Cecil J. Picard
Encyclopedia
Cecil J. Picard was the appointed Louisiana
state superintendent of education
from 1996 until his death, which followed a 21-month fight against the deadly Lou Gehrig's disease. Picard was also a former Democratic
member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
. He was originally from the village
of Maurice
in Vermilion Parish in southwestern Louisiana, having previously been a teacher
, coach
, and principal.
in upper elementary education program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
, then Southwestern Louisiana Institute and later the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He obtained a Master of Arts
degree in school administration from Sam Houston State University
(then Teacher's College) in Huntsville, Texas
.
In 1959, Picard began his educational career as a teacher at LeBlanc Elementary School in Erath
in Vermilion Parish. He became a teacher/ coach at Maurice High School in 1962. When his father died in 1969, Picard was named principal of Maurice High School, a position that he held for the following eleven years.
member in the jungle primary
of 1975.
After three years in the state House, he won a special election to complete the term of state Senator Ned Doucet, Jr., in District 25, which encompasses all or parts of Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vermilion parishes. As Picard went to the Senate, he was succeeded in the house by Sam H. Theriot of Abbeville
, son of the late Louisiana Comptroller
Roy R. Theriot
. Picard also retired as principal when he entered the Senate, but his interest in education continued. Picard was elected to his first full term as senator in the fall of 1979 and again in 1983, and 1987. Also in 1987, he defeated fellow Democrat Wade Vincent, 16,933 votes (73 percent) to 6,203 (27 percent). In the primaries of 1991 and 1995, Picard ran unopposed. He left early in his last elected term to assume the superintendency.
Murphy J. "Mike" Foster
of St. Mary Parish
, a Democrat turned Republican
. At the time he became superintendent, Picard headed the Senate Education Committee and had just lost a bid to become president of the state senate, the position going instead to fellow Democrat Randy Ewing
of Quitman
in Jackson Parish in north Louisiana.
Foster said that his friend Picard "made a lot of headway [toward improving education]. He did a good job, and I never heard anyone say he didn't."
Picard was succeeded in the state Senate by Democrat Gerald Theunissen
of Jennings
, who defeated the Republican state party chairman Mike Francis
of Crowley
. Theunissen himself later switched to Republican affiliation.
program that was recognized nationwide.
State Representative
Jane H. Smith
, a Republican from Bossier City
, and herself a former superintendent in Bossier Parish, described Picard as "a warrior and a fighter. He was right there until the very end, doing what he could. He had a passion for the job."
Picard participated in an experimental drug program in a vain attempt to counter the disease, technically termed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
. He continued working at his office until November 2006. After that, he worked from his residence until he was incapacitated. Picard had planned to retire on May 1. At the time of his death in a Lafayette hospital, the BESE board was already seeking a temporary successor.
Picard's chief assistant, Carole Wallin, said that he was "taken from us before he accomplished all of his dreams. . . . He was always dreaming of things to do to improve education."
Wallin recalled that Picard was the principal when Maurice High School was desegregated
. Years later, his first act as superintendent was to begin a tour of the state's school districts. The levels of poverty
he encountered appalled him, she said. Picard hence decided that perhaps the best way to lift children was to begin teaching them at an early age. That resulted in the LA4 pre-school program.
Church in Maurice and were broadcast on a television hookup from a nearby school to handle the overflow of mourners. Entombment was in the church mausoleum. The St. Alphonsus pastor, the Reverend O. Joseph Breaux, said that Picard's life was best portrayed in a photograph of the superintendent published on the front page of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser the day after his death. It shows Picard seated in a classroom surrounded by children, "as it must have been when Jesus
gathered the little children around him. He taught as Jesus taught."
Picard was married to the former Gaylen David. They had two sons and four grandchildren. Tyron and Layne Picard said in a statement distributed at the funeral that their father's life "can be summed up in one sentence: He taught us to believe. As a father, he taught us to believe success was possible. Not a single day did he bemoan his undeserved fate. Quite the contrary, he accepted his condition with peace and deepened his relationship with God
."
of Natchitoches
, the chairman of the University of Louisiana System
board of supervisors, headed the House Education Committee when Picard was chairman of the corresponding Senate committee. He said that the two developed a working and friendly relationship. "Cecil and I authored a raft of education reform," Long said in his eulogy
.
