35 minute read
LSU Alumni Association News
LSU Alumni Association
NEWS
Engage • Connect • Serve • Recognize What We Do
The LSU Alumni Association is committed to supporting and strengthening the University through its numerous programs of excellence. We strive to keep alumni and alumni-by-choice around the world connected to their alma mater and to each other and offer opportunities for involvement to faculty, staff, friends, future students, and current students – our future alumni.
Social events, such as the popular crawfish boils, and recognition ceremonies, such as the Hall of Distinction and University Faculty Awards, put LSU and the Association in the spotlight. What often is not known is that chapter activities raise funds for scholarships and professorships. And, outstanding supporters, donors, and faculty encourage support by example.
Through our newsletter, social media, and LSU Alumni Magazine, we highlight significant University activities and alumni accomplishments. Our sports trips, travel abroad tours, networking opportunities, and Tiger merchandise are additional benefits that help us keep LSU in the spotlight.
Take a look at what we – and YOU – do.
ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
• More than 130 chapters worldwide • Traveling Tigers sports trips • Touring Tigers travel abroad • Classmate and campus connections in print and online through social media, newsletters, and LSU Alumni Magazine • Annual Meeting & Past Presidents/Chairs Luncheon • Golden Tigers Reunion • Hall of Distinction • Retired Faculty/Staff Events • Scholars Recognition • Social Events • Networking Opportunities • Chapter Leadership Summit
• Representation of alumni concerns and priorities to the
University administration • Discounts at The Cook Hotel and on Tiger merchandise at the LSUAA Gift Shop
THE STUDENTS
• 10 President’s Alumni Scholarships – Full cost of attendance for four years; $2,000 study abroad stipend; $1,550 per year to earn through President’s Future
Leaders in Research program • 16 Global Leaders Scholarships - $2,000 study abroad stipend; $1,550 per year to earn through President’s
Future Leaders in Research program • 174 Flagship Scholarships - $2,500 per year; $1,550 per year to earn through the President’s Student Aide program • 4 International Student Scholarships - $2,500 each • 2 Distinguished Dissertation Awards – with LSU
Graduate School • Collegiate Club at LSU with Tiger Athletic Foundation • Spring Invitational – with the LSU Office of Orientation • LSU on the Geaux and LSU BOUND – with LSU
Undergraduate Admissions • Grad Fair – with LSU Barnes & Noble Bookstore and other campus units • LSU Ring Ceremony – with Student Life & Enrollment and
LSU Finance & Administrative Services • Graduating Seniors Crawfish Boil
THE FACULTY
• 25 Alumni Professorships - $6,200 each • 11 Departmental Professorships - $6,200 each • 10 Rising Faculty Research Awards - $5,000 each • 4 Faculty Excellence Awards - $2,000 each • 2 Teaching Assistant Awards - $2,000 each • 1 Josephine A. Roberts Distinguished Dissertation
Award - $2,000 • 4 Phi Kappa Phi Non-Tenured Faculty Awards - $500 each
THE UNIVERSITY
• Speakers: The Series – with LSU Student Government • Partners in Progress and Partners in Communication – with University Executive Council • “Come Home, Alumni” – with Baton Rouge Area Chamber and Louisiana Economic Development • Alumni Engagement Forum – with Staff Development
Council
ALUMNI PROFESSORS
• Brett N. Boutwell, Music William Swor Alumni
Professorship • Bruce Cameron, Textile, Apparel Design & Merchandising,
Kathryn Norwood & Claude Fussel Alumni Professorship • Griffin Campbell, Music, J. Franklin Bayhi Alumni
Professorship • Jane W. Cassidy, Music, Roy & Margaret Gianelloni LSU
Alumni Association Professorship • Cynthia F. Dicarlo, Education, W. H. “Bill” Leblanc
Endowed LSU Alumni Association Departmental
Professorship • William Demastes, English, San Diego Chapter Alumni
Professorship • Ram Devireddy, Mechanical Engineering, DeSoto Parish
Chapter Alumni Professorship • Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, Education, Cecil “Pete”
Taylor Alumni Professorship • Barbara L. Dutrow, Geology & Geophysics, Gerald Cire &
Lena Grand Williams Alumni Professorship • Guoli Ding, Mathematics, Herbert Butts Memorial LSU
Alumni Association Departmental Professorship • Mette B. Gaarde, Physics, Les & Dot Broussard LSU
Alumni Association Departmental Professorship • Anne Grove, Biological Sciences, Ouachita Parish
Chapter Alumni Professorship • Stacia L. Haynie, Political Science, J.W. Annison Family
Alumni Professorship • Katherine Kemler, Music, Charles & Mary Barré Alumni
Crescent City Tigers Alumni Professorship • Guoqiang Li, Mechanical Engineering, Major Morris S. &
