C. E. Byrd, a

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

, is a high school in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, United States. In continuous operation since its establishment in 1925, C. E. Byrd is also the eighth-largest high school in the United States of America as of February 2019. Byrd students come from its neighborhood or throughout the entire school district through its selective math/science

magnet program In education in the United States, the U.S. education system, magnet schools are State school, public schools with Specialized school, specialized Course (education), courses or Curriculum, curricula. Normally, a student will attend an elementary ...

History

* 1892: C. E. Byrd came to Shreveport as principal of the first public high school, in two rented rooms in the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

building at a salary of $70 per month. * 1898: With first year enrollment of 70, the school moved to the Soady building on Crockett Street. * 1899: Moved to new Hope Street School, a large three story red brick building. Elementary students occupied the first floor, intermediate the second, and high school the third. * 1910: Shreveport High School built adjacent to Hope Street. * 1923: Caddo Parish School Board decides to build two new high schools. Site purchased from Justin Gras for $110,000 and four adjacent lots in Bon Air Subdivision, from F.R. Chadick for $9,500. * 1924: Stewart-McGee awarded the building contract for $772,133. On October 3, cornerstone laid with full Masonic ceremonies including a letter from C. E. Byrd; a

boll weevil The boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis'') is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae. The boll weevil feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central Mexico, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19 ...

symbolizing problems of the farmer; a bottle of oil, symbolic of the oil business; an ear of corn representing

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

; coins representing the financial situation, and a Bible. * 1925: Board authorized $40,000 to furnish the building. Building accepted from the contractor on June 27. Because furniture had not yet arrived, the opening was delayed until October.

1960s–1970s: desegregation

* 1967: First African-American graduate, Arthur Burton. * 1968: As part of an order to desegregate, neighborhood school district boundaries were abolished and students were allowed to select schools under a protocol known as "Freedom of Choice." Courts found this policy did not accomplish desegregation * 1969: New districts were created in the summer of 1969 forcing thousands of students to change schools. Faculty from historically black high schools were exchanged with those from historically white high schools and students from Captain Shreve High School returned to Byrd as their neighborhood school. 1970: In an attempt to further desegregate, Valencia High School (now Caddo Magnet High School) was merged with Byrd. Students class schedules were changed at the start of the new semester in order to "mix" the students from the two schools. The Black administrators from Valencia were given minor roles at Byrd. Tensions were high with student protests. As a result of these protests, police were called in to guard the doors of the school. Students were not allowed to leave the building once they came to school for the day. Senior rings had been ordered the previous year, so each wore their own class rings. While students from both schools participated in the same commencement exercises they wore different colored academic regalia, that represented their schools. Byrd High subsequently fell victim to "

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

" with many parents sending their children to Jesuit High School (now Loyola), St. Vincent's Academy, or one of several new private schools. Enrollment decreased to the point that Byrd faced possible closure. Byrd returned as a powerhouse by re-inventing itself as a Math and Science magnet school. The area comprising the school building and three other non-contributing properties were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1991. The elaborate four story brick structure designed by Edward F. Neild has seen several alterations since its construction in 1924. The structure, however, still retains its original visual impact and is significant in the area of architecture. Byrd remains one of few examples of

Jacobean Revival The Jacobethan ( ) architectural style, also known as Jacobean Revival, is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the Englis ...

architecture. With .

Student media

* Literary magazine: Perspectives * Newspaper: Highlife * TV station: K-BYRD * Yearbook: Gusher

Athletics

C. E. Byrd High athletics competes in the LHSAA.

Championships

Football championships *(10) State Championships: 1914, 1915, 1922, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1949 Boys golf championships *(8) State Championships: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 Girls golf championships *(1) State Championships: 2019 Girls soccer championships *(1) State Championships: 1996 Boys basketball championships *(1) State Championships: 1994 Girls basketball championships *(2) State Championships: 1993, 1994

Coaches

* Lee Hedges, football

Notable alumni

* Edward C. Aldridge Jr. (1956), president and CEO of

The Aerospace Corporation The Aerospace Corporation is an American nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The corporation provides technical guidance and advice on all aspects of space missions to military, civil ...

* John N. Bahcall, astrophysicist known for his work on

solar neutrino problem The solar neutrino problem concerned a large discrepancy between the flux of solar neutrinos as predicted from the Sun's luminosity and as measured directly. The discrepancy was first observed in the mid-1960s and was resolved around 2002. The fl ...

