Alexander Pierre “A. P.” Tureaud, Jr., was the first Black undergraduate to attend LSU. He enrolled in 1953 after his father, A. P. Tureaud, Sr., who fought to overturn segregation nationwide, sued the school for his son’s right to attend.
Tureaud was expelled after an initially successful lawsuit, and though the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ruling, he completed his undergraduate studies at Xavier University of Louisiana then earned a graduate degree in rehabilitation counseling from Columbia University in New York. In 2011, fifty-eight years after his expulsion, LSU awarded Tureaud an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
Tureaud taught for ten years in public schools in New Orleans, Washington, DC and White Plains, NY. For the next twenty-six years he was the director of special education in the White Plains School, retiring in 1996. In addition to adjunct teaching at Hunter U, College of New Rochelle and Pace U., Tureaud received a sabbatical grant to study special education programs in Africa and Europe.
Actively involved with LSU’s A. P. Tureaud, Sr. Black Alumni Chapter and other University activities, Tureaud is the recipient of the chapter’s Legends Award and was the keynote speaker at the 2019 College of Art & Design Spring Commencement ceremony, at which he received an Honor Award for his contributions to education. The university stated Tureaud “became a symbol of integration in higher education and paved the way for future minority students.”
Tureaud was guest speaker and honoree at the dedication of Tureaud Hall, named for his father, and the unveiling of his father’s portrait at the LSU African American Cultural Center and the Student Union.
Tureaud now enjoys his leisure time as a free-lance educational consultant, gardener, artist, public speaker and author. Tureaud and Dr. Rachel Emmanuel co-authored A More Noble Cause: A.P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana, A Personal Biography, chronicling his father’s more than four decades of efforts for civil rights.
Tureaud and his wife, Fay Darensbourg, have two sons, Alexander Pierre Tureaud, III and Andrew Philip Tureaud, Sr., and two grandchildren, Amanda Paige Tureaud and Andrew Philip Tureaud, Jr.
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"My personal journey with LSU began seventy years ago and has been a unique and transformative experience.
After numerous legal challenges were resolved I entered LSU anticipating a demanding and exciting academic experience of challenges, making new friends and finding a rewarding career path. Instead, rejection, isolation, and racial prejudice destroyed my expectations for success. Fifty-five days after entering, I left LSU.
In 1988, thirty-five years later, I was invited to witness and celebrate the inauguration of the A. P. Tureaud, Sr. Black Alumni Chapter. This historic event helped me resolve my issues with the university and heal the hurt that harbored within me.
From that fantastic experience to the present, the officers and members of the chapter have been a beacon of leadership and accomplishment. They have graciously included me in their activities and initiatives with university administrators, faculty, students, the LSU Alumni Association, and community organizations to provide opportunities for inclusion and equity at LSU.
My journey continues, and I sincerely thank each person responsible for making this honor a reality." - A.P. Tureaud