Joy of Y'at Catholicism (Higgins)

Author Bio
• Birth—October 1941
• Where—New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
• Education—B.A. and J.D., Tulane University
• Currently—lives in River Ridge, Louisiana


Much like royalty ascending a throne, Earl J. Higgins had the markings of a Y’at Catholic from the beginning. He began his physical and spiritual life in bastions of New Orleans’ Catholic culture, having been born October 1941 in Hotel Dieu Hospital and christened in St. Stephen’s Catholic Church. Graduating from Jesuit High School cinched the deal. He is an authentic Y’at, an affectionate term for a local New Orleanian.

Armed with a B.A. in English and a juris doctorate from Tulane University, Higgins compiled an impressive resume of government service. He retired from the United States Navy in 1989 with the rank of commander, U.S. Naval Reserve, and from the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, in 2002 as the assistant director of staff attorneys. When questioned about his seemingly dry government service, Higgins points out that there is much humor and creativity among bureaucrats and military people. No doubt Higgins led the charge, instigating his share of humor over the years.

As for his creative leanings, reading has always been a passion. His interests are eclectic, from the twenty Aubrey-Maturin novels of Patrick O’Brian to the spiritual writings of Thomas Merton. If he had to choose one author as his favorite, Higgins would choose Nikos Kazantzakis. The classics have interested him since childhood, and he has read and reread Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Virgil, Martial, St. Augustine, and others from time to time. Shakespeare fascinates him. Higgins listens to classical music but is very fond of jazz and rhythm and blues. He plays blues and boogie-woogie on the piano.

“I’m a Y’at, so to say that I’m a Mardi Gras enthusiast is sort of redundant,” says Higgins, who is a proud member of the Krewe du Vieux, a satirical Mardi Gras organization known for its parades lampooning the famous and infamous. Carrying on local traditions in post-Katrina New Orleans is important to Higgins, who humorously displays his affection for his hometown in The Joy of Y’at Catholicism.

Higgins is a ranger at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and writes a column of humor, satire, and whimsy for the Delta Sierran, a bimonthly publication of the Sierra Club. Higgins is a member of St. Thomas More Parish of Tulane University. He and his wife, Janet, are the parents of three grown children and reside in River Ridge, Louisiana. (From the publisher.)