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Born Wylie Eugenia Stanton, Mrs. J.A. Landry (1868–1943) was responsible for donating the land for the original Landry School, meaning she is considered to be one of the founders of what is now St. Louis Catholic High School.[i] She was inducted into the SLCHS Hall of Fame in 2015, and she is still celebrated by the school administration — her portrait is hung prominently within the school’s halls, and the Landry Memorial Gymnasium — the school’s most famous building[ii] — bears her name.
She was also a highly active member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.[iii] Primary historical documents show that Mrs. J.A. Landry fundraised for the Confederate monument outside the courthouse in Lake Charles,[iv] attended parties celebrating Robert E. Lee’s memory,[v] and took on multiple leadership roles[vi] within the organization over the course of at least fifteen years of her adult life,[vii] possibly longer.
And the St. Louis Catholic administration knew about this history. Administrators were warned about Landry’s Confederate connections prior to her induction into the Hall of Fame in 2015. In fact, we know for certain that at least some members of the selection committee knew definitively of her UDC affiliation.* The school administration was made aware of these committee members’ concerns, and responded by presenting Landry with the prestigious award anyway.[viii]
‘A graceful festooning here and there of the national and Confederate flags’
Mrs. J.A. Landry was highly involved within Lake Charles’s Robert E. Lee Chapter №305 of the UDC. Not only did she help to raise the Confederate monument in Lake Charles (whose continued existence is currently being debated), but she also helped raise the money for this statue by organizing benefits, and she held a leadership position within the organization for several years — she was the Chairman of the “Credentials Committee”[x]. She also served on the “refreshment committee,” where she once helped serve “a dainty refreshment course of hot chocolate” at a celebration for Robert E. Lee’s birthday anniversary in 1914 at a local home that was “graceful[ly] festoon[ed” in Confederate flags.[xi] This news item ran not in the politics section, but in the “society” pages of the now-American Press.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy is not a relic of the past. It is a still-active white supremacist organization that has always been closely affiliated with — and inseparable from — the Ku Klux Klan. As Kali Holloway, journalist and director of the Make It Right Project (a national campaign whose mission is to remove Confederate monuments) reports:
Since the UDC’s founding in 1894, the elite white Southern ladies’ group has dedicated itself to erecting Confederate monuments around the country and, in more recent years, quietly ensuring those markers remain standing. They have been the single most effective propagandists for the Lost Cause myth, an alternative-fact-ridden version of history that denies slavery as the central cause of the Civil War while also insisting that slavery was a mutually beneficial institution — a win-win for both enslavers and the enslaved. UDC textbooks have taught generations of Southern children that the Confederacy — a nation whose founders were unequivocal about its cornerstone being white superiority and black enslavement — was a valiant and valorous cause.[xii]
The courthouse locations of many Confederate monuments — including the one that Landry helped erect in Lake Charles — is also no accident. Holloway points out that the UDC deliberately “chose to erect many monuments in close proximity to legislative and judicial power centers” as a way to remind Black Americans that “white institutions were not there to serve their interests.” Most Confederate monuments in the United States were erected during the Jim Crow era, many years after the Civil War ended — including the one that Landry raised money and helped to erect. This is no coincidence. It is also not a coincidence that Lake Charles’s Confederate monument was erected right around the same time the KKK returned to prominence in the 1920s.
UDC: ‘The KKK’s more feminine, genteel sister organization’
The UDC’s ties to the Klan are extensive and well-documented by historians. The UDC built statues honoring KKK members and saw Klan members as heroes.[xiii] Heidi Christensen, the former president of the Seattle UDC chapter who left the organization in 2012, said, “[I]n some ways [the UDC was] sort of like the KKK’s more feminine, genteel sister organization”.[xiv]
The origin story of St. Louis Catholic High is inseparable from the United Daughters of the Confederacy due to Mrs. J.A. Landry’s founding of the Landry School that later became SLCHS. Landry was still an active member of the UDC in 1925,[xv] the same year she purchased the former Baptist Orphanage building and the sixteen acres of land that would become the Landry School.[xvi] In fact, students at the Landry School were eligible for awards from the UDC as late as 1929 — perhaps even later. To win the award, students had to write the best essay about a Confederate General — and slaveowner — Stonewall Jackson.[xvii]
It would be one thing if these racist origins were a part of St. Louis’s distant past. However, the active cover-up of Landry’s connections to the UDC demonstrates the school’s racist present. Why did the school choose to honor Landry with a prestigious position in the Hall of Fame in 2015 after concerns were raised by the award committee regarding her Confederate past?
