Emeritus professor C. Howard Nichols of history made an appearance in the book store for the signing of his recently released book “Stories of a River Town: Covington, Louisiana at Two Hundred Years.”
Emeritus professor C. Howard Nichols of history made an appearance in the book store for the signing of his recently released book “Stories of a River Town: Covington, Louisiana at Two Hundred Years.”
On Tuesday, September 1, Nichols held a book signing in the Southeastern Bookstore in the War Memorial Student Union from 1 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. He was scheduled to do a book reading at 2 p.m. but with permission and approval from the audience, he opted rather to talk about what all went into the process of how he gained the knowledge for his most recent book. Nichols also went into detail about the inspiration behind his writing.
“I thought it was very informative, it was interesting to hear Mr. Nichols talk about the history of Covington,” said native of Covington for seven generations Tom Davis. “I encouraged him to [speak rather than read.] I remember how good of a lecturer he was and he was a fabulous teacher. I much rather hear him talk off the cuff rather than read. I can read the book myself, I just want to hear him.”
An excerpt from the preface of Nichols’ new book tells of how, “Covington is entering her third century. To commemorate this auspicious occasion, this volume ‘Stories of a River Town: Covington, Louisiana at Two Hundred Years,’ seeks to record some of those stories to illuminate the people, events, culture and traditional practices which have entertained, educated and enriched generations of residents and visitors alike.”
Attendees of the event were pleased to hear about the heritage of where their family’s roots had been planted generations before and are still planted today.
“I’m a native of Covington, I’ve lived there all my life as well as my father and his father and his father,” said Davis. “So all the things he talked about were near and dear to my heart. To have it in print and to have it [written] down is just special.”
Current university students also attended the event to hear about their hometown as well as to learn about a heritage that they underappreciated at a younger age and see a former professor of their mother.
“My mom talked about the event, she had seen it on Facebook and actually been in Mr. Nichols’ class and was unable to make it today. I wanted a copy for her and my father because we are all from Covington and I wanted to see what he had to say about our town,” said senior marketing major Kyle Guidry. “There is so much history in our city. In high school, I didn’t appreciate the history of Covington, but overall I’m starting to appreciate it more and I’m honored he would spend this much time and dedicate research from where I’m from and something to remember him by from our town.”
Nichols was also able to capture the essence of a time when all the residents knew each other compared to modern day when residents of Covington no longer know every person in town.
“The main thing is what he said at the end, with how Covington has changed so much,” said Davis. “When I was a boy growing up about 50 years ago, Covington was a small town, about six or seven thousand people. Today, 50 years later, it still only has about 8,000 people, it’s what has grown up around it that makes it a metropolitan area. You don’t know anybody anymore. You have those core families that have stayed but a lot of them, as they grow, get jobs and move, you just don’t have all those people you know. It is just that old, small town feel that is not there anymore.”
Nichols is an emeritus professor and focused on local and regional history. He has published such works as “Tangipahoa Crossings: Excursions in Tangipahoa History,” “Mandeville on the Lake: A Sesquicentennial Album, 1840-1990” and “Centennial Souvenir: A Hammond History Sourcebook” among some. His family moved to Covington in 1947 but he currently lives in Hammond making frequent visits with his family to Covington.