DeEtte A. Anderson Memorial Alumni Professorship • Marybeth Lima, Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Cliff & Nancy Spanier Alumni Professorship • Robin L. McCarley, Chemistry, Barbara Womack Alumni
Lillian Landrum Alumni Professorship • Pamela Ann Monroe, Social Work, Lois Canulette &
Departmental Professorship
Donald & Norma Nash McClure Alumni Professorship • James V. Moroney, Biological Sciences, Glenda Wooters
Professorship • Frank M. Neubrander, Mathematics, Demarcus D. Smith
Alumni Professorship • Gestur Olafsson, Mathematics, Julian R. & Sidney Nicolle
Carruth Endowed Alumni Professorship • James A. Ottea, Entomology, John Benjamin Holton LSU
Alumni Association Departmental Professorship • Robert Perlis, Mathematics, Cecil “Pete” Taylor Alumni
Professorship • Lance Porter, Mass Communication, Class of 1941 Alumni
Professorship • A. Ravi P. Rau, Physics & Astronomy, Robert Stobaugh
Engineering, Richard R. & Betty S. Fenton Alumni
Professorship • Darius Spieth, Art History, San Diego LSU Alumni
Association Chapter Alumni Professorship • Philip C. Stouffer, Conservation Biology, Lee F. Mason
College of Agriculture • Robert Tague, Geography & Anthropology, Earleene
Nolan Sanders Alumni Professorship • Fahui Wang, Geography & Anthropology, Cyril & Tutta
Vetter Louisiana Fund Alumni Professorship • Sharon Weltman, English, William E. “Bud” Davis Alumni
Professorship • David Young, Physics & Astronomy, Webster Parish
Chapter Alumni Professorship • Hector Zapata, Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness,
Past Presidents of the LSU Alumni Association
Professorship
UNFILLED PROFESSORSHIPS
Human Resource Education & Workforce Development • Biological & Agricultural Engineering, John Rhea Alumni
Professorship • Patricia C. Bodin Alumni Department Professorship in
ISDS • Class of 1942 Alumni Professorship • Greater Houston Alumni Chapter Endowed Alumni
Professorship • Andrew Clinton Pereboom LSU Alumni Association
Professorship • Beverly Griffin Shea Alumni Association Department
Professorship in Human Ecology • Emitte E. & David D. White LSU Alumni Association
Departmental Professorship in Music
FACULTY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
• David Chicoine, Geography & Anthropology • Aixin Hou, Environmental Sciences • Nathan Kamoe, Mass Communication • Shane Stadler, Physics & Astronomy
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARDS
• Christopher Austin, Biological Sciences • Renee Carter, Veterinary Clinical Sciences • John Flake, Chemical Engineering • Shengmin Guo, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering • Tim Slack, Sociology
RISING FACULTY RESEARCH AWARDS
• Ashley Clayton, Education • Hunter Gilbert, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering • Eileen Haebig, Communication Sciences & Disorders • Matthew Hiatt, Oceanography & Coastal Sciences • Daniel Holstein, Oceanography & Coastal Sciences • Weishan Huang, Pathobiological Sciences • Jangwook “Philip” Jung, Biological & Agricultural
Engineering • Sonika Patial, Comparative Biomedical Sciences • Patricia Persaud, Geology & Geophysics • Rockford Sansom, Theatre
NON-TENURED FACULTY AWARDS
• Daniel Holstein, Oceanography & Coastal Sciences • Allison Young, Art History
PHI KAPPA PHI OUTSTANDING INSTRUCTOR AWARD
• Jason M. Wolfe, History
TEACHING ASSISTANT AWARDS
• Nichole Santee, Mass Communication • Aswathy Anakkathil Pradeep, Communication Sciences &
Disorders • Srikanth Bangaru, Engineering • Carla Salas-Ruiz, Music & Dramatic Arts
DISTINGUISHED DISSERTATION AWARDS
• Jin Gyun Lee, Chemical Engineering – Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics • Elizabeth Cruzado, Geography & Anthropology – Arts,
Humanities, Social Sciences
EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to the above-listed faculty awards, the Association annually recognizes some 450 students as President Scholars, Global Leaders Scholars, Flagship Scholars, and International Student Scholars.
LSU Alumni Association News Chapter Events
Patrick West, Payton Bragg, Paul West, Terry and Kelly Ledet, Susie Bragg, and Kris Cowart.
Feast on the 50 – The Central
Florida Chapter participated in the annual Florida Citrus Sports "Feast on the 50" event at Camping World Stadium, during which alumni from colleges across the country set up tents on the football field to show their school spirit and unique heritage. Chapter members served red beans and rice donated by the local WalkOn's, along with hurricane samples. There was an LSU Spirit Spin Wheel for participants to win donated prizes and LSU merchandise. Local restaurants and vendors participated, and music and fireworks were provided by event host SouthState Bank.
