Light Cummins named Fellow of the Louisiana Historical Association

The Louisiana Historian Association met in Monroe, Louisiana, on March 20th and 21st. It was a stellar meeting that featured a number of fine papers dealing with various aspects of Louisiana and Gulf Coast history. Sessions dealing with the Civil War in the lower Mississippi Valley, the history of women in the Bayou State, and papers examining Louisiana foodways and cuisine highlighted the meeting. Professor Mark Fernandez of Loyola Unversity assumed the Presidency of the Association for the coming year after the excellent work of the outgoing President, Dr. Michael Wade of Applachian State University. An interesting plenary session dealt with the history of urban planning in New Orleans. A highlight of the meeting for me was my induction into the Company of Fellows of the Louisiana Historical Assocation. This honor is typically afforded to those historians who have published on the history of the state. I was installed by Professor Stephen Webre of Louisiana Tech University, a former President of the Association. The picture above shows the presentation of my award, (l. to r.), Dr. Stephen Webre, me, and Dr. Mark Fernandez.