Bill Keith (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
Billy P. Keith, known as Bill Keith (born 1934), is an author of fiction
and nonfiction in Longview
, Texas
, who served from 1980 to 1984 as a Democratic
member of the Louisiana State Senate
. As a legislator, he was particularly known for his promotion of a state law requiring balanced treatment in the instruction of creation science
and evolution
in public schools.
An Oklahoma
native, Keith graduated from Wheaton College
, an evangelical institution in Wheaton
, Illinois
, with a Bachelor of Arts
in journalism. He received a Master of Divinity
degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth
, Texas. While at SWBTS, he worked in the public relations
office with Bill Moyers
, later the press secretary
to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
. After the publication of Keith's most recent book in 2009, Moyers sent him a note of goodwill.
, Keith has traveled to thirty-five countries in the pursuit of his writings. His work as a reporter for Shreveport Times in Shreveport
, Louisiana
, during the late 1970s provided the experience and material for his 2009 book, The Commissioner: A True Story of Deceit, Dishonor, and Death, a study of Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner George W. D'Artois (1925–1977), who held office under the city commission form of government, which was disbanded in 1978.
While in Shreveport, Keith served as city editor
at the Shreveport Journal, owned by Charles T. Beaird
. The Journal was the defunct afternoon rival newspaper
to the existing Shreveport Times, a morning publication.
He was a war correspondent in Vietnam and undertook freelance assignments in West Berlin
, Tokyo
, and the Philippine Islands. He has published biographies
, medical and inspirational works, and numerous magazine
articles. The Military Chaplain
s Association in Fort Worth named Keith a lifetime member in honor of his book Days of Anguish, Days of Hope (now in the fifth edition), the story of a U.S. Army chaplain who spent forty-two months in Japan
ese prisoner of war
camps during World War II
. Copies of the book have been given to all military chaplains in the nation.
An Oklahoma
native, Keith resides in Longview in Gregg County
with his third wife, the former Vivian Marie Mendez (born 1950), previously employed by the State Bar of Texas. He has three biological children, an adopted child, and two stepchildren.
outside Shreveport, Keith won the District 39 Senate seat vacated by Don W. Williamson
of Vivian
. Williamson did not seek a third Senate term and instead ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana insurance commissioner, having been narrowly defeated by the incumbent Sherman A. Bernard. As a state senator, Keith is primarily remembered for having introduced legislation, which acquired national attention, to give equal emphasis in public school science instruction to creation science and evolution. The measure, signed by Republican
Governor David C. Treen
, was entitled the Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act. Keith's act required that scientific evidence for creation-science, the view of abrupt appearance of organisms in the fossil records, whenever related material on evolution was presented in classes. A panel of seven creation-scientists, appointed by the governor, would advise local school districts on the appropriate curriculum. The act did not specifically require or allow instruction in any religious doctrine.
Keith's law was subsequently overturned by the United States Supreme Court in the 1987 decision Edwards v. Aguillard
because the court held that the law was specifically intended to advance a particular religion. Keith recalled that his interest in the matter developed in 1978, when his then 13-year-old son came home from school to report that a teacher had ridiculed the youngster's belief in God
as the creator of human life. Upon hearing of the Supreme Court decision, Keith, who was then living in Jefferson
, Texas, where he operated a Christian
book publishing firm, said that he was "shocked and disappointed. What this means is that the vast majority of American school children will continue to be indoctrinated
in evolutionism and will be denied the right and freedom to hear the evidence that points to creationism." Donald Aguillard, a plaintiff in the case who was then an assistant principal at Acadiana High School
in Scott
near Lafayette
, said that he was pleased with the overturning of Keith's law: "We just don't have the money now to be spending on bad science. . . . I'm thrilled that after six years we finally have a decision. The law would have cost the state monies that we do not have right now."
In despair, Keith replied, "Evolution is no more than a fairy tale about a frog that turns into a prince, but this is what we are teaching our schoolchildren today."
