NEW ORLEANS — Several Jefferson Parish Schools will be merging next year, but only one will be getting a new name rooted in the history of the parish.

As suggested by current Superintendent Cade Brumley at a special school board meeting Wednesday night, Vic A. Pitre Elementary will be named for past superintendent Isaac G. Joseph.

"I think he'd say, 'Wow, they named a school after me?'" said Faith Joseph, a high school principal and Isaac Joseph's widow. They were married for twenty years and raised five children together.

Describing him, she said he was, "just so awesome, gentle — I mean really compassionate about what it is, but he comes across so gentle. And by the time you finish talking to him, you're gonna love him, too."

Their relationship began — and was rooted in — the school system in Jefferson Parish.

Isaac started as a teacher and worked his way up through the ranks.

In 2015, he became the first African-American superintendent of Jefferson Parish Public Schools.

He passed away last June at just 64 years old.

"And since his death, so many people, so many people," said Faith Joseph. "I'm just so thankful. Because even when I'm having a moment, I'll be in Wal Mart or the Mall and people I've never met in my life come up and say, you know, I just need you to know the impact that your husband made in my life."

His legacy was evident Wednesday night when Superintendent Brumley took to the microphone.

"I would further recommend that as the current Thibodaux site moves to Pitre, that the current Pitre site be named Isaac Joseph Elementary," he said. A few gasps came from the audience, and then applause.

The decision shocked the board member and Joseph's nephew, Simeon Dickerson.

Dickerson attended Pitre Elementary as a child.

"I just can't.... words can't express how I feel about it," Dickerson said. "So, I'm extremely excited. Our family's elated, also being that our family is rooted from Westwego when they migrated here. So it's a big deal."

Faith Joseph said seeing her late husband's name on the school will serve as an example that hard work pays off.

"For me to see it, me, my kids, my grandkids to see it, what an awesome person. And he left an impact in our community."

Jefferson Parish Schools hasn't said when it might dedicate the new Isaac G. Joseph Elementary.

RELATED: Jefferson Parish school consolidation: Which students go to what school next school year

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HARVEY, La. — A Harvey family was displaced after a fire broke out in their home around 9:30AM Sunday in the 2600 Block of Cerritas Via. 

Dramatic video captured by the Harvey Volunteer Fire Department shows large flames coming from the home and billows of smoke. 

The next-door neighbor, James Pace, said his home was damaged from the intense heat. 

“The siding and probably the insulation board behind the siding. So far that’s all I know," Pace said. 

Capt. Michael McAuliffe with Harvey Vol. Fire Co. No. 2 said he was the first to arrive to the scene. 

“I arrived on the scene within two, a little bit over two minutes, and the house was already heavily involved in fire," McAuliffe said. 

McAuliffe said the family initially didn't realize there was a fire and evacuated before calling 911. 

“Added to the challenge because the fire got an advance," McAuliffe said. 

The home did not have a smoke detector, McAuliffe said. 

“There was a household pet, a dog that is unaccounted for. They may have perished in the fire. We searched and looked around for any remains and didn’t find any," McAuliffe said. 

Firefighters said there was one adult and two children in the home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported. 

But as firefighters fought the blaze, they were also forced to evacuate. Moments later, the roof collapsed, McAuliffe said. 

“It was a close call with the structure and the danger of it falling on firefighter staff that were still inside actively fighting the fire, and then they had to change the strategy," McAuliffe said. 

Firefighters then took an ariel approach. They used a 75-foot ladder to spray water on top of the home. 

15 firefighters and 90 minutes later, the fire was out. However, the damage left behind is extensive. 

“They’re very nice people. It’s just a shame that it happened," Pace said. 

The family is receiving assistance from the Red Cross while they are displaced, Harvey Fire said. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, McAuliffe said. 

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