Louis Pendleton
Encyclopedia
Louis Christopher Pendleton (October 13, 1931 - January 14, 2007) was an African American
dentist
, businessman, and civic leader in Shreveport, Louisiana
, who organized the civil rights movement
in his city through the formation of the interest group known as "Blacks United for Lasting Leadership", which successfully lobbied for racial justice.
, the seat of Ouachita Parish, to Joseph Anthony Pendleton, Sr., and the former Velda Leola Long. He was educated in the segregated
public school
s in Monroe. He received his bachelor of arts
degree from the predominantly black Dillard University
in New Orleans. Thereafter, he entered the Meharry Medical College
School of Dentistry in Nashville, Tennessee
, which most black dentists in the American South then attended. He received the Doctor of Dental Surgery
degree.
In November 1956, Pendleton entered the U.S. Air Force with the rank of captain. He served for six years. He resigned his commission as a dental officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel
. He and his wife, the former Barbara Chocolate (also born 1931), a Shreveport native, then took over the former dental practice of the civil rights activist, Dr. C. O. Simpkins
, who left Shreveport when his life was threatened. Pendleton maintained the dental practice for forty-seven years. The Pendletons were married for fifty-two years and had two children, both doctors. Dr. Simpkins returned to Shreveport in 1988 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor
in 1990. He was defeated in the general election
by the white Republican
Hazel F. Beard
(born 1930), a city council member and businesswoman from southwestern Shreveport.
Pendleton and the late Shreveport attorney
Hilary Huckaby, III, formed BULL, which sued in federal court to abolish the former commission
form of municipal government. Under the five-member commission system, the council members were elected at-large. At the time, Shreveport was majority white—it became majority black in the 2000 census
-- and no blacks won any of the commission positions. When an executive mayor and legislative council system was adopted in 1978, blacks began to win seats on the seven-member single-member-district council.
Dr. Pendleton was appointed by the late U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
to the Louisiana State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights
, an investigative body formed through the Civil Rights Act of 1957
and guided to passage by then Senate Majority Leader Johnson. Pendleton served on the committee for more than a decade
. Pendleton was also active in the Shreveport branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
and organized the NAACP Youth Council.
Pendleton was the founder of a Shreveport-area committee which lobbied for the employment of African Americans in the broadcasting
industry. Pendleton was also the first president of the Caddo Community Action Agency, the anti-poverty program created through the Johnson administration's Great Society
. Pendleton worked with such black leaders as Alphonse Jackson, Sr., a former Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
, and the late Dr. Jesse Stone to promote civil rights activities.
The Pendleton-Jackson alliance did not happen without effort. Jackson defeated Pendleton for the Democratic nomination for the District 2 seat in the Louisiana legislature in a hotly-contested runoff primary held on December 18, 1971. Pendleton in fact sued Jackson in a failed attempt either to reverse the results or to gain a new election.
Pendleton was a loyal Democrat. In 2004, he donated $500 to the presidential primary campaign of U.S. Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts
and another $500 to the Democratic National Committee.
, health
, business
, culture
, and housing
of his community. His civic work also had the effect of expanding the opportunities for African Americans in northwest Louisiana.
Pendleton received a plethora of awards: foremost among his accolades were the Liberty Bell award by the Shreveport Bar Association in 1988 and the Business Leader of the Year award from the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
in 1990. In 1991, Dr. and Mrs. Pendleton jointly received the Brotherhood, Sisterhood Humanitarian award presented from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (renamed the National Conference for Community and Justice
). That same year, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement of the North Louisiana Business Hall of Fame.
Pendleton's affiliations included the Pelican State Dental Association, the Northwest Louisiana Dental Society, the National Dental Association, and American Dental Association. He also served on the Louisiana State University
(Baton Rouge) Board of Supervisors, the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, the Shreveport Housing Authority, and the Loyola University Foundation of Shreveport. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana State University at Shreveport Foundation, the Louisiana State Fair
(held each autumn in Shreveport), and the Louisiana State Tourism
Commission.
