LSU Alumni Magazine - Winter 2022

...they

REMEMBERED LSU

remember they hurried past during their timeat lsu.

Ensuring the Future of Our State and Nation

It is fitting that our focus on the fourth leg of LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda — defense — falls right after Veteran’s Day. Talking about this area is a distinct honor for me, as it leverages LSU’s rich military history into a modern, technological approach to protecting our nation through a combination of service to our country and state-of-the-art cybersecurity research. This aspect of LSU research, scholarship, and practical expertise really serves as the crux of everything we do. We can’t protect our food supplies, keep our ports and coastal infrastructure safe from cyber-attacks, or secure our energy industry without exceptionally strong cyber-defense capabilities.

Last year, we announced a new focus on this critical nexus by dedicating the Louisiana Emerging Technologies Building to allow interaction between military specialists and cyber experts. That unleashed our momentum, signaling to the world that we are committed to developing a strong, advanced research program focused on this area. We recently hired not just one but two nationally renowned cyber faculty who will help educate the next generation of students and simultaneously strengthen our research profile. And after being the only university in the nation invited to apply, we received word that the National Security Agency selected LSU as a Center of Excellence in Cyber Operations. That makes us one of only twenty-one other universities with this prestigious designation, alongside peers like Carnegie Mellon, New York University, and the U.S. Air Force and Navy Academies.

Another indication of our commitment to securing our nation’s future is our newly established Bengal Corps — an inspirational group of students and cadets focusing on the intersections of leadership, cybersecurity, and national defense. The program is run through LSU’s Leadership Development Institute and helps to identify and train the next generation of cyber-military leaders.

Moving forward, we are knitting together even more resources, leveraging our existing expertise across the state, especially at LSU Shreveport’s Cyber Collaboratory, and will continue to hire the nation’s strongest faculty representatives while educating the next generation of cyber warriors to ensure our state’s and nation’s future is safe for our families.

Sincerely, William F. Tate IV

Features

14 LSU Remembered

Whether they lived on campus or off, they remember the landmarks they hurried past during their time at LSU. The sight and sound of the Campanile says LSU to graduates through the years. Football Saturday in Tiger Stadium looms large, but it’s Memorial Tower (the Campanile) that makes many graduates think of their LSU home. Alumni share their memories of the sights and sounds of campus.

On the Cover

LSU Remembered – the Sights and Sounds of the Campus

Editor Jackie Bartkiewicz

Marketing Manager

Ally Richardson

Editorial Assistant Jackson LeBoeuf

Art Director/Graphic Designer STUN Design & Interactive Kimberly Mackey

Principal/Creative Director STUN Design & Interactive Chuck Sanchez

Contributors

Ava E. Borskey, Barry Cowan, Ed Cullen, Elsa Hahn, Brian Hudgins, Abbi Rocha Laymoun, Alison Satake, Marc Stevens, Presley Tyler

Photography

Darlene Aguillard/Real Life Photos, Dylan Borel, Bill Brown, Clark Cadzow, Cosmic Background, Francis Dinh/LSU Reveille, David Gleason Photograph Collection, Brandli Greer, John Grubb, Houston Rockets, Bradley King/Second Line Photography, Louisiana Digital Library, LSU Athletics, Connor Matherne, Amy Parrino, Eddy Perez/ LSU Communications & University Relations, Matthew Perschall/The Reveille, Ally Richardson, Kathryn Seghers/LSU Communications & University Relations, Emily Schexnayder, Sally Stiel, Jim Zietz

Printing Baton Rouge Printing

32

12 64

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David Braddock, Chair Dallas, Texas

Kathryn “Kathy” Fives, Chair-Elect Baton Rouge, La.

Bart B. Schmolke, Past Chair Alexandria, La.

Jack A. Andonie, Director Emeritus Metairie, La.

J. Ofori Agboka, Carnation, Wash. Mark Kent Anderson, Jr. Monroe, La. Michael B. Bethea, Madisonville, La. Karen Brack, San Diego, Calif. Cassandra M. Chandler, Hillsboro, N.C. Corey Foster, Lake Charles, La. G. Archer Frierson, III, Shreveport, La. Mario J. Garner, Spring, Texas James G. “Jimmy” Gosslee, Shreveport, La.

Leo C. Hamilton, Baton Rouge, La. Lauren Olinde Hughes, Houston, Texas R. Scott Jenkins, New Orleans, La. Matthew K. “Matt” Juneau, Baton Rouge, La. Michael Kantrow, Jr., New York, N.Y. Brandon Landry, Baton Rouge, La. Jeffrey M. “Jeff” Mohr, Baton Rouge, La. Jady H. Regard, Lafayette, La. Rori P. Smith, Baton Rouge, La. Stanley L. “Stan” Williams, Fort Worth, Texas

LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the LSU Alumni Association. Annual donations are $50, of which $6 is allocated for a subscription to LSU Alumni Magazine. The LSU Alumni Association is not liable for any loss that might be incurred by a purchaser responding to an advertisement in this magazine.

Editorial and Advertising

LSU Alumni Association

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© 2022 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686

Letters to the editor are encouraged. LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE reserves the right to edit all materials accepted for publication. Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the Association, or LSU.

President and CEO MESSAGE

A Busy Season – at Home and on the Road

Football, tailgates, luncheons, receptions, banquets – the fall semester was, indeed, a whirlwind of activities.

We kicked off the season “on the road” as the Tigers took on Florida State at Caesars Superdome and then met the Jaguars in Tiger Stadium at the firstever game between LSU and Southern University. Friends and fans joined us at home for the Mississippi State and New Mexico games, then Traveling Tigers hit the road again for the LSU-Auburn game before taking on Tennessee in BR. There are still six games – at home and away – on the calendar as this issue goes into design.

And, we will continue to be “on the Geaux!” Homecoming, the Annual Meeting and Past Presidents & Chairs Luncheon, the annual Scholarship Reception, and fall commencement will round out the whirlwind of activities. Look for highlights in the Spring 2023 magazine.

Even as this busy year winds down, we are planning and looking forward to our spring events, among them coast-to-coast crawfish boils and the Hall of Distinction Banquet.

I take this opportunity to recognize and thank the Association staff for their outstanding work ethic and dedicated service. Several new employees have joined us – meet them on page 10. And, we welcome freelancer Marc Stevens, who has taken on authorship of the late Bud Johnson’s Locker Room section of the magazine.

Many thanks to each of you for all you do to help us network, inform, engage, and inspire. As I’ve said many times before, we couldn’t do it without you!

On behalf of the members of the Board of Directors, the officers, and the staff of the LSU Alumni Association and The Cook Hotel – best wishes for a wonderful holiday and the very best in the coming year.

Geaux Tigers! Gordon Monk

From Our Readers

Thank you for your article regarding LSU’s Memorial Tower. The article covered the restoration of the Tower and other factual information regarding the historic site. I haven’t visited the campus in many years, but I did take our grandkids there some six years ago, especially to see the wall in front where the veterans’ names were inscribed from World War II. There we proudly saw the name of my half-brother Bowman Fetzer, who was killed in flight training in Houston in 1942.

Roert Fetzer

1953 BACH BUS, 1959 MBA

I read the recent article in the LSU Alumni Magazine about the LSU Memorial Tower with great interest. My grandfather, Thomas W. O’Keefe, was a plaster mason, and he worked on the original Tower and the 1960 renovation.

Scott O’Keefe

Class of 1978 and the 100,000th graduate of LSU

Photo: State-Times, March 6, 1960

LSU Alumni Association NEWS Chapter Events

Houston Sendoff – The Greater Houston Chapter welcomed new Tigers to the LSU family at its Tenth Annual Houston Area Sendoff. The students and their parents were greeted by University representatives, volunteers, and Greater Houston Chapter Board Members.

On hand were Troy Blanchard, dean of College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Madeline Brown, director of development, College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Greater Houston Chapter Board President Brooke Graham, chapter president; and board members and volunteers Callie Barrilleaux, Cathy Brown, Lisa Bunch, Jacob Dorsett, Cheryl Fasullo, Wiley Graham, and Laurie Scott.

“The event was held at the Liederkranz Community Center, and the food was donated by H.E.B. We would like to give special thanks to the Liederkranz and to H.E.B. for their continued support,” writes Fasullo. “The event was a great opportunity for LSU administrators, staff, and alumni to help students and their parents build new peer networks, provide tips for success, and show our future Texas Tigers what the LSU spirit is all about!”

From left, Wiley Graham, vice-president; Cathy Brown, volunteer; Callie Barrilleau, social director; and Jacob Dorsett, volunteer.

Amy and John Holland.

Paul and Connie Johnson.

Everyone who was there ‘til the end!

Madeline Brown, director of development at the LSU Foundation, welcomes Natalya De Leon and her mom to the Tiger family.

Dean Troy Blanchard meets one of our newest Houston Tigers and her parents at the sendoff event.

Tyler Watch Party – Tiger fans in Tyler, Texas, gathered at Rotolo's Pizzeria to watch the LSU-Auburn game.

DFW Sendoffs – Tigers in Dallas and Fort Worth hosted sendoff parties at the Texas Star Pavilion and the Flagpole Hill Pavilion to welcome incoming freshmen – the LSU Class of 2026. New students and their parents visited with each other, chatted with currently enrolled students and met LSU alumni.

The students left the parties with bags filled with LSU “swag,” gift cards from Raising Cane’s, T-shirts, and LSU Bound signs.

The DFW area sent a record number of 228 students to campus this fall, with nearly half of them receiving scholarship awards totaling $6.4 million over four years.

Future Tigers from Fort Worth and Dallas gather for photos.

Dallas Chapter President Kyle Wall with Skylar Conley and Chloe Berry, winners of the drawings for $250 cash awards.

Chapter Events

EBR Sports Kickoff – Fans got the inside scoop on LSU sports –and a look at the Women’s SEC Golf Trophy on display – at the LSU Sports Kickoff Party hosted by the Greater Baton Rouge Alumni Chapter at the South Stadium Club in Tiger Stadium.

Coaches making appearances were Brian Kelly, football; Dennis Shaver, track and field; Danny Bryan, men’s tennis; Taylor Fogleman, women’s tennis; Tonya Johnson, volleyball; Chuck Winstead, golf; Garrett Runion, women’s golf; Sian Hudson, soccer; Bob Starkey, women’s basketball; and Matt McMahon, men’s basketball.

The event included dinner, door prizes, a silent auction, and an LSU Alumni Pop-up Shop.

Photos: Emily Schexnayder and Ally Richardson

Tiger faithful.

Sally Stiel, Ally Richardson, and Beth Tope.

Suzie Stinson, Ford Stinson, D-D Breaux, Robert Adley, and Claudia Adley.

Coaches Taylor Fogleman, women’s tennis; Sian Hudson, soccer; and Danny Bryan, men’s tennis.

Wayne Parker, Carmen Parker, and Tom Breaux.

Emma Trigg and William Romero.

JP Chaze, Justin Vincent, and Leighann Westfall.

Brad Moreau, Paula Moreau, and Amy Parrino.

Coach Brian Kelly.

Tureaud Chapter Highights – A.P. Tureaud Sr. Black Alumni Chapter

J. Ofori Agboka delivered the keynote speech at the Congressional Black Caucus and Gala in Washington, D.C. in October. Here at home, members enjoyed the Black Alumni Day Party before the LSU-Florida State game.

NYC Happy Hour

– LSU alumni in New York City kicked off the football season celebrating with SEC friends, enemies, and frenemies during the Annual SEC NYC Football Kickoff Happy Hour and Networking event at Jack Dempsey’s American Irish Bar & Pub.

Passing a good time at Happy Hour.

Bayler Fontenot and Miro Velchev.

Gary Henley, Bryson Livingston, Philip “P.J.” Williamson, and Michael Kantrow.

Theo Williams and Victor Lashley.

A.P. Tureaud Sr. Chapter alumni get together at the LSU-SU event at the LSU Alumni Center.

Chapter Secretary Jeremiah Sams, Chapter Immediate Past President Katrina Dunn, President Tate, First Lady Kim Tate, Chapter Vice President/ President-Elect Phaedra Abbott at the LSU-SU event at the LSU Alumni Center.

Alumnus J. Ofori Agboka is a member of the AP Tureaud Chapter and was the welcoming speaker for the Congressional Black Caucus Phoenix Awards and Gala in October.

Volunteer Extraordinaire –Murlyn Erdelyi Burkes (1977 BACH HS&E, 1979 BACH MD-NO), a member of the board of directors of the Southern California (SoCal) Chapter, shares information about her volunteer efforts at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center.

“I have volunteered at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center for thirtytwo years. It’s my passion, and I wouldn’t trade it for any other job! We are a pro-life shelter with cats and dogs. I mainly volunteer time with the cats but have done time with the dogs. All of our pets are adopted from there. I help with fundraising, interviewing potential adopters, educating adopters, and making sure our shelter is a welcoming place.

"I have been serving on the board of directors for years and enjoy all that comes with running a business. When we are on vacations, you can catch me at least one of the days at a shelter near-by. It’s in my blood! I wear my LSU shirts proudly when I volunteer!”

Snapshots

Grad Fair – Graduating seniors took advantage of one-stop shopping at Grad Fair to order class rings and announcement cards, purchase commencement caps and gowns and diploma frames, have graduation photos taken, and more. On hand to sign up the soon-to-be alums and share giveaways were, seated, Rachel Burke, executive assistant to the president/ CEO and Brittany Ernest, Alumni Fund coordinator; standing, Ally Richardson, marketing manager, and Tracy Jones, assistant vice president.

Murlyn Burkes.

New Team Members – The newest members of the LSU Alumni Association team are, from left, Kyrian Moore and Aria Smith, front desk agents, The Cook Hotel; Sydney Andre, director of advancement; Jan McBride, director of human resources; Rachel Burke, executive assistant to the president and board secretary; Mary Clare Trevison, chapters manager; and Kirkland Hutson, maintenance engineer, The Cook Hotel.

Photo: Ally Richardson

Joe Carvalhido: LSU Through and Through

It’s seeing the joy that comes with those three letters on everybody’s chest – LSU.

That’s one of Joe Carvalhido’s favorite things about working at the LSU Alumni Association. The other is the community of Tigers – from young graduates to seasoned alumni. “It’s the people,” Carvalhido said. “The people you meet and talk to, day in and day out. Everybody's got a unique story here at LSU.”

