John S. Kyser
Encyclopedia
John Schenebly Kyser was an American
historian
and geographer
who served as the president of Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
, Louisiana
, from 1954-1966.
, a small city in Woodford County in north central Illinois
. His parents were John Hamilton Kyser and the former Elizabeth Schuman. He was educated in Illinois public schools and received his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1921 from the University of Michigan
at Ann Arbor
, Michigan
. He obtained further education at the University of Chicago
, the University of California, Berkeley
, and the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany
, before receiving his Ph.D.
in 1937 from Louisiana State University
at Baton Rouge
. His doctoral dissertation is entitled "The Evolution of Louisiana Parishes in Relation to Growth and Distribution in Population."
From 1921-1923, Kyser served a year each on the faculty of LSU and Tulane University
in New Orleans
.
College, a teachers' institution. He headed the Department of Social Sciences from 1924 until 1954, at which time he was elevated to the presidency of the institution, then known as Northwestern State College. NSU, along with several other four-year institutions in the state, was elevated to university status in 1970, when Kyser's successor, Arnold R. Kilpatrick
, was serving as the NSU president.
In 1935, Kyser organized and developed the first statewide field study-tours with college credit. He was a pioneer of audio-visual education and was instrumental in the development of first closed-circuit television instruction program in Louisiana. Kyser also launched the first graduate program in any four-year state institution of higher education below the level of LSU. Such programs are now widespread.
Kyser was the chairman of the Geography Section of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association. He was a president of the North Louisiana Historical Association and in 1960 headed the Louisiana Historical Association
.
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
in south Louisiana. She was a daughter of Dr. Rudolph Louis Zelenka and the former Eva Bazet. The couple had one child, Janet (born 1929). Thelma Kyser died ten days before her 100th birthday.
Kyser died in Shreveport
, Louisiana. He is interred beside his wife at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches. His papers are located at the Eugene P. Watson
Memorial Library on the NSU campus. A tribute to Kyser is found in a 1975 issue of North Louisiana History
.
Kyser Hall, which houses the department of history at NSU, is named in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
who served as 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...
, Louisiana
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...
, from 1954-1966.
Background
Kyser was born in El PasoEl Paso, Illinois
El Paso is a city in Woodford and McLean Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 2,695 at the 2000 census, and 2,870 in 2009...
, a small city in Woodford County in north central Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. His parents were John Hamilton Kyser and the former Elizabeth Schuman. He was educated in Illinois public schools and received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1921 from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He obtained further education at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, before receiving his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1937 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...
at Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. His doctoral dissertation is entitled "The Evolution of Louisiana Parishes in Relation to Growth and Distribution in Population."
From 1921-1923, Kyser served a year each on the faculty of LSU and Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Northwestern State University
In 1923, he came to Northwestern State, then known as Louisiana NormalNormal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
College, a teachers' institution. He headed the Department of Social Sciences from 1924 until 1954, at which time he was elevated to the presidency of the institution, then known as Northwestern State College. NSU, along with several other four-year institutions in the state, was elevated to university status in 1970, when Kyser's successor, Arnold R. Kilpatrick
Arnold R. Kilpatrick
Arnold Roy Kilpatrick was a Louisiana educator and businessman who was the president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches from 1966-1978.-Early years, education, military:...
, was serving as the NSU president.
In 1935, Kyser organized and developed the first statewide field study-tours with college credit. He was a pioneer of audio-visual education and was instrumental in the development of first closed-circuit television instruction program in Louisiana. Kyser also launched the first graduate program in any four-year state institution of higher education below the level of LSU. Such programs are now widespread.
Kyser was the chairman of the Geography Section of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association. He was a president of the North Louisiana Historical Association and in 1960 headed the Louisiana Historical Association
Louisiana Historical Association
The Louisiana Historical Association is an organization of professional historians and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation, publication, and dissemination of the history of the U.S. state of Louisiana, with particular emphasis at the inception on territorial, statehood, and the...
.
Family, death, legacy
On September 8, 1924, Kyser married the former Thelma Zelenka (1898–1998) of HoumaHouma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
in south Louisiana. She was a daughter of Dr. Rudolph Louis Zelenka and the former Eva Bazet. The couple had one child, Janet (born 1929). Thelma Kyser died ten days before her 100th birthday.
Kyser died in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana. He is interred beside his wife at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches. His papers are located at the Eugene P. Watson
Eugene 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 on the NSU campus. A tribute to Kyser is found in a 1975 issue of North Louisiana History
North Louisiana History
North Louisiana History is an academic journal published twice annually in Shreveport, Louisiana by the North Louisiana Historical Association .-History:...
.
Kyser Hall, which houses the department of history at NSU, is named in his honor.