Senator plans to honor Jimmy Long's legacy

Greg Hilburn | USA TODAY Network

Political legend Jimmy Long, who died in a car accident last summer, may soon be memorialized in the name of the school for which he was the catalyst in the 1980s while serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 1 by Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, would add Long's name to the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts. It will be debated during the regular Legislative Session that begins in April.

"He was without question the most significant person in founding this amazing school in Louisiana," said Thompson, who was a colleague of Long's in the House. "We were together in North Carolina touring a similar school and I said, 'This would make a good fit in Delhi,' and he said, 'But it would make a better fit in Natchitoches (Long's hometown).'"

Long, who served in the House from 1968-2000, authored the legislation creating the school and placing it on the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches.

It was the second state-supported residential school of its kind. The first was the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, which Long and Thompson visited.

"It's one of the premier schools in the country," Thompson said. "It's an outstanding center where students from all over the state can come and pursue their academic dreams."

Long also served on the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors after his retirement from the House and until his death.

University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson, formerly the Northwestern State president, was close to Long.

"Anything that honors the memory of an education giant like Jimmy Long is a good thing," Henderson said. "I know how instrumental he was in creating what has become one of the nation's finest public high schools.

"He had many accomplishments in promoting and improving education in this state, but the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts might have been his hallmark."

His brother is Sen. Gerald Long, R-Natchitoches, the last link the Long family political dynasty of Huey and Earl.

"He had an uncanny ability to bring people together, to bring the best out of people," his brother Gerald said at Jimmy Long's funeral.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1