Pendleton was Catholic
and a member of the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, where he served in a variety of positions. He was also a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity
.
; a sister, Harriet Pendleton Scott of New York City
, who is married to New York State Supreme Court Justice Clifford Scott; two grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
At Pendleton's request and in his memory the dental office located at 1514 Gary Street in the heart of the predominantly black Lakeside-Allendale section of Shreveport will remain open under Dr. David Reed, who relocated to Shreveport from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
. A foundation will be established at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in Pendleton's memory to assist aspiring science students. The family requested memorials to the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, the Virginia K. Shehee
Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, and the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier
.
Services were held at Pendleton's church on January 20, 2007. Interment was in Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Road, under direction of Winnfield Funeral Home of Shreveport.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, businessman, and civic leader in Shreveport, Louisiana
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....
, who organized the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
in his city through the formation of the interest group known as "Blacks United for Lasting Leadership", which successfully lobbied for racial justice.
Early years, education, military
Pendleton was born in MonroeMonroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, the seat of Ouachita Parish, to Joseph Anthony Pendleton, Sr., and the former Velda Leola Long. He was educated in the segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
public school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s in Monroe. He 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 from the predominantly black Dillard University
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts college in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 incorporating earlier institutions that went back to 1869, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church....
in New Orleans. Thereafter, he entered the Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is a graduate and professional institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church whose mission is to educate healthcare professionals and scientists. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee...
School of Dentistry in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, which most black dentists in the American South then attended. He received the Doctor of Dental Surgery
Doctor of Dental Surgery
There are a number of first professional degrees in dentistry offered by schools in various countries around the world. These include the following:* Doctor of Dental Surgery * Doctor of Dental Medicine * Bachelor of Dentistry...
degree.
In November 1956, Pendleton entered the U.S. Air Force with the rank of captain. He served for six years. He resigned his commission as a dental officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. He and his wife, the former Barbara Chocolate (also born 1931), a Shreveport native, then took over the former dental practice of the civil rights activist, Dr. C. O. Simpkins
C. O. Simpkins
Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins is a physician, biographer and scientist, best known for his work on shock and violence prevention and for his 1975 biography of jazz musician John Coltrane.- Early years :...
, who left Shreveport when his life was threatened. Pendleton maintained the dental practice for forty-seven years. The Pendletons were married for fifty-two years and had two children, both doctors. Dr. Simpkins returned to Shreveport in 1988 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in 1990. He was defeated in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
by the white 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...
Hazel F. Beard
Hazel Beard
Hazel Fain Beard is the first woman and the first Republican to have served as mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, since the era of Reconstruction. A fiscal conservative, Mrs...
(born 1930), a city council member and businesswoman from southwestern Shreveport.
Civil rights activism
In the early 1970s, Pendleton and other black leaders in Shreveport filed suits to establish single-member districts on the Caddo Parish School Board and the Caddo Parish Police Jury (the parish governing body, renamed the Caddo Parish Commission in 1984). As a result, blacks soon gained representation on both public bodies.Pendleton and the late Shreveport attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Hilary Huckaby, III, formed BULL, which sued in federal court to abolish the former commission
City commission government
City commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
form of municipal government. Under the five-member commission system, the council members were elected at-large. At the time, Shreveport was majority white—it became majority black in the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
-- and no blacks won any of the commission positions. When an executive mayor and legislative council system was adopted in 1978, blacks began to win seats on the seven-member single-member-district council.
Dr. Pendleton was appointed by the late U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
to the Louisiana State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights
United States Commission on Civil Rights
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is historically a bipartisan, independent commission of the U.S. federal government charged with the responsibility for investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations concerning civil rights issues that face the nation.-Commissioners:The Commission is...