Fuller W. Bazer Fuller W. Bazer (born 1938) is an American animal scientist and a Regents Fellow, Distinguished Professor, and O.D. Butler Chair in Animal Science at Texas A&M University. Birth and education Fuller W. Bazer was born in 1938 in Shreveport, Lo ...

(1956), O.D. Butler Chair in Animal Science at Texas A&M;

Wolf Prize in Agriculture The Wolf Prize in Agriculture is awarded annually since 1978 by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes, alongside those for Wolf Prize in Chemistry, chemistry, Wolf Prize in Mathematics, mathematics, Wolf Prize in Medicine, ...

Betsy Boze Dr. Betsy Vogel Boze (pronounced Bōz), is an American academic and higher education administrator who is currently serving as the ninth President of The College of The Bahamas. Previously, she worked as a professor of marketing, department cha ...

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

(formerly Betsy Vogel) (1971), President,

The College of The Bahamas The University of The Bahamas (UB) is the national public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas with campuses throughout the archipelago. The main campus is located in the capital city of Nassau, on the island of New ...

Karen Carlson Karen Carlson (born January 15, 1945) is an American retired actress. She is also a director, producer and writer. Early life Carlson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.W. Carlson. She was educated at C.E. Byrd Hi ...

, actress * Judith A. Cooper (1967) (born 1949), speech pathologist *

John Howard Dalton John Howard Dalton (born December 13, 1941) is an American politician and investor. Dalton was Secretary of the Navy from July 22, 1993, to November 16, 1998. Education and Navy service Dalton attended Louisiana State University for a year befo ...

(1959), former U.S. Secretary of the Navy * Jordan Davis (2006) (born 1988), country singer *

Tillman Franks Tillman Ben Franks, Sr. (September 29, 1920 – October 26, 2006), was an American bassist and songwriter and the manager for a number of country music artists including Johnny Horton, David Houston, Webb Pierce, Claude King, and the Carli ...

(1940), songwriter * Brandon Friedman (1996), former Deputy Assistant Secretary,

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...

; author of ''

The War I Always Wanted Brandon Friedman is an American writer, entrepreneur and former Obama administration official. He was CEO of the McPherson Square Group before co-founding Rakkasan Tea Company in 2017. Previously, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for ...

'' *

Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Alfred Curry Glassell Jr. (March 31, 1913 – October 29, 2008) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He made a fortune in the oil and gas industry in Louisiana and Texas and was a co-founder of Transcontinental Pipeline. He amassed a s ...

, businessman, philanthropist and big-game fisherman *

Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz (born January 31, 1942) is an American historian and the Sydenham Clark Parsons Professor of American Studies and History, emerita, at Smith College. Early life and education Horowitz was born on January 31, 1942, in Shre ...

(1959), 2003 Pulitzer Prize in history *

Tom Jarriel Thomas Edwin Jarriel (December 29, 1934 – October 24, 2024) was an American television news reporter who worked for the ABC network from 1964 to 2002. Background Jarriel was born in LaGrange, Georgia, on December 29, 1934. During his childhoo ...

(1952),

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

journalist *

Faith Jenkins Faith Elizabeth Lattimore ( Jenkins; born September 21, 1977) is an American attorney, legal commentator and media personality. On March 11, 2014, she joined MSNBC as a legal analyst. She was the presiding judge over the long-running courtroom se ...

Miss Louisiana The Miss Louisiana competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Louisiana in the Miss America pageant. Although no delegate from Louisiana has ever won the Miss America title, four have placed 1st runner-up. As o ...

2000,

Miss America 2001 Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

first runner-up, attorney and legal analyst *

Victor Joris Victor Joris (1929–2013) was an American fashion designer and fashion illustrator. He was active between 1945 until the 1970s. Biography Born April 25, 1929, in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended C.E. Byrd High School. He went on to study f ...

, fashion designer. *

William Joyce William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born Fascism, fascist and Propaganda of Nazi Germany, Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the World War II, Second World War. After moving from ...

, Academy Award winner, children's book author and illustrator *

Merle Kilgore Wyatt Merle Kilgore (August 9, 1934 – February 6, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and manager. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the time of his death, he was the personal manager of Hank Wil ...

(1952), singer, songwriter, and manager * Aaron Selber, Jr. (1944) (1927–2013), businessman and philanthropist *

Andy Sidaris Andrew William Sidaris (February 20, 1931 – March 7, 2007) was an American television and film director, producer, screenwriter. After a pioneering career directing televised sports beginning in the 1960s, Sidaris wrote and directed a succes ...

(1948) (1931–2007), television producer, director (B movies), actor and writer *

Shelby Singleton Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. Early life He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. an ...