Landry’s connections to the UDC are well-documented and not difficult to find. A cursory search of Lake Charles’s American Press digital archives resulted in no less than seven different articles mentioning “Mrs. J.A. Landry” attending UDC meetings over a span of fifteen years. These records indicate that she was active from at least 1910 through 1925, though her involvement may have been even longer. In fact, the American Press even reran Landry’s obituary in 1993, which reads: “She was also an active member of the R.E. Lee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.” Landry’s UDC affiliation was mentioned in the American Press as recently as 2009, in Mike Jones’ popular “Our Past” column.
But you don’t even have to access the paywalled American Press archives to find this information. A Google Books search of “United Daughters of the Confederacy, Lake Charles” will bring you straight to the UDC’s own extensive, digitized meeting records — where “Mrs. J. Landry” is not only named, but listed as an officer within the Lake Charles chapter — “Chm. Credential Com.”[xviii] It does not take a historian to locate this information (I am not a historian, or even a journalist). The wide availability of these records suggests that the school could not have been unaware of this history.
What’s worse, we know for a fact The American Press knew, too — because our St. Louis Alumni For Change leaders passed them an anonymous tip informing them of Landry’s UDC past that they chose not to follow up on, despite the fact that the information is in their own archives. They decided — as St. Louis did — that this story was not newsworthy. Or perhaps they do not wish to bring public attention to the contents of their paper’s archives.
Though we cannot locate the exact date that Landry joined the UDC, the earliest public records we found of her involvement show her attending meetings starting in 1910. To give you an idea of how members of Lake Charles’ social elite such as Landry viewed Black Americans at this time period, just look at the following review for a dramatic adaptation of a book titled “The Clansman” that ran in the Lake Charles Daily Press in 1905 (a mere five years before Landry’s first public association with the UDC):
Mr. Dixon in his book champions the cause of the klan with powerful arguments, and in the play, which is called “The Clansman,” a romantic story has been interwoven that is highly entertaining. The play is of stirring interest […] and Mr. Dixon is one of the able thinkers and speaks of that part of the’ country. The play has been well described by the saying, “‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ answered at last.”[xix]
The book described above would later be adapted into the 1915 KKK propaganda film Birth of a Nation, which played to full houses when it arrived two years later at the Lake Charles Arcade Theater.[xx] Also in 1915, the steps of the Calcasieu Courthouse were packed for the dedication of The South’s Defenders Memorial Monument that Landry helped erect.[xxi] Almost certainly, Mrs. J.A. Landry was among the members of the “amusement loving public of Lake Charles” who waited “patiently for many months to see the most wonderful moving picture ever produced, ‘The Birth of a Nation.’” Many articles in the archives describe various socialites driving in from out of town, just to watch the film in Lake Charles. It was the premier social event of the season. As the now-American Press reported in 1917:
The house was packed almost to its capacity from parquet to gallery, and the frequent outburst of applause, cheers, and expressions of appreciation were sufficient evidence that the great picture pleased […] Perhaps the most remarkable and most picturesque effect was the Ku Klux. These resolute, grim figures decked in white with helmets and masks covering their faces, their horses all in white trappings, moving swiftly, silently until their forces were gathered and then charging like a mighty army, bringing order out of the terrible chaos they were forced to encounter, made a deep impression on the audience, and cheer after cheer was given as their deed of valor were shown, and their lives were given that others might live in peace.[xxii]
We must now recognize that adoration of the Confederacy and the KKK is inseparable from who Landry (and all other members of the UDC) truly were. All symbols — including names — gain new meanings over time. Mrs. J.A. Landry’s name, in 2020, represents more than her philanthropic giving — it represents the ideals and values she held dear. And even Landry’s philanthropy, when viewed through a historical lens, was likely inspired by the same beliefs that led Landry to join the UDC — her beliefs in white, Christian superiority, beliefs in the moral correctness of the KKK’s mission, her admiration of Robert E. Lee. This is who she was; these are the ideas she fought passionately for through the UDC.
