E.S. Richardson
Encyclopedia
Edwin Sanders Richardson, Sr., principally known as E. S. Richardson (August 31, 1875 – October 11, 1950), was an educator who served from August 14, 1936, until 1941 as the president of Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, the seat of Lincoln Parish. Previously, Richardson was the superintendent of schools in his native Webster Parish. The E.S. Richardson Elementary School
at the intersection of
East Todd and Elm street in the eastern part of Minden
, established by a bond issue after World War II
, is named in his honor.
degree from Peabody College
in Nashville
, Tennessee
. Years later in 1936, he received an LL.D. degree from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College of Louisiana
in Shreveport
. On May 10, 1903, he married the former Zenobia Longino, and they had five children: Leland Richardson of Baton Rouge, Ruth Richardson of Ruston, Don L. Richardson of Tallulah
in Madison Parish, Evelyn Richardson Mulhern of Rayville
in Richland Parish, and E. S. Richardson, Jr., of Shreveport and later Lafayette
. Richardson began teaching in 1898. He was a member of the Louisiana State University
faculty in Baton Rouge from 1911-1916. From 1916-1920, he was the superintendent of Bienville Parish public schools, based in Arcadia
.
In 1921, Richardson left Bienville Parish to succeed Thomas Wafer Fuller
as the superintendent in Webster Parish. A teacher in Sibley
, Fuller was a state senator
from 1896 to 1900, and a newspaper
man. Richardson implemented a reform and standardization plan in regard to pupil progress. In the summer of 1927, he made appearances at educational conferences in seven states to explain the plan that some had termed the "Webster miracle." His uniform promotion plan, used for several decades, rested on four principal points:
Pupils absent during the last marking period and who returned for the final examinations but failed to make passing grades, could again take examinations in the subjects in which they failed. Uniform tests were prepared by the superintendent and teachers and advertised in the newspaper as to when and where they would be administered. By defining this policy, Richardson furthered the standardization he established in nearly all aspects of the parish system, from furniture
to textbook
acquisition.
and was thereafter affiliated with the National Association of School Administrators. Richardson left Webster Parish schools in 1936 to accept the Louisiana Tech presidency, which he held for five years. He was then named Tech president-emeritus.In Webster Parish, he was succeeded as superintendent by his assistant, James Edward Pitcher (1896-1988), a son-in-law of the LSU President Thomas Duckett Boyd. Pitcher remained superintendent from 1936 to 1961. He survived an attempt to oust him in 1957 at the height of the power of the former White Citizens Council.
On June 23, 1942, Richardson, a Democrat
, became the area rent director under the wartime Office of Price Administration
, an agency for which Richard M. Nixon similarly worked in Washington, D.C.
He was affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce
and the Lions Club in Minden and Ruston. Richardson was Baptist
.
Richardson died in a Ruston hospital
of heart
and gall bladder problems. After the death of his wife, Richardson had resided in Ruston with daughter Ruth Richardson, a home economics
professor at Louisiana Tech. He was predeceased by his wife and survived by all five children. He was survived by a brother, S. M. Richardson, Sr., M.D.
(1878- also 1950), of Minden, and a second brother and two sisters, none of whom are identified by name in the newspaper
obituary
. His nephew
s included Minden physician
s, S. Milton Richardson, Jr. (1909-1986), a former member and president of the Webster Parish School Board, and Thomas A. Richardson (1911-1976), the former Webster Parish coroner
.
A niece, Virginia Grace Pullig (1921-1979) of Houston
, was married to Wilson Clyde Pullig (1924-1996), an engineer who was reared in Sibley and was the older of two sons of William Clyde Pullig (1899-1979) and the former Stella Sarah Hathorn (1902-1951). Richardson was the great-great-uncle of Joshua Barret Madden (1985-2006), the first Minden resident to have been killed in the Iraq War.
Richardson is remembered by the naming of one of the four public elementary schools in his honor in his native Minden
as well as the Richardson Hall men's residence building at Louisiana Tech. Next to Richardson Hall is Cottingham Hall, named for Richardson's successor as the Louisiana Tech president, Claybrook Cottingham
.
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...
, the seat of Lincoln Parish. Previously, Richardson was the superintendent of schools in his native Webster Parish. The E.S. Richardson Elementary School
E.S. Richardson Elementary School
E.S. Richardson Elementary School is a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade campus which serves parts of the eastern section of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. The school opened in the 1949-1950 academic year, with Wayne Wynn Williams, Sr. , as the...
at the intersection of
East Todd and Elm street in the eastern part of 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...
, established by a bond issue after 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...
, is named in his honor.
Early years, education, and family
Richardson was born in the Gum Springs community near the small city of Minden in northwestern Louisiana to James Sanders Richardson and the former Sally C. Havis. He attended the Minden Male Academy and then in 1900 procured his Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Peabody College
Peabody College
Peabody College of Education and Human Development was founded in 1875 when the University of Nashville, located in Nashville, Tennessee, split into two separate educational institutions...
in Nashville
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...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Years later in 1936, he received an LL.D. degree from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
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....
