For the American broadcast journalist, see Robert Trout

Robert Trout

Robert "Bob" Trout was an American broadcast news reporter, best known for his radio work before and during World War II...

.

Robert Oren Trout (August 4, 1904–March 15, 1995) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 sociologist whose principal academic career was based at 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...

 in Ruston

Ruston, Louisiana

Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...

, 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...

, where he was the longtime chairman of the Social Sciences Department.

Biography

Trout was the son of Otis James Trout and the former Minnie Railey. He was born in Girard, Louisiana, and reared in Union Parish

Union Parish, Louisiana

Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....

, located north of Ruston. He graduated from Marion High School in the town of Marion

Marion, Louisiana

Marion is a town in Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 806 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Marion is located at ....

. He procured 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...

 in history

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 in 1938 from Louisiana Tech and his 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...

 in education in 1942 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

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...

. He received his Ph.D from LSU on August 6, 1954. His dissertation is entitled "The People of the North Louisiana Hill Country," a reference to the 19th century settlers of his native region.

Trout began his career in Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 public schools, where he taught for nine years. From 1936-1939, Trout taught the seventh grade and served as a principal in Minden

Minden, Louisiana

Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...

, the seat of Webster Parish

Webster Parish, Louisiana

Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....

 west of Ruston. He then served from 1942-1946 in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 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...

, stationed in the Central Pacific. Thereafter, he returned to Minden as a school principal but in 1947 joined the Louisiana Tech faculty with responsibilities in geography

Geography

Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...

 and sociology. He retired effective September 22, 1976. Trout held membership in Alpha Kappa Delta

Alpha Kappa Delta

Alpha Kappa Delta is an international sociology honor society.Founded in 1920 by Emory S. Bogardus, of the University of Southern California sociology department, the name is derived from the Greek anthrôpos meaning mankind, katamanthanô, meaning to examine closely or acquire knowledge, and...

, the honor society for sociology, and Phi Delta Kappa

Phi Delta Kappa

Phi Delta Kappa is an US professional organization for educators. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. It was founded on 24 January 1906. Phi Delta Kappa also had a youth organization, called Xinos, girls, and Kudos, guys.-Membership:Currently, membership consists of students,...

, a society for educators. He was also affiliated with the Southwestern Sociological Association, the Southwest Social Sciences Association, and the Lions Club.

He is included in a past edition of Who's Who in the American Southwest. and Who's Who in America. To accommodate desegregation, Trout served on the Lincoln Parish

Lincoln Parish, Louisiana

Lincoln Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ruston. In 2004, its population was estimated to be 42,382...

 Bi-Racial Committee. He also served on the board of the Ruston Housing Authority. In 1961, Trout was named the Louisiana delegate to the White House Conference on Aging

White House Conference on Aging

The White House Conference on Aging is a once-a-decade conference sponsored by the Executive Office of the President of the United States which makes policy recommendations to the president and Congress regarding the aged. The first of its kind,the goals of the conference are to promote the...

. He frequently lectured at civic clubs and within the education system, often peppering his talks with sociological statistics that he had gathered and researched.

In 1952, Trout married the former Rita Virginia Galloway (born August 9, 1916). He was the stepfather of two daughters, Mary Virginia Cage and Barbara Sue Bowman.