Then Louisiana Attorney General
William J. Guste
, who had judicially defended Keith's law, said that the high court had "unshackled teachers and enabled them to teach all scientific evidence with regard to the origin of human life, plant life, animal life and the universe." However, Guste said that the law was not "patently unconstitutional, and our position was agreed with by seven of fifteen judges of the United States Court of Appeals
and by two of the judges of the United States Supreme Court."
In 1983, Keith was defeated for a second term for the District 39 seat in Caddo Parish
by the African American
Democrat Gregory Tarver
, owner of J.S. Williams Funeral Home and insurance companies. After the 1980 census, the 39th became majority black and has not since elected a white state senator. Keith soon left Louisiana and lived thereafter in east Texas. For several years, he published a conservative weekly newspaper in Marshall
, Texas.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and nonfiction in Longview
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, who served from 1980 to 1984 as a 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 State Senate
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...
. As a legislator, he was particularly known for his promotion of a state law requiring balanced treatment in the instruction of creation science
Creation science
Creation Science or scientific creationism is a branch of creationism that attempts to provide scientific support for the Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis and disprove generally accepted scientific facts, theories and scientific paradigms about the history of the Earth, cosmology...
and evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
in public schools.
An Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
native, Keith graduated from Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
, an evangelical institution in Wheaton
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
, 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,...
, with a 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 journalism. He received a Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas. While at SWBTS, he worked in the public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
office with Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
, later the press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
to 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...
. After the publication of Keith's most recent book in 2009, Moyers sent him a note of goodwill.
His writings
A long-time investigative journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, Keith has traveled to thirty-five countries in the pursuit of his writings. His work as a reporter for Shreveport Times 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
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...
, during the late 1970s provided the experience and material for his 2009 book, The Commissioner: A True Story of Deceit, Dishonor, and Death, a study of Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner George W. D'Artois (1925–1977), who held office under the city commission form of government, which was disbanded in 1978.
While in Shreveport, Keith served as city editor
City editor
A city editor is a title used by a particular section editor of a newspaper. They are responsible for the daily changes of a particular issue of a newspaper that will be released in the coming day...
at the Shreveport Journal, owned by Charles T. Beaird
Charles T. Beaird
Charles Thomas Beaird of Shreveport, Louisiana, was an industrialist, newspaper publisher, philanthropist and civic leader. He was a self-identified "liberal Republican" politician and a champion of civil rights. Born to James Benjamin Beaird and Mattie Connell Fort Beaird, his mother died six...
. The Journal was the defunct afternoon rival newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
to the existing Shreveport Times, a morning publication.
He was a war correspondent in Vietnam and undertook freelance assignments in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and the Philippine Islands. He has published biographies
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
, medical and inspirational works, and numerous magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
articles. The Military Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s Association in Fort Worth named Keith a lifetime member in honor of his book Days of Anguish, Days of Hope (now in the fifth edition), the story of a U.S. Army chaplain who spent forty-two months in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camps 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...
. Copies of the book have been given to all military chaplains in the nation.
An Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
native, Keith resides in Longview in Gregg County
Gregg County, Texas
There were 42,687 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had...
with his third wife, the former Vivian Marie Mendez (born 1950), previously employed by the State Bar of Texas. He has three biological children, an adopted child, and two stepchildren.
Creation science debate
In 1979, while he resided in MooringsportMooringsport, Louisiana
Mooringsport is a village in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 833 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography: Mooringsport is located at ....
outside Shreveport, Keith won the District 39 Senate seat vacated by Don W. Williamson
Don W. Williamson
Donald Wayne Williamson, usually known as Don Williamson , is a semiretired American businessman in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish and the largest city in north Louisiana, who served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1968 and 1980...
of Vivian
Vivian, Louisiana
Vivian, is a town in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States and is home to the Red Bud Festival. The population was 4,031 at the 2000 census...
