Diversity matters: Remembering Don Horton

It was more than just raucous YMCA locker room banter between two “grown ass men,” (as CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King often quips); and it was even more than a racial epithet peppered kerfuffle. They seemed to be on the brink of combat, and for a few anxious minutes, I pondered whether to intervene. As I gingerly approached, hoping to quell the intensity, one of them held out his hand. “I’m Don Horton and I am just a black janitor, and this is Fleet Howell, a rich white lawyer.”

Turns out, the two were the best of friends and frequently referred to each other as “brothers,” all the while trying to annihilate each other on the handball court before adjourning for dinner with their spouses.

The joy their deep friendship brought to them was infectious – and I was drawn to them. Eventually, my wife and I found ourselves joining the Hortons and Howells for dinners and various events (however, I never had the skills to join either one on the handball court).

Over the next several decades, I had countless lunch visits with Don, a man who many of my contemporaries already knew - starting with those who had attended Captain Shreve High School.

Don, who had a BA degree in English and Masters in Education, taught Honors English and Humanities at Captain Shreve from 1970 to 1977, and he also served as Assistant Principal from 1977 to 1987. He would weave into our conversations vignettes drawn from Sophocles, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. Since the collection of Plato’s “Republic” deals with justice, character and the “just man,” Don observed that I needed to read all ten books – officially assigning it – for my “reading pleasure and in (my) spare time.”

After Don retired from a quarter century in the school system in 1987, he was far from finished; his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in. For the next 30 (plus) years, Don started many successful businesses, some of which included: C & H Services, Inc. (a thriving janitorial services company of which he was co-owner and the source of his humble “just a janitor” introduction); Fast Tax Service, Inc.; Premier Management Company; and even a coffee shop (which I frequented).

Don also lived a life of service, and in doing so made our community a better place for all. Don knew the importance of ensuring access to first-rate medical care for the citizens of north Louisiana. For years, he served as chair of the Development and Fundraising Committee for LSU Health Sciences Foundation, raising substantial funds to provide care to those in need, irrespective of ability to pay.

He also served on the prestigious Committee of 100 for Economic Development, Inc., a Louisiana non-government organization that promotes public policies aimed at retaining existing businesses and recruiting new innovative businesses to our state.

For two four-year terms, 1995-99 and 2001-05, he served on the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana, a constitutionally created body consisting of three judges, three lawyers and three “citizens” (not public officials and not lawyers). Empowered to investigate complaints of misconduct by judges, the Commission holds trials and makes recommendations on appropriate sanctions to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Drawing from his background as Assistant Principal at Captain Shreve, where he was known for swift and sure discipline, Don was an engaged member. After intently listening to the proceedings and hearing from his eight colleagues on the Commission, Don’s “method,” when he deemed it warranted, was to launch into intense and sometimes blistering cross-examination, with the recalcitrant judge usually apologizing and exclaiming, “You will never see me again!”

In 2002, the Shreveport Bar Association honored Don with the prestigious Liberty Bell Award. From a field of many nominations, each year the Bar Association selects one person, usually a non-lawyer, who has demonstrated dedication to community service that “strengthens the effectiveness of the American system of freedom under law.” Don often complained that the trophy bestowed upon him, which was a replica of the Liberty Bell, had a crack in it and the Bar Association should replace it with a non-defective bell. Of course, such comments were again examples of Don’s humor and humility, as when examined on that statement, Don conceded his unsurprisingly deep knowledge about the Liberty Bell and how it sustained its famous 1846 crack.

Consistent with his commitment to “freedom under law,” issues of diversity and equality always mattered to Don. Growing up in the South during the period of integration and especially working as a teacher and administrator in a previously all-white, newly-integrated high school, he witnessed outrageous racial disparity and endured significant pain. Treating people equally and with dignity mattered to Don. And so, during the last ten years of his life, Don became a partner in Diversity Matters, a firm that addressed human relations issues, especially those involving race in the workplace. Don, always forward-thinking and ever hopeful, considered his work to be less about the color of skin and more about understanding and appreciating the diverse cultures in America.

One last unforgettable moment for me was during my campaign's inaugural event in 2012, at which I was honored that Don agreed to speak. To keep all three speakers on track, I emphasized no more than five minutes for each. Before the speeches were set to commence, I noticed Don with a full glass of Chardonnay. I didn’t think too much about it – until I saw him with a second glass and on his way to the podium (before my campaign chair “borrowed” it). In front of the several hundred in attendance, fueled with plenty of Chardonnay, and undaunted by time restraints, Don let it rip! Yes, it was nail-biting at first, but ultimately he gave the best speech of the evening. Just like Fleet Howell, I was proud to call him my friend and my brother.

Don knew the Lord and God’s word. For many years, he worshipped at Little Union Baptist Church, (of course) teaching Sunday school. Next to God, family was most important. Don adored his wife, who he affectionately called “Miss Ruby,” and loved his son Calvin. A close runner-up to God and Family were relationships – diverse and meaningful ones.

When Fleet died in 2014, Don was never quite the same; he had lost his best friend, one who relentlessly battled him on the handball court, one who invited him into successful business ventures and one with whom he could celebrate important occasions.

During the first half of this year, I learned that Don’s health was rapidly declining. After knowing and loving the now 88-year-old Don Horton for more than three decades, I couldn’t comprehend what it would mean to lose Don – both for the Shreveport community and personally for me. I visited him at his home, bringing food and conversation, intent on letting him know that our friendship was undying.

Don died on October 20, 2022. He will live on eternally in our hearts: for those he taught at Captain Shreve and Little Union, for his colleagues and employees in the business world, even for those once recalcitrant but now rehabilitated judges - and for people like me who so richly benefited from the wisdom and devoted friendship that he provided.

I imagine Mahalia Jackson greeting Don with her song “A City Called Heaven,” a place, in the hands of God, where we’re all the same. I imagine Fleet embracing Don with a commendation of “well done, my brother,” followed by an invitation to once again battle and banter on the handball court.

Meanwhile, for me, I guess that I better get busy with my reading assignment, the ten books on Plato’s “Republic,” as there will surely be a test.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Diversity matters: Remembering Don Horton