Baton Rouge, Louisiana Jan 31, 2025 (Issuewire.com) - The Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society (LGHS) announced today that Robert Brevelle was awarded the society’s highest honor. Presented once in a decade, the award is named for the famous explorer, Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle. La Salle is credited with exploring and claiming the entire Mississippi River basin for France. La Salle named the colony “La Louisiane” in honor of King Louis XIV and Saint Louis. La Salle built forts, trading posts, and communities from Canada to Texas.
“We are so pleased to recognize and honor Robert,” said Melissa Dauzat Collins, Vice President of LGHS. “Not only is Robert an accomplished genealogist and historian, he is the reason the LGHS exists today. Like many historical societies, we fell victim to the global COVID-19 scare losing the majority of our membership and staff. Administratively, we were experiencing difficulty in meeting the government’s 501(c)(3) and incorporation requirements, as well as, honoring our obligations to libraries, universities, and our members. The board of trustees reached out to Robert, and he quickly provided the necessary business, legal, organizational, and financial leadership. We owe our very existence and our recent growth to him. He is a devout champion of Louisiana history and genealogy.”
LGHS was founded in 1953. LGHS maintains several official state registries including the First Families of Louisiana and publishes historical books and the journal: The Louisiana Genealogical Register. Over 100 libraries subscribe to this journal. Past recipients of the Order of Cavelier include William King Hunt (founder and president of the LGHS and historian), Hale Boggs (U.S. congressman and house majority leader), Edwin Edwards (governor of Louisiana and U.S. congressman), and Nicholas Murray (writer, editor and historian). The Cavelier medal is very ornate like other historic French medals. It is made of silver and gold and features the State of Louisiana seal and silk ribbon.
“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Robert. “I am grateful for the opportunity to help my fellow historians and genealogists. I continue to learn so much from all of you, and together, we can preserve and share Louisiana’s beautiful history.”
Just as with path recipients, Robert’s story is fascinating with deep roots in Louisiana history. Robert is a direct lineal descendent of one of the original French settlers of Louisiana and his Native American wife from Natchitoches. His ancestors were the first Louisiana Creoles and their colonial-era land grant and plantation Isle Brevelle is internationally known as the “birthplace of Creole culture”. Isle Brevelle is also home to the U.S. National Park Service’s Cane River Creole National Historical Park. Other CENLA landmarks named for his ancestors include Bayou Brevelle, Brevelle Lake, Brevelle Lane, and Brevelle Train Station. The LGHS and Baton Rouge Historical Society have recognized the Brevelle family as one of the First Families of Louisiana.
Robert grew up in Marksville and Leesville. After graduating from Leesville High School, he attended the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago on full scholarship. Locally, he received scholarships from the Lions Club, Fort Polk Sergeant Majors Association, New Llano Retired American Legion Post, Louisiana Independent Automobile Dealers Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Louisiana Law Association.
After earning his bachelor's degree with high honors, he went on to earn three master's degrees, and multiple professional certifications and completed postgraduate work at tier 1 and Ivy League universities on full scholarship. In his free time, Robert pursued his love of history by completing advanced programs in genealogy, heraldry, and history.
Today, Robert is a tribal council member of the Adai Caddo Indian Nation and serves on the board of several historical societies and corporations including Cyber Security Services. He is an award-winning business leader, technologist, and entrepreneur having been featured in business journals, NASDAQ News, and Yahoo Finance News and recently listed as one of the top 100 innovators and entrepreneurs in the world.
“My love of history comes from my father,” said Robert. “He is an avid reader never without a book or two nearby. He regularly took the family to libraries and historic sites. I’m following in his footsteps with my son.”
The LGHS recently signed a multi-book deal with Robert, co-author Dee Niette Thompson, and the Adai Caddo Indian Nation to publish literary works on Native American and early French and Spanish history in Louisiana and Texas.
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