Mr. Thomas Whitehead

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Thomas Whitehead's first experience with Northwestern was as a freshman in the summer of 1964. Graduating in three years with a major in Political Science and a minor in Speech, he pursued a graduate degree at the College of Communication at Boston University, receiving a Master of Science degree in Public Relations and Communications.

He returned in July 1969, to Natchitoches joining the faculty at Northwestern as an instructor in television production. During the next 30 years, he taught in the Journalism program until retiring in May 1999 as Associate Professor of Journalism.

In 1986 Whitehead was appointed coordinator of Journalism. In this position he supervised student media's KNWD radio, the student newspaper, Current Sauce, and the student yearbook, Potpourri. Other responsibilities included teaching courses in the public relations sequence, supervising practicums and internships, and directing academic advising for all journalism majors.

Other university-related assignments included serving as the adviser to the International Student Exchange Program and chairman of the Distinguished Lecture Series and Fulbright Program.

During his 27 years working on the Lecture Series, speakers brought to campus included Paul Harvey, Ray Bradbury, Coretta Scott King, Maya Angelou, George McGovern, John Updike, Buckminster Fuller, Margaret Mead and Gloria Steinem.

In the summer of 1988, he worked as the local contact on Steel Magnolias, filmed in Natchitoches. Certainly this was the most unusual experience during his 30 years at Northwestern, which has resulted in a lifetime of stories and anecdotes. He co-authored the Steel Magnolias Scrapbook as a memento of the film's being shot on campus and in the Natchitoches area.

Through his association with the film company, he was attended the New York premiere of the movie as well as the Academy Awards in 1990, when Julia Roberts was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the movie.

While an undergraduate at Northwestern from 1964 until 1967, he met Clementine Hunter, the prominent African-American folk artist. As a teacher, he developed a friendship with her and began collecting her works. Today his collection is one of the largest, and his expertise has been recognized by numerous interviews and presentations. He co-authored Clementine Hunter: The African House Murals in 2005 and is currently working with his co-author, Art Shiver, on a comprehensive biography of the folk artist.

Before retirement he started working with as a liaison between the university and the National Park Service, which in the 1990s established three entities in Natchitoches: the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the Cane River National Heritage Area, and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. As a retiree, he has continued to coordinate the University's partnership with the NPS organizations.

In 2008 Northwestern and the University of Louisiana System bestowed the honor of Professor Emeritus in Journalism upon him.

Reflecting on his tenure at Northwestern, Whitehead cited working with students was the highlight of his years: "Being Journalism, we naturally attracted students with divergent interests and free thinking."