FALL 2012 - Volume 88, Number 3 by LSU Alumni Association

ADMIT ONE To LOUISIANA

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a l u m n i

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m a g a z i n e

South Louisiana Career

with West Coast Style

Fall 2012, Volume 88, Number 3

right here in B at o n R o u g e

Creative Careers at Home

lights camera action

celtic media centre

Good for University, City, State

A Message From the

Chancellor

Our Hearts Will Beat ‘Forever LSU’ As the LSU community prepares to begin a new academic year, I look back on my four years here with sincere appreciation for the opportunity to have served a great university and especially the people who work with great passion in their jobs every day. It is those people – faculty, staff and students, alumni, and friends worldwide – who provide the heartbeat of the campus. There will be no shortage of memories, many good and a few disappointing, of what we have experienced together in the last four years. We have seen LSU rise to the top tier of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.” Our students have continued to be honored on a national level, with multiple Goldwater, Truman, and Udall Scholarship recipients. Our researchers have made remarkable findings and significant advances that benefit our region, our nation, and our world. We can be proud of continued improvement to our graduation rate. We can boast of bigger, more diverse, and better qualified freshman classes over the course of the last several years. We have reveled in championships in athletic competition. In a show of tremendous support from LSU contributors from far and wide, the Forever LSU Campaign came to fruition and enabled us to add endowed chairs and professorships, increase student scholarships, and cut ribbons on a new Business Education Complex and LSU Band Hall. Disappointment has come in the form of budget cuts that have significantly impacted resources, eliminated jobs, and contributed to faculty flight. I prefer to reflect on what greatness may lie ahead for LSU should those funds be restored in the future. LSU is truly one of America’s great universities that has thrived when given the opportunity and has survived when tested by adversity. I encourage LSU alumni everywhere to continue to support your alma mater. It is doing great things every day, making a difference in millions of lives and producing the kind of leaders that our country needs. Jan and I will look back fondly on our days in Baton Rouge and will always value the friendships we have made. Our hearts will beat Forever LSU.

Michael V. Martin Chancellor

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Publisher Charlie W. Roberts

Contents

Editor Jackie Bartkiewicz Advertising James Fisher Art Director Chuck Sanchez STUN Design & Interactive

a l u m n i

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Features

32 L.A. to LA With the verve that youthful enthusiasm and passion can deliver, film makers, managers, set designers, and casting agents flit from building to building and office to office. Cutting edge technology is commonplace for them. They work long hours without even a second thought. These are people on a mission – expressing their creativity and view of the world not in Los Angeles or New York, but right here in Baton Rouge. Brenda Macon talks to LSU alums whose education and talents let them find creative careers at home.

44 Stage Right Welcome to Hollywood … on campus. Baton Rouge may be more than 1,500 miles from Los Angeles, but LA is looking more and more like L.A. these days. The film industry in Louisiana was almost non-existent when LSU first starred on the silver screen in 1988 in Everybody’s All-American. Since the state’s motion picture tax credit was enacted in 2002, it has advanced in leaps and bounds and has been used as a filming location for five feature films since 2005. Damian Foley reveals the reasons the LSU campus a star in its own right.

In Each Issue 1 A Message from the Chancellor 4 President’s Message 6 LSU Alumni Association News 50 Around Campus 64 Locker Room 66 Tiger Nation

Cover design by Chuck Sanchez/STUN Design

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Editorial Assistants Patti Garner; Brenda Macon, Copy Editor; Katie McCrocklin, Student Intern Contributors Barry Cowan, Jacquelyn Craddock, Matt DeVille, Rachel L. Emanuel, Kathy Fives, Damian Foley, Emily Herrington, Bud Johnson, Aaron Looney, Brenda Macon, Judson Moore, Wayne Pacelle, Harriet Robinette, Will Stafford, Beth Tope, Ben Wallace Photography Nick Arnold/Check the Gate Production, Barry P. Allen, Bill Bagley, Aaron Bayham, Bayer Photography, Jackson Beals, Caitlin Berry, Celtic Media Centre, Matt DeVille, Ray Dry, Michael L. Ferro, Larry Hubbard, LSU Sports Information, Randy Macon, Alan Markfield, Sian McArthur, Julia Breaux Melancon, Polina Melnikova, Eddy Perez, Warner Bros. Pictures, Teddy Smith, Lindsey Kleinpeter Stelly, Beth Tope, Jim Zietz Printing Baton Rouge Printing

