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LSUAA President Message
President and CEO
MESSAGE
The New Normal
The coronavirus pandemic impacted everyone in one way or another, and we are still adjusting to a new way of life. Masks, gloves, sanitizing wipes, and social distancing – with X’s marking standing-in-line boundaries – are the way of the “new normal.” Handshakes, hugs, and high fives have been replaced with foot taps, elbow bumps, or a simple nod of the head.
We missed “in-person” spring and summer commencements, hosting pre-game events, traveling to away games with fellow alumni and fans, and visiting with old friends at retired faculty/staff events. And, we missed each other. I take this opportunity to thank our dedicated employees, who for months have kept things running as smoothly as possible and kept us in touch with one another and with you. As quarantine eased, we settled into a “new normal” at work – essential employees, staggered schedules, Zoom meetings, and, of course, following the above-mentioned safety
guidelines. We look forward to the day our entire team is truly together again.
This issue’s cover story is a testament to the talent, resourcefulness, and dedication of your LSU Alumni Association staff. Plans for LSUTigerNation.com were underway when the quarantine went into effect in spring and launched during work-from-home efforts. This new online tool supports professional networking, job search, career building, and more by connecting generations of fellow Tigers. We hope it will help you take your next step.
The pandemic forced major changes for our alumni chapters, whose main events take place in the spring and summer. The alumni staff certainly missed traveling across country to visit with hundreds of friends and to thank each and every one for their loyalty and support. Until this year, the summer and fall issues of LSU Alumni Magazine featured several pages of chapter activities, especially the popular crawfish boils, which provide good food, libations, and camaraderie while raising funds for chapter undertakings – primarily scholarships for future Tigers. Chapters have seen a significant drop in donations, and their ability to support their aspiring local students has been seriously affected.
The Association was impacted also, and we are striving to find new and better ways to financially support our programs for faculty, alumni, and students. We have been serving LSU for more than a century, and we have a strong vision for the future. We need your help to reach those goals. Visit our website – lsualumni.org – to assist in these emergency efforts. And, thank you to those of you who have already responded.
I take this opportunity – and know you join me – in thanking our extraordinary team that readily and enthusiastically responded to the plight of those affected by Hurricane Laura. Their call for supplies to support relief efforts in SWLA communities was a huge success. Alumni, friends, and fans across the country donated countless items, which were distributed by staff members in mid-September. We are blessed to be able to “give back” to Louisiana in time of need. See page 12.
It was with much sadness that we learned of the death of our friend and benefactor Lod Cook in September. Lod achieved phenomenal success and – remembering his experiences at LSU – used his standing and resources to make a difference at his alma mater. His hope was that his philanthropy would inspire his peers and the next generation of LSU alumni, fans, and friends to also give back to the University. Thanks to Lod Cook, LSU alumni and future alumni will chart their paths to successful lives.
No one can be sure how things will play out in the future. We face many unknown challenges, but Tigers have always stood together in the face of adversity and emerged stronger than ever. In that spirit – in the spirit of Lod Cook – the LSU Alumni Association staff joins me in wishing you a safe and happy holiday season and all the best in the coming year.
Forever LSU!
Gordon Monk President/CEO
LSU Alumni Association AlumniLSU lsualumniassociation
LODWRICK MONROE COOK
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP AND LOYALTY
1928 - 2020
LOD COOK – the man behind the Lod Cook Alumni Center and The Cook Hotel – began life in small-town Louisiana. Hot water came from a kettle on a wood-burning stove, he was third in his class of five graduates of Grand Cane High School, he lived and milked cows in the “old cow barn” to earn room and board while at LSU, and he started his career as “an engineering trainee digging ditches.”
From those humble roots, Lod Cook achieved phenomenal success – and remembering his remarkable experiences at LSU, he used his standing and resources to make a difference at his alma mater, in Louisiana, and around the world. Lauded for unparalleled leadership exploits and business acumen as chief executive officer of ARCO, he was thrust into the political arena and worked at arm’s reach with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, and working relationships with these commanders in chief grew into close friendships. Presidents Bush, Ford, and Carter were special guests at the grand opening of the alumni center in 1994, and Bush returned for the dedication of the LSU War Memorial and the dedication of the Lod & Carole Cook Hotel and Conference Center.
In remarks made at the twentieth anniversary celebration of the Lod Cook Alumni Center, he recalled being asked years back by then-LSU Alumni Association President Charlie Roberts, “How does the Lod Cook Alumni Center sound?”
“I had to ‘sleep on it’ – having one’s name on a building is a little daunting. But I was excited about doing something different. ARCO traditionally endowed chairs and funded scholarships in honor of outgoing chairmen. I wanted to direct funds as a lead gift for the alumni building. I never had the notion that the building was to exalt me but rather
LSU Legend Alumnus Extraordinaire
1986 Alumnus of the Year
my name might be a focal point, a leverage to attract financing. I saw my role as a catalyst. I would not have been a part of it – nor would this Association be the extraordinary organization that it is today – if one man had not asked me, “What do you think of the Lod Cook Alumni Center?”
Lod Cook was a visionary. His gifts enabled the creation of structures and businesses that generate revenue to continually support LSU and its thriving community. His hope was that his philanthropy would inspire his peers and the next generation of LSU alumni, fans, and friends to also give back to the University. He was proof that success can be had through the love of people and the love of life. Thanks to Lod Cook, LSU alumni and future alumni will chart their paths to successful lives filled with love by “influencing the middle,” as he did.
An interviewer once asked Lod Cook what he’d like people to say about him when he passed from the ”great stage of life.” Cook replied: “I always kid people that on my headstone, they’d write, ‘Gee, what a guy!’”
Indeed he was.
See In Memoriam on page 67
THE ENTIRE LSU TIGER NATION THANKS YOU! GOD BLESS YOU.
To honor Lod Cook’s legacy and ensure that future generations of alumni have a place to call home at their alma mater, please consider a gift to the Lod Cook Memorial Preservation Fund to support restoration and upkeep of the Cook Campus facilities. Contact Amy Parrino, Senior Vice President-Planned Giving, at 225.578.3835.
