By Olivia McClure
LSU AgCenter
In the 1950s, Albert Kirby hitchhiked from his small hometown of Jonesville to Lafayette to study animal science at what was then the Southwestern Louisiana Institute.
No one in his family had ever attended college. But Kirby was determined to break the mold, inspired by a math teacher at Block High School who had encouraged him to pursue higher education.
With his journey from rural northeastern Louisiana to Acadiana, Kirby set off a lifelong passion for learning not just for himself but for his entire family.