In Memory of a Shepherd, Scholar, and Friend to the Artist’s Heart 1935-2022
The Fr. Kenneth Wayne Paul Scholarship is awarded each year to high school students in Louisiana who demonstrate exceptional musical talent and a deep commitment to their craft. It honors the legacy of a man whose life was shaped by grace, intellect, and a boundless love for others.
Born “on the edge of a cotton patch” in Rapides Parish in 1935, Father Paul became one of the most beloved and impactful Episcopal priests in Louisiana. His ministry reached far beyond the pulpit, into classrooms, across denominational lines, and into the lives of the sick, the struggling, and the creatively inclined.
For forty-one years, he served as Rector of The Church of the Holy Cross in Shreveport and twenty-seven of those as Episcopal Chaplain at Centenary College’s Canterbury House, where he quietly mentored artists, scholars, seekers, and skeptics alike.
He was a teacher, a pastor, and a fearless advocate for the dignity of every person. He believed in the power of music, not only as worship or expression, but as healing. As a young man, he studied theology from Kentucky to Oxford; as an older man, he still knelt beside hospital beds, counseled students in doubt, and helped lift up those who felt overlooked by the world.
This scholarship is one small way we continue the work he began.
Purpose and Impact
The Father Kenneth Wayne Paul Scholarship provides both financial assistance and mentorship to students pursuing careers in music performance, composition, education, production, therapy, or related fields. It serves as a bridge, linking Shreveport’s historic role in American music to the young voices of tomorrow.
Eligibility
High school juniors or seniors residing in Louisiana
Demonstrated musical talent and academic dedication
Personal essay on the role of music in their life and community
Award Includes
Financial support for college tuition, music programs, or private instruction
Access to mentorship through The John Gale Horton Foundation
Recognition at Foundation events celebrating Shreveport’s musical legacy
A Legacy of Grace and Song
To receive this scholarship is to carry forward a tradition, not only of musical excellence, but of compassion, service, and the belief that art can change lives.
To honor the music, we must also honor the man who believed in the people who made it.
The Reverend Kenneth Wayne Paul served with humility, wit, and a heart wide open. This scholarship bears his name in gratitude for all he gave to his city, his students, and the generations yet to come.