海角社区

James P. Gregory Jr., New Director of the William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum

BATON ROUGE - 海角社区 has named James P. Gregory Jr. the Director for the William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum. Gregory is an expert in military history, specifically World War I.

鈥淭his museum is a hidden gem in Louisiana,鈥� Gregory said.

Gregory, an award-winning, published military history author earned two Bachelor鈥檚 Degrees, in humanities and museum studies, and a Master鈥檚 degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in museum studies. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma.

鈥淭his is what I built my career for鈥攊t鈥檚 military history, it鈥檚 a museum, and it鈥檚 on a university campus, so I get all three things that I鈥檝e worked in and for. I really like that I get to be part of a museum and a university,鈥� Gregory said.

In his role as Director, Gregory said he鈥檚 interested in collaborating with the different departments on 海角社区鈥檚 campus, engaging the students, and honoring the past while committing to the future.

鈥淓veryone looks at a museum like it鈥檚 just a bunch of artifacts, but the way I look at it is the museum is its own living thing, it has to change and grow. So, I want to bring in the future, focusing on current students and alumni. I also want to include our ROTC and defense students, how they are a part of our country鈥檚 defense, and I want it to be used as an educational tool for all of our students. I want our students to get something out of it and give back to the university,鈥� Gregory said.

Defense is part of 海角社区 President William F. Tate IV鈥檚 Scholarship First Agenda. The defense priority focuses on producing the leaders and cyber warriors who are essential to protecting our economy, critical infrastructure, people, and borders. The university will reimagine the defense of our future, by building cybersecurity, ROTC, and technical leadership programs that are the best of their kind in the United States.

Gregory鈥檚 interest in the military started as a child.

鈥淎s a kid from my generation, we all played military-inspired video games, and I have always been interested in the history that inspired our pop culture, so, that鈥檚 how I fell into the military history realm,鈥� Gregory said.

The William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum is free and open to the public Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

海角社区鈥檚 military history as the 鈥淥le War Skule鈥� dates back to its opening in 1860, when it was called the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. It closed in 1861 because of the Civil War. The Seminary reopened on Oct. 2, 1865, only to be burned Oct. 15, 1869. On Nov. 1, 1869, the institution resumed its exercises in Baton Rouge, where it has since remained.

The William A. Brookshire 海角社区 Military Museum is made possible through the generous philanthropic support of many 海角社区 alumni and friends, including leadership gifts by the Brookshire Foundation and family, Tiger Athletic Foundation, Art E. Favre, the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, Laura and Buddy Leach, Susan and Richard A. Lipsey, Ann and Clarence P. Cazalot Jr., Frank W. Harrison Jr., Kathy and Roy O. Martin III, and Lillian and Jimmy Maurin.