Arnold R. Kilpatrick
Encyclopedia
Arnold Roy Kilpatrick was a Louisiana
educator and businessman who was the president of Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
from 1966-1978.
in Jackson Parish. He first attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe
(Ouachita Parish), formerly known as Northeast Louisiana Junior College
. He later earned his bachelor's degree
from Northwestern State. Kilpatrick received his master's degree
and Ed.D. from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. He served in the U.S. Air Force (then the Army Air Force) during World War II
.
In 1946, he launched his educational career as a teacher
and coach
at Jonesboro
-Hodge
High School in Jackson Parish. He built a successful basketball
program at the school. The team won the Class A state championship in 1951, when it achieved forty-five victories, a school record.
and basketball coach and later head basketball coach and the director of athletics. In his three final seasons at Northeast, his teams had three consecutive winning seasons. Kilpatrick guided the team to its first 20-win season in 1954-1955. He was honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association that season as "Coach of the Year" in the Gulf States Conference. Kilpatrick was also a guiding force in the success of the conference, having served as vice-president and later president of the league. In 1957, Lenny Fant
became the Northeast basketball coach and guided the team to eighteen victorious seasons, culminating in his final year, 1978-1979.
After leaving coaching, Kilpatrick remained on the Northeast faculty and served as head of the Department of Education at the college in 1965-1966. He was appointed dean of the college at Northwestern State in March 1966 and became the NSU president of NSU later in the year.
Memorial Library, the Rene J. Bienvenu
Biological Sciences Building, the Physical Education Majors Building and the Teacher Education Center, the Student Recreation Complex, and University Post Office. He also pushed successfully for the renovation of Turpin Stadium, Prather Coliseum
and the Sylvan Friedman
Student Union, named for a former Louisiana lawmaker. It was during Kilpatrick's administration a new home for the president was constructed. The previous presidential home was converted some years later into the renovated NSU Alumni Center.
Under Kilpatrick, NSU established a branch campus at Fort Polk
near Leesville
, the seat of Vernon Parish. The institution achieved university
status, and the name was changed from Northwestern State College to Northwestern State University in 1970.
Kilpatrick remained active in athletic activities during his presidency at Northwestern. He served on the U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors and as president of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Kilpatrick's tenure at NSU corresponded in part with that of George T. Walker
, a former NSU dean, Jackson Parish native, and the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
from 1958 to 1976. Under Walker ULM, then known as Northeast Louisiana University, expanded fourfold in enrollment.
Meanwhile, F. Jay Taylor
was president of the NSU sports rival, Louisiana Tech University
, from 1962 to 1987. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones
was president of historically black Grambling State University
during this same period.
In 1994, Kilpatrick was selected for the NSU Hall of Distinction, the highest honor bestowed at the university. He was also inducted into the NSU Graduate N Club Athletic Hall of Fame, the NSU Hall of Distinguished Educators, and the Northeast Louisiana Athletic Hall of Fame. He further received the Nth Degree for Meritorious Service from NSU.
in Pelican in De Soto Parish.
Kilpatrick also held membership over the years in the Masonic lodge
, the Order of the Eastern Star
, El Karubah Shriners
of Shreveport, the Scottish Rite Society, and the First United Methodist Church
of Natchitoches.
Services were held at the First United Methodist Church under the direction of the Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home. Survivors included his wife of fifty-five years, the former Juanita Cardozier; a daughter, Lael Alexis Kilpatrick of Naples
, Florida
; a son, Joel Young Kilpatrick, an official of the Louisiana State Police, and his wife, the former Jeri Allen Parker of Natchitoches, and grandchildren Ryan Daniel Kilpatrick, Jared Young Kilpatrick, and Ashley Danielle Schult.
Interment was in the Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches. The family requested memorials to the NSU Foundation Scholarship Fund, Natchitoches, LA 71497.
On May 1, 2009, the NSU president's home was renamed the Arnold Kilpatrick President's Home. The Kilpatricks moved into the residence in 1970. Along with other residences of state college presidents, the NSU structure was constructed with funds from an oil
and natural gas
account generated by Nicholls State University
in Thibodaux
.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
educator and businessman who was the president of Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
from 1966-1978.
Early years, education, military
Kilpatrick was born in tiny ErosEros, Louisiana
Eros is a town in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 202 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.Former Northwestern State University President Arnold R. Kilpatrick was born in Eros...
in Jackson Parish. He first attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
(Ouachita Parish), formerly known as Northeast Louisiana Junior College
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
. He later earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Northwestern State. Kilpatrick received his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and Ed.D. from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge. He served in the U.S. Air Force (then the Army Air Force) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1946, he launched his educational career as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
at Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Louisiana
Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
-Hodge
Hodge, Louisiana
Hodge is a village in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 492 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
High School in Jackson Parish. He built a successful basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
program at the school. The team won the Class A state championship in 1951, when it achieved forty-five victories, a school record.
College Coach of the Year
Kilpatrick joined Northeast Louisiana State College in 1951 as a faculty member and assistant footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball coach and later head basketball coach and the director of athletics. In his three final seasons at Northeast, his teams had three consecutive winning seasons. Kilpatrick guided the team to its first 20-win season in 1954-1955. He was honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association that season as "Coach of the Year" in the Gulf States Conference. Kilpatrick was also a guiding force in the success of the conference, having served as vice-president and later president of the league. In 1957, Lenny Fant
Lenny Fant
Leonard O'Neil Fant, known as Lenny Fant , was from 1957–1979 the men's basketball coach of the University of Louisiana at Monroe Indians . During his tenure, Fant compiled a ULM record of 326–221. His 326-game record was topped in 1999 by one of his understudies, ULM Coach Mickael E...
became the Northeast basketball coach and guided the team to eighteen victorious seasons, culminating in his final year, 1978-1979.
