Soul of 78: Susie Elliott: Librarian

Words by Jenny Lynn Davis | Images by Ryan McGill

"I'm just the girl from the bayou.”

That's one of the first things Susie Elliott will tell you when you ask about her upbringing. The former Walker College librarian will also tell you that in her childhood home on the bayou in Plaquemine, Louisiana, receiving a college education was non-negotiable.

"Both of my parents were first-generation college students who saw firsthand in their own lives the strong impact that a continued education can have," Susie says. "It was stressed to me from a young age that I was expected to go to college. There wasn't really a requirement for what I would study but receiving that next level of education was pertinent."

Susie graduated from high school on a Friday evening and was in her dorm room at Louisiana State University (LSU) the following Monday afternoon. The Baton Rouge campus, situated just 15 miles from the Plaquemine city limit, was like a second home to her. She had grown up visiting the campus and had fallen in love with it over the years. She knew undoubtedly that LSU was where she wanted to receive her degree.

After earning her master's in library science in 1969, Susie’s career goal was simple: to become the head librarian at a college. Through a friend with connections to then-president Dr. David Rowland, Susie interviewed for a job at Walker College and started in September 1969.

"From that first day in 1969 to my retirement in 2007, I wanted the library to be a place where I could have contact with students, not only to help them with their schoolwork, but to find a way to let them know how important it was that they were going to college," Susie says. "This was for the same reasons my parents stressed the importance of college, but also for the community aspect of it all; how important it was to have people around you that want you to succeed and will do what it takes to help make sure that happens."

To Susie, Walker College epitomized that community. Every conversation she overheard or contributed to, every basketball game she kept score during, every student worker who thanked her for enriching their lives in some way—all her collective experiences confirmed to her that Walker College truly was a beloved institution and a comforting home away from home for everyone, including the girl from the bayou. 78