John Doucet oral history interview

Islandora advanced search

Title
John Doucet oral history interview
Interviewee
Doucet, John P.
Interviewer
Branton, Ryan
Contributing Repository
Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.). T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History
Date Created
2010
Subject - Topic
Cajun French dialect--Louisiana--Lafourche Parish
Cajuns--Health and hygiene--Louisiana
Cajuns--Louisiana--Social life and customs
Catholic scientists--Louisiana
Dramatists, American--Louisiana
Geneticists--Louisiana
Grandparent and child--Louisiana
Hurricane Betsy, 1965
Religion and science--Louisiana
Usher's syndrome--Research--Louisiana
Subject - Location
Catholic Church--Louisiana--Lafourche Parish
Nicholls State University--Faculty
Subject - Name
Doucet, John P--Interviews
Description
Doucet discusses his childhood growing up in Golden Meadow, how he interacted with his father, who was often gone because of his work on the oil rigs, and losing his father at age twelve. Doucet acknowledges how the community rallied to support him and his brother, including mentors at school and in the extended family, but his family was a close-knit one, and they rarely spent time with the larger community. Growing up Doucet spent a good deal of time with his grandparents, who spoke Cajun French, and he internalized their language such that he could reproduce many of their characteristics in plays he wrote as an adult. He also discusses the role and history of French in his family and on the bayou. The Doucets were very involved in the church, and Doucet served as an altar boy. Science was important from an early age. After making a perfect score in a third-grade science exam, Doucet's father, and later teachers, encouraged him to pursue a career in science, which led him to many science fairs and eventually, a doctorate in molecular biology at LSU Medical Center in New Orleans. He recalls his first memories are of the 1965 Hurricane Betsy, which nearly flooded their house. His post-doctoral genetic research of Usher's syndrome, which disproportionally affects Acadians, led to the discovery of the genetic mutation responsible, and brought him back to Acadian culture. He discusses how he got the job at Nicholls and how, since arriving he has continued to conduct genetic research with Acadians and with other subjects of South Louisiana interest, including local animals like love bugs and crawfish. Doucet discusses the role of religion in his life, with particular emphasis on its intersection with science, and the importance and definition of "home" in his life.
Link to Abstract
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/sites/all/files/oralhistory/abstracts/bayoulafourche/Doucet_John_T3945.pdf
Note
This collection includes materials accessioned as Mss. 4700.2099. A digital version of the index (pdf) exists for duplication purposes. A digital version of the audio recording (mp3) exists for duplication purposes and public access in the Special Collections Reading Room. Interview conducted by Ryan Branton.
Biographical Note
John Doucet was born in 1962 in Golden Meadow, La., the son of Herman Joseph Doucet, an oil field worker, and Dora Rebstock Doucet, a homemaker; he is one of five children. In his youth he spent a significant amount of time with his French-speaking grandparents, and a good deal of time with his family, but was rather isolated from the larger community. His father passed away when Doucet was twelve, but before his death encouraged Doucet to study science. Mentorship in middle school and high school, along with a local, regional, and national recognition, laid the groundwork for Doucet's scientific career. As a first-generation college student, Doucet studied chemistry at Nicholls State University. After completing his doctoral studies in biochemistry and molecular biology at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans, he received a National Institute of Health fellowship to study genetics, also at LSUMC. His team conducted research on Usher's syndrome, which disproportionately affects people of Acadian descent. His team identified the genetic mutation that causes Usher's, and his research has continued to focus on people of Acadian descent. Doucet joined the biology department of Nicholls State in 1999. He has served as the head of the Biology Department (three years) and honors program (nine years), and in 2012 was selected to serve as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Doucet became Louisiana's first certified public health geneticist in 2010, and the first to serve on the national Education Board of the American Society of Human Genetics. He has written over a dozen plays about Louisiana's Cajun culture, and a number of history texts about Bayou Lafourche. A practicing Catholic, Doucet served as an altar boy; as an adult he continues to have a strong faith in God, which he believes can coexist with his scientific research. He and his wife, also a Bayou Lafourche native, have two children.
Type of Resource
sound recording-nonmusical
Type of Resource
text
Genre
Oral histories
Size
1 digital audio file (1 hour, 3 minutes); Abstract (5 leaves); Index (7 leaves)
Media Type
audio/mpeg
Media Type
application/pdf
Digital Collection
Bayou Lafourche oral history project
Series
Bayou Lafourche oral history series
Physical Location
LSU Libraries
LSU Library: Oral History
Rights
Physical rights are retained by the LSU Libraries. Copyright is retained by Louisiana State University in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.
Contact Information
Please submit an LSU Special Collections reference ticket at https://askus.lib.lsu.edu/special for any questions or comments about this digital object.
Cite As
John Doucet Oral History Interview, Mss. 4700.2099, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, La.
Item Number
Doucet_John_T3945
Admin Login

 

Louisiana Digital Library

Contact the Louisiana Digital Library

Permissions/rights/reproduction and information requests:

The Louisiana Digital Library (LDL) is composed of collections from many different institutions. Permission to publish and acquire images or requests for more information about materials that you find in the LDL should be directed to the institution that contributed the item to the LDL. To find the contact who can help you, find the field called "Contact Information" next to the image of interest to you. The Louisiana Digital Library is a service provider only and has no authority to grant permission to publish or supply high-resolution images.

Technical assistant/site support

The Louisiana Digital Library platform has been developed by LSU Libraries on behalf of the Louisiana Digital Consortium. It runs on the Islandora open-source digital repository software.

LSU Libraries' Technology Initiatives: lsudiglib@lsu.edu.

Thanks for your interest in the Louisiana Digital Library.

About the Louisiana Digital Library (LDL)

The Louisiana Digital Library (LDL) is the front door to Louisiana's digital cultural heritage. Members include public libraries, academic libraries, museums, and archives from arcross the state.

Currently, there are 25 participating institutions in the LDL. Each institution contributes the digital items and the descriptive text for their collections.

  • Calcasieu Parish Public Library
  • Delgado Community College
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Library
  • Law Library of Louisiana
  • Louisiana State Archives
  • Louisiana State Museum
  • Louisiana State University
  • Louisiana State University at Alexandria
  • Louisiana State University at Shreveport
  • Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans
  • Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
  • Louisiana Tech University
  • Loyola University New Orleans
  • McNeese State University
  • Nicholls State University
  • Northwestern State University
  • Southern University
  • State Library Of Louisiana
  • The Historic New Orleans Collection
  • Tulane University
  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette
  • University of Louisiana at Monroe
  • University of New Orleans
  • Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park
  • Webster Parish Library

The LDL is built with Islandora, an open source digital library system based on Fedora, Drupal, and Solr.

Information about the Louisiana Digital Consortium can be found here: http://louisianadigitalconsortium.org

 

LDC Board Meetings

LDC Membership Meetings

LDL Advisory Committee Meetings