Louisiana Tech Alumni Magazine - Summer 2017

A Milestone Moment

SUMMER 2017

magazine

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS Dave Matthiesen, President Cathi Cox-Boniol, Vice President Phillip Parker, Treasurer Ray Weaver, Member-at-Large Brennan Easley, Past President Leslie K. Guice, Ex-Officio BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lawrence Bonvillain Jake Carpenter Philip Cole Tony Corley Casey Covington Melissa Campbell Dawson Will Dearmon Ben Erwin Jimmy Faircloth Wayne Fleming Joe Gregory Melanie Hudson John Malone Rodney Manning Kimberly Mire McDaniel Tamishia Collinsworth Moats Troy O’Laughlin Brent Parker Phillip Parker Jonathan Perret Mit Scott Stuart Snook Jeff Thompson Linda Simonetti Turner Chris Weego Anita Lyon West Dean Wilkerson Becky Turner Wilson Jason Zavala ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STAFF Brooks Hull Vice President of University Advancement BHull@LaTechAlumni.org Michele Robinson Director of Alumni Engagement and Regional Development Michele@LaTechAlumni.org Daniel Dupuy Director of Alumni Programming Daniel@LaTechAlumni.org Katie McGowan Director of Campus Engagement and Tenet Society Katie@LaTechAlumni.org Barbara Swart Administrative Coordinator Barbara@LaTechAlumni.org UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Dave Guerin, Executive Director Teddy Allen, Writer Mark Coleman, Designer Donny Crowe, Photographer Tom Soto, Photographer Tom Morris, Contributing Photographer SPECIAL THANKS Louisiana Tech Magazine is published by the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. i5 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

FROM THE

16 FLOOR TH

I recall attending many Louisiana Tech commencements during the remarkable 26-year presidency of Dr. Dan Reneau, and hearing him inform the audience of how many thousands of “alumni, proud and contributing citizens who, like you, will make a positive difference in our world,” and thinking about how wonderful it would be when that number reached 100,000.

Never would I have thought that I would be president when that happened!

But I was, which is only one reason May 20, 2017, will always hold a special significance for me: Dr. Reneau became a Tower Medallion recipient; Governor John Bel Edwards gave our commencement address and stayed throughout the entire ceremony, and shook each graduate’s hand; It was the largest graduating class in Tech history – 973; It marked the end of my fourth year as president, making me a sort of “honorary senior,” along with the other graduates in the Spring of 2017; and, It marked THE major milestone of the year -- Tech’s 100,000th degree conferred, something the Tech Family of the past 123 years teamed up to accomplish.

The story of that milestone begins on page 6, and academic, athletic, and alumni accomplishments, updates, and profiles are throughout this issue. Also, the theme of Tech’s Tenets thread throughout the magazine as a reminder of how important they have been in achieving 100,000 confirmed degrees, and how important they will be in achieving our next 100,000. I have tremendous respect for the traditions, values, and principles embodied in the Tenets of Tech. And I am committed to work with our University, community, and state leadership to help Tech achieve the high levels of progress that the Tech Family and the State of Louisiana expect and deserve.

Finally, to “my fellow 2017 graduates,” this word: it is bittersweet to know you will not be around campus next fall, but I know you had a great experience here and leave with many great memories of your time at Louisiana Tech. I am most confident you will return to campus many times in the future to reconnect with your favorite professors and to enjoy the pleasant walks and noble trees that charmed you in your college days. I look forward to those days!

Leslie K. Guice

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IN THIS ISSUE

06 FEATURES 02 Tenets of Tech 12 Commencement Speakers:

26

Bill Bradley Mayor Ronny Walker

Renaissance Men

14 Tower Medallion: Caroline Reaves Benny Denny

20 Fun To Be An Alum 24 Chris Richardson Suites 38 The champs behind Champ 58 Foundation Spotlight 62 Our Roots Are Noble 64 Ring Ceremony

DEPARTMENTS 30 News Around Campus 40 Athletics 54 News About You

16 Alums of the Year

TENETS OF TECH

What they are, what they mean, and why we need them

A key part of Louisiana Tech’s mission is to foster not only a culture of learning, but also a culture of living.

“Book smart” is handy. Because of today’s fast-evolving professional landscape, logic and know-how and problem-solving skills are more important than ever. But so are our relationships, how we treat and live with others and how we treat ourselves.

To improve as a civil engineer, there are certain things that need to be done, certain rules to follow and habits to trust in. The same is true for improving as a person, student, or citizen – or for improving as an institution.

What are the tools we need? We call them the Tenets of Tech.

About a dozen years ago, the Division of Student Affairs at Tech named these 12 guiding principles – the Tenets – that exemplify the qualities that Tech students should possess upon graduating.

These are concepts that, during the course of the University’s nearly 125-year history, have become infused into its culture. We think they are the cornerstone of Tech’s identity and the pillars upon which its mission and vision are built. The Tenets should also comprise a large part of the students’ personal character and serve as a guideline for students of tomorrow.

Campuses have cultures, certain values, beliefs, and traditions that form a culture. Logically, this culture saturates the learning process. By striving to live the Tenets, Louisiana Tech works to reinforce the importance of each student’s thinking habits and beliefs about self and community. The result is a sustainable and successful culture of learning and living.

“We didn’t have the Tenets when I was at Tech as we do now,” said Christopher Coe (general studies ’83, architecture ’85), Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in the College of Liberal Arts.

When Coe was welcomed to the President’s office, “Dr. Guice explained the Tenets to me as they’re presented to freshmen now. I thought, ‘This is so wonderful. This is fantastic!’”

The Tenets are both a compass and a unifying roadmap.

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They are woven into the fabric of a culture that has inspired the University, even in troubled times and sometimes against great odds, to reach a place among the nation’s best and most recognized universities. Tech’s culture is principle-based, and these Tenets of Tech are those that guide the University’s mission and strategic plans, along with every class and every activity.

There is evidence of these Tenets in the Tech Family. They are displayed on posters in the Tonk and in freshman guides, talked about in freshman convocation and many other events on campus.

Each new student receives a medallion at convocation, commits to the Tenets emboldened on the medallion, deposits that medallion in the fountain of the Lady of the Mist following convocation, and then receives the medallion inscribed with the graduation date as they exit the stage at commencement. This tradition is having an impact, and that impact will be more and more evident over time.

To recognize those who have gone above and beyond in demonstrating the Tenets of Tech, Dr. Guice and his Leadership Team have commissioned a very limited set of Tenet Medallions called the Presidential Medallion. Each medallion is cast with a design that represents one of the Tenets. The very first medallion – representing the Tenet of Commitment – was presented by Guice to outgoing Tech president Dan Reneau at the “transfer of the key” ceremony in the president’s office in June 2013.

What can these Tenets mean in our everyday lives?

Confidence: Gives us the willingness to try again. You add to confidence every time you’re brave enough to try something new.

It is the result of careful planning, preparation, and courage.

Excellence: Helps us be authentic. You can’t fake excellence.

Like the philosopher said, you can put your socks in the oven, but that won’t make ’em biscuits. Strive for the real thing.

Commitment: A reminder of what elbow grease and grit can do. And a reminder of what we owe to each other as part of a team.

Tech did not become a Tier 1 institution overnight.

ten·et (těn’ĭt) n. An opinion, doctrine, or principle held as being true by a person or especially by an organization.

Confidence A sense of self.

Excellence

Appreciation for first-rate experiences.

Commitment

Accept responsibility as a citizen of the University.

Knowledge

Understanding of ideas based on actual experiences.

Integrity Knowledge: We are asked to bathe ourselves in experience, to expose

ourselves to the experience and toil and joy of learning. Nothing comes by osmosis. We have to apply ourselves.

Integrity: When we say, “Let me think about it,” we are promising to do just that. To be a good student of the classroom and life, we have to question, think, ask, and be humble enough to realize that each person is more than our equal in at least one other area.

Respect: A recognition of the value of others, of their experiences and traditions, is essential for the educated person. We can learn something from everyone.

Leadership: Tech has had three presidents in the past 53 years, a remarkable run of stability and service. The best of leaders serve and lead by example.

Loyalty: The spotlight here is on what we value, what we have promised, even what we owe. “I will ever loyal be, to thee, my Alma Mater…”

Enthusiasm: Was anything great ever achieved without this? Helps us not miss the opportunities right beside us or just over the hill, and anchors us with a spirit of gratefulness.

Caring: Year after year, Tech leads the state in volunteer service hours per student. We learn to honor others who, like us, are human, and to give time and sweat to goals bigger than just ourselves.

Hope: We all need a firm and unwavering belief in future possibilities, in our values, in the things we hold closest in our hearts, something to give us the power and will, as cliché as it might sound, to make lemonade out of lemons and to stop digging – first things first – when we find ourselves in a hole.

Pride: The opposite of arrogance, it’s born of caring, hard work, accomplishment, and commitment to excellence. A graduate of Tech can take a lot of pride in his hard-earned diploma and in his University.

No student thinks of every Tenet every day. Neither does every graduate.

But because of Tech’s purposeful saturation of the Tenets into the campus culture, while students were learning to make a living, they were also learning how to live.

Ability to defend, evaluate, or question one’s own beliefs.

Respect

Acknowledgment of others’ beliefs through personal interactions.

Leadership

Guidance through service, involvement, and mentoring.

Loyalty

Faithfulness to values, commitments, and responsibilities.

Enthusiasm

Excitement for personal characteristics and future opportunities.

Caring

Affinity for beauty, performing arts, and human culture.

Hope

Belief in future experiences and growth opportunities.

Pride

A sense of self-respect.

LATECH.EDU | 3

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4 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

SHOW HOW YOU ARE

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Do you have a legacy at Louisiana Tech?

You can today.

OWN YOUR PIECE OF THE ALUMNI WALKWAY! ORDER YOURS TODAY at LATechAlumni.org/AlumniBrick or call the Marbury Alumni Center at 318.255.7950

Your commitment can impact the future for Louisiana Tech and its students while creating a lasting legacy for you and your family. The Legacy Maker Giving Program is your opportunity to make a difference as an alumnus of Louisiana Tech. Plus, it is

TAG YOURSELF AS A TECH SUPPORTER! ORDER YOURS TODAY Louisiana Tech License Plates are available in Louisiana and Texas.

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To learn more about how to be a Legacy Maker donor, call toll free, 844-647-5520 or go to LATechAlumni.org and click on the Legacy Maker Giving Program link.

LATECH.EDU | 5

6 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

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LET’S COMMENCE: President Les Guice welcomes Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards, whose keynote address encouraged the University’s largest-ever graduation class to always “be confident, courageous, and compassionate….I want you to know that I believe in every one of you,” the state’s 56th governor said. “Louisiana is better because of you.

All of you are what makes Louisiana great.”

May 20, 2017: The University reaches a lofty plateau with a major milestone degree conferred. Now, on to the next 100,000…

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The numbers were the big story for a day that had no equal in Louisiana Tech history.

Begin with the many dignitaries who attended, were honored, or gave an address. Move on to the audience of nearly 9,000. That number included the 973 graduates, most in school history.

And finally, the grandest number of all – 100,000 – the number that made the day so special. Tech has now conferred more than 100,000 degrees in its 320 commencement exercises during its 123-year history. It is an accomplishment that represents so many hearts and minds working together since the school’s founding in 1894.

100,000.

“The sound of the number resembles the scope and significance – much more impressive than 99,999th; that only works in price

WOOD-BE GIFT: One of the newest (and heaviest) members of the Tech Family made its debut at spring commencement. The Commencement Lectern, weighing in at 365 pounds, arrived by tractor-trailer on May 18, less than two days before the historic ceremony. A gift from the Alumni Association to the University in honor of Tech’s 100,000th conferred degree, the lectern is made of walnut, stained dark walnut, adjusts to meet the speaker’s height, and displays the University’s official word mark, in satin aluminum, on the front.

Made by Executive Wood Products in Sullivan, Mo., the lectern will be used for commencement and other special events hosted by the president.

tags,” said Terry McConathy, the University’s vice president for academic affairs.

So while the numbers were the stars of the day, it’s what the numbers signify – the perseverance and discipline it takes to do things right over a long period of time – that gave the event its meaning.

“To me, celebrating the 100,000th degree represents the fabric of Tech -- resilience, strength, durability,” she said. “Built on solid foundation, grew through deliberate choices, withstood innumerable challenges (which continues), demonstrated stability (while seeking thoughtful innovation), provided a respected backdrop for graduates.

“We can look forward with ambition and hope,” she said, “knowing that we are standing on established successes.”

Planning for just how to celebrate the milestone achievement marked by Spring Commencement ’17 began months ago.

President Les Guice even authorized special red and blue tassels to commemorate the historical moment -- and the beginning of the next 100,000 degrees – that brought the total number of degrees to 100,914.

“It’s hard to express how I felt as I presented diplomas to so many of those students who came to Tech my first year as president,” said Guice, who became Tech’s 14th president in the summer of 2014, just weeks before many of the Class of ’17 arrived in Ruston as college freshmen. “I have been able to get to know many of them personally and to know the impacts they have had on our institution because of their leadership and involvement in so many campus activities.”

As they left the stage with their diplomas, the graduates were also presented their Tech Medallions, which they first received at Freshman Convocation before they deposited them in the Lady of the Mist.

“In receiving this medallion and as a guardian of the Tenets of Tech, you are challenged to exemplify these principles as an alumnus, just as you did when you were a student,” Guice told the students immediately before conferring degrees. “The Tenet Medallion also serves to remind you of your lifetime connection to Louisiana Tech University and the welcome you should always feel as a member of the Tech Family.”

Guice told the new graduates that while they might “forget many of the details of this ceremony, you will never forget your sense of pride and accomplishment today, and this day’s personal significance for you.”

And now, here we go again: Tech is only 999,086 degrees away from another day like May 20, 2017. This time, the University will get to that number a lot faster than it did when it conferred its first degree – to Harry Howard in 1897. (For more on Howard, see page 10.)

“Given the social and economic context of the first degree granted, just ponder the changes, advances, and tectonic shifts that have occurred at all levels since then,” McConathy said. “I continue to marvel at the changes in the world since I received my first degree. And, through all those years, we have awarded 100,000-plus degrees to individuals who have contributed one way or another in that change all around the globe. Talk about points of light!

“Try to think about what the next 100,000 Tech graduates will see, do, accomplish, and change…”

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He started it: Harry Howard, Graduate No. 1

True, 2017 Commencement was a three-hour event. But it was still most efficient, when consideration is taken for such a special occasion: the keynote speaker was the state’s governor – who stayed and shook each graduate’s hand – nearly 1,000 graduates received diplomas, and the day marked the 100,000th degree awarded in the University’s history.

Commencement in May of 1897 didn’t last quite that long: it was approximately... wait a second; there wasn’t one. The following is from “1895-1945 Alma Mater: Published by the Executive Board of the Alumni Association of the Louisiana Polytechnic Institute.” The book lists no publication date.

“A Certificate of Proficiency was awarded to a student upon the mastery of any industrial subject. Upon completion of the required academic curriculum and an industrial subject of his choice, he was graduated with the Bachelor of Industry degree. In May 1897, the first graduate, Harry Howard, received his degree. There was no formal graduation program. The Board passed upon the candidate’s qualifications and Col. Prescott (A.T. Prescott of Baton Rouge was elected as the first president of the college) awarded his diploma.”

The school was originally called the Industrial Institute and College of Louisiana.

The first formal commencement exercises were held in May 1898, “in the Ruston Opera House,” then on North Bonner Street.

“Ten graduates received their diplomas.”

Howard’s impact at what would become our University was not over. At the end of the second year of the college, the “work of the department (of business administration and economics) was placed under the direction of Mr. Harry Howard, who had graduated from the department in 1897 and had spent the following year doing advanced work at Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Mr. Howard directed the work of the department for more than 25 years. During this time he was also the college Treasurer. The increase of duties in this work made it necessary for him to give up his connection with the Business Department. But the combination of his work as a teacher and his exemplary character and example was the guiding spirit of the department through the years – long after he had no official connection with its affairs.”

Howard Auditorium was completed and named in his honor in 1940.

10 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

Tower Medallion President Emeritus Dan Reneau was inducted as the 79th member of the Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Tech’s longest-serving president, Reneau awarded nearly 44,000 diplomas during his 26 years leading the University.

“This was a most fitting tribute, given all of his accomplishments and the fact that he had presented diplomas to almost half of our alumni,” said Guice, who presented Reneau, his predecessor, the Tower Medallion. “It’s hard to imagine any alumnus who’s had a more distinguished career than Dr. Reneau; the impacts he’s had on our institution as its president are monumental.”

