C. E. Byrd High School,a Blue Ribbon School, is the largest high school in Shreveport, Louisiana. In continuous operation since 1925, Byrd is also the second largest high school in the state of Louisiana.
1892: C.E. Byrd came to Shreveport as principal of the first public high school, in two rented rooms in the YMCA 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. 20-acre (81,000 m2) 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 symbolizing problems of the farmer; a bottle of oil, symbolic of the oil business; an ear of corn representing agriculture; 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.
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 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" 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.
Alma Mater
Byrd, We stand to honor Thee, Alma Mater true.
Loyal homage we will bring, through the years to you.
Loyalty, honesty, with our friendships hold.
Always deep within our hearts: the purple and the gold.
Fight Song
We Are Jackets
We are Jackets, We are Jackets,
Always we fight for victory,
Spirits high, hopes undaunted,
For we are the Jackets, Byrd High Yellow Jackets,
For we are the Jackets, Best of all.
We will never lose our spirit, that is plain to see.
Until the final whistle blows, we will fight for victory.
Fight, Fight, Fight!
This victory will be ours, that is plain to see!
For we are the Jackets, Byrd High Yellow Jackets!
For we are the Jackets–– Best of All!
Mascot
Jack the Jacket
Colors
Purple and Gold
Rival
Captain Shreve High School
Clubs and Organizations
4-H
Academic Decathlon
Art Club
Astra Club
Beta Club
Chess Club
COE
Debate Club
DECA
Diamond Girls
Drama Club
FCA
Film Club
Fishing Club
French Club
Freshmen Student Council
Gayarre History Club
Gusher/Yearbook
Highlife/Newspaper
International Thespian Society
JROTC
Key Club
Latin Club
Lyle's Leaders
National Honor Society
Perspectives/Literary Magazine
Quill & Scroll
Quiz Bowl
Refuge Club
Senior Ring Staff
Spanish Club
Stamp Collecting Club
Student Council
Tech Club
Top Jackets
Youth and Government
Z-Club
Literary magazine: Perspectives
Newspaper: High Life
TV station: KBYRD
Yearbook: Gusher
Edward C. Aldridge Jr. (1956), president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation
Tommy Allen (1956), Photojournalist, The Washington Post, 1960-2004
Douglas F. Attaway (1910–1994), publisher of former Shreveport Journal and KSLA-TV television
John N. Bahcall astrophysicist known for his work on the solar neutrino problem
Fuller W. Bazer (1956), O.D. Butler Chair in Animal Science at Texas A&M; Wolf Prize in Agriculture
Charles T. Beaird (1922–2006), Shreveport businessman, professor, and philanthropist
Betsy Boze, Ph.D. (formerly Betsy Vogel) (1971), President, The College of The Bahamas
Jerry Byrd (attended 1949-1950), sports writer and editor of the Shreveport Journal, 1957-1991, and Bossier Press-Tribune, 1993-2012; graduated from Fair Park High School in 1953
John Howard Dalton (1959), former U.S. Secretary of the Navy
Tillman Franks (1940), songwriter
Brandon Friedman (1996), former Deputy Assistant Secretary, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; author of The War I Always Wanted
Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz (1959), 2003 Pulitzer Prize in history
Tom Jarriel (1952), ABC News veteran
Faith Jenkins, Miss Louisiana 2000, Miss America 2001 first runner-up, attorney and legal analyst
William Joyce, Academy Award Winner, and nationally known children's book author and illustrator.
Merle Kilgore (1952), singer, songwriter, and manager
Aaron Selber, Jr. (1944) (1927-2013), businessman and philanthropist
Andy Sidaris (1948) (1931–2007), television producer, director (B Movies), actor, and writer
Shelby Singleton, record producer and record label owner
Elliott Stonecipher (1969) (born 1951), political consultant, pollster, and political analyst
Pattie W. Van Hook (1945) (1927–1991), first woman president of the Louisiana State Medical Society
William T. Whisner, Jr. (1923-1989), flying ace in World War II and the Korean War
Elected officials and judiciary
Calhoun Allen (1938) (1921-1991), mayor of Shreveport (1970-1978); commissioner of public utilities (1962-1970)
C. J. Bolin (1924–2007), Caddo Parish state district court judge, 1968–1990
Algie D. Brown (1928) (1910–2004), Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948–1972
George A. Burton (1941) (1924-2014), CPA and Shreveport finance commissioner from 1971 to 1978
Saxby Chambliss (1961) (born 1943), Republican U.S. senator from Georgia, 2002-2015
Jack Crichton (1933) (1916–2007), industrialist; 1964 Republican gubernatorial nominee in Texas, defeated by John Connally
George W. D'Artois (c. 1942) (1925-1977), Shreveport public service commissioner from 1962-1976
William J. Fleniken (c. 1925) (1908-1979), United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, 1950-1953, and judge of the state 1st Judicial District Court in Shreveport, 1961-1979
Frank Fulco (1928) (1909–1999), Louisiana House of Representatives (1956–1972)
James C. Gardner (1940) (1924–2010), Shreveport mayor (1954–1958) and state representative (1952–1954)
Billy Guin (1944) (born 1927), former Caddo Parish School Board member and the last of the Shreveport municipal public utilities commissioners (1977-1978)
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 1990-1994
Don Hathaway (1946) (born 1928), Caddo Parish sheriff (1980-2000) and last Shreveport municipal public works commissioner (1970-1978)
William T. "Bill" Hanna (1947) (1930-2016), Shreveport Democratic mayor (1978-1982) and Caddo Parish administrator
J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. (1950) (born 1932), Louisiana Democratic U.S. senator (1972–1997)
Robert Kostelka (1949) (born 1933), Louisiana state senator and former state court judge from Ouachita Parish
Richard G. Neeson (1964), state senator for Caddo Parish, 1980-1992
Charles B. Peatross (1958) (1940-2015), judge of the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport
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 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
Harold Terry (1945) (1925-2016), sheriff of Caddo Parish from 1976 to 1980; attended Hope Street High School for returning veterans
Jeffrey P. Victory (1963) (born 1946), former associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Wayne Waddell (1966) (born 1948), Republican former state representative
Dayton Waller (c. 1942) (1925-2015), state representative, 1968-1972
Jacques L. Wiener, Jr. (1952), U.S. District Court judge
Ruth Rye Cockerham (1939) (1922-2002), presidential elector 1960, Caddo Parish School Board member from Fair Park district
Arnaz Battle (1998) San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
Chris Cotton (2010) Pitcher at LSU and 14th round draft pick by the Houston Astros Organization in the 2013 MLB First Year Player Draft.
Pat "Gravy" Patterson (1934–2007), Byrd High School coach 1963-1967
Scotty Robertson (1947), basketball coach
Dan Sandifer (1943), NFL defensive back
David Woodley, quarterback at LSU (1976–1979), played for the Miami Dolphins (1980–1983) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1984–1985)
Jonathan Stewart (2009), linebacker at Texas A&M (2009-2013), played for the St. Louis Rams, the Cleveland Browns and is currently the Dallas Cowboys
James Sykes (1971) Calgary Stampeders 1975-1982; Winnepeg Blue Bombers 1983 and 1986
Isaac Hagins (1972) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976-1980