As vice president of advancement, Carvalhido gets to hear those stories frequently – whether he’s flipping through the library of Gumbo yearbooks, which date back to the early 1900s, or hearing testimony from Flagship Scholarship recipients and the alumni donors who make that aid possible.

In his day-to-day work, Carvalhido raises funds for scholarships and alumni programming, like football watch parties and crawfish boils in cities across the country. He works with the Association’s engagement team to broaden the LSU Alumni brand. “It allows us to be the most inviting group to allow people to come back to the campus and be basically the front door, or the front porch, so to speak, for our campus,” Carvalhido said.

Association-sponsored young alumni professional networking events in cities like New York and Dallas help build awareness of the Alumni Association by forging relationships with current students and creating a strong foothold on campus. “We have to be engaging because you never know who you're going to meet,” Carvalhido said. “You never know who wants to be a part, and you want everybody to be a part.”

The LSU Alumni Association currently has 20,000 members, and Carvalhido wants to see that number grow. As part of efforts to increase involvement, the Association will implement a lifetime membership program in 2023.

Carvalhido looks forward to continuing to build the Alumni Association and working with a staff that has LSU’s best interests at heart. “You want to have fun with what you're doing, and you want to work with great people,” he said. “I've been fortunate in all instances to have all of that.”

A New York City native and 1999 graduate of St. John’s University, Carvalhido has been working at LSU for more than twenty-two years. As director of basketball operations for the women’s basketball team, he worked with Naismith Hall of Fame coaches Sue Gunter and Van Chancellor and was part of all five of the Tigers’ Final Four appearances. From there, he served as the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s vice president of operations and services. He joined the Alumni Association in October 2021. “LSU is a hard place to leave,” Carvalhido said. “It's an easy place to live, and it's a fun place to work. It's been really good to me and my family, and that's important.”

Carvalhido spends his free time with his family, going to his sons’ sports games and taking them along to LSU games. His wife, Brittany, works for the LSU men’s basketball program. He said they are LSU through and through.

Ava E. Borskey is entertainment editor at The Reveille and writes for The Mag

By

E. Borskey

Vice President of Advancement Joe Carvalhido.

Photo: Ally Richardson

Ava

“It’s the people you meet and talk to, day in and day out. Everybody’s got a unique story here at LSU.”

Snapshots

Tiger Football 2022 – Tiger fans and Traveling Tigers kicked off the season cheering the Tigers on against Florida State at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans then took on Southern University in Tiger Stadium – the first-ever meeting of the Tigers and the Jaguars. The Mississippi State and New Mexico games were on home turf, then fans hit the road again for the LSU-Auburn game in JordanHare Stadium before meeting Tennessee in Death Valley.

Photos: Brandli Greer, John Grubb, Amy Parrino, Ally Richardson, Emily Schexnayder, Sally Stiel

Board members, staff, and guests gathered for a group shot at the LSU-New Mexico are, from left, Brittany Ernest, John Grubb, Dr. Jim Fleischhauer, Dr. Elizabeth McDonald, Stan Williams, Amy Parrino, Lauren Hughes, Gordon Monk, Mario Garner, and Joe Carvalhido.

Beverly Shea, Dr. Jack Andonie, Jerry Shea, and Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite at the Mississippi State game.

Old friends and “founders” of the LSU Alumni Association at the LSU-Mississippi State game were, from left, front, Mac and Ann Wallace, Lisa Mohr, Charlie and Pat Roberts, Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite, Dr. Jack Andonie, Cissy Babb, and Rose Ann and John Shelton; back, Mark Kent Anderson, Coulter McMahen, Ted Martin, Gordon Monk, Dr. Louis Minsky, Lori Minsky, Jay Babb, Joe Carvalhido, and Amy Parrino.

At the New Mexico game, front, from left, the Whitelaw family, Melissa, Steve, Jr., Steve, and Susan; back row, Cynthia Graves and Beth Phillips.

Cathy and Lou Fives hosted dinner at The Jambalaya Shoppe to welcome Las Vegas volunteers to Tennessee. From left, front, Amy Parrino, Chris Carr, and Kathy Fives, and Camillle Goodin; back, Tony Mulvehill, Lou Fives, and Ben Goodin.

Patrick and Kim Shea with sons Grady, left, and Davis.

The Whitfield family, from bottom, Gail, Dallis, Meagan, Noshi, Hunter, Van, Bobbie Grace, and Mason.

LSU Alumni

Blake Trahan, Emily Arnold, Jendy Trahan, Jacob Trahan, Don and Alicia Gilbert, and Charles Arnold.

Deirdre Mallet and K. Renee Horton.

Todd and Carole Durkee at the Florida State game.

From left, Robert Adams, Michelle Adams, Kathy Laidig, Craig Laidig, Martha Baskerville, Betty Brumfield, and Stephen Brumfield.

Joe and Paula Toups smile for the camera.

LSU President William F. Tate, IV, LSU Alumni Association President Gordon Monk, LSU Board of Supervisors District 6 Representative Robert Dampf, and Louisiana Director of Legislative Affairs Noble Ellington at the LSU-Florida State game in New Orleans.

Ava Britton, front, poses with Susan Rew, Rebecca Britton, Gil Rew, and Julie and Miller Flynt at the Tennessee game.

Ofori Agboka and Eddie Kennison.

The Burnside family – Kermit, Michael, Cheryl, Katie, Keith, and Martha – gathers at The Cook Hotel before heading to the Tennessee game.

Jill and Hal Hickey, Gordon and Debbie Monk, and Susan and Allen Berlin.

WHETHER LSU they lived on campus

or off,

From left: The Campus Mounds. Photo: Jim Zietz; The landscaped Sunken Gardens included a reflecting pool with a statue of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto; LSU ROTC cadets drilling on the Parade Ground in the mid-1960s.

Photo: David Gleason Photograph Collection; A magazine ad for Edwards’ Orange Bowl on Chimes Street. Photo: Clarke Cadzow; Commencement in Parker Coliseum. 1967.

THEY hurried past

REMEMBERED

DURING their time at lsu.

BY ED CULLEN

HE SIGHT AND SOUND OF THE CAMPANILE

says LSU to graduates through the years. Football Saturday in Tiger Stadium looms large, but it’s Memorial Tower (the Campanile) that makes many graduates think of their LSU home.

The 175-foot-tall clock tower was dedicated in 1926 in memory of Louisianans who died in World War I. The clock chimes during the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The LSU alma mater is programmed to play at noon.

The other thing that stands out in interviews with alumni is the number of years it took to earn an undergraduate degree. Generally, the younger the graduate, the longer it took to graduate, some students taking five or six years, or longer, to receive their degrees. Whether they lived on campus (as almost all did into the 1960s) or off, they remember the landmarks they hurried past during their time at LSU. For older alums, it was the Greek Theater and behind the theater a reflecting pool 150 feet long, 30 feet wide, and two feet deep with an eight-foot statue of Hernando de Soto at the far end. The amphitheater, built into a hillside between today’s Pentagon Residence Hall (now Pentagon Community) and the music building, opened in 1925 and was the site of graduation exercises before the event moved to the John M. Parker Agricultural Center (now Coliseum). From the Cow Palace, where graduates walked through the chutes used by livestock and cowboys during rodeos, moved to Pete Maravich Assembly Center or to smaller venues for individual colleges.

Students remember the Campus Mounds, the Huey P. Long Swimming Pool and Gym Armory and ROTC cadet drills on the Parade Ground. Today, students wage Ultimate Frisbee wars on the Parade Ground, careful not to trip over sunbathers and classmates studying on blankets in fine weather.

1969 Memorial Tower

Memorial Tower in 1969 and today.

Memorial Oak Grove the Quad

Students in the 1940s and 1950s hung out with friends in their dorms or at the swimming pool or in small cafes outside the North Gates. The UREC figures prominently in recent graduates’ memories of good times, part-time jobs and the place they made friends they stay in touch with. University Recreation Center opened in 1992.

“My favorite place at LSU was definitely the UREC,” said Haley Capello, a 2016 biological sciences graduate. “That’s where I met some of my best friends, including Catarina (Meeks). Best student job ever.”

The former UREC friends were together about a year ago when Capello, who lives in New York, was a bridesmaid in Meeks’ wedding. Meeks lives in Lafayette with husband Tim, an LSU graduate.

“I was at LSU from 2011 to 2018,” Meeks said. “I took a little longer than most, but got my degree in environmental engineering. The three greatest teachers in the program –Karim El Kholy, Navid Jafari and ZhiQiang Deng – got me where I am today.”

For Meeks, the Campanile says LSU. “Not only because it’s an iconic landmark, but because I came to LSU not a football fan. It was a place to sit near at lunch and hear the bells ring at noon,” she said. “It was also a fun place to go at midnight for Valentine’s Day,” she said. “Even though my now

husband and I think it was just a story that the clock would ring at midnight. It didn’t ring when we went to kiss on Valentine’s Day. Ha!”

Memorial Tower’s chimes are set to sound from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., said Tammy Millican, executive director for facilities and property oversight.

Meeks’ generation was mobile and could drive to places off campus, but Meeks liked eating at Inga’s just of campus, on West Chimes Street. “Even living at West Campus Apartments, it was the shortest walk” to grab lunch. “Louie’s would come a close second.”

Tracie Thomas Meeks (1981-1985), Catarina’s mother-in-law, got to know the campus well as a courier in the days before the internet. “The job, ‘Student Errands,’ was “the highlight of my day,” she said. “I learned the campus so well and figured out the

19 75 1960

On the Quad looking toward Atkinson Hall in 1960 and today.

EDITOR’S NOTES

The photographs from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, paired with current photos of the campus, are by Matthew Perschall, LSU Reveille multimedia editor. His photo essay “Like Yesterday” appeared in the March 21 edition. The old photos are courtesy of the Louisiana Digital Library.

The LSU Campus Mounds, once known as the Indian Mounds, were renamed in dialogue with Louisiana’s Native Tribes. The name represents the spirit of those conversations and is a sincere effort to recognize the First Peoples who built the Mounds, the sacred nature of these ancient structures, and their location in the heart of LSU’s campus.

Memorial Oak Grove today and in 1975.

1975 The French House

1975

Nicholson Parking Lot

shortest routes. Observing campus life this way was enjoyable. I would stop, occasionally, at the candy shop in the basement of the Union for malted milk balls or chocolate melt-away candy. Only one time did I try hopping on a city bus on campus to try to shorten my walk. Ended up taking me out the North Gates and way off campus. Never did that again.”

Meeks’ rounds took her through the Quadrangle, past the Memorial Oak Grove south of the Union and the Greek Theater with occasional

brief stops to listen to the debates in Free Speech Alley just west of the Union. Her degree in general studies would provide the background for a career in nursing. “I enjoy thinking of my parents, grandparents, and greatgrandparents who traversed the same sidewalks, buildings and classrooms that I did. Who knew that years later our children would do the same,” Meeks said.

Peggy Laborde, of Hamburg, La., was at LSU from 1943 to 1947. At ninety-six, she remembers Saturday morning military parades, the Campanile’s chimes, “most of the buildings matching,” dances on campus, meeting friends at the Gym Armory, Hill Memorial – then the University’s library – and late afternoon teas at the French House.

The French House opened in September 1935 as a Romance languages immersion residence hall. The Renaissance-style chateau became the honors college in the 1990s. It was renamed the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College in 2014. “The library (Hill Memorial) was a meeting place,” Laborde said. “The Quad hadn’t been messed up. The new library (Middleton) and newer buildings weren’t the same style as the original campus buildings,” LaBorde said.

Cars in Nicholson Parking Lot –1975 and today.

The French House, in 1975, alongside a current photo.

LSU seemed smaller in the war years, Laborde said, because the most frequented buildings weren’t that far apart. She lived in Highland, Evangeline, and Annie Boyd dorms. “You moved according to your year in school, “she said. “There were strict housemothers. You were told how to dress. No alcohol, of course. There weren’t many cars.”

The first woman to graduate in agronomy, Laborde taught returning veterans on-the-farm programs. She graduated in the Greek Theater and remembers DeSoto’s statue and reflecting pool behind the outdoor theater.

Most socializing and dining was on campus, but a nickel got you a city bus ride from campus to downtown where the university was from late 1869 to the mid-1920s. “We shopped on Third Street at Dalton’s, Woolworth’s, Kress, Rosenfield’s,” Laborde said.

Tiger Stadium

Tiger Stadium in 1975 and now.

Ninety-one-year-old Pat Odom, remembers a Quad with no library. Hill Memorial is just off the Quad. The layout was meant to afford a view of the Campanile from the second floor reading rooms across a green space. “They messed up the Quad with the new library,” she said. “We older people were offended.”

Odom, who was at LSU from 1948-1952, remembers off-campus parties. “We went to the little dives on Highland Road north. We drank and danced. We didn’t have much time. Freshman girls had to be in by 8. I don’t think the boys had any restrictions.”

“I barely remember the reflecting pool behind the Greek Theater. My class graduated in the Cow Palace,” she said. “The Tower’s chimes in the evening say LSU to me; I have to say I loved LSU.”

Ned Clark and Don McGinty knew LSU as student athletes, Clark as a basketball player from 1951 to 1955 and McGinty as a baseball player. McGinty played only one semester on scholarship before he had to devote full time to being a young husband, father, and finance student from 1961 to 1965. Clark played on a Final Four team with Bob Petit and Benny McCardle. The team played and practiced in the Gym Armory before becoming the first

East and West Laville

basketball team to play in the John M. Parker Coliseum.

“We had to wait,” he laughed, “if there was a rodeo, an ice show, or graduation to practice at John Parker where they had to put down a (removable) wooden court.”

Ten years apart in their time on campus, Clark and McGinty both recall passing the Campus Mounds on their way to dinner at Broussard Hall, the athletic dorm. “Having Indian mounds on campus amazed me,” McGinty said.

For William Callegari, LSU football games are some of his best memories. He not only went to games, he lived in North and South Stadium dorms. Callegari and his wife are from Cottonport, La. “The first game my girlfriend, now my wife, saw at LSU was the Billy Cannon run. She’d come up from Cottonport on the train.”

Called the “Halloween Run,” Cannon returned Ole Miss’ Jake Gibbs’ punt for an 89-yard-touchdown on All Hallows Eve 1959. The Tigers won 7-3.