58 64 84

Editorial and Advertising Office LSU Alumni Association 3838 West Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686 225-578-3838 • 888-RINGLSU www.lsualumni.org / e-mail: jackie@lsualumni.org LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by the LSU Alumni Association. A contribution of $50 or more for an annual subscription includes membership in the Alumni Association. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Please write to the address listed above. LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE reserves the right to edit all material accepted for publication. Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the LSUAA or LSU. © 2012 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686 The mission of the LSU Alumni Association is to protect, promote, and foster the welfare of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College and to create and nurture mutually beneficial relationships between the University and its alumni and friends. The Association, using the talents and resources of alumni and friends of Louisiana State University, supports the University in pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and public service to future and current alumni. NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael H. Woods Chair, Shreveport, La. Jack Andonie Chair-Elect, Metairie, La. Guy Campbell III Past Chair, Monroe, La. Scott L. Anderson, Monroe, La. Ted A Martin, Baton Rouge, La. Mary Lou Applewhite, New Orleans, La. Louis R. Minksy, Baton Rouge, La. Jon D. “Jay” Babb, Baton Rouge, La. Richard C. “Ricky” Oustalet, Jennings, La. Gil Rew, Mansfield, La. J. Hals Benhard, Palmetto, La. Beverly Shea, New Iberia, La. C. A. “Buddy” Brice III, Biloxi, Miss. John T. Shelton, Jr., Houston, Texas Gregg Cordaro, Baton Rouge, La. Carl J. Streva, Morgan City, La. Theresa M. Gallion, Tampa, Fla. Susan K. Whitelaw, Shreveport, La. Ronald M. Johnson, Baton Rouge, La. Lodwrick M. Cook, Director Emeritus Jan K. Liuzza, Kenner, La. Sherman Oaks, Calif.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

President/CEO’s

MESSAGE

Photos by Larry Hubbard

Facing Challenge with Spirit, Determination, Loyalty As many of you know, Chancellor Mike Martin has left LSU to head up the Colorado State University System. Mike has been a tremendous supporter and partner of the LSU Alumni Association, always willing to spend time meeting, greeting, and encouraging Tiger faithful across the state and across the country. We will most definitely miss him, and we wish him all the best in his new endeavor. During Mike’s four years at LSU, millions of dollars have been cut from higher education and in funding to this campus. Needless to say, these are challenging times at LSU as the University faces budget reductions while searching for a president of the LSU System and a chancellor of LSU. However, with the true spirit and determination of the LSU faculty, staff, and students as well as the steadfast support of our alumni and friends, this great university will continue to excel in all aspects. The fall semester is here with a slight increase in enrollment. Students have completed sorority and fraternity rush and are now settling into a semester of classwork and other activities. And, of course, everyone is excited about the fifth season of the year – football. With the addition of Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri to the Southeastern Conference, several new exciting rivalries will begin. With eight home games this year, we hope to see many of our alumni and friends throughout the season. Larry Jones, a valued member of our staff, underwent surgery for cancer of the esophagus at Methodist Hospital in Houston on July 19. His esophagus was removed along with the cancer, and a new esophagus was built to replace it. At the same time, a tumor discovered on the lymph node was removed and determined to be benign. As of this writing, Larry is recuperating at a fast pace and will be in Houston about eight weeks. His address is 8181 Fannin St., Fannin Street Station Apartments #2212, Houston, TX 77054. He would love to hear from his many friends. I mentioned earlier the two new additions to the SEC, Texas A&M and Missouri. We are especially pleased, alumni-wise, with Texas A&M’s entry. Texas A&M is an independent alumni association, just as we are, meaning we receive no state support. Until now, we were the only independent alumni association in the SEC. For several years, we have collaborated with Texas A&M on many issues concerning budget, policy, and procedures. We are delighted they are now a member of our conference. Finally, we’re approaching the final one-third of the year. If you have made your annual contribution, we thank you. If you have not, we urge you to consider making a gift to the Association. Now, more than ever, your support counts. LSU is a major force in this state, region, and nation – and you are the reason we are. Forever LSU

