'Here are heroes and scoundrels, businessmen and religious leaders, artists and soldiers, pioneers and planters...as well as a number of stories that are ironic, bizarre or simply curious.' In this newest collection of his popular columns, Eric J. Brock portrays Shreveport's historical pageant through the lives of a cross section of truly fascinating characters. From the enigmatic mayor Robert Nathaniel Wood to forgotten beauty queen Janet Currie, Brock sketches the men and women-both ordinary and extraordinary-who shaped the course of Shreveport history. These biographical vignettes, originally printed in the "Shreveport Times" and the "Forum News Magazine," are a must-read for any native or resident of northwest Louisiana.