Final Draft

                                                                                                                        Gigi Francis

                                                                                                                        Period 7

Norman Christopher Francis served as the president of Xavier University in Louisiana for 47 years. Francis had changed the ways others see people today.

   Francis had struggled to become where he is today in many ways. Francis grew up poor and underprivileged. His parents had never even finished high school. Francis has been through a lot to get to where he is now and had to fight for what he wanted in life. 

“When I was a kid, my parents couldn’t even afford a car, so my father had to ride his bike everyday to work,” Francis said.

    Francis was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. There was a lot of segregation going on at the time he was growing up. It was hard for him to go to school, but he always went and he hardly ever missed a day. Even when he was sick he always managed to go to school. Francis went to St. Paul High School and graduated in 1948. After he had graduated from St. Paul High he was offered a work scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans. 

   "I went to Xavier and received a B.S. degree in 1952," Francis said. 

    Francis was the first African-American to go to Loyola University and Loyola University Law School. 

   "I was the first African-American to enroll at Loyola and I earned a J.D. in 1955 at Loyola Law School," Francis said.

   Francis had been part of the United States Army. 

    "I went to the military in 1955 after I went to Xavier, I went to law school and Loyola in 1952, then three years in law school and got a law degree and then I was drafted in the army in 1955, roughly around September," Francis said.

     Francis had spent two years in the army and fought in Germany. He eventually was discharged after two years.

 "Xavier called and asked if I wanted to spend a few years filling a position of somebody who was retiring and I had already spent the last three years before law school at Xavier,” Francis said. “I got the call roughly 1957 two months before I was leaving the army. I had accepted the position of being in charge of the freshmen and did that for about two years."

       Francis had been deciding weather to enroll at Loyola or not. He would be the only African-American there and he was already being treated unfairly.

     “One day I went to a little restaurant to buy a hamburger, and I walk up the lady to order, and she told me, "I'm sorry I'm not allowed to serve you here. We are only allowed to serve you find you are white.” So I had to walk around until I found a place that would serve to African-American." Francis said.

     Francis overcame all of this once he decided to enroll at Loyola and became the school's first black graduate in 1955.

            “I had to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into, to be sure I was capable of going to a school where I would be the only African American.” Francis said.

      He had been asked to be the vice president which was the number two position at Xavier University. After being vice president at Xavier in roughly 1968 he was offered president at Xavier University.

    "I turned it down, but then I reconsidered because everyone who had graduated from Xavier thought this was an opportunity from a black person to take over the University, and so I accepted," Francis said.

“My dad was always working, he would be in his office all day and all night. But he still always tried to see us and spend time with us,” Patrick Francis said.

      So he became president in 1968 for the same school he attended. When Norman Francis became the president, he was 37 years old. And when he retired in 2015 he was 84 years old, he worked at Xavier for 47 years.

“Before I was offered the job at Xavier, it had never crossed my mind to work at Xavier,” Francis said.

      Before he had become president, he had never even thought about being president, or even working at Xavier. He never expected that call he got right before leaving the military. 

     "Reconsidering becoming president of Xavier was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I couldn't image my life if I had never reconsidered calling them back and accepting the position of president I don't know I would have done with my life," Norman Francis said.

      Norman Francis has always made an impact on his children.

     "Norman Francis, my dad, is one of the most inspiring person I have met, he always is doing what ever he can to help other people. When I was growing up all I wanted to be was like my dad, not about getting a good job as much, but his personality," Patrick Francis said.

     Norman Francis had found a way to show all of his children that he will always help someone whenever they need it.

     "My dad loves to make people happy. He worked at Xavier for 47 years and I don't think he will ever not be involved with the University, he still helps out with Xavier as Xavier helped him," Christina Francis said.

     Norman Francis had dedicated his life to Xavier University of New Orleans, and if he had the chance, he wouldn’t change a thing

      “My life had been full of some ups and downs, but looking back now I wouldn’t have done anything different,” Francis said.