After leaving coaching, Kilpatrick remained on the Northeast faculty and served as head of the Department of Education at the college in 1965-1966. He was appointed dean of the college at Northwestern State in March 1966 and became the NSU president of NSU later in the year.
NSU president, 1966-1978
During Kilpatrick's tenure as the NSU president, enrollment increased substantially, and a number of buildings were constructed or renovated. Kilpatrick helped to secure funding for the construction of the Eugene P. WatsonEugene P. Watson
Eugene Payne Watson was the head librarian and professor of library science at Northwestern State University in his native Natchitoches, Louisiana, from 1940 until his death. He fought to gain greater academic recognition of librarians...
Memorial Library, the Rene J. Bienvenu
Rene J. Bienvenu
Rene Joseph Bienvenu, Jr. was an American scientist and academic who wound up his career from 1977-1982 as the president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana....
Biological Sciences Building, the Physical Education Majors Building and the Teacher Education Center, the Student Recreation Complex, and University Post Office. He also pushed successfully for the renovation of Turpin Stadium, Prather Coliseum
Prather Coliseum
Prather Coliseum is a 3,900-seat multi-purpose arena in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It opened in 1964 and is home to the Northwestern State University Demons basketball team. The arena was named in honor of the school's most successful basketball and football coach, H. Lee Prather, who served from the...
and the Sylvan Friedman
Sylvan Friedman
Sylvan N. Friedman was a Louisiana politician, a rare Jewish member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature...
Student Union, named for a former Louisiana lawmaker. It was during Kilpatrick's administration a new home for the president was constructed. The previous presidential home was converted some years later into the renovated NSU Alumni Center.
Under Kilpatrick, NSU established a branch campus at Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
near Leesville
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
, the seat of Vernon Parish. The institution achieved university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
status, and the name was changed from Northwestern State College to Northwestern State University in 1970.
Kilpatrick remained active in athletic activities during his presidency at Northwestern. He served on the U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors and as president of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Kilpatrick's tenure at NSU corresponded in part with that of George T. Walker
George T. Walker
George Thomas Walker, Sr. , was from 1958 to 1976 the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, known first as Northeast Louisiana State College and then as Northeast Louisiana State University, located in Monroe in northeastern Louisiana.-Background:Walker was born in the Wyatt Community...
, a former NSU dean, Jackson Parish native, and the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
from 1958 to 1976. Under Walker ULM, then known as Northeast Louisiana University, expanded fourfold in enrollment.
Meanwhile, F. Jay Taylor
F. Jay Taylor
Foster Jay Taylor, known as F. Jay Taylor , was a historian who served from 1962 to 1987 as the president of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston in Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana...
was president of the NSU sports rival, Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
, from 1962 to 1987. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones, Sr. , also known as Ralph W. E. Jones or Prez Jones, was from 1936 until his retirement in 1977 the second president of historically black Grambling State University in Grambling in Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana.-Background:The grandson of a slave, Jones was born in...
was president of historically black Grambling State University
Grambling State University
Grambling State University is a historically black , public, coeducational university, located in Grambling, Louisiana. The university is the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson and is on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.-Academics:Grambling State University provides over...
during this same period.
In 1994, Kilpatrick was selected for the NSU Hall of Distinction, the highest honor bestowed at the university. He was also inducted into the NSU Graduate N Club Athletic Hall of Fame, the NSU Hall of Distinguished Educators, and the Northeast Louisiana Athletic Hall of Fame. He further received the Nth Degree for Meritorious Service from NSU.
Later years
After he retired from education, Kilpatrick engaged in a number of business activities. He was vice-president of Savings Life Group of Shreveport and also served as chairman of the board of directors of Pelican State BankBank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
in Pelican in De Soto Parish.
Kilpatrick also held membership over the years in the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, the Order of the Eastern Star
Order of the Eastern Star
The Order of the Eastern Star is a fraternal organization that both men and women can join. It was established in 1850 by Rob Morris, a lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been an official with the Freemasons. It is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all...
, El Karubah Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
of Shreveport, the Scottish Rite Society, and the First United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
of Natchitoches.
Services were held at the First United Methodist Church under the direction of the Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home. Survivors included his wife of fifty-five years, the former Juanita Cardozier; a daughter, Lael Alexis Kilpatrick of Naples
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
; a son, Joel Young Kilpatrick, an official of the Louisiana State Police, and his wife, the former Jeri Allen Parker of Natchitoches, and grandchildren Ryan Daniel Kilpatrick, Jared Young Kilpatrick, and Ashley Danielle Schult.
Interment was in the Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches. The family requested memorials to the NSU Foundation Scholarship Fund, Natchitoches, LA 71497.
On May 1, 2009, the NSU president's home was renamed the Arnold Kilpatrick President's Home. The Kilpatricks moved into the residence in 1970. Along with other residences of state college presidents, the NSU structure was constructed with funds from an oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
account generated by Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the institution split from the Louisiana State University System in...
in Thibodaux
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
.