, record producer and record label owner * William T. Whisner, Jr. (1923–1989),

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Elected officials and judiciary

Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss (; born November 10, 1943) is an American lawyer and retired politician who was a United States Senate, United States Senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party (Unite ...

(1961) (born 1943), Republican U.S. senator from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, 2002–2015 * George W. D'Artois (c. 1942) (1925–1977), Shreveport public service commissioner from 1962 to 1976 *

William J. Fleniken William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

(c. 1925) (1908–1979),

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (in case citations, W.D. La.) is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette ...

, 1950–1953, judge of state 1st Judicial District Court in Shreveport, 1961–1979 *

Frank Fulco Frank, FRANK, or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a Germanic people in late Roman times * Franks, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusa ...

(1928) (1909–1999), Louisiana House of Representatives (1956–1972) * Pike Hall, Jr. (c. 1947) (1931–1999), member of Caddo Parish School Board 1964–1970; state appeal court judge 1971–1990, associate justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (; ) is the supreme court, highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Supreme ...

1990–1994 * James C. Gardner (1940) (1924–2010), Shreveport mayor (1954–1958) and state representative (1952–1954) * William T. "Bill" Hanna (1947) (1930–2016), Shreveport Democratic mayor (1978–1982) and Caddo Parish administrator *

Eric Johnson (Georgia politician) Eric Johnson (born August 20, 1953) is an American politician who served in the Georgia State Senate representing the 1st District, comprising all of Bryan and Liberty counties and part of Chatham County. He resigned his seat in 2009, after ...

(1953) Georgia state senator, 1994–2009 * J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. (1950) (born 1932), Louisiana Democratic U.S. senator (1972–1997) *

Robert Kostelka The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

(1949) (born 1933), Louisiana state senator and former state court judge from Ouachita Parish * Charles B. Peatross (1958) (1940–2015), judge of Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport * Tom Rowland, former mayor of

Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of, and largest city in, Bradley County, Tennessee. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradle ...

* Virginia Kilpatrick Shehee (1940) (1923–2015), Chairman, Kilpatrick Life Insurance Company, former state senator from Caddo Parish * Phil Short (1965) (born 1947), former state senator from St. Tammany Parish;

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer * Art Sour (c. 1941) (1924–2000), Shreveport Republican state legislator (1972–1992) * Tom Stagg (1939) (1923–2015), judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana *Jeffrey P. Victory (1963) (born 1946), former associate justice of

* Jacques L. Wiener, Jr. (1952), U.S. Circuit Court judge *David Matlock (1973), Caddo Parish Juvenile Judge (1995-2023) and Chief Judge (1999-2023)

Athletes

Arnaz Battle Arnaz Jerome Battle (born February 22, 1980) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Battle also p ...

(1998), wide receiver for NFL's

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

* Harry Davis (1908–1997),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Pat "Gravy" Patterson (1934–2007), Byrd High School coach 1963–1967 * Seth Morehead (1934-2006), Major League Baseball pitcher *

Scotty Robertson Robert Scott "Scotty" Robertson III (February 1, 1930 – August 18, 2011) was an American basketball coach. He was the first coach for the New Orleans Jazz (now the Utah Jazz), and he later coached the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. He a ...

(1947), head coach of NBA's New Orleans Jazz,

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

and

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

* Dan Sandifer (1943), defensive back for six NFL teams * David Woodley, quarterback at

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

(1976–1979), played for

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

(1980–1983) and the

(1984–1985) *

Jonathan Stewart Jonathan Creon Stewart (born March 21, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning All-American honors. Stewar ...

(2009), linebacker at Texas A&M (2009–2013), played for

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Pat Studstill Patrick Lewis Studstill Jr. (June 4, 1938 – October 16, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver, punter and return specialist. He played 12 years in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions ...

, NFL punter and wide receiver for

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

* James Sykes (1971), football player,

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

1975–1982;

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

1983 and 1986 * Isaac Hagins (1972), football player,

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

1976–1980 * Liffort Hobley (1978-1980), QB, DB, Football Player, at LSU 2 times Defensive MVP at Safety, St. Louis Football Cardinals(1985-1986) and Miami Dolphins (1987-1993)

References

External links

Official school siteCaddo Parish School Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, C. E., High School School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Tudor Revival architecture in Louisiana School buildings completed in 1924 Magnet schools in Louisiana Educational institutions established in 1925 High schools in Shreveport, Louisiana Public high schools in Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in Caddo Parish, Louisiana 1925 establishments in Louisiana