Spring Commencement, ’17 May 20, Thomas Assembly Center 320th Commencement Exercises in University history Highlights • 100,000th degree conferred • 973: Record number of new graduates • 1 0: Doctoral graduates, which gave Tech its largest ever annual number of doctoral graduates, 55 •K eynote: John Bel Edwards, sworn in Jan. 11, 2016, as 56th Governor of Louisiana • Tower Medallion: Presented to President Emeritus Dan Reneau • “ 100,000 Strong” lapel pins and special red and blue tassels for each graduate •S pirit of ’88 placed at front of stage so each student could honor the tradition of rubbing his head for good luck • Attended by Lou Taylor, widow of Dr. F. Jay Taylor, who was president when current Tech president Les Guice was a student. He led Tech through its first decades as a “University” and awarded nearly 38,000 diplomas •S tanding-room-only crowd; the TAC seats 8,000 for basketball, and nearly 9,000, including the graduates, attended Spring Commencement ’17

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Be bold enough to suggest a new idea, be persistent to see ideas through, mentor someone younger than yourself, or help someone in a novel way. dreaming just to own a cell phone.

Bill Bradley CenturyLink exec, Class of ’85

Rebecca Bradley remembers going to Lady Techster games with her dad, “and every time we came to Ruston it was evident that he was proud to be a graduate of Tech,” she said. “Hearing his stories from all the different places on campus made me realize his love and loyalty to Louisiana Tech.

R

ebecca is currently the human resources coordinator for Fenway Group in Tech Pointe and a graduate student in industrial/organizational psychology.

She graduated from Tech with her management degree in the winter of 2016 when the commencement speaker was her chauffeur to all those Tech events years ago: her dad, Bill Bradley.

Here are some of the thoughts he shared with his daughter and her fellow graduates that November afternoon, about “Blues Clues,” Nethken Hall, and creating change…

Building and maintaining relationships and networks is one of

the most important things you can ever do.

Success is never achieved alone, but

by being surrounded by people who are wiser than you and who care about you.

It’s been 11,508 days, to be exact – 12 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

that’s a long time! – since I sat in the very seat you’re in today.

You are crossing a threshold. Life is

changing. You will never be the same.

My focus when graduating college was to be a software developer.

I joined CenturyLink, then Century Telephone, in 1985. Our revenue that year was about $135 million, and we operated in 11 states. In 2015, we had $18 billion in revenue. We operate in 45 states and 17 foreign countries.

Lesson No. 1: Change is a constant, so

you need to get used to it.

Lesson No. 2: How you embrace change

makes all the difference.

One of the major changes you have seen in your life is in communication technologies. It’s not been many years

ago that all of you were hoping and

You’ve also seen changes in entertainment. Growing up, you’ve gone

from “Blues Clues” and “SpongeBob” to “Gilmore Girls” and “SportsCenter.”

The one constant I can provide to you about your future is you will experience continual change.

You have to own that change. You must determine now how you will react. You must embrace change if you want to be successful. Let’s take that one step further: You should be the one to create change.

Be bold enough to suggest a new idea, be persistent to see ideas through, mentor someone younger than yourself, or help someone in a novel way.

Principle No. 1: Follow your passion.

For my entire career, I’ve had a passion for technology. It goes back even further than my career in college, but I absolutely can tell you I spent a lot of time in Nethken, Bogard Hall, and the basement of Wyly Tower – working on projects, writing code, and learning things that weren’t even assigned. I think I still have a key to Nethken. Probably should return that soon.

Principle No. 2: Work hard. If you are

really passionate about it, it should be easy.

Principle No. 3: Give back. You should

realize that the community around you enables you to be successful. Louisiana Tech is a great example of a pillar of our community that’s impacted you in a positive way. Use your good fortune and skills to give back to others.

How ’bout them Dawgs!

Ronny Walker

Mayor, City of Ruston After Ruston voters elected Ronny Walker as the city’s mayor in November 2014, one of the first calls he made was to Louisiana Tech president Les Guice. The partnership between the University and Ruston continues to evolve and create opportunities for business, education, and community growth.

W

alker has long been a fan of both the city and the University. Before becoming mayor, he served at Temple Baptist Church in Ruston, at Ruston State Bank, Origin (then Community Trust) Bank, First National Bank, and Louisiana Tech. He’s also donated much of his time and talent to civic clubs and parish-wide causes.

After graduation from high school in his small hometown of Flora, Miss., Walker earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Mississippi State University and his master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Following are a few of his commencement remarks to Tech’s graduating class in February, a group he thanked for “spending this time in Ruston…We are so proud to call you one of Ruston’s own.”

I want to encourage you to be bold.

Bold in your work. Bold in your goals and ambitions. Bold with your dreams.

Being bold is one reason you are graduating from a nationally recognized

university today.

president Dan Reneau and his staff

– including our current president, Dr. Les Guice – who took this University to selective admissions. A move that many thought would hurt this University. But look at us now.

Believe in yourself and the gifts and talents you have. Have the confidence to move forward.

Believe in the great education you have received at Louisiana Tech

University. This wonderful faculty and staff have prepared you for your future, so go out and use that education to change the world in your own way.

Believe in your family, friends, and support group that have helped to get

you to this point. Now it’s your turn to be a part of that support group to others.

Be brave. It can be a cold and cruel world out there, but you have the tools and education to make it through.

To be brave is to “be ready to face and endure danger or pain, showing

courage.” You are ready to face whatever this world has for you.

I want to personally thank you for coming to Ruston and being a part of

our great community for the last three, four or five years. The students at Tech bring such a high level of energy and excitement to our city that makes Ruston more than a town with a college in it, but a true college town.

Because of you, our city tag line is now “Excellence Made Here.”

I have two things I would like to ask you to do: Give back to this

great University, whether it’s money or recruiting future students, start now. And two, there is someone who did something to get you to this point. Take some time in the next few days to thank them for what they did.

Because of you, our city tag line is now ‘Excellence Made Here.’

It was a bold move by thenLATECH.EDU | 13

TOWER MEDALLION Hall of Distinguished Alumni

The Tower Medallion Award signifies membership in the Hall and is awarded to Tech alumni who have distinguished themselves by exceptional achievement, community service, and humanitarian activities. Benny Denny and Caroline Reaves became the University’s newest Tower Medallion recipients when they were inducted into the University’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni this year.

Caroline Reaves Caroline At-A-Glance

• A.S., Business, 1983 • B.A., Economics, 1985 • Past President, Board of Directors, Louisiana Tech University Alumni Association • Current member, Board of Directors, Louisiana Tech University Foundation • CEO, Mortgage Contracting Services (facilities in Dallas, Tampa, and Ruston)

A

Ruston native, Caroline Reaves has always been a fan of her hometown University. At winter commencement, Louisiana Tech left no doubt that the feeling is mutual.

“Receiving the Tower Medallion was an immense honor for me,” said Reaves, who lives with her family in Flower Mound, Texas, but still has many connections in Ruston. “To be recognized by the school I am so proud to be a graduate of is truly amazing. I always enjoy my trips back to Ruston, but this one was very special for me.”

Her love for her University is evident. Besides having served on the board of the Alumni Association, including a term as president, Caroline expanded her business three years ago by opening a 10,000-square-foot business process outsourcing center along Ruston’s Interstate 20 business district. Reaves is the CEO of Mortgage Contracting Services, Inc. (MCS), a property preservation and inspection services provider to the mortgage industry; the company’s other sites are in Tampa, Fla., and Plano, Texas.

“Prior to the (Tower Medallion) ceremony, my family and I were invited to a breakfast at Dr. Guice’s home,” she said. “It was surreal to be recognized by two men as wonderful as Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker and our University president. They were such an integral part of MCS’s beginnings and growth in Ruston, and I am very grateful to them.”

For Reaves, commencement weekend was celebrated with her family “and a few surprise friends who joined me for the weekend,”

14 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

she said. “We celebrated at Squire Creek, and I was able to take the group on a tour of the campus.”

She got her picture made with the Lady of the Mist – practically a requirement for any alum visiting campus – and found her bricks along the Alumni Walkway. When the weekend was over, she took something besides the memories back to Texas.

“I am proudly displaying my medal in my Dallas office alongside my favorite Tech memorabilia.”

Caroline on ENTHUSIASM: I’m enthusiastic about Louisiana Tech’s continued national recognition, both as a Tier One University and as one of the most affordable programs in the country. I’m enthusiastic about the planning and preparation that the University is undertaking to significantly increase the enrollment of excellent students. And I’m enthusiastic about the new press box and suites!

Benny Denny Benny At-A-Glance • • • •

B.S., Business Administration, 1970 M.B.A., Finance, 1980 Honorary Doctor of Humanities, 2013 Past member, Board of Directors, Louisiana Tech University Alumni Association

I

f Louisiana Tech decides to honor and thank Benny Denny with any of its established awards, it’s too late: he’s already earned most of them.

And every time he’s received one, he said, he’s been “a little shocked.”

“It’s pretty overwhelming, but you don’t do things for your school for those reasons,” said Denny of his latest recognition, the University’s Tower Medallion Award. “To me, the whole deal is The Golden Rule, and to work hard when it’s time to work hard and to play hard when it’s time to play hard. Besides, there are so many good things to say about Louisiana Tech, I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity to be involved. I enjoy the opportunity to ‘sell’ Tech.”

Denny became heavily involved in the University because “Dr. (Dan) Reneau gave me no choice,” he said of the former Tech president. “He was a very demanding man and a close friend who encouraged me along the way. I learned a lot by how he handled the University, how important it was to be sure of the fundamentals, and about making sure you treat people right.”

Beginning with a role in the Alumni Association, “step by step, things kept presenting themselves,” he said, “and I attacked every opportunity with enthusiasm.”

•P rivileged Director and Past President, Board of Directors, Louisiana Tech University Foundation • Distinguished Alumnus, College of Business, 1995 • Retired President, Bank of Ruston He still does, whether he’s fishing with friends, helping the child of a fraternity brother enroll in the University, or continuing to serve as an ambassador for both Ruston and Louisiana Tech.

“You don’t have to make things up about Tech,” he said. “Today, so much is going for us. Look at the recognition Tech’s earned for academic excellence, in research, in being one of the best deals there is for a quality education. I always talk Tech. I love the opportunities I get to help kids when they come, to make sure they know one more friendly face. I’ve gotten a lot of my friends’ kids to come here with the promise that I’ll tutor them, I’ll make sure and take care of them.

I love all that stuff.”

Benny on LOYALTY: How important is loyalty? I place it at the top of the list of the 12 Tenets. The meaning of the word invokes many of the other Tenets, such as commitment, respect, integrity, pride, and hope.

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ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

Tim Petrus

T

im Petrus finds it easy to carry the banner for Louisiana Tech. The whole reason he chose to start school here in the early 1970s was because of a couple of pretty good examples he chose to follow.

“I had two older brothers who were Tech engineers and I really looked up to them,” said the University’s 2016 Alumnus of the Year.

His degree in electrical engineering has served him well. Petrus is executive vice president and general partner of MorningStar of Fort Worth, Texas, where he lives with his wife Elaine, a Tech accounting graduate. MorningStar is a privately held partnership that acquires and manages oil and gas properties.

He began his career at Exxon Company USA (now ExxonMobil) in Lafayette, where he was involved in both reservoir and production engineering. In 1980, he moved to Fort Worth to work with the Petroleum Lending Department of Texas American Bank, and rose to the position of vice president.

In 1988, he joined the newly formed Cross Timbers Oil Company in Fort Worth as a regional engineer, and later took over the Acquisitions Group of XTO (formerly Cross Timbers Oil Company) and was promoted to the position of executive vice president. In 2012, Petrus and three partners formed MorningStar. The partnership team then formed a new private equity-backed company in 2015 named Southland Royalty Company, which to date has completed $1 billion in oil and gas property acquisitions.

With each step of his progress, Petrus has helped Tech do the same thing.

“I choose to support Tech because I came to realize how well Tech had prepared me to compete in the business world,” he said. “My later involvement with the Engineering and Science Foundation showed what an amazing job our faculty was doing

with limited resources. I think many alums don’t understand that state funding covers less than 30 percent of the school’s budget.”

Engineering and science aren’t the only things that pull at Petrus’ Tech heartstrings. The immediate past president of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation Board and director of the Louisiana Tech University Foundation Board, Petrus traveled with the football team to its game against the Kansas Jayhawks four years ago, and he was a host for many Tech friends when the Bulldogs played – and won – against Navy in Fort Worth in December in the Lockheed-Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

“The Armed Forces experience,” he said, “was a blast! I think a lot of Tech folks had never experienced Fort Worth and were pleasantly surprised.”

Tim highlights an example of EXCELLENCE: The new Integrated Engineering and Science Education building will be a game-changer. It will allow the College of Engineering and Science to expand and improve their very successful interdisciplinary classes that allow engineering, science, math, and even business students to learn in collaborative teams. This type of learning is highly valued in the business world.

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YOUNG ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

Nate Burkhalter Nate on CONFIDENCE: I see confidence as the ability to stick to your convictions, even when it isn’t easy or popular…to know you have what it takes to push through the inevitable tough times and challenges, and ultimately the willingness to take on the risk of failure. My ups and downs through the American Ninja Warrior journey are a prime example of that.

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mechanical engineering graduate, Nate Burkhalter works far from Tech for ExxonMobil. He got word of his Young Alumnus of the Year selection while in West Africa. Later, he contacted Louisiana Tech from Norway. He’s originally from Eunice, has a mailing address in Houston, and last year was on a summer mission trip in Uganda.

He has worked in power plants, refineries, on offshore drilling rigs, and production platforms in equipment design, project management, and operations support roles.

His off-duty life has been busy too; Burkhalter has appeared as a national finalist and threetime competitor on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. He’s an active advocate, volunteer, adventurer, speaker, global traveler, church/ missions volunteer, and has drilled fresh water wells around the world as an active member and advocate for a number of non-profit organizations and ministries.

What’s next? “That’s hard to say; I’ve worked several technical roles in the oil and gas industry for seven years now,” he said, “and I’m now at a bit of a crossroads. I could move toward a role in management, go back to school for an MBA, or try something entirely new.”

Considering his resume, nothing would be surprising from a young man who credits Tech with being “a launching point for developing and gaining confidence in my life.”

“It started with friendships, social life, and athletics,” Burkhalter said. “That confidence transitioned into technical skills, leadership, and a stronger/deeper understanding of who God had created me to be.

“I left Tech feeling fully empowered physically, mentally, educationally, and spiritually to take on my role in the world.

I knew that the people, classes, programs, social events, and churches had thoroughly equipped me to be a leader.”

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Distinguished Alumni of the Colleges Louisiana Tech’s 2016 Distinguished Alumni illustrate what’s best about the University. We thank and honor them for their accomplishments and their contributions. We also thank each of them for taking the time to explain how one or two of the Tech Tenets is reflected and infused into their careers.

BRIAN THOMAS (’95) Health Information Administration / College of Applied and Natural Sciences Brian is senior vice president and chief operating officer for Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, Ark. He has served in executive positions for several medical centers and physician practices, including Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Ala., and John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, Calif. He was appointed to the Governor’s Trauma Advisory Council for the State of Arkansas in 2014, and currently resides in Benton, Ark., with his wife, Angela, and their two daughters.

THOMAS ON CONFIDENCE AND HOPE: “Although it has been more than 20 years since I graduated, my experiences from the campus continue to shape my future still today. The faculty of the College of Applied and Natural Sciences not only invested in and added to my knowledge, they instilled in me the confidence necessary to take on the significant challenges of the real world. I was inspired with hope to reach beyond ordinary and strive for extraordinary.”

KAREN DYSON TAYLOR (’79) Accounting / College of Business “This recognition caused my mother nearly to ‘bust her buttons’ with pride, so that makes it especially meaningful,” said Karen, whose mother, Dr. June Dyson, was Tech’s Dean of Women, then Dean of Student Development, and finally a teacher in Home Economics until her retirement; she still lives in Ruston. Karen’s father, Sammy, was Tech’s head librarian for years; obviously, Karen has good Tech genes. She serves as senior vice president of human resources of Enterprise Products, a midstream energy company in Houston. She has been named an Outstanding Woman in Business by Leadera Consulting Group and one of the most powerful and influential women in Texas by Texas Diversity Magazine. She is a member of the College of Business Advisory Board and lives in Houston with her husband, two daughters, and son. “I am still quite humbled by the recognition, but proud to represent Louisiana Tech,” she said.

KAREN ON LEADERSHIP: “As a ‘Tech Brat,’ I was a fixture on campus from grade school through graduate school. Although I was not aware of it at the time, countless members of the administration, faculty, and staff served as my role models – leading with integrity and authenticity and driving toward excellence. But most importantly, they cared – about me, my academic success, my personal well-being, and my future. That is the leadership lesson I strive to pay forward.”

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JEANETTE JARRELL HINCKLEY (’78) English Education / College of Education Hinckley served as librarian and branch manager for libraries in Palm Beach Gardens and Tequesta, Fla., and in Calcasieu Parish. She also served as records manager for Mobil Oil in Lafayette and New Orleans, and later owned and managed Books, Etc. in Pineville. Hinckley is past president and secretary of the Pineville Rotary Club and involved in many community activities and professional groups. She lives in Pineville with husband Justin, Tech’s 2010 Alumnus of the Year.

