August Laporta

Laporta studied at the minor seminary in Hoogstraten from 1875 to 1881. There he played an important role in the student movement of the archdiocese of Mechelen. For example he became the editor of the student magazine De Student in 1882 and held this function till 1914. He studied medicine in Leuven and graduated in February 1889. There, too, he acted in the Flemish student movement, e.g. as a member of the Medical Society, board member of Met Tijd en Vlijt (1884-1889, cofounder (1886) and chairman (1888) of the Vlaamsche Strijdersbond and contributor to the student magazine Ons Leven (1888). He was a regular speaker at national and regional student days in the archdiocese of Mechelen. After his studies he settled in Lier as a general practitioner, but remained active within the student movement. For example he was cofounder (1890) and chairman of the Katholiek Vlaamsch Studentenverbond (Catholic Flemish Student Union), he was involved in the refoundation of the Antwerps-Brabantse gouwbond (Antwerp-Brabant regional Union)(1895) and in founding the Algemeen Katholiek Vlaamsch Studentenverbond (General Catholic Flemish Student Union) (1903)