Louisiana College - History

History

Louisiana College was founded on October 3, 1906, in Pineville, across the Red River from the larger Alexandria. Baptist clergyman and educator Edwin O. Ware, Sr., is considered to have been the principal founder of the institution. He was both the college's financial agent, 1906–1907, and its first president, 1908-1909. Louisiana College (often referred to as "LC") is the successor to two earlier Louisiana Baptist schools, Mount Lebanon College, sometimes called Mount Lebanon University, and Keatchie Female College. The first, a men's school founded in 1852 by the North Louisiana Baptist Convention, was located in the community of Mount Lebanon in Bienville Parish. The women's college, founded in 1857 by the Grand Cane Association of Baptist Churches, was located in the community of Keatchie in De Soto Parish south of Shreveport. After a history beset by financial difficulties, both schools came under the control of the Louisiana Baptist Convention in 1899. An Education Commission was selected by the state convention to administer the schools with the understanding that both would be succeeded by a more centrally located college as soon as a suitable campus could be selected. When Louisiana College was opened in 1906, Mount Lebanon College closed, followed by Keatchie a few years later. The enrollment of students in 1906 at the opening of the college was 19. Today, more than 10,000 have been graduated since the college was founded.

Until 1921, Louisiana College was administered by the Education Commission. The new charter established a Board of Trustees. The first administrative head of Louisiana College was W. F. Taylor, whose title was chairman of the faculty. Since its opening under President Edwin Ware, LC has had these seven other presidents: Dr. W. C. Friley, in 1909; Dr. Claybrook Cottingham, in 1910; Dr. Edgar Godbold, in 1941; Dr. G. Earl Guinn, in 1951; Dr. Robert L. Lynn, in 1975; Dr. Rory Lee, in 1997; and Dr. Joe M. Aguillard, in 2005.

In 1941, Hal Monroe Weathersby (1885–1965) served as acting LC president. From 1911-1914, he was professor of Greek and history. From 1914 until his retirement ifn 1965, he was the dean of Louisiana College. Weathersby graduated from Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, and the University of Chicago. The Weathersby Fine Arts Building is named in his honor. He and his wife, the former Matalee Thompson, had three children, Hal T. Weathersby, Scott M. Weathersby, and Rose W. Normand. A Baptist, Weathersby died in Pineville and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

In 1959, the Louisiana Historical Association was reorganized in a statewide meeting on the LC campus. Edwin A. Davis, head of the history department at LSU and author of a popular Louisiana history textbook, became the first president of the new association.

Among the benefactors of Louisiana College has been the family of Simon W. Tudor of Pineville, who founded Tudor Construction Company in 1946. Tudor coached basketball, football, and baseball at the college in the 1910s. The men's dormitory Tudor Hall is named for him. Tudor was also chairman of the board of trustees from 1943-1953.