Changes

==Background==

==Background==

Bethard was the son of the former Annie Shirley Edgerton (1897-1977), a Coushatta native, and the attorney Henry W. Bethard, Jr. (1898-1961), originally from Harrisonburg in Catahoula Parish]] in eastern Louisiana. A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, Bethard, Jr., established his law practice in Coushatta in 1922.<ref name=bethardrites/> Bethard, III, graduated from Coushatta High School in 1941.<ref name=obit/> In 1948, he joined his father's firm upon receipt of his [[Juris Doctor]] degree from the LSU Law Center in the capital city [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]].<ref name=legaldir/> Among his civic roles were the chairmanships of the directors of the Bank of Coushatta and the commissioner of the Louisiana State Library, the latter position filled from 1947 to 1951. Bethard, Jr., was the legal counselor and secretary of the Red River - Bayou Pierre Levee District. He was a former vice president of the Red River Valley Improvement Association and served on the executive committee of the Louisiana Levee Board Association.<ref name=bethardrites>"H. W. Bethard Rites Today In Coushatta", ''The Shreveport Times'',  January 3, 1961, p. 6-C.</ref>

Bethard was the son of the former Annie Shirley Edgerton (1897-1977), a Coushatta native, and the attorney Henry W. Bethard, Jr. (1898-1961), originally from Harrisonburg in Catahoula Parish in eastern Louisiana. A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, Bethard, Jr., established his law practice in Coushatta in 1922.<ref name=bethardrites/> Bethard, III, graduated from Coushatta High School in 1941.<ref name=obit/> In 1948, he joined his father's firm upon receipt of his [[Juris Doctor]] degree from the LSU Law Center in the capital city [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]].<ref name=legaldir/> Among the father's civic roles were the chairmanships of the directors of the Bank of Coushatta and the commissioner of the Louisiana State Library, the latter position filled from 1947 to 1951. Bethard, Jr., was the legal counselor and secretary of the Red River - Bayou Pierre Levee District. He was a former vice president of the Red River Valley Improvement Association and served on the executive committee of the Louisiana Levee Board Association.<ref name=bethardrites>"H. W. Bethard Rites Today In Coushatta", ''The Shreveport Times'',  January 3, 1961, p. 6-C.</ref>

From 1943 to 1945, Bethard, III, served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=legaldir/>

From 1943 to 1945, Bethard, III, served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=legaldir/>