East Tennessee Tigers gather for a group photo at the Raising Canes and Hurricanes party.
Raising Cane’s & Hurricanes – Faced with the high price of crawfish and transportation costs, East Tennessee Tigers improvised with a Raising Canes and Hurricanes party. “We served chicken from Raising Cane’s, along with boudin, red beans and rice, etc., and homemade Hurricanes. For entertainment, we watched LSU play Ole Miss in baseball – unfortunately a loss,” writes Jim Decker, chapter president.
Bon Air Celebration – The Victorian Days celebration, highlighted by the annual parade, featured the award-winning Central Virginia Chapter Mardi Gras float once again this year. “The crowds did not let the forecast of rain hinder their participation, as they yelled ‘Geaux Tigers,’” writes Sam Rosenthal, “and they were in awe of the beautiful, handcrafted Mardi Gras float as they raised their hands for Mardi Gras beads and trinkets along the parade route.”
Terry Jarreau, Bill and Nathalyn Bagley, and Sam Rosenthal.
Front, from left, Brad Peace, Karen Peace, Allison Walsh, Melissa Oliver, Charlie Oliver, and Berri Glassell; back, Jared Beville, Jacob Hester, Eric Benard, Patrick Walsh, Patrick Gallagher and Fernando Rugerio.
Joe Littlejohn, Archer and Ivy Frierson.
Caddo-Bossier – Former LSU and NFL great Jacob Hester joined CaddoBossier Tigers for the chapter’s crawfish boil at The Market Restaurant. The event, which included crawdads, a cash bar, and raffle and auction items, helped raised funds for the chapter’s Betsy Chandler Peatross Scholarship.
BB Holoubeck and his daughter, Alice.
Becca Moser and Sarah Lessard, alumni board members, check in crawfish eaters.
Washington, D.C. – The Louisiana
Boys catering company dished up 500 pounds of crawfish for 125 Tigers in the D.C. Metro area.
The Cajammers, local Zydeco legends.
Servin’em up! John Fontenelle, Joe Grappe, and Jacob Webre ready ingredients for the pots.
Triangle, N.C. – The Triangle
Chapter set records for attendance and pounds of crawfish served at the annual boil. More than 140 tigers in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary area gathered at Lake Montague for the event to put away 750 pounds of crawdads and enjoy entertainment by the Cajammers, a local band that provided live Zydeco music.
Wayne and Carmen Parker, Charles and Elise Kaufman. Gordon Monk, Dan Caneveri, and Tracy Jones.
Smile – and wave – for the camera! Big BR – More than 700 pounds of crawdads and 120 hot dogs quickly disappeared at the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter’s annual crawfish boil held at The Cook Hotel.
T-Bob Hebert, J.P. Chaze, and D-D Breaux.
LSU football raffle winner Heidi Roesch with Amy Holland and Meg Matus.
Robby Mayne, chapter president, and Amy Holland, social chair. Melissa Edgar Hicks, Danielle Dupuis Dupre, and Chi Benson.
Purple Sponsor Big T’s Land Clearing agent Terry Hashert, left, with Sonya Hall and his parents.
LSU Tyler – More than 225 Tyler Tigers and friends gathered at True Vine Brewery to put away 750 pounds of crawfish provided by Chasing Tails Crawfish Catering and enjoy entertainment by Pay Mason and the Bayou Boogies Band from Shreveport. Alumna Mashala J. Edwards donated 10 percent of sales from her Urban Deaux Candle Company to the chapter, and The Rotolo’s – owned by alumna Meg Matus – “gave back” $1,000 check and raffled two tickets for a fall football game. “We had two Gold sponsors at the $500 level and four Purple sponsors at the $350 level, and we raised $5,365.68,” writes Amy Holland.
Laurie Woodel Breaux, chapter treasurer, presents a 10,000 check for the scholarship fund to LSU Alumni Association officers Amy Parrino and Landon Jordan.
Jan Cox, right front, with Tom and Anne Rioux, Mike and Murphy Toerner, and Dan and Dorothy Jowers.
LSU Austin – Austin Tigers gathered at Shoal Creek Saloon for the all-you-can-crawfish boil and annual meeting fundraiser, which benefits the chapter’s scholarship fund.
LSU Little Rock – “Our LSU
Alumni Little Rock Chapter held the annual crawfish boil at the Pinnacle Mountain Big Maumelle Pavilion,” writes Kelly Carmon. “Seventy-five local Tiger fans attended and welcomed Tammy Brown, representing the LSU Alumni Association. Chris Carmon, Al Aquino, and Brad Feller prepared more than 200 pounds of crawfish. We had a raffle, silent auction, a pop-up shop set up by LSUAA, and a great time was had by all.”
Nicole Wang, Brandy Ferree, Karin Gentry, and Sierra Terrebonne.
Kathy Crossin, Joe Carvhalhido, and Karen Brack.
