METRO

Little, Alfred T. ; Alfred Little, former Jefferson schools chief 
21 September 2003
Times-Picayune
04 

Alfred T. Little, superintendent of schools in Jefferson Parish from 1965 to 
1969, died Sept. 1 at his home in Austin, Texas, after a lengthy struggle with 
Parkinson's disease. He was 89. 
A native of Yowell, Texas, Mr. Little earned two degrees from the East Texas 
State Teachers College and attended the University of Texas in Austin on a 
fellowship from the Kellogg Foundation, earning an education doctorate degree in 
1955. 
He served as Jefferson Parish's education leader during an era of racial 
integration and dramatic growth, overseeing a push to build 33 schools and 
renovate dozens of others. Stressing the importance of quality teaching over the 
fielding of great football teams and bands, he said in 1965, "We need creative 
teaching in every classroom that will stimulate the student to seek out 
knowledge on his own." 
Mr. Little's daughter, Patricia Little Boswell, said her father enjoyed serving 
the parish's changing school system. 
"My parents had very much enjoyed my father's tenure in Metairie," said Boswell, 
who recalls them being active in the Westbank Rotary Club and Munholland 
Memorial United Methodist Church. "They returned to New Orleans on several 
occasions to visit the many friends they had made during the time of his 
administration." 
In addition to his post in Jefferson Parish, Mr. Little served as a school 
superintendent in Emory and Borger, Texas. Before retiring in 1975, he held an 
executive post at the Texas Education Agency. He was a Navy veteran who served 
in World War II. 
Mr. Little was a member of St. John's United Methodist Church in Austin and held 
leadership positions with the United Way and Rotary Club. 
Survivors include his wife, Audrey Little; Boswell; one brother, Arthur O. 
Little of Ludlow, Kentucky; two step-sisters, Martha Choate of Dallas and 
Juanita Moore of Klondike, Texas; and three grandchildren. 
Funeral services were held Sept. 6 in Commerce, Texas. 
Deaths