JEANETTE ON KNOWLEDGE: “Tech gave me more than a classroom experience. I received knowledge from many activities that were offered to students. Through the speaker series, with speakers such as Ronald Reagan, I obtained knowledge about social, political, and foreign issues. I gained knowledge of the arts by attending plays, poetry readings, concerts, and author presentations. While at Tech, I received more than a diploma — I received a well-rounded education that gave me a wide knowledge of subjects and a desire to obtain more knowledge.”

WILLIAM E. “BILL” BRADLEY III (’85) Computer Science / College of Engineering and Science Bill is senior vice president of cyber engineering and technology solutions for CenturyLink, where he has served for 31 years in roles ranging from software developer to chief technology officer to chief information officer. He also serves on the board of directors of RiskSense and is an active advocate for promoting the growth of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Bradley has been a director on the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation Board and is a director of the Louisiana Tech University Foundation Board. He resides in Choudrant with his wife, Lisa. (Read more about Bill, Tech’s Fall 2016 commencement speaker, on page 4.)

BILL ON INTEGRITY: “Integrity is about what you do, observed or unobserved, rather than what you say. I have seen this evidenced throughout my life, as a fundamental tenet of Tech and a unifying principle of CenturyLink. It is an entirely personal conversation, and I encourage everyone to make this an expectation you set for yourself.”

CHRISTOPHER COE (’83’/’85) General Studies (’83), Architecture (’85) / Liberal Arts Christopher is founder and president of COE Architecture International, a Los Angelesbased design firm recognized for its unique approach to “architecture as city-making” through its experience designing mixed-use, urban in-fill developments. In addition to his Tech degree, he earned a Master of Architecture from Yale in 1987 and served as a lecturer in architectural design at the University of Southern California from 1992 through 2009. Originally from Bossier City, Coe currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Sophie Li. CHRISTOPHER ON RESPECT: “I was raised on Air Force bases, the youngest son of a Chief Sergeant. Respect for God, for country, and for your commanding officer. So I come from that.

Sometimes that’s a standard that’s hard to meet. But from my work in architecture, from someone who’s lived in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo over the past five years, I’ve come to see respect in a different way. There’s an understanding in these cities, a respect that binds people together to make living tolerable. It applies at the macro and micro levels, whether in class on the Tech campus or at your workplace or living together in these giant cities. The issue of respect is the glue that makes these communities work.”

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It’s Fun to be an

ALUM

Bulldog senior deep snapper Darrell Travis and two-time Ray Guy Award winner and former Bulldog Ryan Allen, now the punter for the Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots, greet each other before Tech’s 56-28 victory over UMass in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, home of the Patriots.

Make the Difference: Join Your Alumni Association

• Online at LATechAlumni.org/dues, or; •B y calling the Louisiana Tech Marbury Alumni Center at 318.255.7950 or 800.738.7950.

Membership dues are $50 annually for an individual and $100 for a couple; a lifetime membership is $750 for an individual and $1,000 for a couple.

Director of Alumni Engagement and Leadership Giving: Michele Robinson (Michele@LATechAlumni.org) Director of Alumni Programming: Daniel Dupuy (Daniel@LATechAlumni.org) Director of Campus Engagement and Tenet Society: Katie McGowan (Katie@LATechAlumni.org) Administrative Coordinator: Barbara Swart (Barbara@LATechAlumni.org) Mike Thompson, Doug Mitchell, and Terri Mitchell at The Happening.

Faithful Tech fan, entertainer, writer, and vineyard owner Kix Brooks made it to Ruston for a day of signing his new cook book, talking with students, entertaining at the president’s home, then rooting for the Bulldogs in Tech’s 55-52 victory over Western Kentucky.

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Dwayne Woodard was at the football season opener in Fayetteville when the Dogs took on the Hogs.

Andy Halbrook, Matt Frey, Bill and Nancy Sullivan, and Mary Elizabeth Halbrook enjoy Tech football from the DAC.

Pregame on the porch in the DAC are (back row) David Wilkins, Glenn Murphy, Chris Richardson, and Richie Golman, and (front) Mike Barber and Terry Bradshaw.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Tech running back Jaqwis Dancy, and Kathy and President Guice.

Daphne Washington (center), faculty, Department of Communications Disorders, is flanked by Ruston City Council members Angela Mayfield (left) and Carolyn Cage at The Happening.

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J and Blair Walpole

Justin Bounds and Austin Reed at a young alumni event at Zippy’s in Baton Rouge.

Who’s the biggest fan of Tech fans? That would be Champ, here taking a break from cheering to entertain in Thomas Assembly Center.

Darrell Oglesby, Ryan Richard, and Frank Brown

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The 2016 Happening is always “a happening” in the Monroe Civic Center.

Country music star and Tech alum Trace Adkins sang the National Anthem before the 2016 Homecoming game in Joe Aillet Stadium.

JaColby Pemberton, Chuck Boyer, Gawain Burgess, Charles Roberson, Betty Ann Roberson, and Shannon Boyer got together with other hoops fans for Dinner with the (Dunkin’) Dogs.

William Green, Bobby Conville, Rosy Bromell, Edward Valentine, and Pat Valentine

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The Chris Richardson Family Suites Level

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From 1969 to 1971, as a three-time letterwinner, team captain, and All-American, Chris Richardson made a lot of on-the-field contributions to Louisiana Tech football.

He was just getting started.

Richardson and his wife, Anne, made a $1 million commitment to the suite level of the under-construction suites and press box at Joe Aillet Stadium. The $16.7 million press box and guest suite facility is expected to be completed prior to the 2017 season opener against Northwestern State on Sept. 2.

The suite level will be named in honor of the Chris Richardson family.

“I have many fond memories of games played there as well as being a spectator for many more,” said Richardson, president of Blazer Building, based in Houston. “We are pleased to support this effort to continue the Tech football program in the right direction.

It is great to support a winning effort by Tech and the staff.”

As a team captain in ’71, Chris helped lead Tech to a 9-2 record, a Southland Conference championship, and a victory over Eastern Michigan in the Pioneer Bowl in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Championship.

“We are grateful for their friendship and generosity,” Tech athletics director Tommy McClelland said of Chris and Anne.

“Chris is also a great example to our current student-athletes; he received a great education at Tech and has applied that knowledge to build a successful career.”

The highest level of the multilevel facility will be mainly a media work area. The middle level, the Chris Richardson Family Suites Level, will house 13 luxury suites plus the Presidential Suite.

Each one of the luxury suites will include 12 outdoor seats, indoor lounge furniture, a kitchenette area, and a big screen TV. Patrons will gain access to these luxury suites through a club area which will be used for catering food and beverage.

The first level of the new facility, which will stretch from the 10-yard line to the 10-yard line, will be a camera deck.

Besides the add-on, an additional $1.9 million will be invested in other stadium improvements, including LED lighting, a permanent west side ticket booth, renovations to the west side bathrooms, and aesthetic improvements to stadium entry points.

For more information on naming rights and how to support the Press Box project, please contact Marco Born at 318-257-2933 or MBorn@LATech.edu.

I have many fond memories of games played there as well as being a spectator for many more. We are pleased to support this effort to continue the Tech football program in the right direction. It is great to support a winning – Chris Richardson effort by Tech and the staff.

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HE’LL DRINK TO THAT: For Davis, coffee is more than a drink; it’s something that connects people, cultures, and generations, and “seems to transcend time.”

‘Coffee, Tea, or Smoothie (or Wine)?’

Lifting one to a few of Tech’s Renaissance Men

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We now lift a glass – or a to-go cup – to a few Louisiana Tech alums whose aim is to keep you watered down.

Entertainer/songwriter Kix Brooks (speech communications ’78) founded and co-owns Arrington Vineyards in Tennessee.

From what’s becoming known as “Nashville’s Wine Country,” Arrington Vineyards distributes its wines throughout middle Tennessee and, through “Kix’s Wine Club,” ships wine to club members throughout the United States.

Michael Davis (sociology ’09, MBA ’16), Dustin Whitlock (psychology ’07, masters’s counseling and guidance ’09, master’s secondary education ’14), and Dustin’s dad Howard (health and physical education ’72, master’s HPE ’77) teamed up to open Railway Coffee last year in the old Bailey Jewelry building, 202 W. Mississippi Ave., in downtown Ruston. The business began with Michael and wife Jana (elementary education ’09) roasting coffee beans in their home.

Matt Saurage (mechanical engineering ’93) is the fourthgeneration owner of Community Coffee, based in Baton Rouge but a fixture in the north Louisiana market for more than 25 years; he became the company’s chair in 2012. Community Coffee has several “CC’s Coffee House” locations in south Louisiana and one in Monroe (on Tower Drive). Plans are in the works for a CC’s Coffee House to open before the end of the year in Shreveport’s growing Camp Forbing Marketplace.

Bradley Walker (marketing ’04) bought Smoothie King on Tech Drive in 2006 and a Smoothie King in Shreveport 18 months later. When coffee shop Crescent City closed in May of 2014, the

landlord wanted to keep a coffee shop in the same 1007 North Trenton Street location. Bradley and wife Katie (education ’09) renovated the space and rebranded it as Parish Press.

“I’d been working at Squire Creek Country Club in the golf business, These are some reasons that several researchers, but I’d always wanted to do my own thing,” Walker said. “Ruston is including the Dietary Guidelines Advisory a great spot for that because the town supports those who support Committee, suggest how drinking more coffee can it. We try to support local charities and groups with their events and be better for you than you might have imagined. fundraisers, and I see those same people coming in for coffee and Condensed from Inc. smoothies all the time.”

1. C offee is full of antioxidants; you could live a Parish Press promotes itself as the only locally owned coffee shop longer life. in town that serves well-crafted coffee from Louisiana. It offers a deep 2. You could improve your mood; four-cup-a-dayers coffee/tea/expresso menu, a small food menu – think beignets, bagels, are 20 percent less likely to develop depression. and breakfast sandwiches – and cozy spots to visit, study, surf the web, 3. Four-cup-a-dayers have a decreased risk of relax, and, of course, enjoy coffee. developing the most serious kind of skin cancer.

“A lot of the people we serve are connected to Louisiana Tech,” he said. “I had some great teachers in marketing and management who 4. Levels of the protein associated with Alzheimer’s taught me so many things I’ve been able to use in business today.” are much more reduced in five-cup-a-day Saurage entered the beverage world in a different way, both through drinkers. the front and back doors. His great-grandfather, “Cap” Saurage, began 5. C affeine increases metabolism, thus increasing making coffee and selling that and other groceries to his neighbors. He your chance of burning fat. named it “Community Coffee” in honor of the friends and customers he 6. C offee drinkers have a lowered chance (as much and his family served. as 50 percent) of developing type 2 diabetes.

“When I came to Tech, I didn’t know I was going into coffee. I liked it and drank it a lot,” Saurage said, “but I was interested in engineering 7. You could feel less pain: Caffeine has a protein that produces a mild pain-tranquilizing effect because of a high school physics teacher who turned me on to science. I similar to that of morphine. was interested in how the equipment worked, in processing and roasting our coffees, and Tech seemed like a good fit.”

8. You could remember better: Coffee blocks certain Matt and his wife Catherine (nee Baker, human ecology ’94) became receptors in the brain, something that allows for engaged while at Tech, married in 1994, and moved to Birmingham, improved short-term memory.

Ala., Catherine’s home. With the economy in a downturn, Matt thought 9. O ne-to-three cups a day puts you in the group 20 about going back to school in business. “But,” he said, “I missed home, percent less likely to be hospitalized for abnormal and I missed coffee.” heart rhythms than non-coffee drinkers.

So the couple moved to Baton Rouge, and Matt began seriously learning the family business.

They also began having children, and now have five between the ages of 19 and 10.

“Catherine puts up with me and all these kids, and she wants more,” Matt said.

“We got some chickens instead.”

The Ruston area had plenty of chickens in 1990 when Matt was a student, but same as the rest of north Louisiana, “there was no coffee scene,” Matt said. “It was hard to find high-quality coffee. In 1991, Community entered the market up there.

The company brought in gourmet coffees, different roasts and blends that SMOOTH MOVE: Serving up a smoothie at one of his two Ruston businesses, Walker is in tune people in south Louisiana with the symbiotic relationship Ruston’s business community has with the University. had been enjoying for years.”

C.C.’s Coffee Houses are another example of modern beverage reality: “There’s a lot happening in coffee right now,” said Matt, whose business sources coffee beans from around the globe. “There are a lot of health benefits in coffee, including your mental health. There’s more to this

Here’s to your health

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KIX OPINES ON WINE “A favorite? As you would expect me to say, I like everything we make at Arrington Vineyards – currently that’s 18 different wines. The dream was always to have a place where people could come and enjoy and also learn about wine. Folks come up to the tasting bar all the time and say, ‘I don’t know what I like,’ to which I reply, ‘That’s why we have a tasting bar!’…

“Try different stuff. Wine is like music: you have every right to like what you like, and if someone else likes something else, does that change your mind? Heck no. That doesn’t mean that if someone says, ‘You’ve got to hear this new band,’ it won’t turn out to be your new favorite. Same thing when it comes to wine: like what you like and don’t be intimidated by snobs :) …

“If I had to pick one or two favorites right now, I would probably recommend the Antebellum. It’s a Cabernet/Chamberlain blend, but the cool thing is, after we make it and put it in French oak barrels for two years, we take it out and put it in used Tennessee whiskey barrels for six months; it has a deep, red, rich, smokey wine taste that red wine drinkers are sure to love…

“On the white side, I would recommend our Riesling. A lot of folks think of this as a sweet wine, but we make ours pretty dry. It’s won a lot of awards, even up in California against the big boys. And with spring and summer coming up, I love this wine with seafood!, especially shrimp and crab. It pairs up great with that and is sure to make that picnic table full of Louisiana favorites extra special.”

– Kix Brooks

complex liquid than just caffeine.”

“We really want to enter (select markets) where people are crazy interested in coffee,” he said of the C.C.’s Coffee Houses expansion into north Louisiana. “Coffee is more than a convenience; it’s an experience.”

Maybe no one in Ruston believes that more than Michael Davis.

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Railway Coffee was born from a mix of his passions, both for coffee and for downtown Ruston.

“Like with any small business, you go through this season of asking yourself, ‘Why have I done this to myself?!’ It’s so much hard work,” Michael said. “You’ve got to find your ‘Why,’ the thing that keeps you going. I like to be part of a downtown that feels like it’s growing again, that’s vibrant, refreshing, and encouraging.

It’s fun to be able to bring something like that to the place where I grew up.”

He’s the business manager for 4D Contractors, his parents’ business, as he’s been since getting his undergrad degree. But about a quarter of his work time is invested in Railway.

“I started roasting coffee as a hobby, just took an interest in the craft of it,” he said. “I’d always liked drinking coffee, the social aspect of it. I was reading about specialty coffees one day, how they get to be a little like wine crafting, that by manipulating different things in the roast, you can bring out different notes.”

In the spring of 2015, he and Jana began selling their roasts online and at the Ruston Farmers Market. “We got good feedback overall; it was fun to just roast and sell the beans and tell them all the factors that go into how the coffee’s going to taste. We did some

small wholesale, too. But nothing really stuck.”

In early 2016, the Whitlocks joined Michael and Jana as partners and decided they wanted to have a presence in the city. “The University was growing and so was Ruston; that’s something we wanted to be a part of,” Michael said. “We wanted a place where people could come hang out.”

Like Matt with Community, Michael believes coffee shops are growing because there is something more to enjoying a cup of coffee than taste. The Depot, owned and operated by First Baptist Church of Ruston, opened at 211 W. Railroad Avenue in 2013 and is another place for specialty drinks and study. There’s also an indoor space for bigger get-togethers and a large covered patio.

“I’m speculating, but with all the social media today, people are missing that face-to-face interaction,” Michael said. “Without that, you lose out on those relationships. Coffee seems to transcend time. It brings people together, whether it’s a business meeting, a date, or whatever; it’s a connection across cultures and generations.”

Davis says the coffee enterprise is a “complete circle” for him because he’s helping farmers in Colombia and they’re helping him. “That’s one of the things that keeps me going,” he said. “We’re making a difference on a bigger scale. I can ruin all their hard work as a roaster, and the same goes for them. We don’t want to fail them or waste their work.

We hold ourselves to a high standard.”

Louisiana Tech is an arc in that circle, as it is for each of these graduates. Students need a place to hang out and study, something to drink while they visit, or something to drink to keep them awake before a big test.

“We work with Learfield to advertise with Tech athletics for both Smoothie King and Parish Press,” Bradley said. “Without Tech, you wouldn’t see as many businesses in Ruston.”

How to Brew True

“All it takes is a little knowledge, a little skill, a little practice, and your enthusiasm.”

– Matt Saurage 1. Don’t skimp on the coffee.

Start with fresh, quality coffee, and only purchase as much as you’ll use in a week.

2. Use a high-quality brewer, one that gets the water around 198 degrees with a brew cycle of about four minutes. Clean it regularly.

3. Most importantly, calculate your water-to-coffee ratio. You want two tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water.