Callegari, eighty-one, had a business career in Texas and served in the Texas legislature. “It still gives me a thrill to see Tiger stadium as I cross the bridge,” he said.

Charlie Roberts, former president and CEO of the LSU Alumni Association, was a student from 1953 to 1957. “For me, the big changes have been the new buildings and landscaping,” Roberts said. “There were 7,500 students in the 1950s. Enrollment today is about 35,000.”

Bicycles are common on today’s campus. They made sense in Roberts’ student days, too. “I had a bicycle in 1953. I rode it right up to classroom buildings.”

Parking wasn’t the problem in the 1950s that it is today, Roberts said. “In 1953, you could drive up to the west side of Tiger Stadium and park without paying. You could buy tickets on the 50-yard line the week of the football game.”

Roberts could shed a little light on the disappearance of the reflecting pool and DeSoto’s statue behind the Greek Theater. “The reflecting pool was there in 1957. It was gone in 1964 when I came back on campus. They filled in the pool. I think mosquitoes were a problem. I don’t know what happened to the statue.”

Larry and Emily Rose Hubbard were from Arkansas. They met in LSU band rehearsal. Larry was drum major in both the University and ROTC military bands. He played a cool, standup bass, too. Emily was a music major and played in the band. Larry was at LSU from 1951 to 1955, Emily from 1953 to 1955. They married before he went into the Air Force. Larry got a second LSU degree in 1968, a master’s in landscape architecture.

East and West Laville on South Campus Drive in 1959 and today.

LSU Union

1975

Generations of LSU women have Emily to thank for being able to borrow money in their own names from the campus credit union. Emily had applied to the campus credit union for a car loan only to be handed a “piece of paper for my husband to sign.” Later, as a member of the credit union board, she was instrumental in the lending institution’s treating women borrowers the same as men.

After the Hubbards moved to Atlanta in 1977, Emily used U.S. Census Bureau information to show the movement of Louisiana residents to Atlanta. She was able to show migration to specific neighborhoods and supermarket locations. She took her findings to every supermarket vice president in metro Atlanta. She convinced them there was a ready market for Louisiana products.

Larry Hubbard, eighty-eight, remembers LSU as a true walking campus. “I didn’t need a car unless I was playing in a band off campus,” he said. “Then, I’d borrow a car.”

Landscape architecture classes were upstairs in the Field House, he said. “Our windows overlooked the swimming pool. We’d watch the girls swimming.”

Larry’s playing in bands – Sharkey Banana and the Bunch to name one – barely covered expenses. “I got a punch card for $5 from Edwards’ Orange Bowl,” he laughed. “I’d eat

1960 Greek Theater

on that all week. Red beans, rice, and water. You could use the card for breakfast, too, but it was red beans and rice.

Home on campus for Emily was the music building. “That’s where I saw all my friends.” As for off campus, she remembers, “Larry played in jazz bands. Wherever he was playing that night, that’s where I was.”

Ed Cullen, an LSU journalism graduate, is author of Letter in a Woodpile, a collection of his essays for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” He is retired from the Baton Rouge Advocate where he wrote the Sunday column “Attic Salt.”

A student sitting in the Greek Theater in 1960 and the seats today.

Students outside the LSU Union in 1975 and a current image.

Around CAMPUS

Aisha Ali-Gombe joined LSU’s faculty as an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering and the Center for Computation & Technology. She was formerly an assistant professor at Towson University in Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Abuja in Nigeria, a master’s in business administration from Bayero University Kano in Nigeria, and a doctorate in computer science from the University of New Orleans. She is one of the few Black female cybersecurity researchers with a doctorate at a Carnegie-designated researchintensive university.

Ibrahim “Abe” Baggili joined LSU’s faculty as an Department of Computer Science & Cybersecurity professor in the LSU College of Engineering and Center for Computation & Technology. He was the former director of the Connecticut Institute of Technology and the Elder Family Endowed Chair at the University of New Haven, where he secured over $7 million in research funding, helped more than double enrollment in computing programs and led the university to become one of only twenty-one in the nation to be designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO).

Monique Cain was named executive director for the LSU Board of Supervisors, serving as the conduit between the board and the LSU president and facilitates the board’s directives to and about the University. She previously served an adjunct professor and director of information and security services in the Department of Residential Life. Cain is president of the Black Faculty and Staff Caucus and a founder of the LSU Diversity Roadmap.

Noteworthy

Three faculty members joined the School of Mass Communications administrative team – Joshua Darr, associate dean for research and strategic initiatives; Nathan Kalmoe, interim associate dean for undergraduate studies and administration; and Meghan Sanders, associate dean for research and graduate studies.

in 2020, served as vice-chair and chairelect and was inducted as chair in June.

Rui Han, assistant professor of mathematics, received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) award to pursue his research on the study of electrons in a lattice material structure, such as graphene, under external magnetic fields. NSF has awarded him $464,836 over five years for his project “Schrödinger Operators on Lattices.”

James Dorman, associate professor, and Kerry Dooley, professor of chemical engineering, along with Michael Janik, professor of chemical engineering at Penn State, received a $512,316 National Science Foundation grant to support their research to decrease greenhouse gases.

Tammy Dugas, associate dean for research and graduate education and professor of comparative biomedical sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, was awarded the Everett D. Besch Professorship in Veterinary Medicine, which was established in honor of the school's founding dean.

Mette Gaarde, the Les and Dot Broussard Alumni Professor of physics, will chair the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP) in 2022-2023. In this role, she will oversee the planning of the 2023 DAMOP meeting and the selection of recipients DAMOP honors and awards. Gaarde, elected to the chair-line of DAMOP

Tina M. Harris, the Douglas L. Manship, Sr.-Dori Maynard Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy Endowed Chair, Manship School of Mass Communication, was named a 2022 recipient of the National Communication Association’s Distinguished Scholar Award, recognizing her lifetime of scholarly achievement in the study of human communication. Harris, an internationally renowned interracial communication scholar with interests in race, media representations, and racial social justice, is the first Black woman scholar to receive this award.

Hany Hassan, an assistant professor in transportation engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, received a $183,000 grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents to study the benefits of truck platooning on U.S. highways. In truck platooning, trucks travel together connected by a computer system, which communicates with the trucks to align speed, acceleration, and braking.

Brent Jackson (2020 MAST HS&E) joined the School of Kinesiology as an inaugural Tony Dungy Diversity Coaching Fellow, which provides diverse and talented candidates the opportunity to gain extensive coaching experience early in their careers. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in sport management from the University of

Louisiana-Lafayette, Jackson worked with the football program, and he held graduate assistant coaching roles at the University of Illinois, Auburn University, and the University of Oregon.

Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas, director of biotechnology and molecular medicine and professor of pathobiological sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, was awarded the Hannelore and Johannes Storz Professorship in Pathobiological Sciences. He is the first recipient of the Storz Professorship.

Juan Martinez, professor of pathobiological sciences, was named director of graduate education in the School of Veterinary Medicine. The senior-level faculty position oversees the operation of all graduate education programs.

Bobbi Zaunbrecher, a member of the alumni relations team at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center for nine years, was promoted to director of external relations. She was previously senior associate director of development and served as associate director of alumni relations.

Don Zhang, associate professor of psychology, received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) award to pursue his research on the impacts of risk takers in the workplace. NSF has awarded him $430,000 for his project, “Understanding Workplace Risk-taking Behavior.”

LSU is accelerating efforts to digitize vulnerable collections for diverse and underfunded cultural heritage institutions in Louisiana with a grant from the nonprofit open technology organization LYRASIS.

The LSU Libraries was one of five to receive the 2022 Catalyst Fund from LYRASIS, which supports 1,000 academic and public libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations. The proposal, “Y’ALL Means All: Piloting a Distributed Digitization Program to Support Digital Diversity,” was awarded $31,800 to facilitate broader representation of the state’s digital cultural heritage by helping smaller institutions digitize their physical collections and is an expansion of the You Are Louisiana’s Legacy (Y’ALL) Award.

A $1.3 million estate gift from the Boyd Professor E. Ward Plummer and his wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Plummer, will be used to create a endowment in the Department of Physics & Astronomy to advance research and exceptional academic scholarship with a professorship for materials research and a graduate student scholarship. Plummer cited his greatest professional pride as being in his work with students, mentoring their progress and development into independent scientists.

LSU faculty from across Louisiana achieved another record-breaking year of securing external research grants and contracts. As a whole, LSU campuses garnered more than $324 million in research funding throughout the state in the 2021-2022 fiscal year in agriculture, biomedicine, coast, defense, and energy, among other fields. The past year’s grants and contracts will generate a roughly $943 million economic impact for Louisiana. These external funds attained by LSU research faculty support their work to solve economic, environmental, and social challenges for the state, nation, and world.

LSU is one of the lead organizations for a new National Science Foundation-funded regional hub that will help propel more research out of the lab and into the real world. The $15 million Innovation Corps Hub: Southwest region is part of the operational backbone of the National Innovation Network – universities, NSF-funded researchers, established entrepreneurs, local and regional

entrepreneurial communities, and federal agencies that help researchers take their discoveries from the idea stage to the marketplace.

LSU is leading a student mobility initiative in Africa with eight other SEC universities, focusing primarily on recruitment in Ghana and Sengal. Samba Dieng, senior internationalization officer and executive director of international programs, spearheaded a week-long recruitment trip with the participating international officers in October. Diversifying the international student population provides an opportunity to develop a healthy and sustainable enrollment rate at U.S. higher education institutions.

A large, interdisciplinary team of LSU faculty received $450,000 in funding from the National Academy of Sciences to build the Gulf Renaissance Scholars Program to increase opportunities for undergraduate research, regardless of major, and culminate in both research and creative projects to positively impact coastal communities. Linda Hooper-Bùi, a professor in the College of the Coast & Environment and former director of LSU EnvironMentors, will direct the program.

With 81.6 percent of its graduates passing the Louisiana Bar Exam, LSU Law had the highest pass rate of all Louisiana law schools on the July 2022 exam. Among first-time takers of the exam in July, 84.7 percent passed, which also ranks first among Louisiana law schools.

In Focus

Black Women in PR – The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at the Manship School of Mass Communication hosted “Black Women in PR: Reflecting on Success” to highlight the work of young public relations professionals, their journeys and successes in the industry, and the intersecting paths they shared or encountered. Taking part were panelists Kourtney Janeau, moderator, a Manship School master’s candidate; Vanessa Abron, founder, Agency Abron; Kristen Dufauchard, marketing lead of talent and DE&I, Nielsen; and Rebecca Roussell, senior vice president, DEI Communications, Current Global.

Ourso College Hall of Distinction

Scott R. Brakebill, Brandon Landry, and Jaime Glas were inducted into the E.J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction in October. Glas received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Brakebill (1979 BACH BUS), founder of Lagniappe Capital and cofounder of Conversion Partners, previously held positions at Morgan Stanley & Co. and Bank of America. He is a member of the LSU Foundation Board of Directors, and he helped establish the Lagniappe Internship Opportunity Fund in the college. He earned a master’s degree in management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Brandon Landry (2001 BACH BUS) is the founder and CEO of Walk On’s

Sports Bistreaux, which has expanded from a “local favorite” to a national brand. Landry is a member of many organizations, including the National Restaurant Association, Young Presidents’ Organization, and the LSU L Club. He serves on the board of directors of the BREC Foundation, Make a Wish Foundation, and the LSU Alumni Association.

Jaime Glas (2012 BACH BUS, 2012 BACH ENGR) otherwise known as “The Queen of Sparkles,” is the founder and owner of Queen of Sparkles, a clothing and accessory brand based in Baton Rouge. Since its founding in 2021, the brand has expanded rapidly and is now sold in more than 600 stores worldwide and employs many current and former LSU students.

From left, Rebecca Roussell, Kourtney Janeau, Professor of Public Relations Jinx Broussard, Vanessa Abron, and Kristen Dufauchard. Photo: Dylan Borel

Ourso College Hall of Distinction inductees, from left, Brandon Landry, Jared Llorens, and Jaime Glas. Photos: Darlene Aguillard/Real Life Photos Ourso College Hall of Distinction

LSU President William F. Tate IV and Southern University PresidentChancellor Dennis J. Shields were joined by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome for the signing of the LSU-SU A&M Agenda. The Sept. 6 event preceded the first-ever football game between the two schools.

University leaders created the A&M Agenda to demonstrate a commitment over the next five years to expand the positive and collective impact of the two institutions, in partnership, for students, Greater Baton Rouge, the State of Louisiana, and the Delta and Gulf Coast regions.

LSU and Southern have a combined 311 years of service to the community and hundreds of thousands of proud and successful graduates.

First On-Campus Popeyes in the SEC

LSU and Chartwells Higher Education opened the first Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen location on a college campus within the Southeastern Conference in late fall.

Popeyes is inside The 5 residential dining hall.

Students can use all forms of payment at the new location, including TigerCASH and Paw Points, a declining balance included in their LSU Dining meal plans. Credit cards and cash are also accepted.

“Bringing Popeyes to LSU will instantly add more value to all of our meal plan subscribers,” said Jeffery Nice, vice president of operations at Chartwells Higher Education. “We are constantly looking for new opportunities to improve and build upon our dining program here at LSU, and we believe that Popeyes will be a favorable addition.”

Roy Haggerty Named Exec VP, Provost

was named executive vice president and provost,

“Please join me in welcoming Roy Haggerty to LSU as executive vice president and provost. A distinguished scholar and academic leader, Dr. Haggerty’s record aligns with our Scholarship First agenda focused on the areas of agriculture, biotechnology, coast, defense and energy,” said President William F. Tate IV. “Moreover, he and I share an intellectual commitment to advance our strategic planning in a more expansive fashion to include the totality of our academic community. The interdependent nature of a scholarly community is top of mind for him.”

The provost coordinates and consults with all chief academic officers throughout the LSU enterprise to advance the University's overall academic programs statewide. Other responsibilities include the articulation of an academic vision, leadership in academic strategic planning, and the development and administration of academic budgets, among others.

“LSU is an exceptional institution, and President Tate is leading LSU into a future in which the eight campuses and their statewide footprint will do more than ever to serve the people of Louisiana and the region,” Haggerty said. “I have been so impressed by the LSU faculty, staff and students, who are among the best in the world. President Tate’s Scholarship First Agenda is exactly what is needed right now, and I look forward to working with all of LSU to put that agenda into action.”

