Governor Foster was a champion of education and educators, creating the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, dramatically expanding the state’s Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) to provide greater access to college education to Louisiana’s youth, and successfully fighting to raise public teachers’ wages six of the eight years he served in office. A relative latecomer to politics, he began his career in the public spotlight at the age of 57 with his 1987 election to the Louisiana Senate, and he quickly rose in public stature for eight years before his historic victory in the 1995 race for Governor. In 2003, Governor Foster was inducted into the Louisiana Political Mu