Louis Wagner
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Mr. Wagner was a graduate of Covington High School. At the time of the opening of the new school on Highway 190, it was said that Mr. Wagner had spent four years as a student at Covington High School; twelve years as a classroom history teacher; and the last twelve years as Principal. Mr. Wagner said about the old school burning, "This is a devastating blow, but Covington High School will rise from the ashes."
Mr. Wagner was a firm leader and disciplinarian at Covington High. While he was attending LSU, he was selected to be in the National Honor Society. He graduated as 3rd in his class.
During the war years he spent time in Korea. He told a story once of how cold it was in the South Pacific when he once saw a bucket of water freeze while it was over a fire. He was also never able to give blood because of the "dingey fever" that he contracted while in the South Pacific. Mr. Wagner did believe in duty to his country, and his community. He was commonly known as "Captain Louie" in the Covington Community, but actually he was promoted to Major in the National Guard. |
He and his family were totally involved in the school during the 1970's. Mrs. Wagner worked in the office when the school started moving from written report cards to IBM keypunched cards. The early 1970's saw the beginning of the computer age in the schools of St. Tammany Parish. Mrs. Wagner worked along side her husband overseeing the process of moving report cards into the age of computer technology.
Mr. and Mrs. Wagner also had a son, Louis Wagner, Jr., and a daughter, Denise, who attended the school during this time. He was a family man and was indeed proud of his children and grandchildren. He was a collector of many things and did much research on the history of the schools in St. Tammany Parish.
Mr. Wagner remained as principal of Covington High School another five years making his total tenure as Principal of Covington High School seventeen years.
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