Haggerty holds master’s and doctoral degrees in hydrogeology from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Alberta.

University leaders from LSU and Southern signed the A&M Agenda, which demonstrates a commitment over the next five years to expand the positive and collective impact of the two institutions for students, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Delta and Gulf Coast regions.

Photo: Eddy Perez/LSU Communications & University Relations

Roy Haggerty, formerly dean of the College of Science and professor of environmental geology at Oregon State University,

900 Degrees Awarded at Summer Commencement

LSU awarded 919 degrees during the summer commencement exercise in August and set new records for the most degrees awarded to African American and Hispanic students.

During the graduation ceremony, LSU Executive Vice President & Provost Roy Haggerty welcomed graduates and their guests, provided opening remarks and presided over the ceremony. “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “LSU Alma Mater” were performed by Jamey Wright, who received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, and LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Rémy Voisin Starns delivered the keynote address and conferred degrees.

The graduating class represented forty-one Louisiana parishes, forty-four U.S. states, and thirty-nine foreign countries. The oldest graduate was seventy-one and the youngest was nineteen.

Of the graduates, 301 students who received bachelor’s degrees; 438 who received master’s degrees; fifty-nine who received education specialist or graduate certificates; ninety-four who received a Ph.D.; six who received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree; and twenty-one who received a postbachelorette certificate. Twenty-two LSU employees earned degrees.

OOPS! The Memorial Tower feature in the fall issue was written by Ed Cullen, whose name was inadvertently omitted. In the ribbon-cutting photo, Brook Brookshire, a member of the family for whom the William A. Brookshire Military Museum is named in recognition of their generous support, was incorrectly identified as John Garrison. The magazine regrets the errors.

Graduates join in singing the “LSU Alma Mater.” Photo: Katherine Seghers/LSU Communications & University Relations

LSU Alumni Association President Gordon Monk welcomes the newest members of the Association.

Photo: Eddy Perez/LSU Communications & University Relations

Fierce for the Future Campaign

Thanks to LSU donors’ generosity, the University’s $1.5 billion Fierce for the Future Campaign reached $1,594,464,658 as of June 30, 2022, surpassing the campaign goal three years earlier than anticipated. LSU will immediately move forward with preparing for its next campaign, focused on advancing the university’s Scholarship First Agenda developed under LSU President William F. Tate IV’s leadership.

The Fierce for the Future Campaign, which publicly launched three years ago, united donors in support of every LSU campus: the flagship campus in Baton Rouge, the LSU AgCenter, LSU Alexandria, LSU Eunice, LSU Health New Orleans, LSU Health Shreveport, LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and LSU Shreveport. At that time, it was the largest fundraising campaign for higher education in the history of Louisiana and the first to include LSU’s campuses statewide. More than $1 billion (i.e., 68 percent) of campaign gifts were in support of academics and 32 percent were in support of athletics.

Tate said, “The success of LSU’s $1.5 billion Fierce for the Future Campaign – and particularly the achievement of surpassing the campaign goal three years early – exemplifies our donors’ tenacity for joining with LSU to elevate Louisiana and drive global impact,” Tate said. “Just as was envisioned, this campaign has positioned LSU to set its course for the future. Now, we are aggressively pursuing that course through LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda.”

LSU met or exceeded its Fierce for the Future Campaign goals and projections identified by each campus at the outset of the campaign. Throughout the LSU System, donors partnered with the university to invest in their areas of passion and to align with individual and corporate impact goals. The leading campaign commitment was a historic $245 million investment from Our Lady of the Lake ($170 million) and LCMC Health ($75 million) to transform healthcare in Louisiana.

TIGER TRIVIA

1. What were two rules that freshmen were required to follow in the 1930s? They had to use the side They had to address women entrances to enter the library students as ma’am and stay out of and away from the base of the cafeteria the Memorial Tower

They had to address each None of the above other as “Dog” and stay out of the Quad

2. By the late 1940s, when were chaperons required? Never At any function where alcohol was served

During any social functions at At any function where swimming which both male and female took place students were in attendance

3. Which superstitions were still observed on campus by the late 1950s? None, LSU students are too They weren’t supposed to step on sophisticated for superstitions the mosaic inside the Huey Long Field House or on a concrete square in front of the law building

It was bad luck to be named All of the above Darling of LSU

4. What was the first athletic conference of which LSU was a member?

The Southeastern Conference The Southern Conference The Southwestern Athletic The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Association

5. Which former LSU football and track and field coach became Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference?

Bernie Moore Curley Hallman Gaynell Tinsley Mike Donohue

6. Who was LSU’s first women’s basketball coach?

Sue Gunter Jinx Coleman Van Chancellor Bob Starkey

7. Who was the first Lady Tiger to have her number retired?

Pokey Chatman Sylvia Fowles Julie Gross Seimone Augustus

8. When was the Center for Engineering and Business Administration renamed Patrick F. Taylor Hall?

1959 1979 2007 2019

9. What was Foster Hall’s original purpose?

An alumni center

The main campus dining hall A gymnasium Administrative offices

10. What was the first religious center on campus?

St. Albans Episcopal Christ the King University United Methodist Baptist Collegiate Ministry

11. What facility did LSU create to house students in the years immediately after World War II?

A resort with a lazy river Apartments

A trailer park

All of the above

12.What feature was in most campus buildings by the late 1960s? Hot and cold running water Telephones Wi-Fi

Air conditioning

Tiger Trivia is compiled by Barry Cowan, assistant archivist, Hill Memorial Library.

Answers: 1:a; 2:c; 3:b; 4:d; 5:a; 6:b; :7d; 8:c; 9:b; 10:a; 11:c; 12:d

LSU Foundation Names New Board Members

The LSU Foundation Board of Directors has named five LSU alumni to four-year terms as directors.

Tom Adamek (1982 BACH BUS), of Baton Rouge, is cofounder and president of Stonehenge Capital Company. Antonio J. Lucio (1981 BACH H&SS), of San Francisco, a marketing industry leader, held roles at Facebook, HP Inc., Visa, and PepsiCo Inc. Anil Punyapu (1995 BACH SCI), of Los Angeles, is senior vice president of enterprise sales for Cvent. Robert K. “Bobby” Reeves (1978 BACH BUS, 1982 JD), of Houston, recently retired as executive vice president, general counsel, and chief administrative officer of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Mark Sutton (1984 BACH ENGR) of Collierville, Tenn., is chairman of the International Paper Board of Directors.

LSU Retirees

From left, Donna Day, recording secretary; Judy Lithgoe, treasurer; Lorry Trotter, past president, historian, and parliamentarian; LSU President William F. Tate IV; Patti Exner, president; and Kathy Bosworth, vice president. Photo: Bill Brown

LSU President William F. Tate, IV, guest speaker at the LSU Faculty & Staff Retirees Club’s first meeting of the 2022-2023, talked about his first fourteen months at LSU and his ABCDE, or Pentagon, plan focused on Agriculture, Biotechnology, Coast, Defense, and Energy. President Patti Exner and member Laura Lindsay presented President Tate with an autographed copy of Treasures of LSU, edited by Lindsay. Refreshments were provided by club members Kathy Bosworth, Barbara Brown, Carolyn Crawford, Patti Exner, Roger Hinson, Rebecca Johnson, and Pat Lee. Retirees meet monthly for talks, tours, and social activities. The club is open to all LSU retirees and their spouses. For more information, contact lsu.faculty. staff.ret.club@gmail.com.

Tom Adamek.

Robert K. “Bobby” Reeves.

Mark S. Sutton.

Around Campus

‘Most Ridiculous’ Moon Shot

By Alison Satake

Images of the moon with never-before-seen color and detail that went viral were created by geologist and LSU alumnus Connor Matherne (2017 BACH SCI) and astrophotography collaborator Andrew McCarthy. Matherne specializes in color and has created images of nebulae, galaxies, and black holes. The two astrophotographers collaborated to create the “most ridiculous” moon shot ever.

Over the course of a single evening, McCarthy shot more than 200,000 detailed photos of the moon from Arizona while Matherne shot another 50,000 images from Louisiana to capture color data. Over nine months, they stitched together thousands of photos of the lunar landscape to create the high-resolution moon shot.

They named the images "The Hunt for Artemis," in tribute to NASA's Artemis I mission, an uncrewed flight test that, according to the space agency, "will provide a foundation for human deep exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the moon and extend beyond."

President, Boyd Profs Celebrate

LSU’s Boyd Professors and President William F. Tate IV celebrated elite faulty accomplishments at a ceremony recognizing the top academic, scientific, and creative achievements across the eight LSU institutions over the last academic year. The honorees were nominated by the deans and chancellors of LSU campuses and selected by the Boyd Professors.

Recognized were Nancy Rabalais, National Academy of Science; Andreas Giger, NEH Award; Alexander Mikaberidze, Gilder Lehmann Prize; Suzanne Marchand, Guggenheim; George Voyiadjis, inducted into European Academy of Sciences and Art; John White, National Wetlands Award; Barb Dutrow, Carnegie Mineralogical Award; Joshua P. Darr, Carnegie Fellow; and Andrew Sluyter, Carnegie Fellow.

Connor Matherne

Department of Geology & Geophysics alumnus Connor Matherne and collaborator Andrew McCarthy's high-resolution, color image of the moon combined more than 250,000 photos of the moon taken by the two astrophotographers. Image credit: Cosmic Background and Connor Matherne

President William F. Tate IV, John White, Rémy Starns, Alexander Mikaberidze, Joshua Darr, Nancy Rabalais, Andreas Giger, Andrew Sluyter, George Voyiadjis, Barb Dutro, and Valencia Sarpy Jones. Photo: Katherine Seghers/LSU Communications & University Relations

Campus Mounds

Oldest Known Manmade Structures in North America

New research about the Campus Mounds – including the discovery of thousands of years old charred mammal bone fragments and a coordinated alignment of both mounds toward one of the brightest stars in the night sky – offers more insight into the oldest known manmade structures in North America. They are among the more than 800 manmade, hill-like mounds in Louisiana, built by ancient indigenous people. While many mounds in the region have been destroyed, the LSU Campus Mounds have been preserved and are listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

“There’s nothing known that is man-made and this old still in existence today in North America, except the mounds,” Ellwood Brooks, professor emeritus of geology and geophysics, who led this study published in the American Journal of Science by Yale University.

Sediment cores from mounds revealed layers of ash from burned reed and cane plants, as well as the burned bone fragments. Radiocarbon dating show that people began to build the first mound about 11,000 years ago. The scientists think that sediment for the southern mound, which they named Mound B, was taken from a location immediately behind LSU’s Hill Memorial Library, because there is a large depression in the ground there. The mound built up over a few thousand years, layer by layer, to about half of its current height.

The layers of ash and charred microscopic bone fragments may indicate the mound was used for ceremonial purposes, which included burning reed and cane plants to make large, hot fires that would have been too hot for cooking. The scientists do not know what type of mammals were cremated or why. However, they found many microscopic, charred bone fragments, known as osteons, the building blocks of large mammal bones, in the ash beds in both mounds.

Then, around 8,200 years ago, Mound B was abandoned. Tree roots found in the 8,200-year-old sediment layer indicate that the mound was not used for about 1,000 years. Also around 8,200 years ago, the northern hemisphere experienced a major climate event with temperatures suddenly dropping on average by about 35 degrees Fahrenheit, which lasted about 160 years. “We don’t know why they abandoned the mounds around 8,200 years ago, but we do know their environment changed suddenly and dramatically, which may have affected many aspects of their daily life,” Ellwood said.

Then, around 7,500 years ago, the indigenous people began to build a new mound just to the north of the first mound. However, this time, they took mud from the floodplain where the entrance to Tiger Stadium is currently located, which at that time was an estuary. With this mud, they built the second mound, Mound A, layer by layer, to about half of its current height. Mound A contains mud saturated with water, which liquefies when agitated. As a result, Mound A is unstable and degrading, which is why it is critical to stay off the mounds to preserve them.

According to the new analyses of the sediment layers and their ages, it looks like indigenous people cleared the abandoned first-built Mound B and began to build it up to its current height before completing Mound A. Both mounds were completed around 6,000 years ago and are similar in height. The crests of both mounds are aligned along an azimuth that is about 8.5 degrees east of true north. According to LSU astronomer and study coauthor Geoffrey Clayton, about 6,000 years ago, the red giant star Arcturus would rise about 8.5 degrees east of north in the night sky, which means it would have aligned along the crests of both LSU Campus Mounds. Arcturus is one of the brightest stars that can be seen from Earth.

By Alison Satake

Alison Satake is associate director/research communications in the Office of Communications & University Relations.

Around

The Future Is Bright

By Alison Satake and Ela Hahne

LSU’s designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) by the National Security Agency (NSA) is an honor shared by only twentytwo universities and colleges in the nation. Here, research students and alumni in the LSU cybersecurity program speak to the immediate impacts this recognition will have on them, on LSU and on Louisiana, where they all grew up.

LAUREN PACE, of Covington, La., received her bachelor’s degree in computer science from Southeastern Louisiana University and

is working toward a Ph.D. in cybersecurity at LSU with support from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship for Service program.

Why did you choose to study cybersecurity?

I always had a passion for cybersecurity because I felt like I could help people. The opportunities feel endless, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s such a lucrative field.

Why LSU?

I always heard great things about LSU from my professors at Southeastern.

I also loved that there was a great school near my hometown that could provide such great opportunities.

What opportunities will you now have that you didn’t have before?

Getting CAE-CO is incredibly exciting. It will lead to an influx of students from all over the South and across the world as Louisiana becomes known for producing the most highly qualified cyber professionals. As students, we will gain access to fascinating research opportunities and government support that weren’t previously available to us.

It’s amazing to think about how much our cybersecurity program will grow in the coming years. Organizations across the country might also become interested in doing business in Louisiana just because of the caliber of cybersecurity expertise we produce.

What is your cybersecurity research about?

I am developing a new tool, called HookTracer, that can do automated malware detection with help from artificial intelligence and machine learning.

LASEAN SALMON, of Metairie, La., is an LSU computer science senior on track to graduate this December then pursue a master’s degree, also at LSU, with support from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship for Service program.

Why did you choose to study cybersecurity?