Bill Brack and Pete Terrebonne. Chapter volunteers of thirty-plus years at the wind-down party.
LSU San Diego – San Diego Tigers took over Waterfront Park for the chapter’s thirty-third annual crawfish boil. Certified as the largest crawfish boil in the world, 25,000 pounds of fresh, live crawfish straight from the suburbs of Lafayette, were boiled on site, with other food vendors selling Cajun and Creole favorites. Live entertainment included performances by New Orleans' Cowboy Mouth and San Diego's Theo & The Zydeco Patrol.
Panhandle Bayou Bengals – After a two-year hiatus, some seventyfive Pensacola-area Tigers gathered at their traditional meeting place, Shooters Sports Bar at Cordova Lanes, to dig into 300 pounds of crawfish, take part in two silent auctions, and enjoy fellowship. Auctioneer John Hutchinson, volunteer Cindy Cash, and tech manager Rajiv Raja were among those assisting chapter president John Spurny manage the event.
From left, front, John Gross, LSU Alumni Association Vice-President Claire McVea, Jennifer Lawhon, Karen Koelemay, and Darrel Chumney; back, Kevin Koelemay, Mike Grantham, Brett Fontenot, John Lawhon.
LSU Memphis – “This was our first boil since 2019,” writes Kevin Koelemay. “We had about ninety people and consumed about 700 pounds of crawfish at our traditional boil beside the Lawhon family’s pond in Memphis.”
From left, Ashley Bryant, Chad Hebert, Peggy Arnold, Jacob Colle, Rob Kivel, Renee Kivel, Leslie Danks, and John Spurny.
Diego Samayoa, Iran Samayoa, Oscar Oliva, Kenneth Lirette, and Yadira Samayoa.
Chicageaux – Chicago alumni and friends gathered at D.S. Tequila Co. for the chapter’s annual crawfish boil. “We ordered 300 pounds of crawfish,” writes Kenneth Lirette, “and raffled autographed baseballs, mini basketballs, shirts, and other LSU goodies.”
Birmingham – The Birmingham Chapter hosted its thirty-seventh annual crawfish boil at Cahaba Brewing Company. “We sold approximately 170 pounds of crawfish, and our very own Brian Brazil did an excellent job DJ’ing for our event,” writes Eileen Milligan.
Crawfish and camaraderie on the patio at D.S. Tequila Co. Joy Monahan, Molly Hughes, Kenneth Lirette, and Donovan Lewis.
Brian Brazil, chapter vice president and DJ. Steve and Anna Knight with their daughters, Abigail and Elizabeth. Becky and Mark Crain.
Eileen Milligan, Richard Coston, and Lauren Britt.
Chapter President Paul West with Boone High School student volunteers Dylan, Carson, Josie, and Paul.
The Crawfish Krewe, including Ryan and Terry Ledet with family members visiting from Louisiana, prep the crawdads.
Chase Curtis, chair, Young Alumni; Brittany Ernest, LSU Alumni Association; Josie Taylor, chapter president; Sally Stiel, LSU Alumni Association; Stephanie Schmidt, secretary; and Brian Walker, vice president. LSU Alumni Association staffer Sally Stiel, left, and Joe Carvalhido, far right, with chapter board members Ed and Carolyn Kochan, Kris and Nicole Cowart, Debi and Paul West, and Kelly Ledet.
Central Florida – The Central Florida Chapter hosted its annual Scholarship Crawfish Boil at Bill Frederick Park in Orlando. The "Ledet Family Crawfish Krewe" washed and boiled more than 800 pounds of crawfish for the some 200 guests who enjoyed Louisiana music provided by the Jeff Howell Band. Ed and Carolyn Kochan cooked up a pot of jambalaya and attendees also enjoyed Abita Beer, hamburgers/brats, and various desserts. Kids participated in the annual crawfish race and an arts-and-crafts function hosted by the park. Sponsors, auctions, and raffles raised nearly $8,000 for the chapter’s scholarship fund.
LSU Atlanta – More than 250 Tigers gathered at Park Tavern in Piedmont Park for the annual crawfish boil, feasting on 1,000 pounds of crawfish provided by Catering Cajun, as well as seafood pasta, poboys, and pralines supplied by Copeland’s. A silent auction by Southern Fundraising, a 50/50 raffle, and the auction of a live painting of the event by artist Ronni Brashear raised funds for chapter scholarships. Creole and New Orleans-style music was provided by Wasted Potential Brass Band, and guests were treated to a second line parade around the park.
Golden Tigers Charles Golsen and Grace Novak. Erin, Annabelle, Claire, and Brian Chustz.
Jason Brandt, Alex Mascorro, Tom Lees, Justin Wahlberg, Barron Long, and Jeremy Hinz.
Denver Tigers smile for the camera.