Charlie W. Roberts President/CEO P.S. Tiger Band alums – don’t forget to register for the 2012 Band Reunion Sept. 28-29 – LSU vs. Towson (pronounced COW-SON). For information, visit www.lsualumni.org

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From Our Readers Dear Editor, It has been great to see the letters regarding the LSU boxing team from the late 1940s, especially the photo of Pee Wee Moss and the others. Since I was a student athletic manager at LSU, I remember working with the different teams from 1948 until early 1950. With regards to the boxing team, I can recall the bouts with Maryland, Miami, Syracuse, and other teams. Some of the other boxers were Jack Dyer, Sam Allgood, Buddy Bourgeois, Calvin Clary, and Blackie Howell. During this time, I worked with the 1949 “Cinderella team,” which went to the Sugar Bowl in 1950. I still have all of the programs from that season. I also worked with the 1950-1951 basketball team which starred Joe Dean, Spider Murphy, and Dickie Thompson. During the 1950 baseball season, I was on the same team with my brother, Ed. As a note, our older brother, John, played on the 1944 baseball team. Both Ed and John played professional ball later in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Those were some great years for sports at LSU and we all have fond memories of that time!

Regards, Bob Fetzer (1953 BACH BUS, 1958 MBA)

Dear Ms. Bartkiewicz, This is an overdue letter of thanks to LSU for loaning me “out of state tuition” ($500 for five semesters ’52-’55). This loan was essential for me to complete my study for a B.S. in petroleum engineering and permitted me to enjoy a great life in the profession of my choice. Please extend my personal thanks to all LSU management and faculty that continue and perpetuate the great traditions we are so proud of.

Best regards to all the large and small tigers. Dean Carson (1955 BACH ENGR) Editor’s note: Catch up with Dean in Class Notes, page 66.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association

news

Lod Cook Classic University Club Hosts 2012 Golf Tourney

By Matt DeVille Photos by Larry Hubbard

The team of Ed Sutherland, Andy Bush, Lee Witt, and Robert Bayam captured top honors.

It was a brilliantly sunny but steamy morning at The University Club June 4 as the LSU Alumni Association hosted the 2012 Lod Cook LSU Alumni Golf Classic presented by AT&T. More than eighty players crowded around the No. 10 tee box behind the clubhouse to witness what has become a tradition at the Association’s annual golf tournament. The event’s namesake – and the Association’s most generous benefactor – Lod Cook, was introduced to hit the ceremonial opening tee shot that kicked off festivities at this year’s event. Much the way they do it at famed Augusta National Golf Club, where Cook is a member, the 83-year-old retired oilman smacked the official tee shot down the fairway emulating Jack Nicklaus’ and

Arnold Palmer’s annual ritual to open The Masters. Handed a sparkling new white Taylor Made driver and a NIKE golf ball emblazoned with the tournament’s logo and Cook’s likeness, the 1950 LSU graduate looked down at the ball and laughed. “I’ve never hit a ball with my face on it,” he said. “I might hit this one better!” He might lack the flexibility he once had, and he might not have the same torque in his golf swing as in years gone by, but Cook showed great form in knocking the little white pill down the middle of the fairway. The team of Ed Sutherland, Andy Bush, Lee Witt, and Robert Bayam carded a 14-under 58 to capture top honors in the field of twenty-two teams. Shooting the tournament’s lowest score not only produced the event’s top prizes, but the foursome qualified to represent

LSU Alumni Association Executive Vice President Cliff Vannoy presents $1,000 to Ed Sutherland, winner of the putting contest.