As a kid, cyber threats were something I watched from the sidelines. Then, a little over a year ago, I picked up a digital forensics textbook. I haven’t stopped learning since!

Why LSU?

I saw a very promising future for me here; seeing the bar steadily raised.

How will LSU’s CAE-CO designation make a difference for you in your own life and career?

CAE-CO is life changing. I don’t think it should be viewed as anything less than that. Having it stamped on my diploma will be eye-opening for those who don’t realize just how many amazing things LSU cybersecurity students are accomplishing behind the scenes. It makes me incredibly proud and confident that people immediately will know that my degree is valuable, and my skills are viable.

What LSU’s new, prestigious cybersecurity designation by the NSA means for students, Louisiana.

What is your current cybersecurity research about?

I am doing digital forensic analysis of Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, tracking devices, used to discover the location of people and things, and internetconnected IoT devices. There needs to be people like me poking and prodding at them until their security is up to par. Plus, finding flaws is fun. Seeing how we can improve in everything we do is fun.

CHRISTOPHER BOWEN, of New Orleans, is pursuing an accelerated master’s degree in computer science with a focus on

cybersecurity at LSU with support from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship for Service program.

Why did you choose to study cybersecurity?

I want to solve problems that don’t have straightforward answers. Why LSU?

TOPS offered a great opportunity for an affordable education. Also, I wanted to stay in the state.

LSU is the only university in Louisiana to hold the CAE-CO designation. How will this serve the state overall?

I think that with the designation, the state will grow from the ground up. Younger students across the state can now be confident they have a path to state-of-the-art cybersecurity training close to home, and with the next generation of cybersecurity graduates, businesses and local and state government will be better protected.

On a personal level, CAE-CO validates my degree, which will help me in being hired. With this designation, potential employers will have no doubt about the skills I’ve developed at LSU.

What is your current cybersecurity research about?

I’m deeply invested in helping to develop the most widely-used and free memory forensics framework, Volatility 3. I’m working on a Windows plugin that can identify malicious programs and help investigators know if a system was compromised.

KARLEY

WAGUESPACK, of New Iberia, La., is an LSU computer science senior set to graduate next May and then pursue a Ph.D., also at LSU.

Why did you choose to study cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity can be deeply technical and esoteric. Sometimes, it requires extensive knowledge of technology that’s considered to be archaic. This intrigued me because of the challenge it presented and because of the importance cybersecurity holds in government and law enforcement. Why LSU?

I chose LSU because it is Louisiana’s flagship university. Also, because it’s easy to collaborate on research on a national and even global scale as a student at LSU.

How do you see LSU’s cybersecurity program changing as a result of CAECO designation?

Outstanding cybersecurity students and faculty will be drawn to the program, which will bring about even higher standards and increase the value of my experience here.

Cybersecurity students will get to collaborate closely with government agencies and acquire experience they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It also adds credibility to my degree and provides us with even more resources to work on solving difficult cybersecurity problems plaguing our communities.

What is your current cybersecurity research about?

I am working on acquiring access on a variety of circuit boards so that their memory can be extracted and analyzed. The skills I am learning are applicable in industrial control systems security, which is an area I am thinking of focusing on in graduate school. Not many cybersecurity professionals are well versed in this area, while it matters greatly to industries and businesses in Louisiana.

CHARLES GLASS, of New Orleans, received his LSU master’s degree in computer science with a focus on cybersecurity in May. As a former Scholarship for Service student, he is now working at LSU as a cybersecurity instructor while pondering a Ph.D. in cybersecurity, also at LSU.

Why did you choose to study cybersecurity?

I could not think of another field that offers the same level of continuous challenge paired with impact.

Why LSU?

Growing up only an hour away and having family who went to LSU, I knew LSU was going to be a good fit. The atmosphere and the opportunities for growth made LSU the only choice.

Louisiana is home to much of the nation’s most critical energy infrastructure as well as underresourced local governments and schools, which are prime targets for cybercrime. How can LSU’s CAE-CO designation help?

CAE-CO designation elevates Louisiana as a whole by attracting the best talent in the nation, both faculty and students. As a result, LSU will produce graduates who are poised to improve the cybersecurity posture of all facets of the Louisiana economic ecosystem, both public and private, and that talent will be dispersed throughout the workforce across the entire state. The future is bright.

What is your cybersecurity research about?

Apple has moved to a completely new architecture in all of their computers that relies on Apple silicon chips instead of Intel processors. However, for compatibility with Intel-based apps, Apple has added a translator, called Rosetta. My research is on how this can allow not only legacy Mac software but also legacy Mac malware to run. I use memory forensics to learn how.

Alison Satake is associate director of research communication, LSU Media Relations. Elsa Hahne is assistant director of creative strategy, LSU Research & Economic Development

Taking the Stairs

Photos by Francis Dinh, Photographer, LSU Reveille

EDITOR’S NOTE: The photo essay appeared in the July 19 edition of The Reveille and is reprinted with permission of Lara Nicholson, editor-in-chief.

A staircase attached to Hodges Hall.

A staircase spirals outward at the entrance of Martin D. Woodin Hall.

A staircase reveals murals in Allen Hall.

A worn staircase in Foster Hall.

A staircase in Peabody Hall.

A staircase in the Journalism Building.

A staircase spirals upward in the Business Education Complex.

A staircase in the Design Building.

A staircase between Hodges Hall and Hatcher Hall.

A student ascends a staircase in the Student Union.

A flight of stairs in the LSU Library.

A student passes the staircase at the Studio Arts Building.

A staircase leads to the Center for Academic Success in Coates Hall.

A flight of stairs at Atkinson Hall.

A staircase spirals in the French House.

A staircase in the Music & Dramatic Arts Building.

Students sit on steps in Patrick F. Taylor Hall.

A grand staircase in Hill Memorial Library.

A staircase ascends at Lockett Hall.

Locker ROOM

LSU and Southern Shuffle into History

LSU and Southern University both call Baton Rouge home. In fact, they are separated by fewer than eight miles, geographically. The two universities are rich with tradition, history, and success but they had never faced off against one another on the football field. Until this season.

Fans representing both squads descended onto LSU’s campus. Before kickoff, LSU officials estimated more than 200,000 visitors would take part in the day’s festivities, and LSU’s Head Football Coach Brian Kelly knew the impact the game had for the city.

“It was an exciting day in Baton Rouge,” Kelly said in his postgame press conference. “Playing Southern, we were excited about this matchup. It was great for the city, the community.”

The Tigers came into the contest as heavy favorites and used an incredible 37-point first quarter, the most points in a quarter in school history, to blow the game open early.

But the game wasn’t the highlight of the day.

One of the day’s biggest draws came during halftime. Southern University’s marching band, The Human Jukebox, performed in Tiger Stadium for the first time. They opened the intermission forming the halftime score, 51-0, with their members before

dazzling the sold out crowd with their unique sound.

After the LSU Golden Band from Tigerland gave a performance of their own, both groups joined forces for an historic performance. The collaboration included a performance of the "Cupid Shuffle.” Their members danced together on the field while forming a heart and the number 225, Baton Rouge’s phone area code.

Bryson Bernard, the artist behind the “Cupid Shuffle,” is a Lafayette native better known as Cupid. Although he was unable to be in Tiger Stadium with the marching bands, Bernard knew the performance was about more than his song.

"There's a lot of great music out there, and there's a lot of great songs," Bernard said in an interview with The Advocate. "For these two schools to agree upon that song and then to watch the crowd — all of them do it in sync — What if the world could be just as in sync as these three minutes of the 'Cupid Shuffle?'"

Ultimately, LSU took the victory 65-17, but the scoreline was expected and the game secondary to the unity on display. Baton Rouge and its two universities came together like never before and shuffled its way into history. “I don’t care what the score was,” said LSU Alumnus Jonathan Brown. “The experience was a cultural reward.”

Fans from LSU and Southern University cheer on their teams before the game. Photos: LSU Athletics

The Golden Band from Tigerland and The Human Jukebox members formed a heart and 225, Baton Rouge's area code, during their halftime performance.

A Look Ahead: LSU’s 2023 Football Schedule

This year’s chapter of LSU football is nearly complete, but the stage for next fall’s edition is already set. LSU’s 2023 football schedule was released in September by the Southeastern Conference.

The Tigers will open up Head Coach Brian Kelly’s second year in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium against Florida State before returning home to Tiger Stadium against Grambling University, the first ever football matchup between the two schools.

Army and Georgia State round out the non-conference competition. The arduous Southeastern Conference slate looks to be as challenging as ever. LSU opens conference play with three-straight SEC West contests.

They start on the road against Mississippi State before facing Arkansas at home, then traveling to Oxford, Mississippi for a matchup against Ole Miss.

The Tigers stay on the road to face SEC East foe Missouri. This will be the third time that LSU will compete against Missouri since they joined the conference in 2012.

Kelly’s squad returns to the friendly confines of Death Valley for a clash with Auburn before a non-conference bout with Army.

Sun. Sep 3

LSU VS. FLORIDA ST. Orlando, Fla. (Camping World Stadium)

Sat. Sep 9

LSU VS. GRAMBLING Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

Sat. Sep 16

LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE Starkville, Miss. (Davis Wade Stadium)

Sat. Sep 23

LSU VS. ARKANSAS Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

Sat. Sep 30

LSU AT OLE MISS Oxford, Miss. (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium)

Sat. Oct 7

LSU AT MISSOURI Columbia, Mo. (Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field)

Sat. Oct 14

LSU VS. AUBURN Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

Sat. Oct 21

LSU VS. ARMY Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

Sat. Nov 4

LSU AT ALABAMA Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Bryant-Denny Stadium)

Sat. Nov 11

LSU VS. FLORIDA Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

Sat. Nov 18

LSU VS. GEORGIA STATE Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

Sat. Nov 25

The matchup against Army is just the second in school history after LSU fell to the Black Knights 20-0 in 1931. The Tigers have not competed against a U.S. Military Academy team since.

LSU VS. TEXAS A&M Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)

As a West Point alumnus, Louisiana’s Governor John Bel Edwards is one fan looking forward to the matchup.

“As a West Point graduate, I can’t wait to see the Golden Knights play in Tiger Stadium next year,” Edwards said on his Official Facebook page. “Looking forward to some great football!”

The Tigers have the week off before their annual bout with Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide.

LSU will close out the regular season with three straight home contests against Florida, Georgia State, and Texas A&M.

While the team will determine the outcomes on the field, the second chapter of the Brian Kelly era looks to be an entertaining one.

Locker Room is compiled and edited by writer and sports lover Marc Stevens, project manager at STUN Design. Marc has covered LSU Athletics and written for local publications including The Daily Reveille and DIG Magazine

Forecasting LSU Baseball’s 2023 Season

Last season, the Jay Johnson era of LSU baseball began with clear skies. A No. 10 preseason ranking and nine victories in their first 10 contests set the Tigers up for success. Then things got cloudy.

Pitching woes combined with an error-laden 2022 campaign ultimately kept Johnson’s squad from reaching college baseball’s promised land.

But, that was last year.

Johnson used his first offseason to bolster his returning roster and minimize the weaknesses that ultimately sank LSU last season. The Tigers’ highly touted recruiting class filled with incoming freshmen and talented transfers, including two-time first-team All-American Paul Skenes and 2022 Freshman of the Year Tommy White.

“Our entire staff worked tirelessly to put this class together,” Johnson said in a press release. “It features some of the top players in the country, and it will help accelerate our pursuit of getting the Tigers back to Omaha. There is high-end talent at every position all over this class, and it is a group that will complement the great group of returning players we will have in 2023.”

The official preseason polls won’t come out until mid-January, but the talent the Tigers have amassed is putting the rest of college baseball on alert. Baseball America ranked LSU No. 1 in their Never Too Early 2023 Top 25 poll.

The team and its fans have aspirations of returning to Omaha for the first time since 2017 and competing for a National Championship.

LSU has all of the talent and pieces to make this season special, but until the team takes the field, there’s no way to know if this season’s forecast calls for clear skies or stormy days.

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson leads a team practice. Photo: LSU Athletics

“There is highend talent at every position all over this class, and it is a group that will complement the great group of returning players we will have in 2023.”

Former LSU Great Sylvia Fowles Announces Retirement

Former LSU women’s basketball player Sylvia Fowles ended her illustrious career after the 2022 WNBA season came to a close earlier this year.

Since the LSU women’s basketball program began in 1975, there have been countless stars to wear the purple and gold, but few have been as dominant as Fowles.

During her four years at LSU, Fowles was the cornerstone of LSU squads that achieved levels of success not yet duplicated. She led her teams to four Final Fours, won three Southeastern Conference championships, was named the 2008 SEC Player of the Year, and is one of only two former women’s basketball players to have her jersey number retired.

Former LSU Coach Bob Starkey penned a letter to Fowles to celebrate her time with the Tigers, highlighting her teams’ successes as well as her success at the professional level.

“Even as a freshman we all knew you were special. You came to work each day with a smile, full of enthusiasm and with a thirst to learn,” Starkey wrote. “The LSU record books are covered with your name – yet this was only the beginning.”

After her LSU tenure, Fowles was drafted 2nd overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Her professional career was a 14-year accolade-filled journey in the WNBA and internationally.

She won two WNBA Titles, and was selected as the Finals MVP in 2015 and 2017. Fowles was also an eight-time All-Star, won Defensive Player of the Year four times and was named League MVP in 2017. While representing the United States on the international stage, she won four Olympic Gold Medals.

Despite all of her success, Starkey said that Fowles would be remembered not for what she accomplished, but in the way it was accomplished.

“For all your greatness on the floor, you are revered by how you handled yourself off the floor – with great humility – as someone who always cared about others.” Starkey said. “It was the privilege of a lifetime to coach you and on behalf of the entire LSU community we congratulate you on an amazing career with great wishes for the next part of your journey.”

Former LSU Women's Basketball Star Sylvia Fowles celebrating on the court during an NCAA tournament game. Fowles made four-straight Final Four appearances during her collegiate career. Photo: LSU Athletics

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to coach you and on behalf of the entire LSU community we congratulate you on an amazing career with great wishes for the next part of your journey.”

LSU SUMMER 2022 GRADUATES CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES!

On behalf of the LSU Alumni Association and proud LSU alumni across the country and around the globe, congratulations and welcome to Tiger Nation. You have earned it. You have met many challenges and overcome many hurdles, and we are proud of you and all that you have accomplished.