LSU Denver – More than 250 Tigers and guests enjoyed camaraderie, libations, and 700 pounds of crawfish at Stoney’s Bar and Grill.
Ready to serve!
Bluegrass Bengals – Sharon
and Scott Siegel hosted the annual Bluegrass Bengals crawfish boil, which attracted some twenty-five Tiger alumni and friends who feasted on 113 pounds of crawdads.
Scott Siegel, chapter president, tends to the boiling mudbugs. Bill Balis serves ‘em up – and Erin Junkmann puts ’em away!
Central Virginia – Some 120 Tigers
and guests gathered at American Legion Post 354 on the James River for the chapter’s crawfish boil. Bill Bagley provided musical entertainment.
Lara Mae D Chollette, Leif Whitman, Kelly Stewart, Justin Ericson, Julianne Dunlap, Amanda Hebert, Shawn Lin, and Randall Sharper. Shawn Lin, Justin Ericson, and Randall Sharper. Justin Alfred, Autumn Autrey, and Beth Bello.
LSU Seattle – Forty-five Tigers gathered at Belltown Pizza to put away seventyfive pounds of crawfish and shrimp with all the “fixins.”
TIGER BITES
Unique Cuisine Catering
Since 1984, Unique Cuisine catering has been helping our friends in Baton Rouge, and South Louisiana turn their parties and festivities into events to remember. From our distinctive take on traditional food and creole favorites to our innovative ideas on CORPORATE EVENTS & CONFERENCES event planning, you’ll find we’re true experts on elevating your gathering to another level. Remember, when it
HOSPITALITY SUITES comes to planning your next event, “never settle for less than unique.”
COCKTAIL PARTIES & RECEPTIONS GOURMET BOX LUNCHES
GRADUATIONS, BIRTHDAYS, & ANNIVERSARIES PRE-GAME GATHERINGS
Molly Jumonville, Kara Rutherford, and Sarah Parham. Lindsay Schellhaas and Ellen Daughtery.
Teacher Leader Summit – Numerous LSU alums were among those attending the reception at the 2022 Teacher Leader Summit, an annual professional development conference that brings together Louisiana educators and content experts.
Sally Stiel and Douglas K. Waddell, Sr., at the LSU Alumni Association’s reception table.
TIGER BITES
Ruffino’s
RUFFIN RODRIGUE
founded Ruffino’s in 1998 with an understanding that he wanted to create a place where people could come to “celebrate life.” Today, his wife Alison continues his legacy and vision with Ruffino’s Director of Operations Megan Klock and Executive Chef Reid Henderson.
Featuring an old Italian feel, Ruffino’s has a wood-burning pizza stove, a temperature-controlled wine cellar with over 2,500 different varietals of wine, and three rooms for private parties and special events.
As a former football player at LSU, Ruffin always made sure that a big part of Celebrating Life meant celebrating his Tigers, and over the years, countless Tiger fans have gathered at Ruffino’s to share their love for all things purple and gold. OUR SIGNATURE DISH?
Crabmeat Cheesecake HAPPY HOUR EVERY FRIDAY FROM 2-6PM!
Cooper Knecht, curator of the LSU Ring Collection, places donated class rings in the LSU Ring Collection exhibit.
Class Ring Donations – The
class ring belonging to the late Gloria Ann Hebert, a 1959 education graduate, was donated to the LSU Ring Collection by Steve and Catherine Vogel, and Judith Michel donated the ring of her late husband, Larry D. Michel, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech in 1967 and 1969, respectively.
Also added to the exhibit were the rings of 1952 agriculture graduate John B. Kent, Jr.; Wisie Virginia Arrington, a 1928 arts and sciences graduate; and Dr. Curtis Duplechain, who earned his bachelor’s degree from LSU in 1959 and his M.D. from LSU Medical School in 1963.
To donate a ring for display in the permanent collection in the Lod Cook Alumni Center, contact Cooper Knecht at 225-578-3838.
Beverly and Jerry Shea, Jr., standing behind Harriet Shea, seated, pose for a group shot with staff.
Karla Lemoine with LSU Alumni Association officers, from left, John Grubb, vice president of hotel and conference operations; David Braddock, board chair; and Gordon Monk, president and CEO.
Shea Dinner – A good time was had by all at the annual dinner hosted for LSU Alumni Association and Cook Hotel employees by Beverly and Jerry Shea, Jr. This year’s event took place at Nash’s Restaurant in Broussard, La. Ardent, longtime LSU supporters, both Sheas have served as members and chairs of the Association Board of Directors, and Beverly is currently a member of hotel board.
Happy Retirement – Friends, family, and LSU Alumni Association staff and board members joined in congratulating Karla Lemoine, executive assistant to the president, on her last day at the LSU Alumni Center. Lemoine served in various roles in the College of Education and the College of Science and as assistant director of the LSU Academic Center for Student Athletes before joining the LSU Alumni Association in retirement from the University. She was recognized for her forty-eight years dedicated service, commitment, and untiring efforts on behalf of alumni, students, friends and former students, and faculty and staff of LSU.
