year since 1993, The Daily Iberian has selected a person, or sometimes a group, whose generosity and contributions to the community have stood out. The Citizen of the Year Award was inspired by the efforts of people in the Teche Area who rallied to help others in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Some of those previous winners include Errol Babineaux in 2018, Ray Escuriex in 2017, Donald “Doc” Voorhies in 2016, the Berry Queens in 2015, Dave Feldman in 2014, the New Iberia City Park Playground Enhancement Project in 2013, Phanat Xanamane in 2012, Cathy Indest in 2011, Zachary P. Mitchell Sr. in 2010, Bernice “Chic” Borel in 2009, Jeff Jolet in 2008 and the late Brudley Kibodeaux in 2007.