. On May 10, 1903, he married the former Zenobia Longino, and they had five children: Leland Richardson of Baton Rouge, Ruth Richardson of Ruston, Don L. Richardson of Tallulah
Tallulah, Louisiana
Tallulah is a city in and the parish seat of Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census...
in Madison Parish, Evelyn Richardson Mulhern of Rayville
Rayville, Louisiana
Rayville is a town in, the parish seat of, and the largest community in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,234 at the 2000 census. It is also home of Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center...
in Richland Parish, and E. S. Richardson, Jr., of Shreveport and later 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...
. Richardson began teaching in 1898. He was a member of 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...
faculty in Baton Rouge from 1911-1916. From 1916-1920, he was the superintendent of Bienville Parish public schools, based in Arcadia
Arcadia, Louisiana
Arcadia is a town in and the parish seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,041 at the 2000 census....
.
Educational standardization
Thomas Wafer Fuller
Thomas Wafer Fuller was an educator and newspaperman from Minden, Louisiana,who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1896 to 1900....
as the superintendent in Webster Parish. A teacher in Sibley
Sibley, Louisiana
Sibley is a town in south Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, Fuller was a state senator
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...
from 1896 to 1900, and a 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...
man. Richardson implemented a reform and standardization plan in regard to pupil progress. In the summer of 1927, he made appearances at educational conferences in seven states to explain the plan that some had termed the "Webster miracle." His uniform promotion plan, used for several decades, rested on four principal points:
- Promotions in the first three grades were based on work in readingReading (process)Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
and arithmeticArithmeticArithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
. For the second grade, a student had to perform in two minutes fifteen simple addition problems and nine subtraction problems. - In grades 4-7, a pupil had to pass arithmetic, reading, and language before being eligible for promotion. He could be promoted with one failure in either of the other major subjects, historyHistoryHistory 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...
, civicsCivicsCivics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship. In other words, it is the study of government with attention to the role of citizens ― as opposed to external factors ― in the operation and oversight of government....
, geographyGeographyGeography 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 healthHealthHealth 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...
. - A pupil absent from school for the last marking period could return for the final examinations provided that he had performed passing work in arithmetic, reading, and language at the time of his withdrawal, and provided that his absence was for sufficient cause.
- Examinations were given at the beginning of each year to pupils, on request, if they failed two subjects, one of which could be arithmetic, reading, or language. Pupils who withdrew from school after attending as much as one hundred days could hence take examinations in all subjects with a view of promotion, provided they were doing passing work in reading, arithmetic, and language at the time of their withdrawal.
Pupils absent during the last marking period and who returned for the final examinations but failed to make passing grades, could again take examinations in the subjects in which they failed. Uniform tests were prepared by the superintendent and teachers and advertised in the newspaper as to when and where they would be administered. By defining this policy, Richardson furthered the standardization he established in nearly all aspects of the parish system, from furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
to textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
acquisition.
Later years
In 1926, Richardson was named president of the Louisiana Teachers Association. He was also a member of the National Education AssociationNational Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
and was thereafter affiliated with the National Association of School Administrators. Richardson left Webster Parish schools in 1936 to accept the Louisiana Tech presidency, which he held for five years. He was then named Tech president-emeritus.In Webster Parish, he was succeeded as superintendent by his assistant, James Edward Pitcher (1896-1988), a son-in-law of the LSU President Thomas Duckett Boyd. Pitcher remained superintendent from 1936 to 1961. He survived an attempt to oust him in 1957 at the height of the power of the former White Citizens Council.
On June 23, 1942, Richardson, a Democrat
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...
, became the area rent director under the wartime Office of Price Administration
Office of Price Administration
The Office of Price Administration was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA was originally to control money and rents after the outbreak of World War II.President Franklin D...
, an agency for which Richard M. Nixon similarly worked in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He was affiliated with the 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...
and the Lions Club in Minden and Ruston. Richardson was Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
.
Richardson died in a Ruston hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
of heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
and gall bladder problems. After the death of his wife, Richardson had resided in Ruston with daughter Ruth Richardson, a home economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
professor at Louisiana Tech. He was predeceased by his wife and survived by all five children. He was survived by a brother, S. M. Richardson, Sr., M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(1878- also 1950), of Minden, and a second brother and two sisters, none of whom are identified by name in the 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...
obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
. His nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
s included Minden physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, S. Milton Richardson, Jr. (1909-1986), a former member and president of the Webster Parish School Board, and Thomas A. Richardson (1911-1976), the former Webster Parish coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
.
A niece, Virginia Grace Pullig (1921-1979) of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, was married to Wilson Clyde Pullig (1924-1996), an engineer who was reared in Sibley and was the older of two sons of William Clyde Pullig (1899-1979) and the former Stella Sarah Hathorn (1902-1951). Richardson was the great-great-uncle of Joshua Barret Madden (1985-2006), the first Minden resident to have been killed in the Iraq War.
Richardson is remembered by the naming of one of the four public elementary schools in his honor in his native 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...
as well as the Richardson Hall men's residence building at Louisiana Tech. Next to Richardson Hall is Cottingham Hall, named for Richardson's successor as the Louisiana Tech president, Claybrook Cottingham
Claybrook Cottingham
Claybrook C. Cottingham was an educator who served as president of both Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville and the public institution, Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana....
.