4. Hey you! Go brew!

Their Favorites

Michael Davis: “My go-to right now is a Nitro Cold Brew, which is cold-brewed coffee infused with nitrogen.

The Nitro gives it a creamy body and a foamy head like a Guinness.”

Matt Saurage: Chicory with a little cream and sugar; “I like to taste my coffee.”

Bradley Walker: Americano (espresso and water); favorite Smoothie: Chocolate Lean 1, (chocolate protein, banana, and almonds)

THEY KNOW BEANS ABOUT COFFEE: Saurage (left) and his father, the late Norman Saurage III (and son of Community’s founder, H. Norman Saurage Jr.), at work “cupping” coffee, a test for taste and aroma.

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NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

Speaker Series: Now THAT’S what we’re talking about!

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f you see highly successful students of yesteryear around the College of Business, it’s likely they’ve returned to share their experience with students of today.

One of the ways the College is accomplishing this is through its Executive Speaker Series and Global Lecture Series.

Of the six speakers that addressed more than 700 students since January, five are Tech alums and one is the father of a 2017 Tech graduate.

The Executive Series is called Inside the C-Suite: In business lingo, the C-Suite refers to the offices in a corporation that house the senior executives. “Inside the C-Suite,” students get to find out just what goes on in there as top executives share the issues they face on a daily basis.

The Global Lecture Series focuses more on international/ multinational business.

The speakers this winter and spring were these: • India Carroll, CEO, Green Clinic; • Robert LaCaze, Senior V.P., Bayer Pharmaceuticals; • John Madden, V.P. and Owner, Madden Contracting Company, Inc. • Ed Smith, CEO and Owner, Smitty’s Supply, Inc.; • Tom Pearson, Executive V.P., Colliers International; and, • Matt Saurage, CEO, Community Coffee (see page 26).

Carroll (general studies ’81, master’s accounting ’88) shared with Louisiana Tech Magazine some thoughts about her time with the students.

Q. How did speaking to Tech students help you as a CEO? Carroll: “There are two answers to that one. First, Tech, the Tech Family, and my experiences at school have had a profound effect on my career and my life. In my mind, speaking to the 30 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

students is a way to ‘give back,’ even if only on a small scale.

Second, preparing for an event such at this forces you to be a bit introspective about your career, your success, your priorities, your plans...Self-reflection, as I see it, is always a good way to consider how to adjust and improve.”

Q: How do you think a “person like you” with a “real” job – a CEO – helps those students?

Carroll: “I based most of my presentation around things I have learned throughout my career, often the hard way. Not the things you learn from a book, although that is very important, but how to deal effectively with people, how to navigate through difficult situations, the importance of always remaining optimistic...I told the students just to tuck these things into their memory banks and recall them someday when they were facing a decision, crisis, or perhaps a life-changing event in their careers. The more we can communicate to the students how to handle ‘real-world situations,’ the further ahead they will be when they begin their careers.”

Q: Did they get to ask you questions?

Carroll: “Absolutely! And they had some really good ones.

They kept me on my toes.”

Q: What’s the feeling you get about the direction of the COB? Carroll: “Incredible! Of course, when I took my business classes, the building was sinking...I’m pretty amazed by everything I am seeing. Lots of involvement between the students and staff. Social media makes that a bit easier, but they seem to be making good use of it. The technology is amazing – every time I am there they show me something new and innovative. They seem to be developing great relationships with business and industry, which opens up endless opportunities for internships and hands-on learning for the students. Dean Chris Martin and his staff are doing a very nice job.”

Bridging the gap Its efforts have been award-winning, but the real reward for the School of Design is in the difference it’s made, both for its students and for the children at MedCamps.

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few years ago, Robert Brooks, Brad Deal, and Marla Emory of Tech’s School of Architecture met with Caleb Seney, executive director of MedCamps, a nonprofit camp for Louisiana children with disabilities, to develop a 20-year plan for the camp’s home, Camp Alabama.

After four springs and four completed projects, the camp has new life and, as of this May, a 300-feet-plus bridge that spans Lake Alabama. Take a bow, Architecture 335 class.

While it’s a required course that occurs in the junior year of the architecture curriculum, ARCH 335 is not required to design and build things that take much more time and effort than most classes. Yet that’s what this class (17 students this spring) has done, and the Pisces Bridge is the latest example.

“We try to keep the mission simple,” said Karl Puljak, director of Tech’s School of Design. “People helping people is a pretty good recipe for learning and living.”

“We could always find easier projects to do – projects that are smaller, less complex or less complicated,” said Brooks, who along with Deal, won both Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award in the American Institute of Architects’ 2016 ‘I Look Up Film Challenge’ for their inspirational short film titled ‘Rebuilding MedCamps.’ “But to do so would yield less reward for our efforts, less impact for the campers, and less fulfillment as design educators.”

“The knowledge, skills, and relationships that students build with their peers and mentors are some of the most valuable things they will gain in their time in college,” Deal said. “The Design/ Build studio creates an environment that fosters intense knowledge acquisition and builds relationships in a way that usually takes far

more than a few weeks. In the process, our students have an experience that stays with them for years to come and creates within them a heart for service to their community and a deep respect for the power of collaboration, design, and determination.”

In March in Detroit, Brooks and Deal received a 2016-17 Architectural Education Award when they earned a Collaborative Practice award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture for the Design/Build work at MedCamps.

“Thanks to the leadership of professors Deal and Brooks, a strong partnership with MedCamps, the invaluable support of our community, and, most importantly, the unprecedented dedication of our students, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that what is happening in the School of Design is of national significance,” Puljak said.

“People throughout the country are talking about these student-led projects and the good work of Louisiana Tech University.

“What has evolved over this past year has elevated nearly 20 years of our Design/Build program to a level that we should not take for granted,” he said.

“The Design/Build experience embodies our belief that education outside of the traditional classroom/design studio is not only worthwhile,” Brooks said, “but inwardly meaningful and outwardly powerful, and that design, when in service to others, can be humble yet mighty.”

(Editor’s note: Sponsors who helped make the bridge possible are JPS Equipment Rental, Nadel and Gussman, Ashe Broussard and Weinzettle Architects, Architecture +, JHP Architecture, M3A Architecture, COE Architecture, and Stanley Black and Decker.)

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NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

All is well at Division of Nursing

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t the 10th annual “Tech and Tails” event in Bossier City, before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 800 Tech fans, Dean of Applied and Natural Sciences Gary Kennedy gave notice to Tech football coach Skip Holtz: “We’re gaining on you!”

Holtz and his teams have won a bowl game in each of the past three years. Meanwhile, one of Kennedy’s crews – the Division of Nursing – has earned recognition as the state’s top undergraduate degree program for the past two years.

Or as Kennedy says, two...and counting.

Most recently, Tech’s Division of Nursing was in April honored as the Nursing School of the Year for Undergraduate Degree Programs. The Division of Nursing won the same award in 2016.

Professor Nancy Darland received the award for Outstanding Community Achievement by a Registered Nurse. Tech nursing alum Deborah Spann received the award for Registered Nurse of the Year.

Sign me up!

COES freshmen celebrated at first Commitment Day

H

ow does the College of Engineering and Science celebrate high school seniors in the spring who are committed to coming to Tech in the fall?

How does the College show incoming freshmen how happy the University is to have them?

How does the College give more than 170 top-tier incoming students from across the South the chance to take their placement exams prior to orientation so they’ll know earlier what fall courses they’ll be taking and can then relax and better enjoy their orientation experience?

Maybe a Commitment Day in April would do the trick! And that’s exactly what happened.

Much of the credit goes to COES director of student enrollment management Allie De Leo and COES recruiter and admissions specialist Matt Cotton, who decided such a celebratory day would perfectly answer all those questions.

It had the feel of an athletic Signing Day event, only it was a bit more than that.

To begin with, 170 students and their families attended. The fire code wasn’t broken in the Davison Athletics Center banquet room, but it was close.

Students were welcomed by more than 30 members of the Tech Band of Pride (each a COES student who volunteered to play at the event), Tech cheerleaders, and Regal Blues. Participants had a chance to do the following: take pictures with Dr. Guice in the photo booth; sign their commitment certificate at a “press table” – signifying their intention to SIGN ME UP: Justin Berthelot was one of 170 pursue their engineering and science academic careers at Tech – and take pictures; students treated like a top dog on the inaugural receive both Tech memorabilia and duplicate signed certificates of commitment; Commitment Day visit and mingle with COES current students, faculty, staff, and other University representatives; and, finalize any details for admissions and orientation.

Plus there was a luncheon. Afterward, this fall’s freshmen could take placement exams if they wished, and then start enjoying their first summer as Bulldogs.

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Aviation flying high with new fleet

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wo big things to celebrate at the Department of Aviation: it’s the 50-year anniversary of the program, and 12 new aircraft are arriving this summer.

The Department will receive two Piper Arrows and 10 Cessna Skyhawk 172s. The Piper Arrows are retractable gear aircraft and the Cessnas are fixed gear aircraft. The old fleet was purchased in 2000 and paid off in 2010; those dozen planes have been sold.

That’s not all the good news:

• Tech’s fleet logged more than 6,500 hours of total flying time this year, the most time in nearly a decade.

• Enrollment was capped this Summer and Fall quarters. Enrollment has increased at least 5 percent every year for the past six years.

• The Department stays connected with its active alumni base through AVFEST, Alumni Forum, Industry Advisory Board, and on-site class presentations.

• The graduate placement rate is at 100 percent for the past eight years.

• Tech maintains the only two AABI-accredited Bachelor of Science programs in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

TOP COLOR A

Louisiana Tech University TRIM COLOR C

BOTTOM COLOR B Exterior Scheme, Colors and Registration Number approved by:

Fuselage N# Size: 0.394 Fuselage N# Rotation: 0.0 Wing Number Size: NA

Dealer/Customer Signature:_____________________________ Date:__________ Piper Sales Representative:_____________________________ Date:__________ Exterior Colors Applied and Verified by:__________________________ Date:____________ ** All vinyl graphics to be installed post certification **

Customer Name

Luoisiana Tech University

Serial Number

2844172

Registration Number

N173LT

Top Color A

Matterhorn White - 765385

Bottom Color B

Fighter Blue - 765389

Trim Color C

Fire Red - 570046

Registration Color

Matterhorn White - P6294

Registration Gap Color

Fighter Blue - 765389

Registration Shadow Color Fire Red - 570046 Underwing Number Color

NA

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NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

Eco-Car team revving it up

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n interdisciplinary approach and a “think outside the vehicle” attitude helped Tech’s Eco-Car team earn first place awards from competitions in both California and Michigan.

The team is made up of highly motivated students from various disciplines who work together with faculty advisors throughout the academic year to design competitive, attractive, fuel-efficient cars.

Four students and a faculty advisor teamed with University of Illinois students and advisors to win the best overall team award at Shell Oil Company’s “MakeThe Future” initiative at Google’s headquarters in Palo Alto in February. Then in Detroit in April, the Eco-Car team won the Urban Design Award, given for overall design of the vehicle, at the annual Shell Eco-Marathon Americas event. About 125 teams were in the international (North and South America) event; Tech beat roughly 40 other teams entered in Urban Concept Design, which includes aesthetics as well as function.

“Our performance in the race side of things was not as good as we had hoped, but the design award is given to only one team,” said Heath Tims, associate professor in mechanical engineering and the team’s lead faculty advisor. “We have really prided ourselves on the designs we have, so it was nice to win this award again.”

Tech has won the Urban Concept Design award four of the past eight years.

“We have, in my opinion, some of the best looking cars there,” said Matthew LaCroix, a 2017-18 senior from Pineville. “We make them look like something you’d want to drive around town in one day. We take lots and lots of time to get this just right. The goal is always to push the design aspect forward.”

With the four wins since 2010, Tech’s approach is working.

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“I think at Tech it really starts your freshman year when you’re already doing hands-on projects,” LaCroix said. “Toward the end of the year, they have you design a project; everybody gets to create their own idea of their project and then show it off and compete to see who made the best one.”

The winning car in Detroit is red and black and named Turbo Hound (see picture). The blue and black car pictured is also an urban design; its name is HD and it “was new this year,” said Tims.

“It’s really our car for next year.”

In Palo Alto, LaCroix, Matthew McHenry, Tommy Naquin, Kyle Dupree, and advisor Michael Swanbom paired with a team from the University of Illinois to build a superhero-themed food truck and win Shell’s “Hack-A-Truck” event, what Swanbom described as a “42-hour brain blitz.”

“That was less building (than the Detroit event) and more designing, pretty much the ‘idea side’ of things,” said LaCroix, who made both trips. “Everyone had really good ideas from the other teams, but our concept was more fun, sort of crazy and fun.

Everyone else had a normal everyday food truck.”

Shell has since commissioned a food truck based on the TechIllinois team design. The truck was used in the Shell Eco-Marathon event in Detroit, then donated to a low-income community there.

A computer science major, LaCroix was the only member of the team in Palo Alto not pursuing an engineering degree.

“I actually started in engineering and changed majors,” he said.

“Being involved in eco-car, you’re exposed to a lot of engineering disciplines. A lot of times, getting it ‘right’ is just ideas and the way you look at the problem; we all solve problems different ways. Maybe a different perspective, looking at a problem from a programming aspect instead of the design aspect of things, gives you some more possibilities.”

The best-smelling class on campus

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his spring on South Campus, “The Art and Science of BBQ,” or ANS-289B, made its debut as an experimental course, a general elective for two hours credit.

There will be tweaks, said instructor Mark Murphey, academic program chair and associate professor in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry, but the rookie run was a success.

No one got sick, which is always a plus.

And best of all, “everybody could cook at least a little better now than they did at the start,” Murphey said.

“Murph,” as he’s known to his associates and friends, has a Ph.D. in animal science and an unofficial Ph.D. in grilling. He wanted to combine some of the science of barbecue – how meat changes with age, with injections and seasons, or how it changes depending on the way it’s cooked and at what temperature – and he wanted to talk about food safety.

“What I see at the family barbecue is a lack of food safety,” he said, “so we had an early direct lesson on that and then indirect lessons as we went through the quarter.”

But mostly he wanted the students to discover both the “art” and creativity in barbecuing, and he wanted them to grasp the social aspect of grilling.

Think about all the birthday parties and graduation parties and tailgates, social occasions that center around a grill and food.

“I noticed this in the students, how they got to know each other and bond as we went along,” he said. “I think eventually, this would make a great leadership class or team-building class.”

It was no surprise that during Memorial Day weekend, Murph was in Oklahoma for the third consecutive year, grilling for more than 100 people. The get-together started in 2015 as a birthday party for an old classmate and about two dozen friends.

“We had so much fun, we couldn’t find

a reason not to do it again,” he said. “That was a side of ‘cooking out’ that I wanted to get across in this barbecue class.”

Among the 10 students in the Wednesday afternoon class were a business major, true freshmen, and even forestry professor Curtis Vanderschaaf, who took the class “to learn more about operating the meats lab and to get perspective from others on how to select, season, and cook meats.”

He wasn’t disappointed. His favorite part was the time the class met on Friday to cook a pig all night for a Saturday event.

The class built the pit, prepped and cooked the hog, and prepared it for enjoying.

Jazmyn Ford, a freshman from C.E. Byrd in Shreveport and an animal science

major, said she took ‘The Art and Science of BBQ’ to improve her cooking skills and “to help me be more mindful of what I buy in the grocery store and how my food should taste.”

Paige Price, like Ford, said her favorite was brisket. “Before I took this class, I could only tell you how to make a PB&J sandwich,” said the freshman from Ouachita High in Monroe; like Ford, she wants to be a vet – a vet who can cook.

“Now I can marinate a pork loin, cook Coke Can Chicken, and do so many other things I didn’t know how to do...I knew from South Campus Bible study that Dr. Murphey could cook, so I couldn’t wait to learn from him.”

Fifteen would be the maximum number of people in the class, Murph figures, which would require more pits. And it can be an expensive class to teach if something is cooked each week. But he’s vowed to get it figured out. If you want to taste-test anything before signing up, stop by the ANS tailgate before any home football game; Murph will be there, and he’ll be cooking.

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NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

COE’s TEAM program

More experience + extra preparation = Better everything

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t its heart, the TEAM (Teacher Educators and Mentors) clinical residency program gets soon-to-graduate teachers into the classroom and underneath the guidance of a teacher/mentor almost every day of an entire school year.

The old stretch-run way of preparing teachers was 10 weeks in the classroom, or just enough time to get a teacher’s feet wet. Not enough time to gain confidence. Not enough time to observe how to really control a classroom and lead students.

Teacher retention had become an understandable problem. But the way to fix what’s broken might just be TEAM, a solution parish school boards are embracing.

Designed by Amy Vessel and Dawn Basinger of Tech’s College of Education, the program includes an evaluation system, ongoing development for mentors, a university/school district teacherdevelopment partnership, and most importantly, the “clinical resident” in the classroom with a veteran teacher trained in mentoring tomorrow’s teachers.