Lod Cook welcomes the golfers to The University Club.

Lod Cook, second from right, with AT&T team members Martha Wells, Aaron Dunaway, Pat Mouch, and Sharon Kleinpeter.

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Woodrow Wilson team members Robert Stuart, Mark Wilson, Charles D’Agostino, and Scott Wilson with Lod Cook.

LSU at the ACURA College Alumni Team Championship in November. The ACURA College Alumni Team Championship is a four-day event held at the Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina. Teams representing sixty-two universities from across the country will compete to win a national championship. Finishing second in the low gross division was the team consisting of Rodney Terral, Chris Jackson, Steve Sawyer, and Munzer Qaddourah. Third place went to B.J. Andrews, Don Green, John Sullivan, and Andy Ringswald. In the low net division, the team consisting of John Barranco, Sean Flynn, Steve Flynn, and Chris McCarter took first place. Second place went to Brandon Landry, Fritz Cerville, Chris Loupe, and Stephen Loupe. David Funes, Darryl Breaux, Lane Word, and Luke Aass finished third in the low net category.

Closest-to-the-pin honors went to Van Mansur (Hole 5), Lee Witt (Hole 8), Steve Sawyer (Hole 13), and Mike Kimble (Hole 16). Robert Stuart won the longest drive contest on No. 17. Ed Sutherland took home $1,000 after winning the putting contest sponsored by Premiere Sports Travel. After the preliminary round, six golfers reached a putt-off for the grand prize. After the first five competitors each needed two putts in the sudden death final, Sutherland drained an uphill, left to right breaking, 42-foot putt. The 2013 Lod Cook LSU Alumni Golf Classic presented by AT&T is set for March 4 at the University Club. Contact Tracy Jones at 225-578-3818 or by email at tracyj@lsualumni.org for team or sponsorship information.

Lod Cook, center, with Dr. Jim Fleischhauer, Mike Hillman, Mike Simm, and Stan Williams.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

All in the Family Family Connections Make Senior Ring Ceremony Special

By Jackie Bartkiewicz Photos by Matt Deville and Larry Hubbard

Siblings Deanna Kelley and Dean Kelley.

Riley Vannoy and dad Cliff Vannoy.

Ed Rodriguez, Karen Rodriguez Beter, and Brett Beter.

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Granddad Edward Rodriguez, of Kenner, La., and mom Karen Rodriguez Beter, of Metairie, La., beamed with pride as May 2012 graduate Brett Beter walked across the stage to receive his senior ring from Mike the Tiger. Now all three continue the purple-andgold tradition, proudly wearing LSU rings as symbols of milestones achieved and a reminder of shared values. The family was among the nearly 600 guests – seniors, relatives, and friends – on hand for the two spring Senior Ring ceremonies held at the Lod Cook Alumni Center April 24. “Dad’s love for LSU has touched all of our lives,” said Karen Beter (1981 BACH AGR). “My parents have four grandchildren at LSU right now – a grandchild in each class.” Edward Rodriguez (1955 BACH ENGR) is a past president of the LSU Alumni Association Jefferson Parish Chapter. Brett, a finance and political science graduate, is studying at Tulane Law School this fall. But on ring night he was nostalgic, saying, “I wish I didn’t have to leave.”

Three generations of rings.

Sis and Bro Spring graduates Deanna Kelley and her brother, Dean, both of Lacombe, La., received their rings together, though Dean started college two years ahead of his sister. “A biking accident left me with a broken back, and I had to stay out a year,” explained Dean, a mechanical engineering graduate. “Plus, I was in a four-year-plus curriculum.” At the time of the ceremony, Dean had lined up a post-graduation job at Flowserve Corporation in Baton Rouge, and Deanna, a business major, was interviewing for marketing and eventplanning positions in the area.