According to Long, Picard was comfortable with himself, and it showed. . . . He told me, 'People believe honesty, and they're not easily misled,' which is how he led his life. . . . Cecil could get things done. His political legacy is [that] he made sure Louisiana's children have the opportunity for a better education."
The family requested that Picard be remembered through memorial contributions to the Cecil Picard Endowment Fund to benefit the eponymous Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning at his alma mater, the University of Louisiana
.
Picard was succeeded as education superintendent by Paul Pastorek, who was retained by the board in 2008, with the support of Republican Governor Bobby Jindal
.
In 2006, Picard was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
.
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...
state superintendent of education
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
from 1996 until his death, which followed a 21-month fight against the deadly Lou Gehrig's disease. Picard was also a former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. He was originally from the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Maurice
Maurice, Louisiana
Maurice is a village in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 642 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in Vermilion Parish in southwestern Louisiana, having previously been 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...
, 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:...
, and principal.
Early years and education
Picard was born to the late Romain Picard and Evangeline Picard (1912–1990). He grew up on the grounds of Maurice High School because his father was the principal, and the Vermilion Parish School Board provided housing as part of the compensation. As a boy, Picard often gazed into the windows of the school, and although he was still too young to attend classes, he wondered what was happening inside the building. Despite his misgivings about a career in education, Picard graduated from Maurice High School and thereafter procured a bachelor's degreeBachelor'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...
in upper elementary education program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
, then Southwestern Louisiana Institute and later the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He obtained a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in school administration from Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
(then Teacher's College) in Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
.
In 1959, Picard began his educational career as a teacher at LeBlanc Elementary School in Erath
Erath, Louisiana
Erath is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.Erath is home of the Acadian Museum....
in Vermilion Parish. He became a teacher/ coach at Maurice High School in 1962. When his father died in 1969, Picard was named principal of Maurice High School, a position that he held for the following eleven years.
Both houses of the legislature
While he was still a principal, Picard upset a state HouseLouisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
member in the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
of 1975.
After three years in the state House, he won a special election to complete the term of state Senator Ned Doucet, Jr., in District 25, which encompasses all or parts of Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vermilion parishes. As Picard went to the Senate, he was succeeded in the house by Sam H. Theriot of Abbeville
Abbeville, Louisiana
Abbeville is a town in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 census...
, son of the late Louisiana Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
Roy R. Theriot
Roy R. Theriot
Roy R. Theriot, Sr. , was the Democratic state comptroller of Louisiana from 1960-1973. Previously, Theriot was the mayor of Abbeville, the seat of Vermilion Parish in south Louisiana from 1954-1960....
. Picard also retired as principal when he entered the Senate, but his interest in education continued. Picard was elected to his first full term as senator in the fall of 1979 and again in 1983, and 1987. Also in 1987, he defeated fellow Democrat Wade Vincent, 16,933 votes (73 percent) to 6,203 (27 percent). In the primaries of 1991 and 1995, Picard ran unopposed. He left early in his last elected term to assume the superintendency.
Appointment as superintendent
Picard was named superintendent by the elected Board of Elementary and Secondary Education with the support of his former senatorial colleague, then GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Murphy J. "Mike" Foster
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
, a Democrat turned Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. At the time he became superintendent, Picard headed the Senate Education Committee and had just lost a bid to become president of the state senate, the position going instead to fellow Democrat Randy Ewing
Randy Ewing
Randy Lew Ewing is a Jackson Parish businessman who, as a Democrat, represented District 35 in the Louisiana State Senate from 1988 to 2000. He was the State Senate President in his last term from 1996 to 2000, which corresponded with the first term of Republican Governor Murphy J...
of Quitman
Quitman, Louisiana
Quitman is a village in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 168. Quitman is south of Ruston on U.S. Highway 167, and north of Jonesboro, the parish seat of Jackson Parish...
in Jackson Parish in north Louisiana.
Foster said that his friend Picard "made a lot of headway [toward improving education]. He did a good job, and I never heard anyone say he didn't."
