Family visits Cecil Picard Library in Lafayette

Gerry Picard LeBlanc and Tyron Picard walked through the Cecil J. Picard Library located in the Picard Center in Lafayette and it was like seeing Cecil Picard all over again.
The Picard Library is a display of the life of Cecil Picard, an educator and former state senator and representative from Maurice. The room shows pictures of Picard’s childhood, including the house he grew up in located on the campus of Maurice High School.
The special room is located on the first floor of the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning. The 40,000 square-feet building was opened in 2011.
Picard never got to see the building because he died in 2007 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The Picard Library displays his rise in education, as a teacher, coach and principal in Vermilion Parish schools.
It shows photos of his parents and sister, along with photos of his wife Gaylen and two sons, Tyron and Lane Picard.
Gerry, a former teacher, still works in education today. She visits the Picard Center throughout the year and walks by her brother’s special room. There were times, when she would go and visit with her brother.
“It is a good feeling because I know what he did,” said Gerry. “It is a better feeling because of what is happening in education today. It is something he worked for - high quality early child hood programs. That is what he worked for.”
In 1996, Picard was elected as the State Superintendent of Education. During his time as the head of the state education agency, Picard worked closely with the state legislature and governor to develop and implement Louisiana’s Accountability Program, which is still ranked as one of the top in the nation.
Picard’s time as superintendent was also marked by his creation of the state’s nationally acclaimed early childhood program, LA 4. While touring Louisiana school districts, Picard came face-to-face with the numbing child poverty in our state. Armed with the firm belief that the best way to combat poverty is to give at-risk children an early start, Picard, with the assistance of Dr. Billy Stokes and other key leaders, developed the state’s early childhood program. On the power of prekindergarten for at-risk youth, Picard noted, “Starting kindergarten without PreK is like starting 10 yards behind in a 100-yard dash.”
No matter where his career took him, Picard’s love for children and education could not be suppressed, as he was often found sitting on the floor, reading and playing with children.
‘It shows these slices of his life from a child, legislature and as state superintendent,” said Tyron. “It is pretty interesting.”
The Picard Library has been open for the last four years. Tyron said he visits the room four or five times a year to see his father. Every time he visits the room, he sees something new. He also invites Picard’s friends into the room and they reminisce about old sports or political photos.
“There is a lot of history in one room,” said Tyron.