Harris J. Ducote – English Education, August, 1960

Harris J. Ducote

August, 1960

                My name is Harris J. Ducote, class of 1960.  I received a B.A. in English and a minor in Library Science.  I finished my course work in August 1960, but had to wait until May 1961 to graduate.  We were the first class to graduate from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL).

                I graduated from Plaucheville High School in Avoyelles Parish in 1952.  I worked a year, then joined the F during the Korean Conflict, and was discharged in March 1957 and entered S.L.I. in June for summer school.  I was a veteran and belonged to the VA Club, which was under the administration of James Guillory, whom I greatly admired.  All of the professors that I had were very good teachers and very helpful.  Some of the professors who were very helpful were:  Olive Gehring in Library Science; Mr. Rickels in English; Mrs. Hoag in Math; Mrs. Bourgeois in Health and Physical Education; and Dr. Simpson in History.  Professors in the College of Education were Dr. Coussan, Dr. Aycock and Dr. May. These are just a few of those I can remember.

                I lived off campus, and being a little older, I was spared the rigors of freshmen hazing.

                I was active in the Catholic Church on campus serving Father Sigur (Pastor) and Father Speyrer (Assistant Pastor).  I belonged to the Newman Club and attended many of their functions and dances.  Homecoming activities were especially fun and rewarding at McNapsy Stadium.  One of the most treasured memories of homecoming was when several of us got together and brought a flask of whiskey to go in the stadium.  As we were walking to the stadium, I dropped the flask and it broke into a million pieces.  Another memorable event that I will always remember was when after a very hard semester in Biology, several of us, including my girlfriend, went to Abbeville to a dinner club to celebrate.  People living on campus could not leave the immediate Lafayette area during the week.  We had a great meal, but worried the whole time about being caught and dismissed from school.

After leaving U.S.L., I entered L.S.U. and received my M.S. in Library Science, my 30 hours beyond the Masters degree in Supervision and Administration and my Specialist Degree in Learning Disability.  As a graduate student, I was invited to join Phi Delta Kappa and still belong to the L.S.U. Chapter.  I taught one year at Brusly High School in West Baton Rouge Parish.  The following year I transferred to Port Allen High School as a full time Librarian.  I became Assistant Principal at Port Allen High School in 1966 and in 1967, I was Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, Libraries, Special Education, Adult Education and Guidance, plus Notary for the Board.  I retired on March 3, 1988 with 43 years of service.  My S.L.I. sweetheart and I were married August 6, 1960.  We have five children.

I will forever be grateful to all the professors who took the time and had the patience to prepare me for a career in Education.  It is only through their dedication and hard work that I was able to be a success.