LSU Alumni Association staff and confencence attendees gather for a group photo. Front row, from left, Leah Mellem, LSU; Ally Richardson, LSU; Katie Chopin, Centenary College; Jazmin Jernigan, LSU Shreveport; Ellen Yokum, Loyola University; Jeannie Brown, Loyola University; Sally Stiel, LSU; Kirsten Angelette, Nicholls State; Cara Traczek, UNO; Koren Thornton, Delgado; Olivia Graziano, Southeastern; back, John Grubb, LSU; Nakia Bates, Delgado; Frank Bernath, LSU; Emily Millet, LSU; Brandli Greer, LSU; Tucker Sappington, ULL; John Claude Arceneaux, ULL: Kayla Hebert, ULL; and Dan Hebert, ULL.
Executives of alumni organizations across the state gathered at the Lod Cook Alumni Center in July for the Association of Louisiana Alumni Executives Conference. With an emphasis on listening, learning, and sharing, participants took part in roundtable discussions focused on programming, marketing and communications, engagement, fundraising, and future initiatives.
Conference speakers included LSU alumna and NASA engineer K. Renee Horton, who shared her story of reconnecting with her alma mater; Trent Hill and Jordan Basham, addressing the importance of social media in engagement and fundraising efforts; Tommy Karam, LSU instructor of marketing, discussing the importance of interpersonal communication; and Brandon Landry, Walk On’s founder and CEO, telling his story about overcoming obstacles and building a successful organization. Retired gymnastics coach D-D Breaux wrapped up the conference with the story of her coaching journey.
Participants were treated to a trip around campus in the LSU Trolley and a tour of the football locker room in Tiger Stadium, and good eats were also on the agenda – dinner and a social hour at The Chimes, dinner at Walk On’s, a late-night social at The Cook Hotel bar sponsored by Visit Baton Rouge, and Southern-style breakfasts and “togeaux” boxes, compliments of Unique Cuisine.
Photos by Ally Richardson and Emily Schexnayder
NASA engineer K. Renee Horton, second from left, a conference speaker, was welcomed by Gordon Monk, president; Sally Stiel, vice president; and Brittany Ernest, Alumni Fund coordinator.
Brittany Ernest chats with conference attendees during a tour of Alex Box Stadium.
RICHARD LIPSEY, A FOUNDING
member and past chair of Cadets of the Ole War Skule, remembers LSU’s Memorial Tower from his childhood. “I can remember my parents driving me to school at George Peabody Hall in 1944,” he said. Peabody housed University High School (now University Laboratory School) where Lipsey was in the first grade. “When we ran around campus, we always knew the way back by looking for the tall tower,” he said. Memorial Tower, dedicated in 1926 as a memorial to the 1,447 Louisianans who died in World War I – and now home to the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum – officially reopened in April. Lipsey, co-chair of the LSU Military Excellence Campaign Fund Commission, spearheaded the restoration and renovation of the 175-foot structure with co-chair Laura Leach, past chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Leach was an LSU coed sixty years ago. “ROTC was mandatory for young men; that Parade Ground was full of marching cadets,” she said. “Young women gathered to watch. All of this was in front of the bell tower. The Tower stood for LSU for us. We girls walked past it on the way to class every day.”
From left, front, from Rob Stuart, president, LSU Foundation; Christin Meeker, Fusion Architects; John Garrison, donor; Lori Brookshire Garrison, donor; President William F. Tate IV; Governor John Bel Edwards; Rémy Starnes, chair, LSU Board of Supervisors; Jay Dardenne, Louisiana Commissioner of Administration; Mary Werner, member, LSU Board of Supervisors. Back, W. Henson Moore, president, Cadets of the Ole War Skule; Jake Netterville, past-president, Cadets of the Ole War Skule; Cory Bates, commander, American Legion National Vice Commander.
LSU was founded as a military school and has a
military history and heritage.”
Tiger Stadium, whose construction was hampered by cash problems and the failure of a construction company, saw its first game, against Tulane University, in an unfinished stadium in 1924. More than 17,000 people saw LSU’s victory on Thanksgiving Day.
The football stadium was built below the bluffs on the former 1,200acre Gartness Plantation so that its height wouldn’t overpower the twostory quadrangle buildings. Memorial Tower was built on the eastern end of the North Quadrangle, which forms a cross with the much larger South Quadrangle with the library at one end and Atkinson Hall at the other.
With proposed plans by the Olmsted Brothers firm of Massachusetts, the LSU campus had the footprint of a first-class college campus. The Olmsted name calls to mind New York’s Central Park, New Orleans’ Audubon Park, and the college campuses of Stanford and Cornell. The firm designed 250 public parks and sixty college campuses.