No matter where you live, the LSU spirit is there – and you'll find fellow alumni to support you in your new endeavors and show the world just how awesome LSU graduates are. Our more than 135 alumni chapters around the world provide connection and camaraderie, and we hope you’ll unite with your fellow alums to keep the Tiger spirit alive.

To take advantage of all we have to offer you, visit LSUAlumni.org/recentgrad. Again, congratulations and Geaux Tigers!

Gordon Monk President & CEO

Tiger NATION

1 960s

James "Skipper" Kendrick (1968 BACH ENGR], president of Kendrick Global Enterprises, received the Board of Certified Safety Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing his lifetime contributions to the safety profession and work toward reducing injuries and illnesses in America's workplaces. He also was named Fellow by the American Society of Safety Professionals and National Safety Trainer of the Year.

C. Stokes McConnell, Jr. (1969 BACH H&SS, 1972 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Banking and Finance Law and Public Finance Law.

1 970s

John W. Barton, Jr. (1971 BACH H&SS, 1976 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Real Estate Law.

Paul M. Hebert, Jr. (1970 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Family Law.

Michael R. Hubbell (1978 BACH BUS, 1980 BACH BUS, 1987 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Transactions/UCC Law and Real Estate Law.

DEGREES

BACH Bachelor’s Degree

MAST Master’s Degree

PHD Doctorate

SPEC Specialist

DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

MLIS Master of Library & Information Science

JD Juris Doctorate (LSU Law School)

LLM Master of Laws MD Medical Doctor (LSU School of Medicine)

DDS Doctor of Dental Science (LSU School of Dentistry)

COLLEGES/SCHOOLS

AGR Agriculture

A&D Art & Design

C&E Coast & Environment

H&SS Humanities & Social Sciences

SCI Science

BUS Business

HS&E Human Sciences & Education

ENGR Engineering

M&DA Music & Dramatic Arts

MCOM Mass Communication

SCE School of the Coast & Environment

SVM School of Veterinary Medicine

SW Social Work

Murphy J. Foster III (1979 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Construction Law, Labor Law-Management, and Litigation-Construction. He also was recognized as Lawyer of the Year in the area of Litigation-Construction.

Gregory D. Frost (1977 BACH H&SS, 1981 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Government Relations Practice and Health Care Law.

Patricia A. Hair (1970 BACH BUS), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Commercial Litigation.

Michael Hunt (1974 BACH BUS, 1977 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and LitigationConstruction and ranked as Lawyer of the Year in Bet-the-Company Litigation.

Eve B. Masinter (1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management, and Litigation Labor and Employment.

Leo C. Hamilton (1973 BACH H&SS, 1977 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Administrative/ Regulatory Law, Employment LawManagement, and Labor Law-Management.

Van R. Mayhall, Jr. (1971 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Business Organizations, Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Government Relations Practice, Insurance Law, Litigation-Regulatory Enforcement, Litigation-Securities, Litigation and Controversy-Tax, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Reinsurance Law. He also was recognized as Lawyer of the Year in Corporate Law.

Robert P. McCleskey, Jr. (1979 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Admiralty and Maritime Law.

Michael Meagher (1971 BACH BUS) is CEO and chief investment officer of Semita Asset Management in Houston, which has been acquired by The Mather Group, a wealth management firm with offices across the country.

Kay Cowden Medlin (1974 BACH H&SS, 1977 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, and Mediation.

Malcolm S. Murchison (1977 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Energy Law, Mining Law, Oil and Gas Law, Environmental Law, Litigation–Environmental, Natural Resources Law, and Real Estate Law.

F. John Reeks, Jr. (1979 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law.

Claude F. Reynaud, Jr. (1974 BACH BUS), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Antitrust Law, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, LitigationAntitrust, Litigation-Intellectual Property, and Litigation-Mergers and Acquisitions.

Randy P. Roussel (1977 BACH BUS 1984 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law.

Joseph L. "Larry" Shea, Jr. (1978 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, LitigationEnvironmental, Litigation-Labor and Employment, Litigation-Real Estate, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants, Oil and Gas Law, Personal Injury LitigationDefendants, and Real Estate Law. He also was named to Chambers USA 2022 in Energy & Natural Resources: Oil & Gas.

David R. Taggart (1979 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Employment LawManagement, Energy Law, LitigationConstruction, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants, and Oil and Gas Law.

Benton Toups (1977 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD) an attorney with Cranfill Sumner, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Employment Benefits Law.

Sarah Vance (1971 BACH H&SS) received the 2022 Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service Award, “the most prestigious award to be bestowed upon an Article III federal judge,” in recognition of her distinguished and exceptional service. Vance earned a JD from Tulane Law School in 1978.

1980s

James G. Wyly, III (1975 BACH BUS), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Defendants and Transportation Law.

Richard Arsenault (1980 JD) recently chaired a Baylor Law School LLM Litigation Management program and spoke in Vancouver, Canada, on Mass Torts – A Primer for Handling a Mass Tort Docket. He was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Admiralty, Maritime Law, Mass Tort Litigation, and Class Actions, and will be included in the 2023 edition of U.S. News “Best Law Firms.”

Robert L. Atkinson (1980 BACH H&SS, 1983 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Banking and Finance Law.

Jude C. Bursavich (1983 BACH H&SS, 1988 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation-Health Care. He also was recognized as Lawyer of the Year in the area of Litigation-Health Care.

David R. Cassidy (1982 BACH H&SS, 1972 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Litigation and Controversy-Tax and Tax Law.

Kenneth Champagne (1987 BACH BUS), senior vicepresident of business services at Confie, is serving the second year of a two-year term as a memberat-large of the Society of Louisiana CPAs

board of directors. He is a past president of the LCPA Baton Rouge Chapter.

David M. Charlton (1980 BACH BUS, 1983 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law.

V. Thomas Clark (1986 BACH H&SS, 1990 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Administrative/ Regulatory Law, Commercial Litigation, Entertainment Law-Motion Pictures and Television, Government Contracts, Insurance Law, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants.

Jeanne C. Comeaux (1980 BACH H&SS, 1984 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of LitigationInsurance and Trade Secrets Law.

Warner Joseph Delaune (1986 BACH BUS, 1991 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Patent Law, Technology Law, and Trademark Law.

Tim Doody (1980 BACH BUS), executive director at Chaffe McCall, was awarded the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants

Distinguished Public Service Award, the organization’s highest honor for public service leadership. Doody served as president of the post-Katrina Levee Board and the Flood Protection Authority and volunteers with numerous organizations, among them, the St. Bernard Chapter of the American Red Cross and Operation Merry Christmas, and he chairs the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce. His family funds two endowed scholarships at LSU.

Susan W. Furr (1986 BACH BUS, 1989 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Employment LawManagement, Labor Law-Management, and Litigation-Labor and Employment.

Amy Cazes Greene (1986 BACH BUS, 1991 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Litigation and Insurance.

Paul Guarisco (1984 BACH BUS), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Energy Regulatory Law and Utilities Law.

Jerry Jones (1983 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, Litigation-Environmental, and Litigation-Municipal.

David R. Kelly (1982 JD) was recognized in Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in the area of Mass Tort Litigation Class Actions-Defendants, and Tax Law.

Lance J. Kinchen (1989 BACH BUS, 1992 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Tax Law.

Kevin Lavie (1981 BACH H&SS, 1984 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Admiralty and Maritime Law.

Richard Leibowitz (1980 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Public Finance Law.

Leo Marsh (1982 BACH MCOM), recently retired as director of external affairs for AT&T in the New Orleans area, joined New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity as advocacy and community engagement manager. He has served on the boards of the Louisiana Museum Foundation, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, and other nonprofit organizations and was honored by the Young Leadership Council as a Role Model in 2016.

Tracy Averett Morganti (1988 BACH H&SS, 1992 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Banking and Finance Law and Corporate Law.

Trenton J. Oubre (1987 BACH BUS, 1981 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Litigation-Insurance and Workers' Compensation LawEmployers. He also was recognized as Lawyer of the Year in the area of Workers' Compensation Law-Employers.

Dwight "Trey" C. Paulsen, III (1986 BACH BUS, 1989 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions-Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants.

Laura Sillars (BACH 1989 MCOM) was promoted to chief marketing officer at Adams and Reese. She was previously director of marketing and communications. Before joining the firm, she was vice president marketing manager for IBERIABANK. Early in her career she was producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, involved in production of ABC's “ Good Morning America,” was vice president of programming for HGTV, and senior vice president of programming at the Hallmark Channel. Sillars, an active member of the New Orleans community, is currently serving on the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Foundation Board.

Beverly A. Whitley (1986 BACH H&SS, 1990 JD), a partner at Bell Nunnally, was named to Texas Super Lawyers.

Douglas K. Williams (1980 BACH H&SS, 1983 JD) was recognized in Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in the area of Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants.

1990s

Erol Akdamar (1990 BACH H&SS) is president of Medical City Healthcare, the North Texas Division of HCA Healthcare based in Dallas. His responsibilities now include HCA Healthcare’s four Louisiana hospitals: Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Rapides Regional Medical Center, Tulane Lakeside Hospital and Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, bringing the division to twenty hospitals under his leadership.

Brian E. Anderson (1995 MSW), professor of social work at Jackson State University, was appointed to serve a three year-term on the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Commission on Membership and Professional Development. He previously served two concurrent terms on CSWE's Commission on Educational Policy, and he is serving his final year final year as an elected board member of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors.

Jeffrey M. Barbin (1992 BACH BUS, 1998 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Gaming Law.

Bradley R. Belsome (1999 BACH AGR), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Railroad Law, Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants, and Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants. He also was selected by a vote of his peers to be included in New Orleans Magazine’s 2022 list of Top Lawyers in New Orleans.

Frederick Braggs (1995 BACH H&SS) was named chief financial officer of LPA Design Studios in Irvine, Calif. With more than twenty years of years of experience including leadership roles with Steinberg Hart, Gensler and HOK, he has overseen large-scale projects across the U.S., China, and United Arab Emirates. Braggs is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Organization of Minority Architects. He holds an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University.

E. H. "Sonny" Bringol, Jr. (1991 BACH ENGR), founder, president, and chairman of Victorian Finance, Pittsburgh, Pa., formed a partnership with Farmers Bank, Parsons, Tenn., providing the expertise of financial services professionals who will bring a new level of management experience and growth potential to the bank.

Virginia Y. Dodd (1993 BACH BUS, 1997 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Insurance Law and LitigationInsurance and ranked as Lawyer of the Year in Litigation-Insurance.

Jeffrey Fernandez (1996 BACH BUS) assumed the role of CEO of the Ochsner Health Plan in August. He was previously senior vice president and executive advisor. Prior to joining Ochsner, he served as senior vice president of Humana’s Medicare West segment, with responsibility

for Medicare Advantage operations in seventeen states, including Louisiana. Fernandez earned an MBA from the University of New Orleans and a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Craig Freeman (1998 JD) was named interim vice-provost and dean of the College of Professional Studies at Oklahoma State UniversityTulsa. He currently serves as assistant dean and senior inclusion officer in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the School of Media and Strategic Communications on the Stillwater campus.

Kelsey Funes (1994 BACH H&SS, 1997 JD), a partner at Phelps Dunbar, was recognized as a 2022 Real Estate/Construction Law Trailblazer by the National Law Journal. She recently served as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s 2022 Forum on Construction Law Annual Meeting in New York City and serves on the executive committee of the Center for Planning Excellence.

J. Alan Harrell (1994 BACH H&SS, 1997 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Litigation-Environmental.

Scott N. Hensgens (1993 BACH H&SS), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Intellectual Property, and Trademark Law. He also was recognized as Lawyer of the Year in the area of Litigation-Intellectual Property.

Karleen J. Green (1994 BACH BUS, 1997 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Employee Benefits Law and Litigation-Labor and Employment.

Emily Black Grey (1998 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Health Care Law.

Marshall Grodner (1983 BACH H&SS, 1990 JD), a partner at McGlinchey Stafford, was elected a Fellow in the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. Marshall is a Fellow and the immediate past president of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers; past president of the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, Inc.; chair of the Commercial Finance Committee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section; and a Fellow in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Katherine Karam (1991 BACH H&SS), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Insurance Law and Litigation-Insurance.

Catherine Maraist (1998 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Litigation-Health Care and Qui Tam Law.

Leslie Petty (1995 MAST H&SS), associate professor of English and chair of the department at Rhodes College, was presented the 2022 Jameson M. Jones Award for Outstanding Faculty Service, which honors a current faculty member who has established an outstanding record of service to the college. Petty joined the Rhodes faculty in 2003 as an assistant professor of English after earning a doctorate from the University of Georgia.

David E. Redmann, Jr. (1994 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants. He also was selected by a vote of his peers to be included in New Orleans Magazine’s 2022 list of Top Lawyers in New Orleans.

Gregory Thomas Stevens (1999 BACH H&SS, 2004 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Commercial Litigation.

2000s

Bart C. Bacigalupi (2004 BACH BUS), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Banking and Finance Law.

Colin Cambre (2004 BACH BUS), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Admiralty and Maritime Law.

Jessica Cormier (2001 BACH BUS), vice president of talent development at Allinial Global, was elected to a two-year term as a member-at-large of the Society of Louisiana CPAs board of directors. She is a past president of the LCPA Baton Rouge Chapter.

Carroll Devillier, Jr. (2006 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation-Health Care.

Madison DeWitt (2008 BACH H&SS, 2011 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

David C. Fleshman (2008 BACH H&SS, 2011 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Construction Law and LitigationConstruction.

Druit G. Gremillion (2007 BACH H&SS, 2011 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the area of Insurance Law.

Alexandra Cobb Hains (2009 BACH AGR), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Litigation-Labor and Employment.

Rachael Jeanfreau (2007 BACH H&SS), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Labor and Employment Law-Management and Litigation-Labor and Employment.

W. Bradley Kline (2006 BACH BUS, 2009 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Banking and Finance Law and Commercial Transactions-UCC Law.

Brandon Lagarde (2001 BACH BUS, 2004 JD), director of the tax services group at Postlethwaite & Netterville, is serving the second year of a two-year term as a member-at-large of the Society of Louisiana CPAs board of directors He earned a master’s degree from the University of Florida.

Matthew M. McCluer (2008 BACH H&SS, an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Labor and Employment Law-Management, LitigationLabor and Employment.

