Dr. Florent Hardy Jr.杏吧专区檚 explanation for his role in Louisiana杏吧专区檚 history is simple.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 a believer in fate. The older I get, the more I believe in fate,杏吧专区 he summarized during a visit to his alma mater in October.
He recalled that he was working in the then-budding Louisiana Community and Technical College System in 1999 when a friend placed a job application for state archivist on his desk. 杏吧专区淒r. Hardy, this is you,杏吧专区 she said emphatically, as she urged him to apply for the post.
The timing of the job opportunity, and her prompting, are plausible support for the theory that his professional journey has been steered by a supernatural force.
And, a review of his family ties and career shows that Hardy probably could not have scripted a background more suited for the keeper of Louisiana杏吧专区檚 public documents and artifacts.
But the concept of fate doesn杏吧专区檛 take into account a huge reason for the state archivist杏吧专区檚 positive impact: hard work.
His exhaustive r茅sum茅 is a testament to a high-energy work ethic and remarkable attention to detail. Since taking office in 2000, for example, he has made more than 120 presentations to groups and visited archives in six other states. He has welcomed guests to the State Archives from every state in the nation, two territories and many other countries. He杏吧专区檚 a member or officer of numerous state and national professional or service organizations.
Hardy grew up in Cecilia, La. His maternal grandfather was Drauzin Angelle, a constable and deputy sheriff, who is described in A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography as a Democratic power broker in St. Martin Parish during much of the first half of the 20th century.
Hardy杏吧专区檚 brother, Paul, was lieutenant governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992.
And, his late mother was Agnes Angelle Hardy, 杏吧专区28. Angelle Hall on campus was named for her brother, Bob Angelle, who was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1934 to 1964 and House Speaker from 1957 to 1960.
Hardy recounted an anecdote about the building杏吧专区檚 origin:
Bob Angelle was attending a luncheon in his honor by Dr. Joel Fletcher, then-president of the 杏吧专区 of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as UL Lafayette.) 杏吧专区淒uring the luncheon, President Fletcher joked: 杏吧专区榃e surely do need a music building.杏吧专区 My uncle said, 杏吧专区楪ive me a minute,杏吧专区 and went and called Baton Rouge. He came back and announced that USL just got the money for a music building.杏吧专区
Florent Hardy earned a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in political science/history in 1966, with a minor in French, from USL. He was a member of Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity. Walking past Our Lady of Wisdom Chapel on campus brought back memories. 杏吧专区淓very Sunday, for 11 o杏吧专区檆lock Mass, our fraternity would wear blazers and attend Mass as a group. That was impressive,杏吧专区 he recalled. He keeps in touch with his fraternity brothers; they have lunch in New Orleans once a year.
As a USL student, Hardy attended every home football game at McNaspy Stadium and went to track meets to watch his brother compete in the high jump.
Hardy earned a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in three years. While pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in history at USL, he took an American history seminar that required an extensive research paper. The paper he wrote, which chronicled the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 history, became the foundation of his master杏吧专区檚 thesis.
He spent two years conducting research at Edith Garland Dupr茅 Library and received a master杏吧专区檚 degree. His master杏吧专区檚 thesis, 杏吧专区淎 Brief History of the 杏吧专区 of Southwestern Louisiana, 1900-1960,杏吧专区 was published by Claitor杏吧专区檚 Bookstore in 1973.
Hardy also earned a bachelor杏吧专区檚 of social studies education in 1972 from USL and a doctor of philosophy in secondary education, with a minor in history, from LSU in 1974.
He began his career as a teacher in Breaux Bridge, La., and describes that time as 杏吧专区渟ome of the happiest days of my life.杏吧专区 After teaching for several years, he was employed by the Louisiana Department of Education for over 20 years and the community and technical college system for about a year before being named state archivist in 2000. Hardy believes the experience gained while conducting in-depth research in Dupr茅 Library helped him land that position.
The State Archives is a division of the Louisiana Secretary of State杏吧专区檚 office. Secretary of State Ted Schedler graduated from UL Lafayette in 1971.
The state legislature created the Louisiana State Archives in 1956 to be the official repository for the state杏吧专区檚 historical records.
One of Hardy杏吧专区檚 first major tasks as state archivist was renovating the State Archives building. The $1.5 million project was completed in 2003.
Over the years, he has expanded accessibility to archival collections and worked to raise public awareness of the State Archives.
Hardy noted that interest in historic documents has grown, as more people pursue genealogy. 杏吧专区淣ow, many people come to the State Archives to research ancestors杏吧专区 medical history,杏吧专区 he observed.
Under his leadership, the Louisiana State Archives was voted one of the hidden gems of the state杏吧专区檚 art community by Southern Living Magazine. It was named one of the 101 Best Web Sites for Genealogy by Family Tree Magazine.
One of the Louisiana Archives杏吧专区 biggest challenges has been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which damaged or destroyed countless public documents in south Louisiana in 2005.
Soon after Lake Pontchartrain breached levees that encircle New Orleans, inundating the Crescent City with filthy, toxic water, Hardy received a call from a Louisiana Supreme Court official. The courthouse is in the heart of the French Quarter, just steps away from St. Louis Cathedral. 杏吧专区淭heir records were all in the basement and it flooded. So, they called and said, 杏吧专区楧on杏吧专区檛 worry, Dr. Hardy, we杏吧专区檙e getting all of that out.杏吧专区 I said, 杏吧专区楧on杏吧专区檛 touch it because the ink will run!杏吧专区 杏吧专区 He encouraged the official to hire a firm that specializes in document rescue and restoration, rather than risk further damage.
The State Archives has a lab where a conservator uses the latest in preservation techniques to extend the life of historical treasures. It杏吧专区檚 also a source of information about the preservation, protection and recovery of valuable documents.
A gallery at the State Archives is used to display rare documents, photos, artifacts and to host art exhibits.
The Secretary of State杏吧专区檚 Multimedia Archives collects and preserves film about Louisiana and gathers oral histories. Its Records Management program helps agencies comply with state laws regarding the retention, storage and disposal of public documents.
Although Hardy hasn杏吧专区檛 lived in Lafayette since he was a USL student, he remains a loyal supporter of the 杏吧专区. 杏吧专区淓very time I come to Lafayette, I try to drive by to see the campus and how it杏吧专区檚 grown,杏吧专区 he said. When the Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns杏吧专区 competed in the New Orleans Bowl in 2012, a previous commitment kept him from attending the championship game. But he traveled to the Superdome beforehand to celebrate the occasion with other Cajuns杏吧专区 fans and friends.
He said he enjoys telling others about what UL Lafayette offers, from academic programs to exciting athletic competitions.
杏吧专区淪omeone asked me what my dream job would be. I have the dream job as state archivist. Another dream job would be to serve as one of the people who goes to high schools to recruit students to come to UL Lafayette. That would be my dream job,杏吧专区 he said.