The Olmsteds’ successor in LSU’s design, Theodore C. Link, acclaimed for his design of Union Station in St. Louis in 1894, employed the sixteenthcentury Northern Italian Renaissance style for buildings and provided a toney name for Memorial Tower – the Campanile or bell tower. The elegant Tower overlooks the Parade Ground where Lipsey and other Cadets of the Old War Skule drilled as ROTC students.
Reading Professor Emeritus Paul Hoffman’s book Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1860-1919, former U.S. Rep. Henson Moore, who serves on the Memorial Tower committee and drilled on the Parade Ground, realized that LSU was one of the first ROTC schools in the country.
ROTC, Moore said, grew out of the Students’ Army Training Corps (SATC), which the War Department started in 1918, aided by an amendment to the Selective Service Act of 1917. Students who elected to become soldiers received help with their educational expenses and were assigned to participating universities. Assigning SATC detachments ended with the influenza epidemic of 1918, which took the lives of five LSU trainees.
Peter Soderbergh’s book Tower, Tablet and Tree: LSU and the American Legion, the Interwar Years, 1919-1941 details the fundraising for Memorial Tower done by the David J. Ewing Post No. 25 of the American Legion and an appropriation by the Legislature. The Tower was the property of the American Legion until the late 1940s, when ownership was transferred to the University.
MEMORIAL TOWER RENOVATION – LSU MILITARY MUSEUM Exhibit Design Committee
Memorial Tower was born in circumstances similar to the Coronavirus’ effect on the schools, restaurants and other businesses. An epidemic of Spanish Flu began at the end of World War I and affected an estimated 500 million people worldwide, about one-third of the world’s population. As many as fifty million people are thought to have died, including 675,000 Americans. By comparison, the war killed more than eight million soldiers and thirteen million civilians.
Best information had it that the World War I flu started in Europe, but its origin wasn’t known. It’s thought the disease was among the ranks of European armies before hostilities. The strain of flu took the name Spanish because the press in neutral Spain reported extensively on the epidemic while warring nations censured the news.
As fledgling efforts to train college-educated officers were winding down with the end of the war and Americans’ preoccupation with the flu, the views of a Baton Rouge physician, H.S. Joseph, were published in The Reveille of Dec. 3, 1920. Joseph and others proposed a bell tower to remember the American soldiers of World War I. The memorial might take the form of a clock tower with chimes. “LSU students were thrilled by the magnificent simplicity of the concept,” Soderbergh writes, “and chanted ‘We want chimes!’”
When Link took over design of the campus from the Olmsteds, his drawings included a campanile at the epicenter of campus, Soderbergh writes. As it happened, Link’s drawings were among his last. On Nov. 12, 1923, three days after the $85,000 contract to build a tower was set, Link died.
Between 1922 and 1926, the American Legion’s relationship with LSU regarding a tower grew stronger. When the Legion held its fourth annual state convention in Baton Rouge in 1926, members were told that $92,000 was on deposit, earmarked for the structure.
In March 1926, the University and the Legion held a joint service to remember Louisianans who died in the war. The Reveille "Memorial Edition" of June 6, 1919, cites twenty-five war dead from LSU, eight dying of flu. Classes let out at 2:30 p.m. with faculty and students convening in a grove of thirtyone oak saplings that we know today as Memorial Oak Grove. There was a brass plate for each of the saplings, including one for the Unknown Soldier. The grove is situated just south of the LSU Student Union.
Numbers of LSU’s war dead vary slightly according to different sources. Thomas F. Ruffin writes in his book Under Stately Oaks: A Pictorial History of LSU, revised edition: Of the “1,500 Louisianans” who lost their lives during World War II, “the 30 (some records say 31) LSU students and alumni were each remembered with a live-oak planted in the Memorial Grove located on Highland Road just south of the Parade Ground.”
The cost of Memorial Tower was $211,625.16. Estimates vary, but that’s the figure stated in the “Biennial Report of the President of Louisiana State University to the Governor and Members of the Legislature for 1932-34.” Caldwell Brothers of Baton Rouge was the contractor. Colonel Edward
CADETS OF THE OLE WAR SKULE
Jerry Campbell, Chair Ellen Brown Randy Gurie Laura Leach Richard Lipsey John Milazzo Jake Netterville Henson Moore RADM Ryland Percy Harvey Schwartzberg Dan Walsh
LSU
Roger Husser Paul Favaloro Tony Lombardo
CONSULTANTS
Brett Beach Cliff Deal
Guests Hart and Dorothy Guenther join Karen and Bill Brack for a photo. Schleider of New Orleans donated the original eighteen chimes in 1924 at a cost of $25,000. LSU spent $10,000 to have them installed. According to Soderbergh, six weeks later – on April 30, 1926 – LSU officials held the formal dedication of the “Greater University.” Since the previous summer, some buildings on the new campus had been available for use. Fall enrollment had been 1,712, and the cadet corps’ movement from its barracks in downtown Baton Rouge to its new home on April 11, 1926, signified LSU’s transition from the old to the new. Into the late 1950s, the University Museum displayed memorabilia of LSU’s early history. A World War I Museum, an information center, and conference rooms were in the tower’s wings. The rotunda was open. The structure, renovated in 1960 because of water damage, was rebuilt as it originally appeared and the base was remodeled to accommodate the Anglo-American Art Museum (LSU Museum of Art) in the wings and the Tower Information Center in the rotunda. The art museum moved to the Shaw Center in downtown Baton Rouge in 2005, and Cadets of the Ole War Skule established offices in Memorial Tower at that time.
