Interview With Daniel R. "D.R." Atkinson Sr.: "What I've Learned . . ."

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Publication year: 2022

Interview With Daniel R. "D.R." Atkinson Sr.: "What I've Learned . . ."

Context: D.R. Atkinson is a lion of the Louisiana Bar. He practiced in Baton Rouge for many years. He is one of my heroes. He is a graduate of Catholic High School of Baton Rouge. I am a graduate of St. Aloysius High School in New Orleans. Both were taught by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, so we had that connection as well.

Vital Statistics

Full Name: Daniel R. "D.R." Atkinson Sr.

Age: 76

Born and raised: in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Parents' occupations: accountant and teacher

Spouse: Jimmie Carol "J.C." Tregre—Married in 1957

Family: five children: Michael; Susan (deceased—survived by husband, Tom Wells—attorney in Alexandria); Danny; Paul; and Nancy; 15 grandchildren, one great-grandson

Law School: LSU 1957-1958; U.S. Army 1958-1960; graduated 1962

People call me "D.R." and I call Jimmie Carol "J.C." because it's easier to sign Christmas cards that way. I have been called D.R. since I was born, and while in the service most people thought my name was "Dior," as in Christian Dior, because of J.C.'s southern accent.

My life was formed by my attendance at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge from third through twelfth grade.

Growing up I always wanted to be a Religious Brother of the Sacred Heart. When I was in the eighth grade, my mother would not let me go. Later (after my vocation was excluded by maternal power), I decided I would be a profession athlete. Accordingly, I ceased any academic effort and gave all my efforts to being an athlete. This resulted in being all-city in basketball for three years, all-city in baseball my sophomore year, and finally, in my senior year, I was all-state in basketball, second team all-city in football, and in baseball we won the State championship. I then received an athletic scholarship in basketball/baseball to Spring Hill College and lettered three years in basketball and four years in baseball. Near the end of my college career my coach decided that I would not be a starter, and I realized that I was not really that good as an athlete. I decided to resume my academic career.

Photography by Pamela Labbe

The greatest lesson I ever learned is that sometimes failure is a good thing.

I went to law school because my mother (a former teacher on the first faculty of Istrouma High School) decided I should be a lawyer and she convinced me to go to law school. I believe this was because she had known Dean Paul Hebert and had a great deal of admiration...