It’s not perfect. The year-long residency makes it nearly impossible for a student to have a job. While problems like that are being addressed – possibly with the addition of “scholarships” – the advantages of experience, of basically getting a year of on-the-

36 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

job training, are obvious.

The goal, Vessel said, is to “increase quality teachers...as well as achieve higher (teacher) retention rates…” TEAM is now three years old. Through this year, 100 percent of the College’s elementary candidates have participated in the program that replaces traditional student teaching.

The most efficient way to better understand the program is to talk to a couple of the main players, actual participants in the program. Here is a visit with 2017 Tech graduate Kristie Braud, who completed her clinical residency in May at Ruston Elementary, and her mentor, Jillian McAlpin.

KRISTIE BRAUD, elementary education ’17, clinical resident, Ruston Elementary “I was very nervous in the beginning. It was scary to think I’d be in one placement for the whole year; I was worried I wouldn’t like it. But I was very much at ease once I met my mentor, Jillian McAlpin. We clicked from the beginning…

“Throughout the year my role was to be fully immersed in everything within my classroom and school. My main role was to teach, but the goal was to make sure our students were learning, so anything that needed to be done, we made it happen. I say “we”

because the whole year was a team effort from the residents and our mentors combined…

“My mentor was exceptional. She went above and beyond to make sure I was fully welcomed into her classroom and respected by our students. She gave me ample opportunities to teach on my own and grow throughout the year. She allowed me to figure out what worked for me and what didn’t, and she was always there to encourage me through the tough times.

“Typically I would get to school around 6:45 a.m. and would leave about 3:15-3:30 p.m. each day. Then sometimes I would have night classes to attend or meetings after school, so some days were very long. As long as the students were there, so were we!...

“This year was like having a full-time teaching job. You maintain your responsibility as a Tech student taking classes, but you also gain the responsibility for the students you teach every day. You are molding and shaping them on a daily basis, and it’s your job to make sure they are learning what they need to know, which is huge…

“The pluses: There is no better teacher than experience, and a full year in a classroom underneath the wing of a mentor makes you as prepared as you can be. I know that whatever comes my way, I’m better off because I’ve been an entire year in a classroom. One of my favorite things this year were the bonds made with my students and being able to see them grow from August to their last day in May. It was amazing to see how they developed over the course of the year. I’m so thankful to have watched this…

“The minuses: I wasn’t able to work a job while going to elementary school every day, plus my Tech classes, so it was very difficult to have hardly any income this year. It was also very hard sometimes taking Tech classes on top of student teaching.

But overall, this was one of the best experiences I could have asked for. I’m very thankful to have been a part of this TEAM model…”

JILLIAN McALPIN, elementary education ’09, teacher, Ruston Elementary “There are so many benefits to having a resident teacher in a classroom. The residents begin the school year with you, attend professional development before the school year starts, help get the classroom prepared for students...Resident teachers help the classroom teacher plan lessons, write assessments, gather and input grades and data, attend parent conferences, make copies, and above all, help you teach. The residents are not a typical student teacher; they are there every day of the school year, and they are a co-teacher to a regular classroom educator…

“The students benefit even more. I have had a resident teacher in my classroom for the past two years, and both years, my students have viewed these resident teachers simply as their second teacher in the room, which is not always the case when you have a student teacher who is there for only a short time.

Since these resident teachers begin the school year with the teacher and students, a relationship is formed beginning at the start of the school year. Students also benefit from having two teachers in the room because it allows additional individual and small group instruction…

“I believe that the clinical residency program is preparing an outstanding future generation of educators. Not only is this program preparing future educators, it is benefiting the teachers, students, and staff at every school that participates.”

The point of Allen’s javelin throwing

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1973 business graduate from West Monroe, John Allen counts Louisiana Tech and throwing the javelin among his loves. He has no plans to quit either.

The University’s 2012 Alumnus of the Year, Allen in April won the silver medal in the annual University of Texas-San Antonio meet with a 141-6 throw in the 65-69 age group, the fifth-best throw in the world at that point. Since then, he’s had another second-place finish and two firsts, including a throw of 150-8.5 (45.94 meters) for gold at the annual National Senior Games in Birmingham, Ala., on the campus of Samford University. He beat 35 other competitors; the winning throw was third-best in the world going into July. He finished the 2016 season with the eighth-best throw (151-11) in the world in his age group.

“Some people don’t grow up,” said Allen, who threw the javelin for coach Jim Mize and the Southland Conference champion Bulldogs in 1973. “When you don’t, you still think you’re supposed to do this sort of stuff when you’re 68.”

Besides satisfying an urge to compete, throwing the javelin gives him a chance “to see the guys all the time” and “make new friends,” he said. But he hasn’t let it interfere with business: Allen has worked in the pipeline industry for more than 40 years and is an undisputed success. After retiring as president of a Houston-based pipeline construction company, he set up Pipeline Constructors, also in Houston, in 1999, and runs it from his north Louisiana home.

Weekend track-and-field fun hasn’t interfered with his loyalty to Tech, either. He’s a two-time president of the Alumni Association Board and has been instrumental in making several campus dreams become today’s reality.

“I’m seeing more and more good things happening at Tech, including in the College of Business,” he said. “Unless you want to specialize – become a teacher, a certain kind of engineer, go into a specific career – business gives you a broader range of options, I believe, than some other majors. Business covers everything. A degree in business gives you a broad, broad range of opportunities.”

This summer he’ll participate in several meets, including the Senior Olympic Games at Samford University in Birmingham and the USA Track and Field Masters Meet on the LSU campus.

“Back in Bernie Moore Stadium,” he said. “I threw there in the 1973 NCAA Championships; it’s going to be neat to go back.”

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The champs behind Champ It’s the old story of Girls Meet Dog. The result is a match made in Mascot Heaven.

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n 2012, Wesley and Lanie Gregory moved to Ruston. Three years later, they decided to get a dog.

They ended up adopting the most popular pup in town.

Tech fans are seeing more and more these days of Champ, the University’s cheerful, handsome, makes-a-frienda-minute mascot. That’s because he no longer has to do his traveling and dressing and cleaning alone. Now he runs with a pack: Wesley and Lanie and their daughters, Lily, 10, and Lesley, 3. Since the University agreed that the Gregorys should “take over” Champ, Tech’s lovable mascot has been to camp, competed in nationals, started the Krewe of Champ, and upped his appearances.

Want Champ at your birthday party?

Need a “man’s best friend” type to help you with your marriage proposal? For a fee that goes toward his care, Champ is your guy.

“We do this as volunteers, and we spent a lot of money getting things started, but we love it,” Wes said. “Wouldn’t take anything for it.”

Wes and Lanie, a Ruston native, married a week after she’d graduated from Tech with a health information technology degree in 2001. The two lived in his hometown of Magee, Miss., until the move to Ruston in 2012.

“I didn’t have one tie to Ruston except my wife,” Wes said. “But I love college sports and I love this town and this University. For me to say that is huge; I never wanted to move from Magee. But the University eased my transition.”

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CHAMP’S KEEPERS : (from left to right) Lanie, Lily, Champ, Lesley, and Wes Gregory.

Through his job in the service department at Brennan Dodge, Wes met Tech superfan Rusty Wilfong.

“Tailgates with Rusty and Brennan, that’s what got me ‘into’ Tech,” Wes said.

By then, Lesley had been born. When she was 1, she fell in love with Champ during basketball season. “Every game,” Wes said, “Champ made it a point to sit with Lesley for I bet 10 minutes.”

It was the next year, the 2014-15 season, that Wes and Lanie noticed how ragged Champ’s coat has become. After more

investigation, the Gregorys realized the chore of Champ’s upkeep had sort of fallen through the cracks. It happens: we take our dogs for granted sometimes. Champ was the stray of Tech’s spirit groups. The Gregorys set about finding a way to make Champ’s life less “ruff.”

“Lesley loved him, and I was growing to love the University, and this is Lanie’s school,” Wes said. “So we talked about it, got permission from the school, and ended up buying him a new costume and donating it to the University.”

Through the University Foundation, the couple started a Lesley Loves Champ scholarship fund as a reward to students who performed as Champ. Then the couple and University teamed to start the Krewe of Champ: if you make a donation, you’re in the Krewe and you get a T-shirt.

Champ is easy to contact (see inset), and he often has a booth at events (look for the Brennan Dodge signage); for football, his tailgating spot is right by Brennan’s.

“We love all the spirit groups and what they mean to athletics and to the University; unlike them, Champ didn’t really have his own identity,” Wes said.

“Since we’ve taken over, Champ has his own brand. Anything sold that has to do with Champ is licensed and trademarked; Champ gets royalties.”

Champ’s proving to be worth the upkeep. He went to his first mascot camp in years, at Texas State in San Marcos, and beat the likes of Texas and Oklahoma to finish first. He sent in a “Nationals”

competition video and finished 12th, just missing out on being one of 10 mascots to go to Orlando, Fla., for the national competition. It was Champ’s first crack at national competition.

He’s at chamber functions and in commercials, at civic events, and in as many photos as anyone else on campus.

“His presence at just about anything is important for Tech,” Wes said. “We want to win the mascot national championship.

We want Champ to continue to be a great representative of the University, to be the face of the University. We’ve met with Dr. Guice and want Champ to be out in front of everything. He’s everywhere now.”

“Plus,” Wes said, with no understatement, “he smells so much better.”

The Gregorys are keeping Champ clean and sharp and – here’s the best part – available. As Champ’s visibility increases, so does Tech’s, especially with

the younger crowd. It’s work, but a labor of love for the Gregorys. Plus the job has a big perk.

“He can get you in anywhere,” Wes said.

“He’s that popular; the guy draws a crowd.”

Contact Champ:

Facebook: LATech Champ Twitter: @ChampLATech Instagram: Champ_The_Bulldog Snapchat: ChampTheBulldog Email: Champ@LATech.edu Phone: 318-497-3589

How Little Champ was born College of Education 2016 Alumnus of the Year Jeanette Hinckley and her husband, Tech’s 2010 Alumnus of the Year Justin Hinckley, wanted to further the brand of both Tech and Champ. Jeanette (English education ’78) earned her master’s degree from the University of South Florida; in the university’s alumni magazine, she noticed pictures of a miniature Rocky the Bull, the USF mascot.

Each issue features pictures of alumni at various travel spots around the world, posing with Rocky. Jeanette envisioned a small Champ, who would be an easy travel companion and a great gift for Tech family of any age.

With the help of Janice and Gary Stroud and Dustin Sumrall, the Hinckleys got to work. Jeanette ordered a Rocky mascot to check its quality and size. The group got approval from Tech’s University Communications to develop a prototype. Impressed by the work Wesley Gregory was doing as Champ’s “handler,” Jeanette and Justin approached him with the idea of creating a Little Champ and using the proceeds from sales to support the mascot’s work.

“Wes and his ‘Champ team’ were heavily involved in the creation of the Little Champ prototype during the fall of 2016, resulting in the Little Champ we have today,” Justin said. “The prototype development process started last summer and culminated with receipt of our First Edition Little Champs in Ruston on March 1, 2017.”

‘Little Help!?’

Now you can support Champ by adopting the newest pup on the block, Little Champ. Little Champs sell for $20 and are available at selected Louisiana Tech events, such as games and alumni gatherings, by the Krewe of Champ. For $28 (which includes tax, shipping, and handling), you can order online at the Little Champ Store, https://squareup. com/store/littlechamp. All proceeds benefit Tech’s mascot program as Champ does his part to make Tech the best it can be.

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40 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

A, PLUS HEAD OF THE CLASS: Kathryn “Katie” Sloan is the all-time career leader in almost every statistical category in Lady Techster soccer history – points (89), goals (36), shots (231), shots on goal (120), and game-winning goals (13). But more impressive than that, the Kansas City, Mo., native and communication arts and design major has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and is the first student-athlete in LA Tech history to earn the academic equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy; Katie is the Academic All-America of the Year for Division 1 soccer. “Everyone knows that on the field Katie is an all-conference powerhouse,” said assistant professor Tom Futrell, Katie’s academic advisor. “But in the classroom, she’s even better.” Athletic director Tommy McClelland said Katie “exemplifies what we want our student-athletes to be.” And she couldn’t even use her hands!

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SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT: Beaten up as an emergency starter on a bad team as a freshman, a backup as a sophomore and junior to a pair of fifth-year transfers, and suspended for the first game of 2016, Higgins, unfairly the most criticized player on the team, made the most of his final opportunity and was C-USA’s Player of the Year.

More than just ‘armed’ forces The Bulldogs played throw and catch as well as anybody, but they also blocked, ran, and kicked their way to a third straight nine-win season and bowl victory. Can the 2017 Bulldogs, for an encore, make it four?

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ith each trophy earned, the bar gets set just a bit higher around Joe Aillet Stadium.

Last fall, with one of the least experienced teams in the country, the Bulldogs were Conference USA West Division champions for the second time in the past three seasons. Tech finished 9-5 and champions of the 2016 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, the third nine-win, bowl-win season in a row.

Tech has won 19 of its last 24 C-USA games – tied with Western Kentucky for the best mark in the league during the past three seasons – and has won bowl games in enviable geographic locations: Dallas, New Orleans, and Fort Worth.

Before heading into 2017, a quick snapshot of that surprising 2016 team that finished 9-5 overall, 6-2 in C-USA:

• After an encouraging but heartbreaking 21-20 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville in the season opener, Tech routed South Carolina State in the season opener

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(that didn’t start until 10 p.m. due to weather), then dropped its next two on the road for a 1-3 overall record, 0-1 in C-USA. • The Bulldogs then won seven straight and wrapped up the C-USA West Division.

• As a heavy favorite, Tech lost the regular season finale at Southern Miss, then dropped the C-USA title game in Bowling Green to Western Kentucky, 58-44; Tech whipped the Hilltoppers, 55-52, in Ruston in October.

• The postseason bowl cards fell in such a way that Tech drew Navy in Fort Worth. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the Bulldogs beat the Midshipmen in one of the postseason’s best games to earn the program’s first victory over a Top 25 team since 2005. (see “About That Bowl Game…”, Page 45) • Tech got steady play from a selfless mix in its offensive line, led by senior All-Louisiana tackle Darrell Brown. The

FOR TICKETS: Online at LATechSports. com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at 318-257-3631.

offense was the nation’s ninth-best overall in yards per game (515), second best in points per game averaged (44.3), and second-best in average passing yards (363). (See inset stories for more.)

• Most discouraging about the defense was that it seemed to get worse instead of improve. It never seemed to develop a personality, unless “undecided” is a personality. The pass defense ranked 116th (275 ypg) and third-down defense was 114th. Look for the Bulldogs to play better base defense and less complex coverages this fall.

Despite some warts, the Bulldogs won nine and a bowl and the West Division, and there was seldom a lack of excitement, which is often the case when you’re averaging more than five touchdowns a game.

Now, a glance at the autumn of 2017:

• This spring, the NFL drafted 218 receptions, 3,338 yards, and 31 touchdowns in Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson. And for his Tech swan song, Ryan Higgins, one of the best athletes in the NCAA last year – he finished with 41 passing TDs and threw for the second-most yards in the NCAA, and played

hurt much of the season – threw the vast majority of those passes and was voted the Offensive Player of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. J’Mar Smith, a sophomore who played baseball in the spring once football practice concluded, played well in the 2016 opener against Arkansas and is No. 1 now. The backside is thin after the transfer of two scholarship quarterbacks.

Pushing Smith in the fall should be Westin Elliott, who played one season at Blinn Junior College in Texas and joined the Bulldogs in June as a preferred walk-on, and Elijah Walker, the Amite High quarterback who was the first to send in his National Letter of Intent on signing day in February.

• Now what do you do when you need a deep threat, and what do you do on third-downand-Trent? Kam McKnight (6-2, 222) is a big and athletic target. Alfred Smith, an outstanding blocker as a wide out last year, will move inside. Rhashid Bonnette is a speedster, and Teddy Veal, who led Tulane in receptions as a sophomore before transferring, played both slot and outside for the Green Wave.

• Remember the names of Kody Russey, a redshirt freshman, and Drew Kirkpatrick, a JUCO transfer. Ethan Reed, a Freshman All-America, and O’Shea Dugas, who was named to that team in 2015, return. Robert McFarland has some pieces he can mix and match until he finds the right combination.

• Seniors Jarred Craft and Boston Scott return in the backfield, as does Jaqwis Dancy, who was declared cancer-free last winter after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last October.

• Defensive line is Tech’s deepest position and the home of one of its best players, junior end Jaylon Ferguson. Both senior Russell Farris and junior Brandon Durman played a lot at linebacker last year, and they’ll need help this fall. The biggest question is the secondary.

Secdrick Cooper is a senior and has played

A Model of Leadership As head coach, Skip Holtz has battled to keep the core of his staff together: it makes sense that leadership – a Tech Tenet – has helped lead to all those wins.