Memorial Tower is a destination for all who visit LSU and wish to experience LSU’s rich military history, to realize its present military impact, and to catch a glimpse of its future military influence as an institution of higher education that is committed to educating and training future military leaders for our nation.”
Cindy ad Chuck Credo were among those attending the grand opening festivities. Memorial Tower reopened largely through the efforts of Lipsey’s campaign to raise $13 million through private subscription with an assist from Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Legislature. “It would not have happened without Richard,” Moore said of Lipsey’s efforts. “It became a personal project for him.”
The late Jerry Campbell, a restoration architect, used construction guidelines in the early architectural drawings to ensure the renovation reflected the interior design as presented in the original structure. Improvements include "smart windows," similar to transition sun lenses, designed to protect the artifacts inside. As the sun rises, the windows darken, allowing sunlight in, but not enough to damage the fragile artifacts on display.
“Memorial Tower is the showplace of the University, a destination for all who visit LSU and wish to experience LSU’s rich military history, to realize its present military impact, and to catch a glimpse of its future military influence as an institution of higher education that is committed to educating and training future military leaders for our nation,” Campbell said.
The renovation afforded an opportunity to add the names of World War I soldiers from Pointe Coupee Parish, said renovation committee member Harvey
Schwartzberg, a charter member of Cadets of the Ole War Skule. Sources vary on the number of Louisianans in World War I. Soderbergh went with the names that may be counted on the tablets, 1,474.
Before 1934, an unnamed Legionnaire discovered that the tablets represented just sixty-three of Louisiana’s sixty-four parishes. Somehow, Pointe Coupee Parish had been left out, Soderbergh writes. He comments in a footnote: “It appears also that the persons (Louisiana World War I veterans) so memorialized (on the Tower’s plaques) are Caucasians. No serious attempt was made to collect the names of Black males from Louisiana who died in service during the war. Had the ‘colored’ dead been incorporated into the lists the total number of names would have reached or exceeded 2,000.”
The Memorial Tower renovation committee decided to display those names on tablets to be placed beneath the original ones. “There are three plaques beneath the larger plaques in the rotunda,” Gurie said. “One includes the names of Pointe Coupee Parish citizens – white and Black. The names of Black Louisianans who died in the war appear on the other three plaques.”
Committee member Jake Netterville, a member of LSU ROTC from 19561960, remembers Memorial Tower as “a showplace” as he and fellow cadets drilled before it on the Parade Ground. Cadets of the Old War Skule, whose members number about 300, may be credited with the renovation, he said, but Lipsey, a U.S. Army veteran, made it happen.
Louisiana’s soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are remembered in the new military museum, with LSU athletes who served in the military
CADETS OF THE OLE WAR SKULE
memorialized in Board of Directors the Tiger Athletic Foundation Gallery. TAF contributed $1 million to the renovation.
The premier exhibition is dedicated to LSU’s most prominent military W. Henson Moore, President alumni. Memorabilia from U.S. Army MG Hunt Downer, Vice President Lt. Gen. Troy H. Middleton and the University’s only four-star general, RADM Ryland Percy, Secretary Charles “Hondo” Campbell, is on Bill O'Quin, Treasurer display along with items donated in memory of U.S. Marine Generals Robert Barrow and John A. Lejeune, Jake Netterville, Immediate Past President and U.S. Army Air Corps Gen. Claire C/Col Steven Fletcher Chennault. Among the many artifacts Franklin Foil is a license plate owned by Gen. George S. Patton, donated by LSU Col Walt Green graduate John Bass, who was head of Richard A. Lipsey Patton’s motorcade and was given the CPT Dillon Mathies plate by the general himself.
“I see the Tower as the most iconic John W. Milazzo, Jr. LSU structure, even more iconic Jake L. Netterville than Tiger Stadium,” said renovation committee member Roger Husser, LCDR John W. “JW” St. Amant assistant vice president for LSU planning, design, and construction. “I gained even more feeling for Memorial Tower working on the committee.” 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 Advocate where he wrote the Sunday column “Attic Salt.”