Michael Mims (2008 BACH MCOM, 2011 JD) a partner at the law firm Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation/Class ActionsDefendants. He also was selected by a vote of his peers to be included in New Orleans Magazine’s 2022 list of Top Lawyers in New Orleans.

Kate Bernacchio Mire (2007 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law.

Katie Myers (2006 BACH H&SS, 2009 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers in America in the area of Insurance.

Jacob E. Roussel (2008 BACH ENGR, 2012 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Construction Law and Litigation-Construction.

Natalie Taylor (2003 BACH H&SS, 2007 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named Best Lawyers in America list in the areas of Product Liability Litigation-Defendants. She also was selected by a vote of her peers to be included in New Orleans Magazine’s 2022 list of Top Lawyers in New Orleans.

2010s

Joe Barksdale (2011 BACH H&SS), NFL star turned musician, joined the Players Choir in the live shows of “America’s Got Talent,” adding his vocal sound – a blend of blues, soul, jazz, and rock – to the talents of current and former NFL players for the chance to win a million dollars in prize money. The first episode aired in August and was followed by six weeks of live shows.

Danielle L. Borel (2011 BACH BUS, 2014 JD), a partner at Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was elected secretary of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and will assume the chair in August 2024. She also was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Law, and Litigation-Intellectual Property.

Joshua S. Chevallier (2011 BACH MCOM, 2014 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea (Shreveport), was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America the areas of Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, and Oil and Gas Law.

Kelsey A. Clark (2012 BACH H&SS, 2015 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants, Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants.

Ashley Gill Gable (2011 BACH H&SS, 2014 JD), a partner with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Energy Law and Intellectual Property Law.

Matthew R. Lee (2016 JD), an associate with Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in Commercial Litigation.

Katherine Cicardo Mannino (2010 BACH MCOM, 2013 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Health Care Law, Labor and Employment Law-Management, and Litigation-Labor and Employment.

Molly McDiarmid (2010 BACH MCOM, 2013 JD), an attorney with Phelps Dunbar, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the area of Litigation-Labor and Employment.

Kevin Murrell (2018 BACH ENGR), a mechanical design engineer contracted through Jacob’s Engineering Group at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, works with a team of about 100 NASA engineers since 2019 to design the new xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit) spacesuit. The xEMU suit will serve as a prototype if aerospace companies choose to design their spacesuits using it.

Kristin Oglesby (2015 BACH BUS, 2018 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of Corporate Law and Tax Law.

Clinton Rasberry (2018 BACH ENGR) joined Argent Trust Company as audit associate. He most recently was a partner at Crestview Woods and previously served as a partner at Rasberry Land & Minerals. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and holds an MBA and a master’s of management in energy from Tulane University.

Elizabeth Reed (2015 BACH H&SS ) joined Hallett & Perrin in the firm’s construction, healthcare and litigation practice groups. She received a JD from Tulane University Law School.

Katie Sample (2012 BACH H&SS, 2013 MAST H&SS) appeared on the Food Network’s “Big Bad Budget Battle” in August. The episode, titled “Leftover Lessons,” is available to stream on Discovery+. Sample, a speech pathologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorder, finds that recreating recipes opens the door for conversation beyond her flavor-packed Cajun cuisine.

Amber Tyler (2017 MAST BUS) was named director of admissions and records at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, N.C. She also was appointed by the Goldsboro City Council to serve a three-year term on the Commission on Community Relations and Development. She serves on the United Way of Wayne County Community Investment Committee and the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce W.I.S.E Women’s Committee and is a Guardian ad Litem and ambassador for the Restorative Justice Program.

2020s

Michelle Matter (2021 MBA) joined the Scan Foundation in Long Beach, Calif., as a senior policy analyst.

WEDDING BELLS

Simpson-Tinsley Nuptials

Hailey Simpson (2020 BACH SCI) and Bailey Tinsley (2020 BACH MCOM) exchanged vows on June 25 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Hailey is the daughter of Mark (1988 BACH H&SS) and Leah (1991 JD) Simpson. Bailey’s parents are Craig and Tiffany Tinsley.

The couple met during Scholars Weekend in 2016 and both earned prestigious scholarships. Hailey received a Stamps Scholarship and was named a Louisiana Service and Leadership (LASAL) Scholar. Bailey was awarded a President’s Alumni Scholarship. At commencement, both were recognized with College Honors and as University Medalists, and Hailey was selected as one on the 2020 Tiger Twelve.

Following a reception at the Pavilion of Two Sisters the newlyweds departed for a honeymoon in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

Bailey is an account manager at Versa Creative, and Hailey is a third-year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine.

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

Newlyweds Hailey and Bailey Tinsley. Photos: Bradley King /Second Line Photography

In Memoriam

Former State Representative and U.S. Congressman Anthony Claude “Buddy” Leach (1956 BACH H&SS, 1963 JD), Jr., passed from this world on Aug .6, in Baton Rouge. Buddy was born in Leesville, La., on March 30, 1934. He was educated in Vernon Parish public schools and graduated from LSU. He then served his country in the U.S. Army in Military Intelligence. After his military service, he came back home and earned his Juris Doctorate from LSU Law School. He then began practicing law in Leesville. Buddy was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1967, then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the Fourth Congressional District, serving from 1979-1981.

After returning to his law practice in Leesville, he was re-elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1983. Following his legislative career, he transitioned to the family business, serving as president of Sweet Lake Land & Oil Company in Lake Charles. Buddy served on the board of directors of Merchants & Farmers Bank in Leesville for more than forty years. He served as chairman of the board from 2002-2021. Always active in the Louisiana Democratic Party, he served as chairman from 2010-2012.

Buddy lived his life in service to all, with the Leesville Lions Club and Masonic Lodge of Slagle, La., being two of the many service organizations that were very dear to his heart. Buddy loved the state and people of Louisiana and took great pride in his work in service to both. He believed in the power of education and that everyone is worthy of a seat at the table.

1940s

Ruth Elaine Beattie Johnson, 1946 BACH H&SS, June 11, 2022, Grand Prairie, Texas

Dee Walker Jones, 1943 BACH MCOM, Oct. 8, 2022, Seattle, Wash.

Norma Miller Martin, 1942 BACH AGR, Sept. 24, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Frankie Broome Platte, 1948 BACH HS&E, Oct. 9, 2022, Moss Point, Miss.

1950s

Leonard Joseph Breaux, 1959 BACH BUS, July 30, 2022, Pierre Part, La.

Sarah Susan “Sarah Sue” Day, 1958 BACH AGR, July 17, 2022, Zachary, La.

Thomas Harold Garrett, 1959 BACH BUS, July 20, 2021, Haynesville, La.

Rivers Eugene “Gene” Hargroder, 1958 BACH AGR, Sept. 3, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Theodore Burton “Ted” Harp, 1959 BACH ENGR, July 31, 2022, Fort Worth, Texas

Gordon Albaugh Hughmark, 1955 MAST ENGR, 1959 PHD ENGRE, July 10, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Stanley M. Maillet, 1958 BACH ENGR, Sept. 10, 2022, Bossier City, La.

Frank Leon Maraist, 1958 JD, Aug. 8, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Johnny Mack O’Conner, 1959 BACH AGR, 1963 MAST HS&E, Oct. 1, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Gerald P. “Jerry” Schwalb, 1952 BACH AGR, July 18, 2022, Abilene, Texas

Randolph Louis Smith, Jr., 1958 BACH H&SE, 1965 MAST HS&E, Oct. 11, 2022, Gonzales, La.

Flira Fae Everett Storms, attended 1950s-1960s, Aug. 29, 2022, Lompoc, Calif.

1960s

Michael Jules Ardoin, 1961 BACH H&SS, Aug. 27, Baton Rouge, La.

Monte Beth Miller Banks, 1961 BACH HS&E, 1962 MAST HS&E, May 14, 2020, Homer, La.

Beatrice Lynn Sparks Boesch, 1967 BACH AGR, Aug. 8, 2022, Greenwell Springs, La.

Willard B. Dugas, Jr., 1963 BACH HS&E, June 29, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

R. Craig Dupuy, Sr., 1969 BACH BUS, Sept. 1, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Harry Friedman, 1961 BACH BUS, July 19, 2022, New Orleans, La.

Rodney Douglas Hendrick, 1962 BACH H&SS, 1965 MAST H&SS, Aug. 27, 2022, Baker, La.

Maxwell Gantt “Max” Kees, Sr., 1967 BACH H&SS, 1970 MAST H&SS, Aug. 19, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Franklin McKenzie Kyle, Jr., 1960 BACH AGR, 1963 MBA, Oct 2, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Joseph Earl Landry, 1963 MAST ENGR, 1966 PHD ENGR, Aug. 16, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Joseph E. Michalik, Jr., 1968 BACH SCI, 1972 MD-NO, Sept. 29, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Harry A. Michel, 1969 BACH BUS, July 8, 2021, Parkland, Fla.

Nancy Crossland Moon, 1967 BACH H&SE, 1986 MAST HS&E, 1991 PHD HS&E, Sept. 9, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Carolyn Kleinpeter Morris, 1966 BACH HS&E, 1968 MAST H&SS, July 13, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Stacia Roberts Pangburn, 1966 BACH H&SS, 1967 MSW, July 27, 2022, Ventress, La.

Henry Franklin Rounsaville, Jr., 1960 BACH BUS, Sept. 10, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Henry Floyd Rusk, 1966 MAST HS&E, Aug. 20, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Charles Lee Shepard, 1962 BACH ENGR, Oct. 10, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Genevieve B. Simms, 1961 MLS, July 20, 2022, Opelousas, La.

Dionysis P. “Dennis” Simopoulos, 1968 BACH H&SS, Aug. 7, 2022, Athens, Greece

Jennifer Bell Taylor, 1968 BACH H&SS, Sept. 12, 2022, Mangham, La.

Michael J. Uter, 1969 JD, Sept. 9, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

John William Williams, 1960 BACH ENGR, Oct. 10, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

1970s

Guilera Rafael Juantorena Aguilera, 1975 MAST ENGR, 1977 PHD ENGR, Sept. 17, 2022, Batno Rouge, La.

Charles Stephen Barbre, 1972 BACH HS&E, Sept. 16, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Clifton O. “Cliff” Bingham, Jr., 1970 BACH H&SS, 1973 JD, Aug. 26, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Anupam DasGupta, 1972 MAST SCI, 1977 PHD SCI, June 26, 2022, Freehold, N.J.

Glen Preston Eggers, 1978 BACH BUS, July 24, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

William Patrick “Bill” Eskew, 1975 BACH A&D, 1978 MAST A&D, Retired Director of Facility Design, July 20, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

John Heidingsfelder, 1970 BACH H&SS, 1973 MD-NO, Sept. 12, 2022, High Point, N.C.

Charles Lee Hinton, 1972 BACH AGR, Aug. 25, 2022, Baker, La.

Michael Rene “Mike” Hood, 1979 BACH H&SS, 1987 MAST H&SS, Aug. 9, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Wilbert J. “Dub” Legendre, Jr., 1974 BACH H&SS, July 28, 2022, Plaquemine, La.

Nora Morgan Jenkins, 1978 BACH H&SS, 1988 MLS Sept. 21, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Warren Joseph Mayeux, Jr., 1979 BACH BUS, Aug. 25, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Thomas Chalmers “Tom” McKowen, IV, 1974 BACH AGR, 1977 JD, Aug. 4, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Margaret Moore Morgan, 1973 MAST AGR, Aug. 14, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Robert Henry “Bobby” Schmolke, 1971 BACH BUS, 1975 JD, July 7, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Sheila Steim Talamo, 1970 BACH H&SE, Sept. 6, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Sit L. Wong, 1978 BACH A&D, Aug. 28, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Donald “Don” Bruce

Professor, Retired College of Art & Design Sept. 20, 2022 Baton Rouge, La.

1980s

Pedro J. Cobos (1983 BACH ENGR), Sept. 16, 2022, San Pedro Sula, Honduras

John Clyde Miller, 1988 BACH BUS, Aug. 7, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Jonathan Dicks Reily, 1985 BACH H&SS, Aug. 30, 2022, Asheville, N.C

Marna Amey Bass Shortess, 1982 BACH H&SS, Sept. 1, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

1990s

Gordon Ray “Gordy” DeRouen, 1994 MBA, July 20, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Kevin Garon, 1999 BACH BUS, July 31, 2022, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Gregory Mark Gouner, 1994 JD, Aug. 22, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Cristin Forbes Ponjuan, 1999 BACH H&SS, Sept. 12, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

2000s

Joan Denham Port, 2000 BACH HS&E, Oct. 7, 2022, St. Francisville, La.

2010s

Caroline Adele Semerad, 2011 BACH H&SS, Aug. 9, 2022, Baton Rouge, La.

Alaina Stanton, 2016 BACH AGR, July 23, 2022, Geismar, La.

Jerry Ceppos

Dean, Manship School of Mass Communication William B. Dickinson Distinguished Professor in Journalism

July 29, 2022

Baton Rouge, La.

Nancy Claire Denham Administrative Coordinator, Retired Office of the Registrar Sept. 10, 2022 Baton Rouge, La.

Michael F. “Mike" McDonald

Alumnus By Choice

Sept. 15, 2022

Baton Rouge, La.

LSU Student Health Center, Retired Sept. 4, 2022

New Orleans, La.

Marguerite Helen Jurick Spustek

Tigers in Print

J.A. Adams (1994 BACH H&SS, 1997 MAST H&SS, 2000 PHD H&SS)

Bomb Cyclone Atmosphere Press

Oksana is a pawn in a chess game she doesn’t fully comprehend, one she can’t escape. The young Ukrainian spy recruited by Russia’s SVR purposely fails in her assignment to obtain the coordinates of a lost nuclear bomb from Mykola, a Ukrainian-American immigrant who had traveled to Crimea to locate the bomb. Instead, Oksana falls in love with her target and must defect to the U.S. or risk imprisonment or death as a traitor to Russia. While Mykola’s Ukrainian friend Vladyslav fights with the Ukrainian resistance against the pro-Russian separatists, Russian agents search for their elusive spy in the U.S.

