Lawrence E. Estaville, Jr. received a B.A. and a M.A. from McNeese State University and holds a M.A. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. He has taught at McNeese State University and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and is currently an associate professor in the Department of History at Clemson University in South Carolina. Dr. Estaville has published extensively on topics in Louisiana  history.