“Infusing the reality of the tenets into the lives of our student-athletes is one of our main goals as coaches and administrators,” said Tech athletics director Tommy McClelland. “Caring for the sport and for your teammates; enthusiasm for the competition and the challenge; respect for your opponents but also for your teammates and team goals and for yourself. I could keep going … concerning football, you can’t find a better example of leadership than in the careers of a couple of our four-year starters, Xavier Woods and Trent Taylor. Same thing can be said for Skip and his staff.

“An understanding of the tenets,” McClelland said, “of their importance, is going to make you a better college athlete, but more than that, it’s going to make you a better college student and a better person.”

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the most and should be the anchor Xavier Woods was.

Three-star signees Amik Robertson and Jaiden Cole will compete for playing time. Plus there’s Aaron Roberson, Michael Sam, Ephraim Kitchen, Zach Hannibal, Ronald Lewis, Trey Spencer: Tech will work to find a backside answer with some combination of all that talent.

• Finally, Jonathan Barnes, author of the bowl game’s winning kick, is back, but his holder and snapper are gone.

Davan Dyer, a 6-4, 225-pounder, is the only Australian on the roster and the only player with a scholarship to punt.

Major +’s:

• Seven home games, the most ever, and the opening of the new suites and press box, which, with the other stadium improvements – especially LED lighting and the stillnew DAC, will make a huge difference in the gameday experience, meaning Tech should be able to improve on the past three seasons, the best-attended in school history:

could the season opener against Northwestern State and the following game, against the SEC’s Mississippi State, sell out?

• And maybe, with Holtz heading into his fifth season, the program has its best overall roster.

• Holtz and the University agreed to a five-year, $3.5 million contract extension, and only one assistant, RB coach Mickey Joseph, left during the offseason. When you’re going to bowl games every year, stability is a sweet thing.

Major -’s:

• Carlos Henderson, Trent Taylor, and Xavier Woods were drafted for a reason. And departed QB Ryan Higgins was the league’s most outstanding player. But even in this, it means other players get their chances. Seven of the 2015 Bulldogs played in the NFL last season, but the 2016 Bulldogs still won the West, nine games, and a bowl.

• Tech’s first two C-USA games are on the road, against WKU and UAB (but four of the final six are in Ruston).

NFL Draft Picks All three were in Holtz’s first signing class. Henderson redshirted as a true freshman but would not have had Holtz known – had anybody known – he would enter the draft in 2017. Taylor and Woods lettered all four years. Some career notes: CARLOS HENDERSON / Denver, 3rd round / McDonogh 35 in New Orleans

In 2016, he became the first player in C-USA history to be awarded both Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year. He ranked first in the NCAA with 19 receiving touchdowns and fifth nationally in receiving yards (1,535). With 326 receiving yards and five touchdowns against UMASS, he became the only player in the history of college football to top 325 yards receiving and score five touchdowns in a single game.

For his Tech career, Henderson returned 36 kicks for 2,094 yards and three kicks returned for touchdowns, including two during the 2016 season. His 2,094 kick return yards ranks second in Tech history.

Henderson racked up 5,229 all-purpose yards, fourth-best in program history, and scored 34 TDs.

TRENT TAYLOR / San Francisco, 5th round / Evangel in Shreveport

As a senior, Taylor caught 136 passes for 1,803 yards and 12 TDs to lead Tech in receiving for the third-straight season. He holds the school’s career record for catches (327) and is second behind LA Tech Hall of Famer Troy Edwards in receiving yards (4,179). He ranked first in the NCAA in receiving yards (1,803), second in catches per game (9.7), and caught at least one pass in 41 consecutive games, beginning with the first game of his sophomore season.

He and Henderson set an NCAA record in 2016 for the most receiving yards in a single season by two players on the same team (3,338).

XAVIER WOODS / Dallas, 6th round / West Monroe High

Woods is the only player in C-USA history to be both first team all-conference and first team all-academic in three consecutive seasons. His 14 career interceptions is third-most in school history. He has the program record for interception return yards (325); he returned two for TDs as a junior.

In his final season as a Bulldog, Woods had 89 tackles (60 solo, 29 assisted) and a teamhigh five interceptions, which ranked first in Conference USA and 13th in the nation in 2016.

Woods totaled 181 tackles in his career, including 20.5 tackles for a loss of 104 yards. He had four career sacks; three of those came last fall.

44 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

ABOUT THAT BOWL GAME...

Tech 48, Navy 45 After 90 points and nearly 1,000 yards of combined offense that December night in Fort Worth, the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl came down to a guy’s leg.

The 32-yard field goal sailed true – just to the left of middle – as time expired and was authored by the usual suspects: senior snapper Darrell Travis, senior holder Logan McPherson, and junior place kicker Jonathan Barnes. It capped a calm and crucial nine-play, 70-yard drive that took all of the final 3:40, leaving just enough time for a time out and a game-winning kick to earn the Bulldogs a 48-45 win over Navy.

The game was fast-paced, from Carlos Henderson’s 82-yard return of the opening kick to set up the game’s first touchdown to Barnes’ game-winner. To illustrate how backand-forth it was, consider the order of scoring: Tech, Tech, Navy, Tech, Navy, Navy, Tech, Navy, Tech, Navy, Tech, Navy, Tech, Navy, Tech.

There were plenty of offensive stars for the Bulldogs: • J arred Craft and the offensive line picked up 63 tough yards on 17 carries; Boston Scott added 33 more and a TD; • Trent Taylor was the game’s MVP. He caught two touchdown passes; his 12 receptions and 233 receiving yards are bowl records; •H enderson finished with 266 all-purpose – 137 in kick returns, 129 receiving on 10 catches, two of those for TDs; •H iggins, C-USA’s Player of the Year, was 29-of-40 for 409 yards and four touchdowns.

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ATHLETICS

An untimely end. BUT...

The Bulldogs started hot and ended cold – and uninvited to an NCAA Regional. But with consecutive 35-win seasons for the first time in a quarter-century, and with overflow fans at the Love Shack adding to the fun, the program seems headed in a positive, ‘It could happen here!’ direction.

HE’S ALL RIGHTY: Harris, a senior, was one of 25 semi-finalists for the 40th Annual Golden Spikes Award, given annually to best player in college baseball. Junior catcher Brent Diaz was named one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation’s top catcher.

T

he 2017 Diamond Dogs were streaky good and streaky bad, low on depth and low on starting pitching and low on left-handed bullpen help – and still went 36-20 and were a ‘bubble team’ in late May. The start was mind-numbing: 15-2.

The final five games were mind-numbing too, but in a different way: 1-4, three straight losses, two-and-out in the C-USA Tournament.

And that’s what cost the Bulldogs a second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance.

Even with the haunting ending, the Diamond Dogs still had a strong resume to hand to the NCAA Selection Committee: • 2.7 scoring margin (ranks Top 20 in NCAA) • 3 wins over ranked teams

46 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

• 6 consecutive series wins in C-USA play • 7 wins over Top-50 RPI teams • 7.2 runs per game (ranks Top 20 in NCAA) • 9 series victories (5 sweeps) • 15 wins over Top-100 RPI teams • 16 non-conference RPI ranks. No. 2 among non-Power 5 teams “We did some things that were regional worthy, but we didn’t play well enough down the stretch,” said 23-year coaching veteran Lane Burroughs, whose 36 wins in 2017 was the most for any first-year head coach in program history. “We didn’t do enough. But what happened is going to help build our program: the guys coming back have to remember what it feels like, watching the selection show, hearing the names of good teams you beat, and not

hearing your name called. When we get tired, when it gets deep into the season, we’ve got to remember that.

“We’ve got to win our way into the tournament,” Burroughs said, “and play well enough so that there’s no doubt.”

The Bulldogs were “pretty much buried” in C-USA after a 1-7 league-play start, Burroughs said. Then Nate Harris was moved from the bullpen into the rotation; the senior righthander went 9-0 until losing in the league tournament to Charlotte. After that 1-7 start, the Bulldogs expended a lot of energy to go 15-6 and win six straight three-game series in C-USA play the rest of the way – until losing two of three at Middle Tennessee on the final weekend of the regular season.

Then came the 0-2 showing in the C-USA Tournament in Biloxi.

“We had no depth; guys had to play every pitch,” Burroughs said. “It caught up with us at the end.”

The bad news is that Tech will lose 15 seniors, “guys who brought the program out of a slump,” Burroughs said. That number includes Raphael Gladu, C-USA’s leading hitter this season, and Harris, the league leader in both wins and saves in 2017 and the C-USA Pitcher of the Year.

(Yes, wins AND saves.)

The good news is that Burroughs and his staff have brought in an “athletic” recruiting class of 20-plus players and eight left-handed pitchers. They’ll face good teams right off the bat: Tech is scheduled to open at Pepperdine and then play in the Frisco Classic in Texas against Texas A&M, Baylor, and Cal. Also returning will be Pat Patterson Park at J.C. Love Field, now a springtime destination. Tech baseball drew a programrecord 49,466 Love Bugs in 2017. The help of the home crowd is impossible to measure precisely, but the Bulldogs were 24-6 at home this season; during the past two seasons, Tech is 45-12 overall and 7-1 against nationally ranked opponents at the Love Shack.

C-USA Tournament Champions!

For Lady Techster softball, is the final game of 2017 – a loss in the Tuscaloosa Regional – a dramatic but disappointing ending? Or a special beginning?

O

ne of the most iconic home runs in Lady Techster softball history came in a losing effort.

But maybe that memory – Taria Page’s full-count solo shot over the right field wall to tie the game, 2-2, against Minnesota, the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, in a regional elimination game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. – will cement the offseason mindset coach Mark Montgomery wants his team to have: “Get back there again,” Montgomery said, “give ourselves another shot.”

What a season it was for the 38-24 Lady Techsters, who won three tight games in two days to win the C-USA Tournament and vault the program to its first regional appearance since 2008.

In what will likely be remembered as the “Page Home Run Game,” Tech eventually gave up three runs in the ninth and lost to Minnesota and All-American pitcher Sara Groenewegen, 5-2, at Rhodes Stadium in the Tuscaloosa Regional, spoiling Page’s heroics for the day. But maybe not forever.

“We played good teams this year,” said Montgomery, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year. “We beat good teams. But we hadn’t played in that atmosphere. Now we’ve seen what has to be done to guarantee a spot in postseason. And I think we know more about what it will take to win there.”

The Lady Techsters looked like a maturing team in the C-USA Tournament. Two dramatic elimination-game wins in the same day – 1-0 in 10 innings over Western Kentucky and 4-2 over C-USA regular season champ and No. 23-ranked Marshall – put Tech into the title game against FIU, a 7-1 winner over the Lady Techsters two days before. Pauline Tufi’s solo home run in the top of the 7th inning and catcher Marilyn Rizzato’s defensive gem in the bottom of the inning – which ended with center fielder Tori Charters

covering second and tagging out a base runner for a crucial double play – gave sophomore pitcher Krystal De La Cruz all the support she needed in a game-for-the-ages 1-0 victory and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The three games in Tuscaloosa would be the final ones for seniors Charters, Tufi, Natalie Moran, and Jessica Ball. They won 19 games as freshmen but doubled that as seniors, and the quartet helped the Lady Techsters earn their first C-USA West Division title.

After Tech’s error-riddled 11-3 loss to Minnesota in the first game of the regional, that same quartet was a calming force that allowed the Lady Techsters to rebound with an 8-1 victory over Albany before the tough loss in their second matchup with Minnesota.

“We will miss this senior group,” Montgomery said. “They were my first recruiting class and they helped us during some difficult times in those early years. I am so proud of them and happy they got to go out on that stage with such a gutsy performance.”

A program-record six players made the league’s all-conference team: sophomore outfielder Morgan Turkoly, De La Cruz and junior utility/outfielder Ali Galaz were voted to the first team by the league coaches; Preslee Gallaway, who led the team in innings pitched, beat Albany, 8-1, in the regional, and held Minnesota to two runs in 6.1 innings in the season finale, was voted second team, along with Rizzato and sophomore outfielder Jazlyn Crowder.

De La Cruz was voted the league’s Newcomer of the Year; Rizzato was named to the league’s All-Freshman team.

Each of the all-league players are underclassmen. Each of them were part of a dramatic ending to the 2017 season. And each of them will have a say in whether or not that ending is the beginning of something special.

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ATHLETICS

13

Super Dogs

Thirteen former Bulldogs have won at least one Super Bowl title. Terry Bradshaw leads the way with four rings. Ryan Allen, pictured here after New England’s 34-28 victory over Atlanta in Super Bowl LI in Houston, is the latest. Allen also earned a ring in Super Bowl XLIX, his second season with the Pats. Overall, LA Tech lettermen own 19 Super Bowl Championship rings. Preceding the Super Bowl era, three Bulldogs helped win four NFL championships: Cloyce Box (Detroit, 1952 and ’53), Caleb Martin (Chicago Cardinals 1947), and Leo Sanford (Baltimore Colts 1958). (Photo courtesy of the New England Patriots) Bulldog Super Bowl Champs (Position, Tech Seasons) »» Ryan Allen, New England, XLIX, LI (P, 2010-12)

»» Johnny Robinson, LA Raiders, XVIII (DT, 1977-80)

»» Larry Anderson, Pittsburgh, XIII, XIV (DB, 1974-77)

»» Artie Smith, San Francisco, XXIX (DL, 1990-92)

»» Chris Boniol, Dallas, XXX (PK, 1990-93)

»» D’Anthony Smith, Seattle, XLVIII (DL, 2006-09)

»» Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh, IX, X, XIII, XIV (QB, 1966-69)

»» Matt Stover, Baltimore Ravens, XXXV (PK, 1986-89)

»» Fred Dean, San Francisco, XVI, XIX (DT, 1971-74)

»» Grant Williams, New England, XXXVI (OL, 1994-95)

»» Doug Evans, Green Bay, XXXI (DB, 1989-92)

»» Tramon Williams, Green Bay, XLV (DB, 2003-05)

»» David Lee, Baltimore, V (P, 1961-64)

48 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

3

Former LB tackles LTAC advancement Solomon Randle knows about adversity and what it takes to get better. As a Bulldog linebacker out of Mobile, Ala., he was a conference champ as a junior in 2011 and played for a 9-3 team that missed out on a bowl as a senior.

“Even though we won a lot of ballgames, one thing that was a common thread both years was the concept of fighting through adversity,” said Solomon, new coordinator of athletic advancement for the Louisiana Tech Athletic Club (LTAC). “Whether it was starting 1-4 and running the table my junior year, injuries my senior year, or even the bowl mishap, you have to learn to pick your head up and keep pushing. Much of what makes me who I am today can be attributed to my time playing ball here.”

With 159 tackles in 42 career games, Randle brings a solid mix of charisma and competitiveness to a position that became necessary to meet the growing demands for revenue generated from private donations for Tech Athletics through LTAC. The Davison Athletics Complex opened last year, and a new press box and suites will be ready for the 2017 season opener in Joe Aillet Stadium. Both projects were privately funded.

“Everybody loves Solomon,” said Tech vice president for University Advancement Brooks Hull. “He worked hard as a football player and was a champion; he’ll be a champion with LTAC.” When he was recruited the first time by Tech – back in ’08 to play ball – what stood out to him was “how welcoming and inviting every person I met in Ruston was,” he said. “Everyone seemed to genuinely care to learn about me as a person and not just a football player. Also, Tech had a great reputation academically and our athletics program was starting to get back on the right track. A lot of the moves that have made our program as successful as it is today were starting to be put into motion even then.”

A 2012 marketing graduate, Randle can be reached at Solomon@LATechAlumni. org and 318-497-7986; LTAC director Tyson Baldwin is at Tyson@LATechAlumni.org and 318-497-7265.

Athletics a winner in APR Four of Tech’s athletic programs – women’s cross country, soccer, bowling, and tennis – earned perfect scores, and all 16 of Tech’s athletic programs remained penalty-free in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rates (APR) released in May. APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each quarter and backtracks the academic progress of each student-athlete. These most recent scores are based on a multi-year rate that averages scores from the past four academic years.

APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation to provide a picture of the academic culture in each sport. Each sport earns a single-year rate and then a multi-year rate, which is a four-year average of the single-year rates.

LA Tech’s student-athletes recorded a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) above 80 percent for the fourth straight year and graduated at a higher rate than the student body.

Tech’s GSR is second highest in the state among Division I football-playing schools and just one point short of matching the University’s all-time high set last year. Tech’s graduation success rate easily outdistances the state average of 73 percent among the other nine Division I football-playing public institutions in the state.

Meet Paul Kabbes: Associate AD for Development • Age 29 from Normal, Ill. • Pronounced CAB-us • I llinois Wesleyan University, business management, ’10; Illinois State, M.S., sports management, ’12 • Three-year letterwinner for IWU baseball; pitched for the 2010 Division III National Champions • Worked for UAB, Illinois State, and, since 2014, for the University of Illinois at Springfield as associate athletics director/external relations •F or the Foundation, Kabbes secures private support for the University’s athletic programs with an emphasis on major gifts, helps develop strategies to grow Tech athletics, provides oversight for the operations of LTAC and Lettermen’s Club activities, and coordinates alumni and donor events with the Alumni Association.

