When he was just a ten-year-old boy fascinated by Acadiana history, Jim Bradshaw created a neighborhood newspaper so that he could explore his heritage. This small but ambitious endeavor eventually led to a journalism career spanning more than forty years. He got his first job, as police reporter at the Lafayette Advertiser, in 1967, became assistant city editor in 1970, and city editor in 1971. In 1976, Bradshaw was appointed managing editor of the Morning Star, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, and remained there for a few years before returning to the Advertiser in the 1980s. During his tenure as a journalist, Bradshaw also authored four books, each delving into different aspects of Southern Louisiana history. Even in retirement, he continues to marry his twin loves of history and culture with his popular column C’est Vrai and regular contributions to America’s Civil War magazine.
Bradshaw studied English, journalism, and history at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he was also editor of The Vermilion, the campus newspaper. He was recognized by Phi Alpha Theta national history honor society for “conspicuous attainment and scholarship in the field of history” and has also been named as one of South Louisiana’s “Living Legends” by the Acadian Museum.
Bradshaw lives in the historic town of Washington in St. Landry Parish, where he is president of the Steamboat City Association, serves as a volunteer administrator of the Historic Washington Cultural District, and publishes a monthly newsletter called In and Out About Washington.
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