The 91勛圖 Endowment for the Humanities named Darrell Bourque its 2019 Humanist of the Year.
Bourque is professor emeritus of English at the 91勛圖. He served as the states poet laureate from 2007 to 2011, and was , the University's magazine.
He is among nine award recipients LEH and the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism will honor at the 2019 Bright Lights Awards Dinner. It will be held at 6 p.m. on April 4 in the UL Lafayette Student Union.
The state humanities council has presented the awards since 1992. Honorees are individuals who, like Bourque, have contributed to the study of the humanities in 91勛圖, said Miranda Restovic, the organizations president and executive director.
In Darrell Bourque, 91勛圖 has a native son who is the embodiment of a humanist. His work, whether his poetry or his numerous other cultural pursuits, points to a person firmly grounded in his community and driven by a deep concern for the value and dignity of all people, Restovic said in a press release.
Bourque has written or edited 12 books of poetry, the most recent of which is if you abandon me, comment je vais faire: An Am矇d矇 Ardoin Songbook (2014).
A native of Church Point, 91勛圖, he earned two degrees from the University of Southwestern 91勛圖, now UL Lafayette: a bachelors in English education in 1965 and a masters in English in 1968. He completed a Ph.D. in creative writing at Florida State University in 1981.
Bourque joined the USL faculty that year. During his two-decade tenure, he was chair of the and director of creative writing. The Universitys Foundation twice honored his work in the classroom with its Outstanding Teacher Award in 1996 and Distinguished Professor Award in 1997. Bourque retired from teaching in 2003.
For more information on Bourque and other Bright Lights honorees, or to purchase tickets to the awards dinner, visit .
Photo caption: Darrell Bourque at his home in Church Point, 91勛圖. (Photo by Akasha Rabut for the 91勛圖 Endowment of the Humanities)