Proud Papa LSU Alumni Senior Vice President and COO Cliff Vannoy serves as the emcee at the Association’s Senior Ring ceremonies. He greets the students, issues them a welcome from the Association, and imparts a few words of wisdom as they prepare to make the transition from their college years to life in the real world. The April 24 ceremony, however, had special meaning for Vannoy – as he heard the name of his son, Riley, called and posed with him for a photo with Mike the Tiger. The younger Vannoy will receive a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in December.

Saturday Night I don’t get back as often as I would like For I live far to the West, down 20 pike At last the day has finally arrived And we’re off to the stadium, as devised. The tailgate site, always the same Awaits the results of culinary fame. Boudin, etouffee, jambalaya, but always beer Await those in quest-of fun ’n good cheer. Hark, we hear the beat of a distant drum Which builds to a steady spirited thrum. Cheering, we eagerly await the next thrill As the team and coaches walk down Victory Hill. Next come the Golden Band and cheerleaders too. The hair on our napes stand, as it would on you If a cut on your skin bleeds purple and gold And your heritage arises – from the same mold. It’s now time to go and seek our usual seats For parting the crowd will be a daunting feat. We step through the portal, ever so bold And see a sight breathtaking to behold. Bright lights bathe a field of brilliant green With an awesome crowd adding to the scene. Strategic additives of purple and gold Make “Death Valley” unique and oh so bold. Here comes the Golden Band from Tigerland Next cheerleaders and Golden Girls close at hand. Then the caged Tiger by the name of Mike The sixth of his kind and of the same like. The opposing team, fully booed, takes the field. Then the Tigers, with a refusal to yield. The captains meet, for the agreed coin toss. The foray results with our opponents’ loss. The Tiger team gathers on the west side And the students join like a rising tide. They start singing “The Ole War Skule” song And the loyal fans happily join along. Bear Bryant said it was like playing in a drum And it’s been a long time since he heard that strum The band plays and the fans and students dally For it’s Saturday night – in “Death Valley.”

Dr. Robert J. Turner III (1950 BACH H&SS, 1954 MD)

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Tiger Band drum major Chase Howard, Carmen Parker, Faye Seab, Mary Raudabaugh, and band director Roy King at the new Band Hall.

Kathleen Garrison, Joanne Carrillo, Museum of Natural Science curator Van Remsen, and Dave Cagnolatti examine colorful birds from the collection.

Chapter Events

Randy Raudabaugh; Pat Bollich, resident director, Central Research Station; Randy Wright, research associate and supervisor; Vice Chancellor John Russin; Norman Deumite; and Pat Doescher.

Softball director of operations Kim Boudreaux, Quinlan Duhon, Coach Beth Torina, and Jeanne Fisher.

Greater Baton Rouge – Tiger alumni in Greater Baton Rouge gathered at several venues during the 2011-12 academic year, exploring goings-on and opportunities across the campus and city. They met in October with John Russin, vice chancellor and director of the LSUAg Center’s Central Research Station, to learn about the unit’s endeavors to enhance plant and Paul Dupuy, Marie Allen, Paula Dupuy, LSU Rural Life livestock production in Louisiana. In Museum docent Greg Baldwin, Julie Levert, and June November, alumni and friends gathered and Joe Guillory. at Matherne’s Wine Room to visit with softball coach Beth Torina, and in March toured the new Tiger Band Hall. Later that month, renowned ornithologist Van Remsen delighted members with his stories of discovering and collecting the birds catalogued at the LSU Museum of Natural Science. In April, the group toured the Rural Life Museum, an event organized by Paul and Paula Dupuy. Photos by Beth Tope and Barry P. Allen

Indianapolis Tigers

Indianapolis – More than two dozen Tigers in the Indianapolis, Ind., area gathered at the home of Tom and Susan Aycock on May 26 to enjoy mudbugs and all the trimmings flown in from Kenner Seafood.