‘One of the most progressive citizens in the history of Lake Charles’
In the 2015 press release celebrating Landry’s induction into the Hall of Fame, Landry’s UDC ties are omitted and completely erased. The Diocese of Lake Charles commemorated her by calling her “one of the most progressive citizens in the history of Lake Charles” (similar language is used in her original obituary). What is truly horrifying about this quote is that this may very well be true. What does it say about our hometown’s Diocese that even their most “progressive” white benefactors were members of the Daughters of the Confederacy?
What do we make of the fact that even the current Catholic leaders of Lake Charles still celebrate Landry’s legacy, are unwilling to distance themselves from a figure who, in 1925 at the age of 56, attended a UDC convention where she listened attentively as a speaker proclaimed that:
This day we are gathered together in the sight of God to strengthen the bonds that unite us in a common cause, to renew the vows of loyalty to our sacred principles, to do homage unto the memory of our gallant confederate soldiers and to perpetuate the fame of their noble deeds unto the third and fourth generations. To this end we invoke the aid of our Lord.[xxiii]
And because many in Lake Charles have been taught a blatantly wrong version of our shared history, it is worth reminding you that Robert E. Lee was a violent and evil man who owned other human beings as property. He believed that slavery was good for Black people. As The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer wrote, Lee beat or ordered his slaves to be beaten, he “fought for the preservation of slavery,” his army “kidnapped free black people at gunpoint and made them unfree” and he did all of this in the name of Christianity and “love” for Black Americans.[xxiv] Arguing anything otherwise is what Serwer rightly calls “historical illiteracy.” It is high time we stopped celebrating evil men and those who adored them.
It is worth noting that the school honored Landry with a Hall of Fame Award in 2015, the 100-year anniversary of Landry’s other biggest lifetime achievement — the unveiling of the Confederate statue in downtown Lake Charles.
It is time St. Louis Catholic High grappled with the school’s real history and not its imagined one. Landry’s legacy of philanthropic giving cannot be separated from her love of Robert E. Lee, her love of the Confederacy and everything it has always stood for. Whether or not you believe these monuments represent your heritage, it is time they came down. They are — and always have been — symbols of white supremacy and the darkest period of our nation’s history.
We will not tell you to take down her plaque or rename her gym. But as long as Mrs. J.A. Landry’s name adorns your school’s walls and facades, you are flying a Confederate flag above our alma mater, and you can no longer claim innocence of this fact. We are not tarnishing Landry’s legacy by stating the truth — we are correcting the record.
St. Louis administrators: If you stand for social justice, for equality, for the actual teachings of Christ — you will do the same.
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*Our source who informed us of the committee’s knowledge spoke on the condition of anonymity. We have independently sourced this person’s claims and confirmed their veracity.
NOTES
[i] SLCHS was formed in 1970 from its parent institutions, St. Charles Academy, Sacred Heart High School and Landry Memorial — and Landry was the founder of the latter of these original schools. Landry Memorial (which opened in 1927) was named by Mrs. J.A. Landry in honor of her late husband, J.A. Landry. Mrs. Landry purchased and remodeled the building for the school in 1925. She is considered one of the founders of St. Louis Catholic High School as a result.
SOURCE: Louisiana Digital Library, louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/mcneese-psl%3A4691.
[ii] The Landry Memorial Gym is the only SLCHS building listed as a historic landmark by the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society.
[iii] United Daughters of the Confederacy. Minutes of the Annual Convention, Volumes 20–21. 1914, p.47, play.google.com/books/reader?id=N30VAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PP2.
[iv] “Big Benefit for Monument Will Occur Tuesday.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 7 Apr. 1913, p.5, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=LCDT%2F1913%2F04%2F07&id=Ar00500&sk=58BDF192&viewMode=image.
[v] “Paid Tribute to Lee’s Memory.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 25 Jan. 1907, p.3, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=LAM%2F1907%2F01%2F25&id=Ar00306&sk=F370BDEA&viewMode=image.
[vii] The records we found prove Landry’s involvement from 1910 through 1925.
