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1998 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year
Sheldon Fernandez
Sheldon Gerard Fernandez was a Judge in the 24th Judicial District Court for Jefferson
Parish.
Judge Fernandez graduated from Holy Cross High School in 1955. He received a Bachelor
of Science degree from SLU in 1959 and a law degree from Loyola University in 1968.
He was an attorney for 28 years before taking the bench in January 1997. He also was
a former Internal Revenue Service agent and a former prosecutor in Orleans Parish
under District Attorney Jim Garrison.
Judge Fernandez served in the Army National Guard of Louisiana. He was a member of
the District Judges Association, 4th and 5h Circuit Judges Association, the Jefferson,
Louisiana and American bar associations, and the Louisiana and American trial lawyers
associations.
Judge Fernandez was an outstanding athlete in his youth, especially at Southeastern
Louisiana University. He was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame
and was known as a strong hitter who was once considered for pro ball. However, education
was more important to him. He was always grateful to Southeastern and in 1999 established
a scholarship fund for a student in need of financial assistance and living in the
Division J district.