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LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Chapter Events

Keith and Dianne Pearson.

Alison Berry with future Tigers Abby and Joseph.

Davis and Janis Tubre.

Tarrant Tigers – The Tarrant Tigers Alumni Chapter entertained a crowd of about seventy-five fun loving, crawfish-and-jambalaya-eating Texans at its annual crawfish boil April 28. Benbrook Lake provided a fabulous view, and huge trees and the large pavilion provided shade as kids played ball, tossed horseshoes, and roamed the great outdoors. Adults enjoyed shopping at the Tigers Store and bidding in the silent auction to get some LSU items into Texas territory. Some $2,000 was raised to support scholarships for outstanding Texas students to attend LSU. Gary Taylor, Michael and Angela Mooney

Shopping at the Tiger Store.

Tureaud Plans Extravaganza –The first meeting of the executive planning committee of the A. P. Tureaud, Sr., Alumni Chapter 2013 Reunion Extravaganza was held at the home of chapter member Evelyn McWilliams in University Club Plantation. Seated, from left are College of Human Sciences & Education Dean Laura Lindsay, retired University College Dean Carolyn Collins, A. P. Tureaud, Jr., McWilliams, and Rachel L. Emanuel; standing, from left are Cheri M. Ausberry, Judge Luke Lavergne, Chante Warren, LSU Alumni Association Executive Vice President Cliff Vannoy, Leo C. Hamilton, Ron Johnson, Mary K. Scott, Brandon Smith, Collis Temple, Jr., Linda Griffin, Kim Hunter-Reed, Jason Wesley, and Perry Franklin. Not pictured are Randy Fontenot, Melody Robinson, and Sylvia Weatherspoon. The reunion -- in September 2013 (day to be determined) – will be a great opportunity for members of LSU alumni, administrators, faculty, staff, and students, as well as community supporters, to come together for an entertaining and educational alumni chapter experience.

National Capital Chapter – LSU faithful in the D.C. area gathered at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria, Va., on June 2 for the chapter’s annual crawfish boil. The crowd feasted on five tons of crawfish, corn, and potatoes, as well as jambalaya, and the Tigers walloped Tulane alums in a friendly softball game. Football view-ins will take place at the Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill. For game times and news about other chapter happenings, visit www.lsudcalumni.com. To join the chapter’s e-mail list, write to dclsualumni@yahoo.com.

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Lacey Brooks, silent auction chair, and Josh Anderson, chapter vice president.

Jenny Steed, live auction chair, and Matt Drummond.

Kevin Faulk and Crista Barish, social chair.

Anthony, Anne, and Bob Bruno.

Kids enjoyed the face painting. Can you spot the true Tiger fan?

Billy Cannon and Tip Jenny, membership chair.

Houston â&#x20AC;&#x201C; What do you get when you put together more than 700 Tiger alumni and fans; thirty sponsors; 4,800 pounds of crawfish, corn, and potatoes; LSU legend Billy Cannon; football greats Kevin Faulk and Gabe Northern; a live auction; seventy-five silent auction items; live music; and a lot of fun? The 2012 LSU Houston Crawfish Boil presented by Party Gate held on April 28! Everyone had a great time and through their generosity helped raise more than $15,000 for scholarships. Photos by Bayer Photography

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Chapter Events Tiger Tour BR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Greater Baton Rouge Chapter hosted the final 2012 Tiger Tour at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on May 22. Proceeds from the event help fund the chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scholarships for area students. The tour, an annual event sponsored by the LSU Alumni Association, Tiger Athletic Foundation, and the LSU Foundation, spanned two months and eleven cities from Houston to Biloxi. Coach Les Miles and new Tiger basketball coach Johnny Jones were among the LSU sports figures who traveled to many of the tour stops. Photos by Larry Hubbard and Beth Tope

Dr. Steve Sherman and Gayla Howington.

Charles Moniotte with Susan and David Corona.