Picard was succeeded in the state Senate by Democrat Gerald Theunissen
Gerald Theunissen
Gerald Joseph Theunissen, or Jerry Theunissen , is the vice president of Jeff Davis Bank in Jennings, Louisiana, USA, and served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 37 and as the state senator from District 25...
of Jennings
Jennings, Louisiana
Jennings is a small city in and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,986 at the 2000 census....
, who defeated the Republican state party chairman Mike Francis
Mike Francis
Michael Gordon Francis, known as Mike Francis , is a prominent Crowley businessman who was the chairman of the Republican Party in Louisiana from 1994–2000. A staunch fiscal and social conservative, Francis was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State of Louisiana in a special election held...
of Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
. Theunissen himself later switched to Republican affiliation.
Colleagues remember Picard
Walter Lee, the superintendent of De Soto Parish in north Louisiana and the former school chief in Caddo Parish as well, said that Picard was "the best politician I'd ever seen, and he'd chuckle and say, 'I'm not a politician. I'm a statesman.'" Lee said that he considered Picard to have been the most effective of all Louisiana superintendents. Picard was particularly known for the implementation of an accountabilityAccountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
program that was recognized nationwide.
State Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Jane H. Smith
Jane H. Smith
Jane Holland Smith is a former educator and a departing Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana.-Background:...
, a Republican from Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
, and herself a former superintendent in Bossier Parish, described Picard as "a warrior and a fighter. He was right there until the very end, doing what he could. He had a passion for the job."
Picard participated in an experimental drug program in a vain attempt to counter the disease, technically termed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
. He continued working at his office until November 2006. After that, he worked from his residence until he was incapacitated. Picard had planned to retire on May 1. At the time of his death in a Lafayette hospital, the BESE board was already seeking a temporary successor.
Picard's chief assistant, Carole Wallin, said that he was "taken from us before he accomplished all of his dreams. . . . He was always dreaming of things to do to improve education."
Wallin recalled that Picard was the principal when Maurice High School was desegregated
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
. Years later, his first act as superintendent was to begin a tour of the state's school districts. The levels of poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
he encountered appalled him, she said. Picard hence decided that perhaps the best way to lift children was to begin teaching them at an early age. That resulted in the LA4 pre-school program.
Last rites
Services for Picard were held in St. Alphonsus CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church in Maurice and were broadcast on a television hookup from a nearby school to handle the overflow of mourners. Entombment was in the church mausoleum. The St. Alphonsus pastor, the Reverend O. Joseph Breaux, said that Picard's life was best portrayed in a photograph of the superintendent published on the front page of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser the day after his death. It shows Picard seated in a classroom surrounded by children, "as it must have been when Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
gathered the little children around him. He taught as Jesus taught."
Picard was married to the former Gaylen David. They had two sons and four grandchildren. Tyron and Layne Picard said in a statement distributed at the funeral that their father's life "can be summed up in one sentence: He taught us to believe. As a father, he taught us to believe success was possible. Not a single day did he bemoan his undeserved fate. Quite the contrary, he accepted his condition with peace and deepened his relationship with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
."
Picard's legacy
Former state Representative Jimmy D. LongJimmy D. Long
Jimmy Dale Long, Sr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He represented District 23 from 1968 until 2000, being the "dean" of the Louisiana House when he returned to private life. He is a recognized authority on educational policy. For sixteen years, he...
of 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...
, the chairman of the University of Louisiana System
University of Louisiana System
The University of Louisiana System is one of four public university systems in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its headquarters are in the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge.-History and diversification:...
board of supervisors, headed the House Education Committee when Picard was chairman of the corresponding Senate committee. He said that the two developed a working and friendly relationship. "Cecil and I authored a raft of education reform," Long said in his eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
.
According to Long, Picard was comfortable with himself, and it showed. . . . He told me, 'People believe honesty, and they're not easily misled,' which is how he led his life. . . . Cecil could get things done. His political legacy is [that] he made sure Louisiana's children have the opportunity for a better education."
The family requested that Picard be remembered through memorial contributions to the Cecil Picard Endowment Fund to benefit the eponymous Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning at his alma mater, the University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
.
Picard was succeeded as education superintendent by Paul Pastorek, who was retained by the board in 2008, with the support of Republican Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
.
In 2006, Picard was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
.