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Southfield School Alumni

Memories

Southfield Archive

Southfield’s archives are maintained at the Archives and Special Collections Department of the LSU-S Noel Memorial Library. The library is a central, safe place to deposit items that help tell the story of Southfield and the people who have passed through its halls. All elements in the collection are the property of Southfield School under the custodianship of the Noel Memorial Library.

The archivists’ repair, clean, catalog, and preserve these materials so that they will be available to all who are interested in the history and long tradition of excellence at Southfield School. Your Alumni Association dues help maintain the archives for Southfield School.

Southfield Alumni

Hall of Fame

In 1994, the Board of Trustees of Southfield School established the Southfield School Hall of Fame. Portraits of the first three inductees, all distinguished alumni, were hung in the stairwell hall between the gymnasium and the middle school commons area.

Robert B. Oakley (’48)

Robert B. Oakley was born in Dallas, TX on March 12, 1931. He was raised in Shreveport, LA and attended Southfield School. He went on to graduate from South Kent School in Connecticut and then Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history. He served as a U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer in Japan. After military service, he attended Tulane University and entered the Foreign Service.

Robert is perhaps best known for his service as the President’s Special Envoy for Somalia. He had a long and distinguished career in the Foreign Service, including an assignment as Ambassador to Pakistan. He was awarded the State Department Meritorious Award and the State Department Distinguished Honor Award. Robert passed away on December 10, 2014 at the age of 83.

Josephine Carmody

Honoree Josephine Carmody is a life-long Shreveporter, leaving only for her college years at Marymount College in New York state. She holds her master’s degree plus 30 hours in education and psychology, attending classes for many years while teaching at Southfield School, thus demonstrating the “joy of learning” that was her philosophy to instill in every child.

Miss Carmody taught a year of kindergarten and two years of second grade, followed by 38 years as a first grade teacher. She touched the lives of many children and families with her encouragement, sensitivity to individual needs, and spirited approach to learning.

Hazel Kytle

The Headmistress of Southfield from 1941 until 1966, Hazel Kytle laid a strong foundation at Southfield School by enriching the curriculum with French, music, physical education, and the study of ancient civilizations.

Underlying her every effort was her desire to instill in every child a love of reading. To that end, she frequently read to students herself, encouraged each teacher and parent to make reading an important part of every day, and assisted in the development of the Book Fair, which continues to be a Southfield tradition.

Janet Bliss Butcher

Mrs. Janet Bliss Butcher began teaching kindergarten at Southfield School in 1946. She taught for three years, took a 13-year hiatus, and then returned to Southfield to teach second grade from 1962 until her retirement in 1993. During those years, Mrs. Butcher became well-known for the annual building of “Electric City,” a popular Southfield tradition.