•C ontact Paul at Paul@ LATechAlumni.org and 318-497-7987.

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ATHLETICS

Award of a lifetime

S

ports editor of “The Ruston Daily Leader” for 50 years, Louisiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member O.K. “Buddy” Davis (journalism, ’69) was in January honored by the Football Writers Association of America with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

“This award is really the perfect way to recognize the efforts of Buddy because he’s truly spent a ‘lifetime’ recording, describing, and allowing the people of this region to celebrate football and all sports for the past 50-plus years,” said fellow LSHOF member Keith Prince, Louisiana Tech’s former SID. “The length of his service is amazing – but no more so than the professionalism he has shown in his work.”

“He’s a north Louisiana guy, but he loves all of Louisiana,” fellow LSHOF member Archie Manning said. “He’s a dear friend, such a good man, a sweet man. Louisiana is blessed – we’re all blessed – to have him.”

For years, Buddy has kept this note on his bedside table, a reminder of what he felt his daily duty has been: “Positive Uplifting Inspirational Messages.”

“In many ways he represents a throwback to a time when more of us wanted to see the best in others,” said sportscaster Tim Brando. “Hopefully, we’ll see a rebirth to Buddy’s way of covering the game, not just here but around the country. His approach was to say, ‘It’s OK to love not just the game, but the people who play it, coach it, and pay to see it.’”

Dr. B stands for ‘best’ In case you haven’t seen it, this bronze bust and plaque honoring longtime Tech Athletics team physician Dr. Billy Bundrick was unveiled last spring on “Billy Bundrick Day.” The art is at Davison Athletics Complex and honors one of Tech’s most loyal leaders and talented ambassadors.

50 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

Legends Days

T

ech celebrated two title teams at a pair of Legends Day events in January at the Thomas Assembly Center, the 1981-82 NCAA Champion Lady Techsters and the 1966-67 Gulf States Conference champion Bulldogs.

The Lady Techsters went 35-1 with an average winning margin of 33 points. Since the 1982 championship concluded the NCAA’s first women’s basketball title tournament, championship rings were not awarded. The NCAA corrected that, and the Lady Techsters were awarded their rings at halftime of Legends Day. Fifty years ago, the 1966-67 Bulldogs became the University’s first representative in what has become March Madness. The Bulldogs beat North Dakota in Bloomington, Ind., before falling to Illinois State and finishing 20-8.

Another Lady Techster joins LSHOF

1981-82 Lady Techsters: (L to R) Lori Scott, Sue Donohoe, Debra Rodman, Leon Barmore, Pam Kelly, Sonja Hogg, Ann Pendergrass, Debbie Primeaux, Rita Rust, Angela Turner, Julie Wilkerson, Jennifer White.

Sue Donohoe (science education, ’81, master’s in health and physical education, ’83) was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (LSHOF) in Natchitoches June 25 when she received the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

She was a graduate assistant coach on the staff of the Lady Techsters’ 1982 NCAA championship team. She was associate commissioner of the Southland Conference before joining the NCAA in 1999. She became vice president of Division I women’s basketball and oversaw the sport and championship tournament for 12 years. She served as director of both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships and was the inaugural recipient of the U.S. Basketball Writers’ Mary Jo Haverbeck Award for commitment and service to women’s college basketball.

Others members of that 1982 team already in the LSHOF include coaches Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore, AllAmerica guard Kim Mulkey, and Wade Trophy winners Pam Kelly Flowers and Janice Lawrence Braxton.

1966-67 Bulldogs: (L to R) Tommy Burkhart, Bob Watson, Tommy Gregory, John Whitmore, Malcolm Smith, Jon Pat Stephenson, Jimmy Pruett, Leon Barmore.

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ATHLETICS

NIT-picked: Lady Techsters return to postseason

A

nd in almost everyone’s eyes (but maybe their own), the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters exceeded expectations in Year No. 1 of the Brooke Stoehr Coaching Era in Ruston.

Tech was picked 12th and finished fourth, mainly because of seven straight wins down the stretch that earned the team a first-round bye in the CUSA Tournament and, ultimately, the program’s first postseason appearance since 2011.

Tough losses through the first third of the season turned into toughness late in the season, one that ended with a loss at SMU in the National Invitation Tournament.

Good news: the nucleus of the 18-14 team will return next season. The 2016-17 roster featured mostly underclassmen, including second-team all-CUSA guard Kierra Anthony and workhorse Alexus Malone (pictured).

Future looks ‘deep’ for Dunkin’ Dogs

B

y the Conference USA coaches, Louisiana Tech was picked in preseason to finish seventh.

Can’t blame the coaches: Tech lost C-USA Player of the Year Alex Hamilton, who left with four letters and more wins than any other player in program history. Two other starters transferred.

Still…it was business as usual.

For the fifth straight season, the Dunkin’ Dogs won 23 games. They finished five spots better than predicted, at No. 2 in the league.

They did it with a mix of young and old. Erik McCree and Jacobi Boykins were all-conference, and All-Freshman C-USA players Jalen Harris and DaQuan Bracey (pictured), the league’s Freshman of the Year, were the most dominant contributors.

Although tasked with replacing its leading scorer for the fifth consecutive year, the team returns four starters and seven of its eight top rotation players from the 23-win season. That includes Boykins, the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer last year.

Junior college transfer Harrison Curry signed as the Dunkin’ Dogs 13th scholarship player this spring. Add Tech’s three incoming freshmen, and Tech’s rotation could easily reach 10 players this year, the kind of depth Eric Konkol has been recruiting toward since arriving as 52 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

head coach two seasons ago.

The Dunkin’ Dogs got some off-thecourt help in February. Former Tech letterman Terry Ewing, Tech’s 1982 Alumnus of the Year, and his wife Donna made the lead gift for renovations of the L.C. (Lew) Ewing Players Lounge, accessible from the locker room and

named in honor of Terry’s father, “who loved Louisiana Tech next to nothing except God and country,” Terry said.

The lounge has LED lighting, custommade couches, wall-to-wall fabric graphics, a 70-inch wall-mounted television, and a PS4.

FOOTBALL

Updates to tailgating, parking structure for 2017

A

s Louisiana Tech Athletics prepares to unveil its new $18.6 million press box at Joe Aillet Stadium, a project that includes new restrooms inside the stadium and a new ticket office, LA Tech is also excited to announce a new and exciting fan experience area for Bulldog fans to enjoy on gameday this year named Bulldog Village.

Bulldog Village will include corporate tailgates as well as familyfriendly activities, including bounce houses, a photo booth, and a stage for local bands to perform. Athletics Director Tommy McClelland is excited about what Bulldog Village will bring to the pregame experience.

“The new Bulldog Village’s aim is to create a family-friendly atmosphere and to provide the best possible gameday experience for all Bulldog fans and alumni,” McClelland said. “It will provide a centralized location for our fans to come together that will have entertainment options for everyone in the family to enjoy.”

With the continued growth in Louisiana Tech Athletic Club (LTAC) membership and season ticket sales, there is an increased demand for parking surrounding the stadium. With this increase in demand, the following changes have been made to the existing parking structure for the 2017 season in addition to the new Bulldog Village.

The former Lot A will now be designated as the Blue Lot for all Louisiana Tech home football games. The Blue Lot will be available to football season ticket holders who are 2017 LTAC members at the Director Level ($3,500) and above.

A portion of the former Lot B will now be designated for Suite Parking only (for those who have reserved suites in the new press box).

The remainder of Lot B will be used as the official Bulldog Village on gameday.

The front portion of the former Lot C will be designated as the Red Lot and will be available to football season ticket holders who are 2017 LTAC members at the Champion Level ($1,500).

The remainder of the former Lot C as well as the rugby field will be designated as the White Lot. This lot will be available to football season ticket holders who are 2017 LTAC members at the Trophy Level ($500).

Parking for 2017 Young Alumni LTAC members (ages 20-29) who are season ticket holders will be available across Tech Drive in the parking lot next to the Lambright Intramural Center.

These changes are made to ensure that we provide the best possible gameday experience for fans while providing the best possible resources for our student-athletes. The success of Louisiana Tech student-athletes would not be possible without the continued support of LTAC members.

BASKETBALL

Blue

= $3,500 +

White

= $500–$1,499

Red

= $1,500–$3,499

YA

= $50

S

= Suite Holders

= Bulldog Village

• Parking in Lots Blue, Red, White, and Young Alumni is reserved for LTAC members dependent upon LTAC membership level* and purchase of season tickets • L TAC members and Alumni Association members are invited to attend the Alumni Association/LTAC tailgate at the Argent Pavilion for food and drinks (as available) prior to every home game • For more information on reserved tailgating and RV spots, contact Tyson Baldwin at 318-497-7265 or Tyson@LATechAlumni.org *based on availability

Catch the Tech Trolley The Tech Trolley is a fast, convenient, and FREE way to park and ride to all Louisiana Tech home games.

Park in charming Downtown Ruston, enjoy shopping and dining, then catch a ride on the Tech Trolley to Joe Aillet Stadium. The shuttle runs continuously from Railroad Park to the stadium starting at 1 pm on gamedays and runs one hour after the game ends. Come spend your downtime in Downtown Ruston! For more information, call 318-251-8621.

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NEWS ABOUT YOU

WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? Do you have news to share in the News About You section?

We want to share the stories of your accomplishments and milestones. Photos are always welcome, too. Submit your information for News About You at News@LaTechAlumni.org.

1960 Gary L. Richardson, mechanical engineering, of Kingwood, Texas, has written two books: “Project Management Tools and Techniques, A Practical Guide” and “Project Management Theory and Practice.” Dr. Richardson is the PMI endowed professor of project management in the College of Technology at the University of Houston.

1966 Bill A. Hill, mechanical engineering, of

Huachuca City, Ariz., has had two books published, “Entropic Spiral is Evolution’s Flush” and “Inerrancy – What Does God Want Us to Know.” Bill spent his career as an engineer and retired from the Air Force Reserve while in Alaska—his last assignment being at F.E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyo. He served in hospitals, military civil service, and various organizations as an engineer, from Alaska to Arizona, serving part-time teaching in various Bible colleges.

1967 Tom J. Yarborough, history, of Springfield, Va., has written his fourth book, “A Shau Valor: American Combat Operations in the Valley of Death, 1963-1971.” It chronicles the battles and the associated courage, sacrifice, and valor in and around the remote A Shau Valley, one of the deadliest battlegrounds of the Vietnam War.

1969 J.B. Keats, biology, received a 2016

Independent Publishers National Book Award (IPPY) for his intellectual thriller, “He Can See Heaven.” Following his retirement as a medical school professor at the University of Southern California, Dr. Keats has authored successful works of

54 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

fiction and self-help medical texts.

George W. Levert Jr., electrical engineering,

of Atlanta, Ga., has created a gallery of his photography from travels around the world for display at Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The gallery is entitled “Dance: Life in Motion.”

1971 Ron J. Henson, business administration,

of Baton Rouge was sworn in as Louisiana state treasurer. Henson was named first assistant treasurer in 2000.

1974 Linnie Freeman,

journalism, of Houston has been named senior vice president and general counsel for Willbros Group, Inc., a publicly traded energy construction company. Before joining Willbros in 2008, she practiced civil law with firms in San Francisco and Houston.

Malcolm S. Murchison,

history, of Shreveport, has been named chairman of the board of directors of Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF) of Shreveport.

BRF was created in 1986 by the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce to help diversify the local and regional economy by investing in new economic sectors. Murchison is a founding member of the Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea law firm.

Warren A. “Bud” Richey, English, of Memphis, Tenn., received the 2016 SPARK Award given by cityCURRENT for leadership in education in Memphis.

Richey serves as associate vice president for external programs at Rhodes College.

1975 Bruce N. Canfield, business administration, of Shreveport has had more than 12 books and 150 articles published on U.S. military weapons history. His most recent, on the M1 Garand Rifle, has received rave reviews. He has also appeared on numerous television programs, including “Cajun Pawn Stars” and American Rifleman television.

1978 R. Dennis Jones, electrical engineering

technology, of Montgomery, Texas, has joined AkzoNobel Inc. as North America regional director of projects and engineering. Dennis retired from Dow Chemical as project director in 2014 after 36 years.

1982 Kevin Longino,

marketing (master’s business administration 1985), of Greenwich, Conn., was named chief executive officer of the National Kidney Foundation. He has championed renewed investment in research, programs to improve the early diagnosis of kidney disease, and new initiatives aimed at reducing the wait list for organs.

1983 John Shannon Fleming, master’s business

administration, of Little Rock was named the Arkansas Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) 2016 Outstanding Fundraising Professional. Dr. Fleming is senior director of development for University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

David E. Garner, technical writing, has been elected to serve as a Class I Director on the board of directors of Atento S.A., the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing services in Latin America. David most recently served as executive chairman and board member of BellSystem24.

1984 Michael A. Condon, master’s business administration, has been appointed outsourced chief investment officer senior vice president at Fund Evaluation Group (FEG). Mike most recently served as CIO at Southern Methodist University.

Michael D. Richardson,

animal science, has received the University of Arkansas’ Spitze Land Grant University Faculty Award for Excellence. Dr.

‘What a ride!’

Former Austin, Texas, mayor Lee Cooke, history, ’66

In this circa 1980 photo, Cooke, then mayor of Austin, is on stage with Willie Nelson, one of the city’s favorite sons. The outlaw/counterculture music movement and “Austin City Limits” was just being born; music began to make a significant economic difference in a town that was known by the mid-1980s as the “Live Music Capital of World.”

A

s President/ CEO of the 55-person Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce from 1983 to 1987, and Mayor, Mayor-protem, and council member of the City of Austin from 1977 to 1991, Lee Cooke spearheaded Austin’s efforts to become one of the nation’s premier high-tech centers.

During his 47 years in Austin, he’s been all-around leader in both the public and private sectors. He is founder and CEO of a private holding company, CEO of a biomedical company, president/ CEO of a business-to-business services Internet destination site for financial institutions, and way back in 1981 was recognized by the Austin Community Foundation as the city’s first Downtowner of

the Year because of his focus on the revitalization of the decaying central city, now a national hotspot for commerce, arts, and fun.

Cooke received his bachelor’s degree from Tech, where he was a member of the Gamma Psi Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha, Commander of the Arnold Air Society, and commissioned in the U.S. Air Force after graduation. He served as an intelligence officer with a tour of duty in Vietnam and received the Bronze Star and rank of Captain.

Despite a busy schedule, he was happy to answer some questions from the road for Louisiana Tech Magazine.

1. Why did you come to Tech and what do you think about that decision now?

I transferred to Tech in my sophomore year from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu to go through a college experience at the most respected university in North Louisiana which had an Air Force ROTC program, but equally, to go through college with fellow classmates from Bossier High School (Class of 1962). Tech provided me with a solid liberal arts education and gave me the foundation to spread my career wings from the military, technology at Texas Instruments, civic entrepreneurship, elective office at the local level, and attributes to start and sell three companies after leaving public office in 1991. A “blessing times 10.”

2. Are you still enjoying your biomedical manufacturing

business, and how did a history degree help you with that?

What a ride. With little chemistry education, but along with 29 great employees, we have developed great cutting-edge polymer-based products over the past 26 years to support the largest dental supply company in the U.S. Communication skills, especially writing and speaking skills, were critical along the way. The complete liberal arts degree was invaluable in creating my foundation for leadership, respect for other opinions, and setting the example of hard work and focus.

3. Name a couple of the 12 Tech Tenets which have been most important to you.

There is not one or two more important than the rest. They were vital to me along the road of life in business, politics, family, and community. In looking at this list, it reminds me of what General Eisenhower’s mother said to a reporter when Ike came home to a hero’s welcome to Abilene, Kan., in 1945. The reporter asked, “I guess you are very proud of your son,” to which she answered, “….which one?” That is how one should look at the 12 Tech Tenets. But the two that rise up for me are integrity and enthusiasm. Without integrity, it is hard to lead, build loyalty and respect, and instill hope toward a goal or goals. Without enthusiasm, it is hard to begin to build genuine commitment, confidence, and the individual pride of self in each team member that generates the excellence and knowledge and leads to many small and large individual and team success stories along the way to a common goal.

4. Most importantly, what are your top three Willie Nelson songs?

“Crazy,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and “Whiskey River.”

LATECH.EDU | 55

NEWS ABOUT YOU

Richardson is a professor in the university’s Department of Horticulture and has built one of the country’s best teaching and research programs since joining their faculty in 1998.

Gene H. Whisenhunt,

master’s accounting, of Little Rock has been promoted to president and CEO of Hickingbotham Investments. He joined the Hickingbotham’s TCBY Enterprises Inc. in 1989 as executive vice president and CEO.

community for the first time.

2003

1991

Matt E. Middleton, sociology, of West Monroe has been named head football coach at West Ouachita High School.

Geri L. Robertson,

general studies, of New Iberia has earned the Order of Military Medical Merit award.

