When you ask Judge Eugene Bryson, Jr. (’69) about his time as a judge in the 1st Judicial District Court, he will enthusiastically tell you how much he enjoyed the judiciary and the people he served, both as a judge and as a mentor.
“It’s nice to look at your past and see who you came in contact with, and, hopefully, something you did helped that person become what they wanted to be, such as a judge or teacher,” said Judge Bryson, reflecting on his more than 40-year career on the bench.
He is also quick to credit the person who was by his side as he figured out who he wanted to be, his wife Charlotte Stodghill Bryson.
Judge Bryson and Charlotte initially met during a summer music camp in high school, but they didn’t officially start dating until their junior year at Centenary College.
After they graduated college in 1963, Judge Bryson moved to Baton Rouge to attend graduate school at LSU. Charlotte stayed in Shreveport to begin her teaching career. She joined Judge Bryson in Baton Rouge after they married in 1964 and started her master’s degree in education.
They had a plan in place. Judge Bryson would work at the College of Business while he finished his master’s degree in finance with the hopes of working for a bank one day. Charlotte would teach fourth grade at Villa del Rey Elementary School during the day and attend graduate school in the evenings and during the summer.
Then, as he was in the middle of completing his thesis, Judge Bryson realized that he didn’t want to go into business after all.
“I’d never thought about going to law school,” he said, even though he had family members who were lawyers. “I enjoyed graduate school. But I just really wanted to try law and give it my full effort.”
He enrolled at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1966 and started a new job at the LSU Law Library. Charlotte graduated with her master’s degree that same year.
“I was teaching, buying our food, and paying our rent,” Charlotte said about Judge Bryson’s law school years.
“And she was teaching me, too,” Judge Bryson joked, then seriously added, “She was my support. She was a big support.”
Once he completed his law degree in 1969, they moved back to Shreveport, where he began working at an insurance defense firm. After a year and a half of practice, Judge Bryson had the rare opportunity to join the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office.
“I began to see judges in action, and I thought that was something that I’d like to do,” said Judge Bryson, who was elected to the Caddo Parish Bench at age 37.
Initially, the judges in the 1st JDC would rotate through three different areas: criminal law, civil law, and domestic law. Judge Bryson would eventually preside solely over the criminal court.
“I enjoyed doing the kind of work that I did. I enjoyed being a judge,” said Judge Bryson, who became Chief Judge in 1991. “In fact, I enjoyed it to the day I retired.”
It was hard for him to completely step away from the bench when he retired in 2002. He continued to serve the court for another 12 years as a judicial administrator, a position usually filled by attorneys or Judge Advocate Generals. Judge Bryson was also appointed as Special Judge of the 1st JDC by the Louisiana Supreme Court at the request of his colleagues. He “officially” retired in 2014.
Charlotte also found it difficult to transition into retirement. Although she took a break from teaching when they moved back to Shreveport to raise their two children, Doug, Gene III and Elizabeth, she returned to the classroom several more times and taught for a total of 15 years.
“I loved my teaching, I really did,” said Charlotte, who taught fourth grade and eighth grade English throughout her tenure. “I still see my students all the time as adults. It was a great life.”
The Brysons stood by each other’s side as their careers in public service unfolded. And just as supportive as they were for one another, they were just as willing to provide guidance for the next generation.
Charlotte had the opportunity to mentor several student teachers throughout her career, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Many law clerks that served for Judge Bryson and the court went on to become members of the judiciary themselves, including Supreme Court Justice Scott Crichton (’80).
By establishing the Judge & Mrs. Eugene W. Bryson, Jr. Endowed Scholarship in 2012, the Brysons will continue to help current and future LSU Law students accomplish their own dreams.
“As I became a judge and enjoyed it so much, I thought ‘I want to give something back to the place that allowed me to be a judge,’” Judge Bryson remarked on his decision to establish a scholarship with LSU Law “I talked to Charlotte about it. And that’s why I wanted to give a scholarship; to be able to help somebody else.”
About this Scholarship:
The recipient of this scholarship must be a full-time student of LSU Law, and financial need may be a consideration. It is the donor’s preference that recipients be from Northwest Louisiana, specifically the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Grant, Jackson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Vernon, Webster and Winn. If there are not students that meet these qualifications in any given year, the scholarship may be awarded at the discretion of the scholarship committee.
