Janice Lejeune Dupre’ Trahan – English Education, 1970

Janice Lejeune Dupre’ Trahan

Class of ’70, English Education Major

I have generally fond memories of my four years at USL. As a graduate of Chataignier High, Class of  ’63, I was anxious to escape the cotton and sweet potato fields of the sharecropper to prepare for a career in English Education. I wanted to be a teacher and there was never a doubt in my mind about that. To assure that I would finish in four years so I could earn a living, I never dropped a course, repeated one, nor failed one. I could not afford to do so. My first day is still vivid in my mind. On a Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1963, I moved into Baker-Huger dormitory for women; it provided bathroom facilities and hot water showers, a first for me. (Twenty years later, my daughter, Dana Dupre’ (Sturgis), Class of ’87 and now married to Bill Sturgis, Class of ’93, lived in the same room for three years.  Her younger sister Claire Trahan, presently a freshman at USL, plans to live there, too, next fall.). That evening, I began to work at the campus dining hall called O.K. Allen Dining Hall. Ms. Mariam Collins, the supervisor who ruled with an iron hand and wore crisply starched, white uniforms, gave instructions that all student workers were expected to report to the breakfast “line” at 6:30 — after eating breakfast there at 6:00 A.M. I knew absolutely no one.  My fellow workers, Cliff Broussard, Burch Stelly, Jim Guillory, Diane Fontenot, and Jesse Kibodeaux, to name a few who had been there some time, quickly advised me to keep my mouth shut and keep the line of food trays moving smoothly. My skills in farm self-discipline certainly paid off there. Mrs. Yandle, the dietitian, was a soft-spoken person with whom I felt comfortable. A semester later, she allowed me to work in her office and sit on a stool to punch meal tickets. What an accomplishment that was! However, I still had to help clean up the dining hall tables during and after meals, and that was exactly what I was doing when the news on the radio informed America that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.

                Although I had little money, I was able to become a teacher because of the teacher shortage. My saving grace was a federal loan offered at a low rate of interest and canceled by teaching ten years in Louisiana.  Mr. Leo Hebert in the Student Financial Aid Office was someone I came to know well. Each semester, he gravely informed me that he would not allow federal dollars to go to waste, so I worked diligently for four years to maintain the requirements. After 24 years of teaching, I have fulfilled my obligations, and I continue to teach today at the secondary level on a part-time basis.

                My undergraduate studies in English and Library Science at USL prepared me well to complete a Master of Library Science degree(Class of ’74) on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.  I continued to participate in USL’s University College or Continuing Education Program through the years.

                A few years later, I married Rodney J. Trahan, (Class of ’74 and Class of ’75), an instructor in Health, Safety and Physical Education at USL for eleven years. Some years later, Dana also became a teacher, and is currently still dedicated to teaching.  Her brother, Nick Trahan, plans to attend USL in two years. I remember well holding one child’s hand and carrying one to visit Daddy in his office at McLaurin Gym, the women’s gym at the time.

                I remain fiercely proud of being a USL alumna and this letter gave me an opportunity to express that pride. I would like to thank Dr. Ed Dugas, a dear friend, for executing this wonderful centennial program, particularly the Recognition Social Program held on November 14, 1998 where Rodney and I reunited with friends and faculty. It was a night we would not have missed. The program summed up the years of dedication and hard work which enabled us to teach and to make a difference in the lives of students, past and present.