The award is for officers who have contributed to the U.S. Army Medical Department.

Robertson, a lieutenant colonel, is now the chief patient administration consultant for Regional Health Command-Atlantic in Fort Belvoir, Va. Amy Rogers Talley, English education,

1985 Rennie Bailey, health and physical

education recreation, has been named head boys basketball coach at his alma mater, Minden High School. Rennie is a former Louisiana Tech player and assistant coach, and he most recently served as an assistant coach at Nicholls State.

1986 John R. Warner, forestry, of Conroe, Texas,

received the 2016 Joseph Ewing MD Award for his service to the underserved populations of Montgomery County (Texas) and his help creating a Nature Explore Classroom at the Lone Star Family Health Center. John is an urban district forester with the Texas A&M Forest Service.

of Shreveport, who writes under the pen name Liz Talley, has recently published two new books, “Charmingly Yours” (her 20th fictional book) and “Perfectly Charming.”

These are the second and third books in her Morning Glory series, and they are available at Amazon.

1995 Lisa Cearley Toms, master’s business administration (doctorate business administration 2004), of Taylor, Ark., has been hired by Arkansas Tech University to become the dean of the College of Business.

She has been dean of Southern Arkansas University’s College of Business since 2007.

1996 Vickie A. Johnson, sociology, of DeSoto,

1987 Elizabeth “Lisa” Joyce Freeman, master’s

business management and entrepreneurship, of Menlo Park, Calif., has been appointed Stanford University School of Medicine’s senior adviser for clinical affairs.

She was previously the director and CEO of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System.

1990

Texas, has been named head coach of the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars. Johnson was a two-time All American and Sun Belt Conference MVP at Louisiana Tech.

56 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

Stanley “Warren” Byrd, civil engineering, of Pineville is the new executive director of the Red River, Atchafalaya and Bayou Boeuf Levee District serving the parishes of Avoyelles, Rapides, and St. Landry.

Matt J. Lange, graphic design, has joined the University of Texas at Austin as creative director for the Texas Longhorns football program. Matt has been at the University of Alabama since 2013 as creative director for the Crimson Tide football program.

2005 John S. Lary, history (master’s history

2007), of Shreveport has been awarded the Lowell Milken Center Fellowship, which is awarded to educators who have distinguished themselves in teaching respect and understanding through projectbased learning. John is currently a history teacher at C. E. Byrd High School.

Julie Miller Pennell,

journalism, has debuted her first novel, “The Young Wives Club.” Julie grew up in Shreveport and followed her writing dreams to New York. The novel, which was released in February, is the story of four Louisiana women and is available at Amazon.

Robert B. Traylor,

1998 Ken J. James, master’s industrial organizational psychology, has been named president of Mercy Health-Cincinnati’s Clermont Hospital.

2000 Meghan E. Hochstetler,

Kerry L. Stumpe, architecture, of Atlanta,

Ga., led a construction team to Chimfunshi Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Zambia, Africa, in May 2016 to fund and build a middle school for the five villages that serve the Center. The new middle school, built to Zambian government standards, will provide full academic accreditation for this

2004

since 2011.

journalism, has been named executive director of the Robinson Film Center in Shreveport.

Meghan has been at Robinson Film Center

business administration (master’s business administration 2012), of Slinger, Wisc., has joined Horicon Bank as vice president and controller to its finance department.

2006 Dante’ Q. Williamson, finance, of Oklahoma City, Okla., was recently promoted to director of finance with Bob Moore Cadillac of Norman.

2007 Colleen Corrado Young, professional

One of Tech’s Innovation Hub chiefs honored Ben Lee, marketing, ’04

P

ierry Inc., an industryleading marketing software and solutions company based in Silicon Valley, but with an Innovation Hub in Tech Pointe, announced in late May that Ben Lee, the company’s chief marketing officer, received the “Outstanding Marketing” award from the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS), a non-profit professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence in marketing knowledge and practice.

Honoring Lee’s vision and leadership, the award was given at the organization’s annual conference in San Diego in front of more than 400 marketing and marketing research professionals from around the world. The award also recognized Lee for shepherding the digital agency’s rapid growth and innovative client solutions.

“I am extremely honored to accept this award on behalf of my Pierry colleagues – and our clients – who are embracing the opportunity of digital marketing in some really unique ways,” said Lee. “Digital marketing presents a huge opportunity for companies to create deeper relationships with their customers, but the ability to fully understand and leverage it requires a whole new set of skills that many

companies simply don’t have, nor can they afford to bring in-house.

Pierry continues to add manpower and functional expertise that enable us to partner with marquee brands across a variety of sectors and deliver the best possible results for our clients.”

For more than 40 years, AMS has annually recognized an individual who epitomizes the spirit and character of the Association and its goals. Previous winners include CMOs, CEOs, and entrepreneurs such as Walt Disney, Jeff Campbell (Burger King), Robbie Brozin (Nando’s Peri Peri), and Mathew Berry (ESPN).

Named the 538th fastest growing company in the country by Inc. Magazine in their 2016 “Inc. 5000” list and the No. 6 Fastest Growing Company in the San Francisco Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, Pierry – which began as a team of two people in the emerging digital marketing space in 2008 – now has employees in offices throughout the United States and in Japan and serves a wide range of clients, from start-ups to multi billion dollar global brands. Pierry coined the term MaaS (Marketing as a Service) to describe the unique way it helps its clients design, develop, and execute marketing

aviation, has authored the Taking Flight Trilogy: Book One, “Taking Flight”; Book Two, “Remove Before Flight”; and Book Three, “The Event.” These are available at Amazon.

Colleen A. Hannon, biology, of Bossier City has joined Benton Medical as a physician assistant. Colleen has practiced family medicine and urgent care for the last five years in Louisiana and Texas.

2009

Laketria R. Venzant, general studies, has written her first case management book, “Case Management 101: Non-Clinical Tactics to Guide Your Clients to Adequate Care.” Laketria has worked in the field of case management for clients with developmental disabilities as well as those that are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Her book is available at Amazon.

Charles L. Alsobrook III, general studies, has been hired as Hamilton County’s (Tenn.) first veteran services officer to assist the county’s veterans with benefit claims and other needs. He most recently worked as a veteran service officer in LaFayette, Ga.

solutions that dramatically improve efficiency and impact, and increase ROI. “Ben and Pierry Inc. epitomize the spirit of the award in advancing the role of marketing through innovative and ethical practice,” said Adilson Borges, AMS President.

“In particular, Ben’s belief that marketing must be leading strategic efforts of companies today because it is marketing’s responsibility to build and maintain an intimate relationship with customers. In this way, we can create truly valuable experiences for customers.”

For more information about Pierry, visit PierryInc.com.

2010 Joel J. Koncinsky, marketing, of Shreveport

has been promoted by Vector Marketing to public relations manager. Joel previously managed the largest district team in Vector’s Southern Rock Division.

2012 Kevin J. Hebert, biology, has completed medical school at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport and graduated in May 2016. He matched with Mayo Clinic and will specialize in urology.

LATECH.EDU | 57

FOUNDATION SPOTLIGHT Charlie Heck

HER PRESENCE PERSONIFIED: Mary Moffett’s portrait captured Phoebe’s personality and elegance. Acrylic on canvas, 1981.

Our Art Icon Phoebe Allen Mathys left her imprint on the students she loved and her artwork with the University she cherished 58 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

P

hoebe Allen Mathys was an artist with faculty member,” he said. “She was passionate, all the tools – the eye and the hand and often fiery, a very tough but caring teacher. the heart – and the willingness to keep “She embodied the term ‘Steel Magnolia.’” trying.

Her impact on students continues as the She was a teacher, caring but firm and University places Phoebe’s art in proper locations demanding. “She could be very blunt, but she was where it can breathe, inspire, and teach. After all, always honest with her suggestions with respect she was, above everything else, Heck said, “always to art,” said her friend, lawyer, and fellow artist/ the teacher.” photographer Charlie Heck. “She would not “Being taught color theory and creativity in tolerate inferior work.” design were quite new experiences for me,” Guice “She was stern with high expectations of her said. “She taught me to think in more creative students,” said Tech president Les Guice, an ways, and that has influenced me in everything architecture freshman when Mathys became one I’ve done since. She taught me to be attentive to of his first teachers. details.”

In a way, she was also a campus model and star, Brian Davis graduated in architecture the year a people magnet. Mil Bodron, a former student Phoebe retired and is today the executive director Two Sisters mixed media on canvas who, along with his mother, became close friends of the Louisiana Trust for Historical Preservation. and even a house-sitter and dog-sitter for Mathys, calls it the Key to his education, he said, were three things from Phoebe: “The Phoebe Phenomena”: Students flocked to her white Corvette “Presentation is everything, you never stop working on your when it parked at Wyly Tower, eager to help her even before “the portfolio, and when challenged with selecting a color scheme, look perfect high heel and stockinged leg hit the pavement. I don’t think to nature.”

Phoebe ever had to carry anything up to her office herself,” Bodron “Phoebe,” he said, “saw the creative potential in everyone.” said.

“You could not be in the same room or corridor as she was,” he said, “without being aware of her aura or energy.”

Finally, Phoebe Allen Mathys was in love with all that is Louisiana Tech. A north Louisiana native, she earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in art from Tech, taught 33 years in Tech’s School of Art and School of Architecture, and retired in 1997 as Emeritus Professor in the College of Liberal Arts.

When she passed on May 1, 2016, surrounded by friends and family in her Monroe home and only three days prior to her Self Portrait Series II Scarlette’s WIndows 75th birthday, acrylic on canvas acrylic on canvas Mathys left more than just memories Advent Pomegranates behind: she left acrylic on canvas her collection of artwork and a selection of her furniture to become part of Tech’s School of Design’s permanent collection.

“She made it continually known to me and all her friends how much she loved our School and Louisiana Tech,” said Karl Puljak, director of Tech’s School of Design. “Her donation of her most prized artwork to our University speaks volumes of that love. We will do our best to honor her legacy and her vital place in the history of our School of Design.”

When her health began to decline due to cancer, she met with Puljak several times to talk about the pieces in her collection, A Savage Place Study, Scarlette on Red Ground about the artists, and about the beginnings of what is now Tech’s oil and oil pastels on canvas felt pen on canvas School of Design.

“I learned more about the legacy of our programs in those afternoon meetings at her house than I learned in 20 years as a

LATECH.EDU | 59

FOUNDATION SPOTLIGHT

Boxing ‘rocks’ with electric grant Grant awarded to collaborative program aimed at fighting Parkinson’s disease Claiborne Electric Cooperative

L

ouisiana Tech’s Rock Steady Boxing opportunity, a nonprofit program that’s proven to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s, received a nice jolt this spring from the Claiborne Electric Cooperative Operation Round Up – a grant of $9,875.

Received by The Louisiana Tech University Foundation, the grant will be used to buy equipment for the fitness program, particularly exercise bike chairs.

“Rock Steady is like an exercise program for those with Parkinson’s,” said Bobby Dowling, director of the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center, where the classes are held. “It doesn’t cure the disease by any means, but it alleviates the symptoms. It’s helped several of the participants a tremendous amount.”

The program, which began in Indianapolis in 2008, started at Tech in the fall of 2016 and has almost two dozen regular participants, with new people joining regularly, Dowling said.

Chad Spruell, Tech’s fitness and wellness office coordinator, and massage therapist Jeff Johnson coach the program with help from community volunteers, including many from Tech’s Student Nurses Association. This example of a collaborative relationship in healthcare elevates the energy in the gym and leads to physical and psychological improvement of participants.

To sign up or get more information, call 318-257-4634.

60 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

Photos: Rock Steady Boxing Louisiana Tech

Building better bulldogs Students make a difference in building a culture of philanthropy, increasing total gifts and number of donors, making this an incredible year at Louisiana Tech.

The Bulldog Calling Center, consisting of student callers, has made 9,753 contacts and raised $236,789 for Louisiana Tech in the past year.

More than 1,300 Thank-You notes to donors were written by students through the inaugural “Notes and Floats” program.

The Student Advancement Team (SAT) was formed by students to promote student philanthropy on campus.

“Dollars and Dogs” was held during Homecoming week to educate students on the importance of giving back and encourage students to join the 1894 Giving Society.

840 students participated in the “Lincolns Back To Lincoln” program, making their first gift back to Louisiana Tech at graduation.

LATECH.EDU | 61

Our roots are noble At Tech, red and blue make green

When you read that Tech continues “to grow,” you can take that literally.

Just look at all the new trees and landscaping.

Four years ago, following your input and much study, the University undertook a campus-wide master planning project. Trees were a major part of that plan. Tech even has a Tree Task Force (true!) to make sure no leaf is left unturned in the planting and placement of trees and landscape areas.

The expanding Enterprise Campus was developed with a master plan that included guidelines and goals for landscaping and streetscaping. Much of that planning is visible as reality today.

Tech Pointe has a rain garden; the planting in the garden and around the building are sustainable and are native to this area.

The Homer Street Project was a joint venture between the City of Ruston, the University, the Foundation, and an Economic Development Administration grant. The new trees along Homer Street are part of the aesthetic improvements for an area that has undergone utility improvements and will have, once construction in the area is complete, better vehicle and pedestrian access to both Enterprise Campus and the new College of Business building and wing.

Trees along West Alabama Avenue overlooking the Lady Techsters Softball Complex and in front of the new Davison Athletics Complex have enhanced the beauty of both.

Trees and shrubs along the stretch of Tech Drive that borders the current green space just south of the train trestle will keep soccer and lacrosse balls off the street, once the plants grow and once intramural fields are located on the green space, former site of Caruthers and Neilson dorms. A cyclone fence might have been a bit more effective, but it would not have been nearly as attractive. A crew of students in the Recreation Department (pictured below) did much of the work on the Tech Drive bed.

Most of the new trees are a variety of oaks (see graphic). The task grows a bit more complex now with the planning of more detailed specifications and designs for key entry points and green features of the campus.

62 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

If you would like to give to the Noble Trees campaign, go to latechalumni.org/MakeAGift and designate to “Noble Trees”

53 trees

being planted this year

68 trees planted in 2016

45 trees

planted in 2015 around the Texas-Louisiana-Homer parking lot

34 trees

to be planted at natatoriumturned-parking-lot site

200 trees

total in the Big Tree Project

SHUMARD OAK

Typically grows 85-120 feet, good shade tree, red leaves in the fall.

SAWTOOTH OAK

40-to-60 feet with a similar spread; good shade tree named for its ridged leaves that turn yellow in the spring to deep green in the summer to golden brown in the fall; another solid shade tree.

WILLOW OAK

Medium-sized tree (60-100 feet tall), different from other oaks in that its leaves are shaped like willow leaves, long and thin, bright green on top to pale on bottom; dependable with full crown.

CATHEDRAL LIVE OAK

60 feet high and 60 feet wide at maturity; pyramidal and dark green; very popular; good “street tree� because of dependability and large canopy.

LATECH.EDU | 63

A new tradition rings in

T

raditions connect the past to both the present and the future. At Louisiana Tech, traditions reinforce values that define and shape the culture that is the fundamental reason for Tech’s 123 years of achievement, the glue that forms the bond between members of the Tech Family.

Now a new tradition begins, one that serves to connect, but also to remind, encourage, and inspire: the Ritual of the Rings.

The Official Louisiana Tech Class Ring worn by students and alumni is a permanent symbol of the Tech experience. Diplomas are proudly displayed, but the ring goes with you everywhere, a reminder of a vow to exemplify the Tenets of Tech, a reminder of the lifetime connection to Tech, and a reminder of the open invitation to campus any time.

A quick walk around the new rings: Displayed are the Bulldog, the iconic Lady of the Mist and Keeny Hall, the Mace to symbolize the light of learning, and the most well-known symbol of Tech, the Stateand-T. Also seen are the wearer’s degree, year graduated, “1894” (the year of Tech’s founding), and “Ever Loyal Be,” a motto from Tech’s alma mater. The graduate’s name and, so it will always be touching the wearer, a Tech Tenet chosen by the wearer are engraved inside.

The inaugural ritual began with the Procession of the Rings April 19 when the AFROTC escorted the rings – in a specially-designed box and draped in red and blue – on a ceremonial march along the Alumni Walkway, through The Pillars by Tolliver Hall, all the way to the brick of Tech’s 64 | LOUISIANA TECH MAGAZINE

first graduate, Harry Howard. In this way, each ring has been “blessed” by each past graduate. Then the rings were carried up the Presidents’ Walkway and finally into Centennial Clock Plaza, where they remained overnight, guarded by the AFROTC, to symbolize both the timelessness of the Tenets and the rings’ connection to the past, present, and future alumni.

The inaugural Official Ring Ceremony was April 20 at Marbury Alumni Center, where the rings were presented by Tech President Dr. Les Guice. The ceremony will grow as the tradition does and expand to Howard Auditorium, maybe even to Thomas Assembly Center. All alumni are invited back to view the Procession of the Rings and attend the ceremony on campus or even to receive an official ring as an alumnus and be part of the ceremony itself.

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