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Front, from left, Mike Tillman, Keith LaNassa, Gary Young, assistant football coach Greg Strudrawa, Don Savoie, and Chuck Bardwell; back, from left, Danny Delaup, emcee Gordy Rush, Reece LeBlanc, and Reggie Richey.

LSU Alumni Association News

Vegas Boil is Spiciest Event on Las Vegas Strip The dramatic Las Vegas Strip was the backdrop for the spiciest event in Vegas this year! The Las Vegas Chapter hosted its 9th Annual Crawfish Boil, attracting the largest crowd ever in attendance to support LSU. Special guests from the LSU Alumni Association team joined us again this year from Baton Rouge, which let us share a truly special event with our alma mater.

By Kathy Fives

Johnathan Streva at the football throw.

Singing the “LSU Fight Song.”

Jamabalaya with the Beverleys.

LSU crowd on the Las Vegas Strip.

Three live bands entertained approximately 650 people, and dancing was followed by a spontaneous second line, which has become a tradition at the event. We not only had the best crawfish west of the Mississippi but also served up Natchitoches meat pies, jambalaya, and roasted pig. Festivities abounded throughout the event, with crawfish races, face painting, and football throwing contests keeping the kids and “kids at heart” competing for prizes. The silent auction and raffle were treasure troves filled with LSU- and Louisiana-themed gift baskets. The auction raised thousands of dollars to begin building a second scholarship endowment for Las Vegas students to attend LSU.

Ian and Gino entertain the crowd.

Terry Jarreau, chapter president; Marie Bruno; Markie Russell, treasurer; Connie DeBaugh; Erin and Martha Junkmann; and Sam Rosenthal.

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Bon Air Days – Members of the Central Virginia Chapter put the finishing touches on their Mardi Gras float for their annual ride in the Bon Air Days Historical Parade held May 12 in Richmond, Va. “We participate in this parade each year and have a good time throwing beads to the crowd,” writes Markie Russell. “They look forward to us each year.” Photo by Bill Bagley

Dallas Boils 3,400 Pounds of Crawdads, Raises $14,000 By Harriet Robinette

Eric and Allison Kulenberg with their son.

Ray Williams, Kathy Edmonds-Williams, and Harriet Robinette.

Some 800 LSU alumni, family, and friends attended the Dallas Chapter’s annual crawfish boil at the Double D Ranch in Mesquite, Texas, on April 21. Over 3,400 pounds of Louisiana-raised crawfish prepared by Catering Cajun of Baton Rouge was consumed, along with offerings such as Cajun chicken pasta by Boston Market, red beans and rice by Dodie’s Frisco, jambalaya by Elements in Spice, Cajun turkey sliders and LSU alumni gathered at the Double D Ranch to drumsticks by Cajun Turkey, and consume some 3,400 pounds of mudbugs and other Cajun fare. beignets and meat pies by Cajun Tailgators food truck. Those attending took part in paddle boat rides and races, football toss by Big Game, Soccer by FC Dallas, and the bounce house, and enjoyed just hanging around dancing and talking with friends. Silent and live auctions featured artwork by Tony Bernard, LSU sports memorabilia, restaurant packages, and purple and gold fine jewelry. The highly coveted auction item was the “Bama Blast,” which included two tickets to the 2012 LSU vs. Alabama game with side-line passes, Lettermen Club passes, hotel room, and local restaurant gift cards. There was also a raffle for all the LSU home game tickets. The event raised $14,000+ toward the soon-to-be-fully-endowed Dallas Legacy Award scholarship, which will be awarded annually to one LSU bound student whose parents are active members of the LSU Dallas Chapter Alumni Association.

225.383.3663 l www.uniquecuisine.net

Linda Young and Robbie Petro gather items for the silent auction.

As the official caterer of the LSU Alumni Association, we offer a myriad of choices for catering any event in Baton Rouge’s best location - The Lod Cook Alumni Center. Whether it is a wedding reception, corporate meeting, crawfish boil or cocktail party, we will make it truly UNIQUE!

