John Thornton Leopold, De Soto Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller

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John Thornton Leopold is a member of a very substantial and honored 
family in De Soto Parish, but for the past four years his duties have 
been as principal of the Florien schools in Sabine Parish.  Mr. Leopold 
is a very capable young school man, and has made an interesting record 
in scholastic work and athletics at the university and while teaching.

He was born August 1, 1898, son of Dr. Joseph L. and Helen (McMillan) 
Leopold, his father born in 1864 and his mother in 1868.  Doctor 
Leopold and his wife were educated in Keatchie College, and he graduated 
from the Tulane University Medical School in 1890.  He subsequently did 
post-graduate work in nervous diseases at New York City.  For a quarter 
of a century he has practiced medicine at Grand Cane in De Soto Parish.  
He and his family are Baptists.  There are five children:  Joseph Lee, Jr., 
manager of the Woolworth store at Pine Bluff, Arkansas;  C. G., a druggist 
at Grand Cane;  John Thornton;  R. M.; and  Dorothy, a teacher at Goss, 
Louisiana.  The son, Joseph L., Jr., was with an ammunition train in 
France on the battle lines and subsequently with the Army of Occupation 
in Germany.  The son, C. G., was in training at Camp Beauregard. 

John Thornton Leopold graduated from the Grand Cane High School in 1915.  
He spent one year in the Louisiana College at Pineville, attended the 
Louisiana Normal College at Natchitoches in l916-17, and was a student 
in the Louisiana State University during 1917-18.  Mr. Leopold had his 
first teaching experience at Florien, and after three months was promoted 
to principal.  He has now been iii charge of the schools there four years.

He married in 1920 Miss Addie Peyton Courtney daughter of Howard Courtney.  
She is a graduate of the Grand Cane High School and was a fellow student 
with Mr. Leopold. She has to her credit six years of teaching experience, 
having been with the schools at Florien four years.  Mr. and Mr. Leopold 
are members of the Baptist Church and he is affiliated with the Masonic 
Order and both are members of the Eastern Star.

Mr. Leopold is a giant in stature, and a splendid athlete.  While in Louisiana 
College he made basketball, football, baseball and track teams, and in the 
Louisiana State University player on the basket ball team.  He cultivated 
athletics, but never at the expense of his studies.  At the breaking out 
of the World war he was not yet nineteen years of age, but stood six feet, 
two and a half inches in his stocking feet.  He was too tall for service 
the navy or marine corps and, though volunteering, was rejected by the 
army officer.  However, his application had been accepted to attend an 
officers training camp in California when the armistice signed.  He now 
stands six feet four inches Mr. Leopold has perfected an admirable school 
organization at Florien.  He encourages athletics an important feature 
of student activities.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 22, by Henry E. Chambers.  
Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.