Eric Brock is a social and architectural historian, consulting urban planner, researcher, writer, and author. He has completed architectural and historical resource surveys for nearly every historic site in Shreveport and the surrounding parishes, and is author of over 500 articles and 13 books on the history of Shreveport, New Orleans, and Northwest Louisiana. His writing has been published in The National Archives Record, The Journal of the North Louisiana Historical Association, The Journal of the International Banknote Society, The Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies, Preservation in Print (New Orleans), Louisiana Cultural Vistas Magazine, Centenary Today, New Orleans Magazine, and Louisiana Life Magazine, among others. His column, "The Presence of the Past" ran in the Shreveport Journal from 1992-2000, and The Forum Weekly has published his column, "A Look Back," since 1995. He has been awarded the keys to the City of Shreveport by multiple mayoral administrations.