. Williamson did not seek a third Senate term and instead ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana insurance commissioner, having been narrowly defeated by the incumbent Sherman A. Bernard. As a state senator, Keith is primarily remembered for having introduced legislation, which acquired national attention, to give equal emphasis in public school science instruction to creation science and evolution. The measure, signed by 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...
Governor David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
, was entitled the Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act. Keith's act required that scientific evidence for creation-science, the view of abrupt appearance of organisms in the fossil records, whenever related material on evolution was presented in classes. A panel of seven creation-scientists, appointed by the governor, would advise local school districts on the appropriate curriculum. The act did not specifically require or allow instruction in any religious doctrine.
Keith's law was subsequently overturned by the United States Supreme Court in the 1987 decision Edwards v. Aguillard
Edwards v. Aguillard
Edwards v. Aguillard, was a legal case about the teaching of creationism that was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1987. The Court ruled that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools, along with evolution, was unconstitutional because the law...
because the court held that the law was specifically intended to advance a particular religion. Keith recalled that his interest in the matter developed in 1978, when his then 13-year-old son came home from school to report that a teacher had ridiculed the youngster's belief in 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....
as the creator of human life. Upon hearing of the Supreme Court decision, Keith, who was then living in Jefferson
Jefferson, Texas
Jefferson is an historic city in Marion County in northeastern Texas, United States. The population was 2,024 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County, Texas, and is situated in East Texas...
, Texas, where he operated a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
book publishing firm, said that he was "shocked and disappointed. What this means is that the vast majority of American school children will continue to be indoctrinated
Indoctrination
Indoctrination is the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology . It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned...
in evolutionism and will be denied the right and freedom to hear the evidence that points to creationism." Donald Aguillard, a plaintiff in the case who was then an assistant principal at Acadiana High School
Acadiana High School
Acadiana High School is located in Scott, Louisiana.Acadiana High School opened in 1969 following the consolidation of Judice High School, located in Judice Community, and Scott High School, located in Scott....
in Scott
Scott, Louisiana
Scott is the second largest municipality in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population rose to over 8,000 according to the 2010 census results.Scott is a suburb of Lafayette and is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area....
near Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, said that he was pleased with the overturning of Keith's law: "We just don't have the money now to be spending on bad science. . . . I'm thrilled that after six years we finally have a decision. The law would have cost the state monies that we do not have right now."
In despair, Keith replied, "Evolution is no more than a fairy tale about a frog that turns into a prince, but this is what we are teaching our schoolchildren today."
Then Louisiana Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
William J. Guste
William J. Guste
William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr., is a New Orleans attorney, businessman and popular Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1972 to 1992. He succeeded the scandal-plagued Jack P.F. Gremillion, a fellow Democrat who had held the position since 1956. Guste received recognition for molding the...
, who had judicially defended Keith's law, said that the high court had "unshackled teachers and enabled them to teach all scientific evidence with regard to the origin of human life, plant life, animal life and the universe." However, Guste said that the law was not "patently unconstitutional, and our position was agreed with by seven of fifteen judges of the United States Court of Appeals
United States court of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
and by two of the judges of the United States Supreme Court."
In 1983, Keith was defeated for a second term for the District 39 seat in Caddo Parish
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
by the African American
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...
Democrat Gregory Tarver
Gregory Tarver
Gregory Williams Tarver, Sr., known as Greg Tarver , is an African American businessman and Democratic politician in Shreveport, Louisiana, who served on the Shreveport City Council from 1978 to 1984 and as a Louisiana state senator from the predominantly black District 39 in Caddo Parish from 1984...
, owner of J.S. Williams Funeral Home and insurance companies. After the 1980 census, the 39th became majority black and has not since elected a white state senator. Keith soon left Louisiana and lived thereafter in east Texas. For several years, he published a conservative weekly newspaper in Marshall
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
, Texas.