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Life
Story by Mr. Don Stout
Born in New Orleans at the old Hotel
Dieu Hospital (which shortly thereafter became the parking lot for the
new Hotel Dieu Hospital), Don learned early to roll with the punches.
His family moved to Metairie after he completed the
5th grade, removing him from the womb of parochial schools and
submerging him in the real world of Jefferson Parish public schools.
After completing 8th grade at T.H.Harris Middle, Don expected to follow
his friends to East Jefferson High. In an effort to disrupt any
continuity in the learning process (at least, in his mind), his parents
tried to coerce him into attending Archbishop Rummel High School.
For the first time in his life, Don put his foot
down- there was no way his parents could force him to attend Rummel.
(Little did he know!) By the time he acquiesced, Rummel had closed
enrollment for the year. (Little did they know!) After much begging and
pleading by his parents, Don was the last student admitted that year.
The rest is, as they say, history. Don went on to graduate from Rummel.
Inspired by a large number of faculty members (some
to remain nameless are still here), Don decided to pursue a degree in
English Education. Immediately upon receiving his teaching degree from
the University of New Orleans, he did as expected- he joined the
business world. For the next 13 years, Don enjoyed the ecstasies of
retail, middle management, and corporate life in the beautiful and
luxurious cities of River Ridge, Mandeville, Baton Rouge, and the
Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
When the opportunity to return to New Orleans came
up, Don decided to uproot his family and come back anyway. Now that his
family had four other mouths to feed (namely, his wife of 10 years,
Elizabeth, twin boys, Jonathan and Jeremy, who'd been born somewhere
between River Ridge and Mandeville, and his youngest son, Zachary, who
was born in Baton Rouge), it was only natural for Don to decide to begin
his very lucrative teaching career. When the opening at Rummel
materialized, the stage was set.
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