Dr. Huel Davis Perkins, aSouthern University alumnus, will receive a Honoray Doctorate of Humane Lettersdegree from Louisiana State University and Agricultural & MechanicalCollege on Friday, May 20 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Stated in a letter ofrecommendation to award the honorary degree to Perkins from LSU: “Dr. Perkinshas served with pride, dignity, and high intellectual achievement for over 50years as an exceptional teacher, scholar, and administrator at SouthernUniversity (his alma mater) and at LSU. Dr. Huel Davis Perkins has a long anddistinguished record of extraordinary and faithful service to his community,his family, the State of Louisiana, and more especially, to LSU.”
A native of Baton Rouge, Perkinsgraduated from Southern University in 1947 with high honors in music. Upongraduation, he journeyed to Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where heobtained his master’s and doctorate degrees.
From 1960 to 1968, Perkinsserved as the director of the Department of Music at Southern, and then as thedean of the College of Arts and Humanities from 1968 to 1978.
After leaving Washington, D.C.,in 1979 as the deputy director of the National Endowment for the Humanities ofEducational Programs, Perkins joined LSU to serve as the vice chancellor foracademic affairs until his retirement in 1989. After opting to come back to theUniversity, Perkins was selected to be the executive assistant to thechancellor until 1999. From 2001 to April 30, 2005, Perkins served as specialassistant to the chancellor, for a combined total of 23 years at LSU.
“I was well received at LSU byboth blacks and whites,” Perkins said. “I joined at a time when LSU neededblack professionals and were recruiting black students.”
At the LSU, his everyday jobduties included writing press releases, articles, including a great number inthe LSU alumni magazine, correspondences and drafting speeches.
Perkins was the first blackperson to achieve professional tenure at LSU, the first to serve in the upperadministrative rankings at the University, and the first named professoremeritus.
In addition, Perkins is theoriginal composer of the words and music to the Southern University fight song.
“Dr. Perkins is a kind andgentle man. I have never once heard him raise his voice,” said Frank Cook,professor of education. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t mean what he says.”
Some of Perkins’ civicinvolvement include the
Capital Area United Way, Boardof Elementary and Secondary Education-the State of Louisiana, Baton Rouge AreaFoundation, and President Clinton’s Commission on Historically Black Collegesand Universities.
Named in honor of Perkins, TheHuel D. Perkins Doctoral Fellowship Program, is an available fellowship forstudents desiring to obtain his or her doctorate degree from LSU. One of themost prestigious awards offered by LSU, the award is available to qualifiedblack doctoral students.
Perkins is married to ThelmaPerkins, an aluma of Southern. Thecouple shares a son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