[viii] According to the St. Louis website, the “St. Louis Catholic High School Hall of Fame has been established to recognize any person, living or deceased, who has demonstrated outstanding ability, leadership, character, heroism, dedication, and patriotism and whose life and accomplishments can be an inspiration to the students of St. Louis Catholic High School. The following criteria will be adhered to in the selection process: Exemplification of the Principles of the Gospel; Dedication to Humanity; Reputation within the General community; Service to St. Louis Catholic High School” (SOURCE: slchs.org/hall-of-fame/).
[ix] A description of the décor at a celebration of Robert E. Lee’s birthday anniversary that was attended by future St. Louis Catholic Hall of Fame recipient (2015), Mrs. J.A. Landry. SOURCE: “Entertains in Honor of Memory of General Lee.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 19 Jan. 1914, p.5, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=LCDT%2F1914%2F01%2F19&id=Ar00512&sk=457BBA47&viewMode=image.
[x] “Annual Election U.D.C.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 29 Nov. 1913, p.8, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=LCDT%2F1913%2F11%2F29&id=Ar00816&sk=3C59D686&viewMode=image.
[xi] “Entertains in Honor of Memory of General Lee.”
[xii] Holloway, Kali. “Time to Expose the Women Still Celebrating the Confederacy.” The Daily Beast, 12 Nov. 2018, www.thedailybeast.com/time-to-expose-the-women-still-celebrating-the-confederacy.
[xiii] As scholar Greg Huffman notes, “Sixty-one years after the end of the Civil War, the UDC constructed a memorial to the Ku Klux Klan outside of the city of Concord, North Carolina.” SOURCE: Huffman, Greg. “The group behind Confederate monuments also built a memorial to the Klan”. Facing South, 8 June 2018, www.facingsouth.org/2018/06/group-behind-confederate-monuments-also-built-memorial-klan.
[xv] “Three Cars L.C.U.D.C. Went to Mansfield Today.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 6 Apr. 1925, p.3, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TAP%2F1925%2F04%2F06&id=Ar01100&sk=8F3C7FCA&viewMode=image.
[xvi] Interestingly, the death notice published by the Landry School newspaper upon Mrs. J.A. Landry’s death in 1943 makes no mention of Landry’s UDC affiliation — despite the fact that she was highly active in the organization for at least fifteen years and until she was well into her fifties.
SOURCES: Tritico, Russell. “School Mourns Death of Mrs. J.A. Landry.” The Landry Clarion, vol. 4, no. 1, Nov. 1943. history.jciv.com/2020/04/bobby-landry-at-landry-memorial-in-1943/?fbclid=IwAR3jLckMNtHKjCCbW0EpH7hvKqo28YBaKhfgeMyc1l07WQnfTgWOR9ppLkM & “Leading Citizen Dies.” American Press, 2 Nov. 1993, p.4. digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TAP%2F1993%2F11%2F02&id=Ar00403&sk=4F4195A2&viewMode=image.
[xvii] “Landry School Boasting of 3 Prize Winners.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 4 May 1929, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TAP%2F1929%2F05%2F04&id=Ar01503&sk=5C0EF219&viewMode=image.
[xix] Butler, Robert. “‘The Clansman’: Thomas Dixon, Jr.’s Successful Book Dramatized Here and Abroad.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 6 Oct. 1905, p.5, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=LCP%2F1905%2F10%2F06&id=Ar00509&sk=D0A89E61&viewMode=image.
[xx] The film was shown in 1917. SOURCE: “Feature Picture is Coming Here.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 30 Jan. 1917, p.4, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TAP%2F1917%2F01%2F30&id=Ar00403&sk=7B4B3B5C&viewMode=image.
[xxi] MacDonald, Janelle. “Should Calcasieu Monument Go?” KPLC, 2 June 2003, www.kplctv.com/story/1304308/should-calcasieu-monument-go/.
[xxii] “‘Great Picture’ Public’s Verdict.” Lake Charles Daily Times, 9 Feb. 1917, digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/AmPress/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TAP%2F1917%2F02%2F09&id=Ar01202&sk=1207301A&viewMode=image.
[xxiii] “Three Cars L.C.U.D.C. Went to Mansfield Today.”
[xxiv] Serwer, Adam. “The Myth of the Kindly General Lee.” The Atlantic, 4 June 2017, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/the-myth-of-the-kindly-general-lee/529038/.