, an investigative body formed through the Civil Rights Act of 1957
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957, , primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since Reconstruction following the American Civil War.Following the historic US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v...
and guided to passage by then Senate Majority Leader Johnson. Pendleton served on the committee for more than a decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
. Pendleton was also active in the Shreveport branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
and organized the NAACP Youth Council.
Pendleton was the founder of a Shreveport-area committee which lobbied for the employment of African Americans in the broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
industry. Pendleton was also the first president of the Caddo Community Action Agency, the anti-poverty program created through the Johnson administration's Great Society
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and fellow Democrats in Congress in the 1960s. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice...
. Pendleton worked with such black leaders as Alphonse Jackson, Sr., 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 the Louisiana House of Representatives
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...
, and the late Dr. Jesse Stone to promote civil rights activities.
The Pendleton-Jackson alliance did not happen without effort. Jackson defeated Pendleton for the Democratic nomination for the District 2 seat in the Louisiana legislature in a hotly-contested runoff primary held on December 18, 1971. Pendleton in fact sued Jackson in a failed attempt either to reverse the results or to gain a new election.
Pendleton was a loyal Democrat. In 2004, he donated $500 to the presidential primary campaign of U.S. Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and another $500 to the Democratic National Committee.
Civic leadership
Dr. Pendleton did not confine his activities to civil rights. He was also involved in the quality of life, educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, and housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
of his community. His civic work also had the effect of expanding the opportunities for African Americans in northwest Louisiana.
Pendleton received a plethora of awards: foremost among his accolades were the Liberty Bell award by the Shreveport Bar Association in 1988 and the Business Leader of the Year award from the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in 1990. In 1991, Dr. and Mrs. Pendleton jointly received the Brotherhood, Sisterhood Humanitarian award presented from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (renamed the National Conference for Community and Justice
National Conference for Community and Justice
The National Conference for Community and Justice is a national, human relations, non-profit organization in the United States. Its mission is to fight bias, bigotry, and racism and promote understanding and respect through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education.The NCCJ was founded in 1927...
). That same year, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement of the North Louisiana Business Hall of Fame.
Pendleton's affiliations included the Pelican State Dental Association, the Northwest Louisiana Dental Society, the National Dental Association, and American Dental Association. He also served on the 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...
(Baton Rouge) Board of Supervisors, the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, the Shreveport Housing Authority, and the Loyola University Foundation of Shreveport. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana State University at Shreveport Foundation, the Louisiana State Fair
State fair
A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....
(held each autumn in Shreveport), and the Louisiana State Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
Commission.
Pendleton was Catholic
Catholic
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"...
and a member of the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, where he served in a variety of positions. He was also a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
.
Pendleton's death
Pendleton died in the Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Joseph Edward Pendleton, Jr.; his in-laws, Leroy Chocolate (1908–1993) and Gennie V. Chocolate. Survivors included his wife; his daughter, Dr. Karen M'Liss Pendleton (born 1958); his son, Dr. Scott Edward Pendleton (born 1961) and Scott’s wife Mona Pendleton of Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
; a sister, Harriet Pendleton Scott of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, who is married to New York State Supreme Court Justice Clifford Scott; two grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
At Pendleton's request and in his memory the dental office located at 1514 Gary Street in the heart of the predominantly black Lakeside-Allendale section of Shreveport will remain open under Dr. David Reed, who relocated to Shreveport from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. A foundation will be established at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in Pendleton's memory to assist aspiring science students. The family requested memorials to the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, the Virginia K. Shehee
Virginia Shehee
Virginia Kilpatrick Shehee is a Shreveport businesswoman and civic leader and the first female state senator from District 38. She won her seat in the 1975 general election by 23 votes over incumbent Cecil K. Carter, Jr. and served a single term until 1980. She was defeated in 1979 by fellow...
Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, and the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier
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...
.
Services were held at Pendleton's church on January 20, 2007. Interment was in Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Road, under direction of Winnfield Funeral Home of Shreveport.