The Northeast Regional Library now has a name.
The Lafayette councils on Tuesday decided that the newest library of the Lafayette Public Library System will be named the Norman C. Francis Library.
Francis, a Lafayette native, was known as an attorney, educator, civic leader and champion for educational opportunity. He died in February.
Francis was the first Black student at Loyola, and served as president of Xavier University in New Orleans, taking the helm of the HBCU on the very day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated - April 4 1968.
According to Xavier's website, he was "Xavier’s first lay president, led Xavier with unwavering principle, intellectual rigor, and moral clarity. Under his leadership, Xavier strengthened its Catholic and historically Black identity while dramatically expanding its national reputation, particularly in the sciences and health professions. His 47-year presidency stands among the longest in U.S. higher education history and reshaped not only the University, but the city of New Orleans and the nation it serves. Today, Xavier is recognized as a leading producer of Black graduates who go on to earn medical degrees, a legacy directly tied to Dr. Francis’s belief that education must serve both opportunity and justice."
The Wikipedia page about Francis says he was born to poor parents here in Lafayette - his father was a barber who rode a bicycle to work - and he made pocket money by shining shoes in downtown Lafayette.
Here's more from the university's obituary:
Beyond his service to Xavier as an administrator, Francis was a highly accomplished alumnus whose work consistently provided a much-needed form of access for his beloved community. Prior to his service as Xavier’s President and following his historic success as the first Black law school graduate of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1955, Francis served as an attorney litigating civil rights cases in Louisiana before Brown v. Board of Education. He also served as Xavier’s Dean of Men and was a key player in the Civil Rights movement. He was a major advocate in allowing the Freedom Riders, at the request of senior class president Rudy Lombard ’61, to safely retreat to St. Michael’s Residence Hall following a violent attack on one of their rides.
In 1972, he co-founded Liberty Bank and Trust Company, one of the oldest and largest Black-owned banks in the United States, to provide financial services to underserved Black communities. Francis was also instrumental in bringing a different type of access to New Orleans. In the early 1960s, he helped to bring an NFL franchise to the city as an early investor of the New Orleans Saints and in the development of the Superdome.
Nationally, Francis was hailed as a towering figure in philanthropy and education. He served as chair of the United Negro College Fund and held leadership roles on numerous corporate, foundation, and nonprofit boards. He was a leading voice among Catholic higher education presidents, standing alongside then-University of Notre Dame President Fr. Theodore Hesburgh at the landmark Land o’Lakes convening of Catholic college and university leaders, helping to shape the conversation on the implications of the papal encyclical Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the role of Catholic identity in American higher education. Across these spaces, he was widely respected for his judgment, humility, and ability to bring people together around shared purpose.
A release from LCG summarizes his career this way:
Born in Lafayette in 1931, Francis devoted his life to advancing educational opportunities and promoting social justice. In 1952, he became the first African American to enroll at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. After earning his law degree, he joined Xavier University of Louisiana in 1957 and later served as its president for 47 years, from 1968 to 2015, becoming one of the longest-serving university presidents in the nation.
Beyond his leadership at Xavier University, Francis served as a trusted advisor to eight U.S. presidents, chaired the Louisiana Recovery Authority following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2006. His enduring influence continues to inspire communities following his passing in February 2026 at the age of 94.
According to that release, the Norman C. Francis Library is a key component of the broader Holy Rosary Redevelopment initiative, bringing expanded library services, educational resources, technology, and community gathering spaces to North Lafayette.
To see our story about the design of the library, click here. To see LCG's webpage about it, click here.