Pete Bush (1990 BACH BUS) and Bill Bush (1987 BACH MCOM) The Runway Decade: Building a Pre-Retirement Flight Plan in Your Fifties

Horizon Media

If you're like many future retirees in their fifties, you're facing a milestone in the next decade that can feel like an overwhelming deadline: retirement. If you're also a business owner or corporate executive, the pressure is greater because people outside your family depend on you. Are you prepared? Perhaps you have all the elements – robust savings, ample 401(k) investments, adequate insurance, even a rough exit plan at work – but you haven't

connected them in a comprehensive strategy. In The Runway Decade, financial advisors Pete Bush and Bill Bush provide an insider's look at how to simplify the complex process of planning for retirement. Their unique, holistic approach includes all areas of wealth, from social security benefits and Medicare coverage to charitable giving and tax planning. You can control your future – as long as you have the right tools. With worksheets and exercises available in each chapter, The Runway Decade is your roadmap for navigating the crucial years before retirement so you can provide, protect, and prosper for yourself and those who depend on you.

H. Dale Hall (1979 MAST AGR) COMPELLED H. Dale Hall, LLC

COMPELLED unfolds the journey of a young U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist being thrust into the controversial world of national conservation issues and the methods used to resolve them. The evolution of conservation history is told through the eyes of a first-hand witness to the first court challenge to the U.S. Clean Water Act and its protection of Waters of the United States, the introduction of expertise

in environmental contaminants to unveil the harm of environmental pollutants in federal water development projects, the history of how conservation in the United States was championed by hunters and anglers, the often painful history of the northern spotted owl and the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), western water wars, and the complete story of the listing of the polar bear as America’s first threatened species under the ESA as a result of global warming. This epic journey also identifies the only real pathway to solving these complex issues: by opening the door for cooperative efforts and building trust between seemingly opposing interests.

Melvin L. Hawkins (1977 JD)

Daniel's Fourth Kingdom: Fulfilling the Times of the Gentiles WestBow Press

Although there is broad consensus among Bible prophecy scholars that the times of the gentiles will continue until the return of Jesus Christ, the century-old, traditional interpretation holds that Daniel's fourth, gentile kingdom (the Roman Empire) ceased to exist in AD 476 in the West at Rome and, therefore, must be "revived" politically in the beginning of the seven-year

tribulation period. That prevailing viewpoint is obscuring a clear understanding of the continuing existence of the fourth kingdom as well as its fulfillment in history of important prophecies related to the end times. Peters forewarned about this potential interpretation problem in The Theocratic Kingdom (1884). Daniel's Fourth Kingdom: (1) establishes that the divided Roman Empire still exists today and explains why that fact matters regarding the season of Christ's return; (2) respectfully questions the traditional interpretation; (3) exhorts the church to love not the temporal kingdoms of this world but, instead, to embrace her gospel-inspired, Holy Spiritempowered, love-driven, apolitical, evangelical mission to share the gospel with all nations while expecting the possibly imminent pretribulation rapture; and (4) invites all readers, believers and skeptics alike, to consider the relevance of the Bible concerning world history, current events, and the future.

Ruth Laney (1966 BACH H&SS, 1972 MAST H&SS)

Cherie Quarters LSU Press

Before he became an awardwinning writer, Gaines was the son of sharecroppers in Cherie Quarters, the workers’ community of River

Lake Plantation in Pointe Coupée

Parish, La. Drawing on decades of interviews and archival research, Ruth Laney explores the lives and histories of the families, both kin and not, who lived in a place where “everybody was everybody’s child.” Built as slave cabins in the 1840s, the houses of Cherie Quarters were cold in winter, hot in summer, filled with mosquitoes, and overflowing with people, but the residents made these houses into homes. Laney describes aspects of their daily lives – work, food, entertainment, religion, and education – then expands her focus to the white families who built River Lake Plantation, enslaved its people, and later directed the lives of its Black sharecroppers.

Pete Melby (1970 BACH A&D, 1973 MAST A&D) Third in Line Book Baby

Penny Chatham, a member of the House of Representatives, takes her husband and their three children to south Louisiana and Mississippi swamps, marshes, and nearshore waters on an inspection trip. Three years ago she was involved in water wars between Louisiana and Mississippi. Her work with the Pearl River and flood water in the Mississippi River brought back wild oysters and other marine life in

Louisiana and Mississippi estuaries. Due to the success of restoring estuary water, she and Louisiana's Senator Long sponsor a bill to restore coastal waters along the nation's coastlines. Their Sustainability Bill would also reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels and work toward conversion of homes to become energy efficient through using regenerative technologies. While on the inspection tour, Representative Chatham's stand on reducing carbon emissions is gravely challenged by a group of influential business leaders.

Angela M. Thomas (2002 BACH H&SS, 2007 MAST H&SS)

Faith Fighting in Pink: Cancer’s Many Faces KDP and Amazon

If you are looking for statistics and technical jargon, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a no holds barred look at the struggles of living life with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, then you have come to the right place. I am not a writer, but I do have a story to share and tips to make this journey through cancer a bit easier. If you have just been diagnosed or know someone who has, this book is key to providing the understanding needed to fight, win, and recover like a bad chic.

Reaching New Heights Tiger Nation

By Brian Hudgins

Gretchen Sheirr (2000 BACH SCI) started with the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets in ticket sales in 2001, a handful of years after Rockets teams led by Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon won consecutive championships in the nineties.

The rebuilding phase contained great opportunity. “We were in the process of building a new arena, the Toyota Center,” Sheirr said. “We were fortunate to be successful. We drafted Yao Ming in 2002. Watching someone that young carry that much grace was very impressive.”

As the Rockets established themselves in a new home, Sheirr moved up from ticket sales. Two decades later, she is the president of business operations – overseeing marketing, communications, team events, and global strategy and innovation. It is a climb that enabled Sheirr, who was born in Houma, La., and moved to Spring, Texas, to witness Houston’s growth from many angles.

Harris County created the Houston Sports Authority in 1997. The presence of the Houston Astros in a new downtown stadium and the Rockets in the Toyota Center provided a jolt to the area. “Downtown became more of an area to live, work and play,” Sheirr said. “That was absolutely a catalyst. Sports mean so much.”

That was one lesson Sheirr did not need Houston to teach her – the emotional value of sports. Sheirr’s childhood gymnastics experience translated well into her relatively late start in diving. “There were enough similarities that I caught on to diving,” Sheirr said. She had recruiting trips as

a future collegiate diver to both the University of Alabama and LSU. “LSU had a clear advantage,” Sheirr said with a laugh.

Once she got to Baton Rouge, the swimming and diving programs provided Sheirr a community within LSU. A marketing class taught by Jenny Peters later gave Sheirr insight into the mechanics of putting on a live event that markets a service. Business writing courses helped Sheirr settle on a more detailed plan. “I learned a lot through exploring potential career paths,” Sheirr said. “I knew I was going to work in business.”

Ticket sales in 2001 meant manually processing paper tickets compared to current online sales. As she took on new responsibilities for the Rockets, Sheirr solidified relationships with season ticket holders. She has seen the growth of the team through multiple seasons, as experienced squads led by James Harden and Chris Paul routinely propelled the Rockets to the playoffs.

The last two draft classes have netted Houston former LSU Tiger Tari Eason, guard Jalen Green and forward Jabari Smith. It is an exciting time for Sheirr. “They are living out their dreams,” Sheirr said. “We are watching this beginning and helping them connect to the city.”

Away from the arena, Sheirr’s bond with Houston includes being a founding board member of WISE Houston and serving on the board of March of Dimes Houston. She and her husband, Ken, live in The Woodlands with their twin teenagers. “My biggest priority is our twins,” Sheirr said.

Brian Hudgins is a Houston native who enjoys SEC sports and covering a variety of subjects as a freelance writer.

“LSU had a clear advantage.”

Gretchen Sheirr, the Houston Rockets president of business operations. Photo: Houston Rockets

Kd Amond (2008 BACH H&SS) is a writer, director, and editor who, on May 10, released the first movie in the United States to feature only one actress. Amond directed the first one-woman feature film Faye.

The film, of the horror genre, is set in a cabin on the Louisiana bayou. Faye, a self-help author, retreats to this cabin on the bayou to gain inspiration and motivation for writing her upcoming book.

Throughout her stay at the cabin, Faye is haunted by a figment that turns out to be her grief and repressed emotions taking the form of her own self. Faye then faces all five stages of her grief, which results in her overcoming the despair of losing her husband.

Sarah Zanotti, who plays Faye in the film, and Amond had just finished writing a script for a different movie when Zanotti told Amond she wished to be in a movie, one in which she was the only actress. Zanotti already had the first scene in her mind, and from there Amond came up with the idea to make her a selfhelp author who is falling apart.

“The seed was planted by Sarah just wanting to be in a movie by herself, and that hasn’t been done by a woman so I said, ‘let’s do it.’ It’s the first horror movie to ever do that, and this is the first one in America,” Amond said.

Amond described that directing a movie with only one actress gave her more freedom on set as opposed to directing multiple actors. “There’s a certain amount of freedom of responsibility with only filming one actor,” she said. “I also knew everything about this movie was unorthodox. It was cool, and definitely had a certain amount of freedom that you don’t have normally.”

LSU Tiger décor hangs from the walls of the cabin in which movie takes place. “My family is a bunch of Tigers. The reason we came down to Louisiana is because my aunt had a cabin on the bayou, and she said we could use it,” said Amond.

Amond, from Livingston, La., earned her degree in English with a minor in film studies. “When I was at LSU, film and media studies was just a minor, so I picked it up as a minor and I graduated in English and creative writing. But all my focus classes where screen writing and adaptive screen writing,” she explained.

Amond had always been interested in film and the idea of a career in film. The LSU classes inspired her and solidified the idea of attending film school after graduation, which she did, earning a master’s degree in film production from the University of New Orleans.

“The classes and foundations of filmmaking and storytelling were instilled at LSU, and I’m still in touch with some of my professors,” Amond said. “One specifically from the horror genre, Dr. Tracy Stevenson Shaffer, she’s like the resident ‘horror’ expert, and she came to the Faye premiere. She’s been a huge support, and her class on the horror genre specifically was a big inspiration,”

Today, Amond is in the post-production process of releasing her upcoming movie The Unraveling

Presley Tyler is a junior majoring in journalism.

“

. . . everything about this movie was unorthodox.”

Director Kd Amond breaks new ground.

By Presley Tyler

By Abbi Rocha Laymoun

Mechanical Engineering Grad Lands Job at SpaceX

For LSU mechanical engineering graduate Scot McKenzie, working for SpaceX is nothing short of a childhood dream come true. The twenty-three-year-old from Baton Rouge wasted no time in pursuing his goals by working for NASA and now SpaceX, where McKenzie can work on rockets that will travel to the Moon and Mars one day.

“I’ve always had an interest in space and space exploration,” McKenzie said. “Growing up, I always liked messing with things and was always mathematically inclined. I wanted to know how things worked. My mom was always building and tinkering with things, and my grandpa was a civil engineer from LSU.”

When it came time for McKenzie to choose a university, LSU was at the top of his list. “I knew LSU had a strong engineering program and the newly renovated Patrick F. Taylor building,” he said. “I chose to major in mechanical engineering because it allowed me to be in a position where I could choose my own path.”

In 2019, McKenzie had a co-op at NASA Stennis Space Center. Then, in the summers of 2020 and 2021, he interned there again, serving as a propulsion test operations engineer and performing maintenance of facility systems.

“I made sure the valves opened and closed and made sure they had the proper instrumentation feedback, operating test-day things like liquid oxygen transfer to facilitate rocket engine part testing,” he said. “My work at NASA was a great entry into aerospace. I loved being in the control room or being outside all day making sure everything works. I really enjoyed problem solving, and it gave me the

experience to apply at SpaceX.”

In June 2022, McKenzie packed his car and made the nine-hour drive to Brownsville, Texas, to work for SpaceX, a spacecraft engineering company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. Based out of Hawthorne, Calif., SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft at the Starbase site in Texas.

“Starship is the new rocket SpaceX is building,” McKenzie said. “It’s located at the Starbase development facility, and it’s going to be the biggest, most powerful rocket ever. It’s Musk’s goal to make life multi-planetary, and this is the rocket he’s going to use to do it.”

As a launch operations engineer, McKenzie deals with flight control and monitors launch pad activity, controls system valves and pressurizations, and commands operations for vehicle testing. “It’s a lot to take in because there are a lot of different things going on that are a step above what I did at NASA, so it’s a learning experience but also a fun and incredible place to work,” McKenzie said. “One thing that shocked me was the incredible level of technology out here, everything from personnel safety to the software programs that allow virtual hands on the launch pad at all times. I’m able to use my prior knowledge to go to even bigger heights. I’ve gone from testing a stationary single rocket engine to prepping an entire vehicle for launch.”

As for living in Brownsville, McKenzie said the people have been nice and helpful, and the Starbase facility is one-of-a-kind. “The facility is really nice,” he said. “It’s a new place, so SpaceX is able to do exactly what they want with everything. It’s a whole new world out here.”

Abbi Rocha Laymoun is the media relations coordinator in the LSU Office of Communications & University Relations.

a whole new world out here.”

Tiger Nation Tigers Around the World

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BABY BENGALS

Welcome, Tiger! – Caleb Austen Yates was welcomed to the world on June 29 by proud grandparents Nolan (1972 BACH BUS, 1974 MAST BUS) and Andrea Austen Schexnayder (1972 BACH HS&E). Their daughter, Shelley Yates, writes, “Dad has missed exactly one home football game in over sixty years, and mom was captain of the Golden Girls. You can tell from the photo that Caleb is already a diehard Tiger fan.”

2044!), born on Aug. 19 in Metairie, La. Macy’s parents are John C. Bennett (2011 BACH MCOM) and Sadie Mannino Bennett, who attended LSU before enrolling in the

Lillie "Pigeon" Thibaut (1943 BACH HS&E) who was the 1942 LSU Homecoming Queen, celebrates turning 101 years old. Happy 101st birthday!.

Paying Tribute – Rich Hickman and Randy Lamont, teammates of Pete Maravich, were among those remembering the “Pistol” at the unveiling ceremony in July.

Tiger Trio – Proud grandparents Nancy Theisen Bennett (1976 BACH HS&E) and Robert Bennett (1973 BACH BUS, 1978 MAST AGR) – clad in their LSU gear – welcome their first grandchild, future Tiger Macy Jane Bennett (Class of

Xavier University College of Pharmacy.