WILLIAMSBURG, VA, June 08, 2023 - Louise Fay Despres is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most prominent professionals and are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Drawing on four decades of expertise in the field of academia, Ms. Despres specialized in world languages and secondary school education. From 1970 until her retirement in 2012, she built a prolific career at New Canaan High School, where she served in a variety of roles, including advanced placement (AP) teacher of French literature, AP French language teacher, Spanish teacher, independent study adviser and chair of Independent Study, International Club adviser, mentor for new teachers, chairwoman of the World Languages Department and substitute teacher. Ms. Despres initially began her vocation working as a French teacher at North Haven High School from 1967 until 1969, followed by her post as the French teacher of the foreign language elementary schools program at High Plains Elementary School in Orange, Connecticut from 1969 to 1970.
In addition to her primary vocation, Ms. Despres spent a significant amount of time lending her services to her professional community. She served as a teacher assessor for the state of Connecticut, a high school liaison for the School Year Abroad Program at Phillips Academy, a chairperson of the National French Contest for Connecticut and a high school teacher liaison for the American Field Service, also known as AFS-USA, Inc. Likewise dedicated to civic advocacy, Ms. Despres has contributed to the Fellowship Committee at Hyde Park Union Church in Chicago, the Hunger and Homeless Committee of the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago (now known as the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa (ISAC).
Prior to embarking on her professional journey, Ms. Despres pursued an education at Connecticut College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in French in 1966, followed by a Master of Arts in French education from Brown University in 1968. She continued her academic pursuits at Middlebury College in Paris, France, earning a Master of Arts in French in 1973. Committing to her field, she was certified as a secondary-level French and Spanish teacher. Additionally, Ms. Despres was active with industry related organizations, including the Connecticut Organization of Language Teachers and the American Association of Teachers of French.
Well-regarded for her contributions to the field, Ms. Despres has received multiple awards, including the Pegasus Pride Award from the Connecticut Organization of Language Teachers in 2001, the Advanced Placement Teacher Recognition Award from the New England College Board in 1994, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1983, the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Marquis Who's Who Humanitarian Award. Moreover, she has been recognized as a Marquis Who's Who Industry Leader and a Marquis Who's Who Top Professional. Ms. Despres was also featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, Millennium Magazine and the Marquis Who's Who in the World publication.
Among her professional accomplishments, Ms. Despres is most proud to have taught a college-level AP French course for more than 30 years to students from the United States, Africa, South America, and Europe, who aspired to become proficient in the language or literature. Reflecting on a long career, she attributes much of her success to her late mentor, Rebecca Satterlee Robbins, who taught French at North Haven High School in Connecticut, and to her family, specifically her mother, who taught her beginning French, as well as her father and aunt, who were both teachers. Looking toward the future, Ms. Despres hopes to continue to serve as a senior citizen volunteer in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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