N.O. native is knighted by French government

21st December 2015   ·   0 Comments

The Reverend Doctor Cornelius Tilton, the longtime pastor of the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship Church in New Orleans, has been named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques (Knight in the Order of the Academic Palms) for his work in advancing education and the French culture, last week.

Tilton, a 1979 Business Administration and French graduate of Dillard University, has dedicated his adult life to education. He has served on the governing board of Audubon Charter School, French and Montessori Education, Inc. for eight years as the board’s Vice Chair and for the last three years as its Chairman.

Audubon Charter School, ranked third-best amongst all middle schools in the State of Louisiana, houses a French program accredited from Pre-K through eighth grade by the French Ministry of Education; it is the only public school in Louisiana to bear that distinction. Tilton worked with the school’s administration and the French Consulate to ensure all necessary requirements were met to secure that recognition.

In addition to his work in New Orleans, Tilton has also focused on educating people abroad, conducting training workshops, after school programs, and providing scholarships for children in Ghana, Liberia and Haiti. He is also helping to resurrect and expand an education system in rural Liberia, one of which was recently named in his honor. Committed to lifelong learning and service to humanity, Tilton makes annual trips to developing nations providing leadership development training for emerging leaders.

During his own college studies, Tilton spent his junior year abroad studying at the Centre Internationale d’Etudes Francois in Angers and Universite Paul Vallery in Montpelier, France. He has theological education from the Christian Bible College of Louisiana, including a Doctorate of Divinity, conferred in 1999. He is also a graduate of the 25th class of the Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum.

The Order of Academic Palms was founded in 1808 by Napoleon Bonaparte who established the honorary titles of Titulaire, Officier de l’Université, and Officier d’Académie as awards for devotion and accomplishment in the areas of teaching, scholarship and research.

Since being raised to the status of the Order under the Minister of Education in 1955, this award has three ranks Chevalier, Officier, and Commandeur. French citizens living abroad and foreign

(Non-French) nationals may receive this award for contributing significantly to furthering French intellectual, scientific, and artistic achievements in the world.

Reverend Tilton has been the Pastor of the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship Church since 1988, and since 1999, has been President of the Christian Bible College of Louisiana.

Tilton is a past recipient of the New Orleans NAACP Education Award, the New Orleans General Hospital Eagle Award for Community service and numerous civic commendations and certificates. Additionally, he has been the volunteer leader of several nonprofit community and government boards.

France. He has theological education from the Christian Bible College of Louisiana, including a Doctorate of Divinity, conferred in 1999. He is also a graduate of the 25th class of the Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum.

The Order of Academic Palms was founded in 1808 by Napoleon Bonaparte who established the honorary titles of Titulaire, Officier de l’Université, and Officier d’Académie as awards for devotion and accomplishment in the areas of teaching, scholarship and research.

Since being raised to the status of the Order under the Minister of Education in 1955, this award has three ranks Chevalier, Officier, and Commandeur. French citizens living abroad and foreign (Non-French) nationals may receive this award for contributing significantly to furthering French intellectual, scientific, and artistic achievements in the world.

Reverend Tilton has been the Pastor of the Irish Channel Christian Fellowship Church since 1988, and since 1999, has been President of the Christian Bible College of Louisiana.

Tilton is a past recipient of the New Orleans NAACP Education Award, the New Orleans General Hospital Eagle Award for Community Service and numerous civic commendations and certificates. Additionally, he has been the volunteer leader of several nonprofit community and government boards.

This article originally published in the December 21, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.