Archive | Historical RSS feed for this section

Message to Graduates from Across Time

In May 1913, Pearl Elizabeth Felps walked to the podium as the valedictorian of the first graduating of the new Central High School, located at the corner of Canal (now Hooper) and Sullivan roads. A copy of her speech was discovered in 2009 and given to the Central City News. It is a timeless message […]

Read more

President George Bush As I Knew Him

The news that President Bush died put a lump in my throat as I began to remember all the many kindnesses he bestowed on my wife Diane and me and our family. He was a true and faithful friend! One of my favorite times was our trip with President Bush to Honduras in 1998 to […]

Read more

Istrouma High-Bogalusa Rivalry in Words Of Bogalusa Students, Fans 60 Years Later

News that Istrouma High’s return to varsity football will begin with Bogalusa High next September is sure to bring back lots of memories from alumni of both Istrouma High and Bogalusa High. The rivalry between Istrouma in Baton Rouge and the Bogalusa High Lumberjacks spanned more than 30 years. For much of that time, they […]

Read more

The Challenge of Istrouma High

Editor’s Note: Istrouma High School, once the largest high school in Louisiana and one of the most outstanding, fell on hard times a few years ago.  It was declared a failing school and was taken over by the State of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the State too failed and decided to close the school permanently four years […]

Read more

How a Prominent Civil Rights Leader, Acie Belton, Set in Motion St. George

People in Baton Rouge should open their minds to the idea of incorporating the new City of St. George, especially when we realize how it all got started. In Louisiana, any community of 300 or more people anywhere in the state outside an incorporated municipality has the right to file a petition calling for an […]

Read more

Former Gov. Roemer Pens Autobiography

Buddy Roemer represented Louisiana for eight years in the United States Congress before being elected Governor in 1987. He served one term as governor before Edwin Edwards returned to power in 1991. In 2012, Roemer briefly ran for President. Over the years, the former governor built a prominent bank and mostly stayed out of politics. […]

Read more

A Look Back at Buckskin Bill, an Icon Who Entertained Generations in EBR

EDITOR’S NOTE: Baton Rouge television icon Bill Black, or Buckskin Bill, as he was known, passed away last week after more than 60 years’ service to the Baton Rouge community.  Much has been written about Buckskin Bill since he died, but we wanted to offer a contemporary view of Buckskin when his show was in […]

Read more

Gov. Roemer Discusses Autobiography

Readers expecting a review of his political career or a defense of his political philosophy might be disappointed by former Gov. Buddy Roemer’s recently released autobiography, Scopena. But Scopena is much more than that.  It is a deeply personal view of the influences that made Buddy Roemer the political leader he was and the man […]

Read more

Istrouma Centennial

The 100th anniversary of the founding of Istrouma High School was celebrated with a week-long series of events that drew students, parents, faculty, alumni, and members of the North Baton Rouge community to the campus of Istrouma High. Principal Reginald Douglas said the Centennial Celebration was a huge success and that attendance at the many […]

Read more

Gen. Bobby Efferson, IHS ’61, Honored by LSU

Brig. Gen. Bobby Efferson, a certified American hero, grew up on Seneca Street near the corner of Plank Road and Choctaw Drive in the 1950’s. In 1969, during the Vietnam War, Bobby was an Air Force 1st lieutenant flying combat missions out of Thailand. On one fateful day, another pilot went down on the border with […]

Read more