Never settle for less than Unique! LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Heard Scholarship Established in DeSoto The newly established Virginia Heard and Bruce Jensen Desoto Parish Leadership Scholarship was announced on July 14 at the chapter’s annual banquet, held at Cypress Bend in conjunction with the Dr. Don Taylor Golf Classic.

Herman Lawson and Virginia Heard Jensen.

John Russell, Robin Bagley, Jeff Garsee, and Amy Garsee.

Fred Binnnig and Donnie Dufour.

More than 200 LSU faithful and friends of the Jensen family were on hand as former chapter president Herman Lawson presented a plaque of recognition to Virginia Jensen in honor of her late husband, Bruce, and her contributions to LSU and the DeSoto Parish community. The Jensens’ three daughters are LSU graduates, as was Virginia’s brother, 1940s football great Holley Heard. Virginia, a native of Haynesville, La., holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from LSU. Bruce also earned a bachelor’s degree from LSU and retired from the U.S. Coast Guard at the rank of commander. Featured speaker for the evening was LSU baseball legend, Todd Walker. Donnie Dufour was named DeSoto Parish Alumnus of the Year, with the award being presented by the 2011 Alumnus of the Year Fred Binning. The 2012 Purple and Gold Award was awarded to Steve and Melody Jones in honor of the couple’s unwavering dedication and endless help which the two have afforded to the chapter over the years. New chapter officers installed at the banquet were Jeff Garsee, president;

Robin Bagley, vice president; John Russell, secretary-treasurer; and Amy Garsee, social chair. New members of the board of directors are Dudley Glenn, Tommy Craig, Dave Means, Walter Dorroh, John Russell, Gil Rew, and Donnie Dufour. The Taylor Golf Classic raised nearly $55,000 for the chapter’s scholarship, which awards recipient LSU students $1,000 a year. This year’s event featured ten teams in the July 13 early bird and forty-eight in two flights in the morning and the afternoon. The tournament was preceded by a “burger bash” on Friday night with food catered and donated by Billy Bennett of Billy B’s Restaurant in Mansfield, La. James Pendley, of Shreveport, La., provided piano entertainment at the Saturday afternoon reception hosted by Tommy and Loretta Woodward. Before the banquet, golfers competed in a Long Ball Shoot-Out, an exciting chance to win $250,000, which was sponsored by Dave Means, III, and Roseneath Plantation. Taking first in the Saturday morning championship flight was the Edward Jones Team; second, Community Bank Team; and third, Therateam. Saturday afternoon championship winners were Argent Team, first; McDonald, Mijalis, Montelepre and Smith Team; Dr. Greg Bryan Team, second; and Dayton DeSoto Team, third.

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LSU Alumni Association News

Cannon, Heisman Trophy Highlight Minden Event

Story and photos by Matt DeVille

Benny DePingre, Pat DePingre, Peyton Ruple, and Jerri DePingre.

Renae Simmons, Fred Elzen, Gary Haynes, Kay Elzen, Jamie Bueche, Joey Graziano, Jeanne Branch, Daniel Gibson, Sharon Gibson, James Fisher, Benny DePingre, Shari Covington, Jason Ramezan, Charlie Roberts, Tracy Jones, and Coty Cater.

There was a different feel to the Webster-Claiborne Alumni Chapter Golf Tournament and Fish Fry this year. Since 1984, the annual summer fundraising event held in Minden has featured a visit from the Tigers head football coach. From Bill Arnsparger to Les Miles, six different coaches have previewed the upcoming football season at the event held each year at Pine Hills Country Club. Due to conflicting engagements, Miles was unable to attend this year’s event, but chapter officials were overjoyed with the booking of his replacement.

Billy Cannon and Claude West.

Tiffany Soto and Jerri DePingre.

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LSU great Billy Cannon made the trip to Minden and brought with him the most famous trophy in all of sports, the Heisman Trophy. “This is the first time I’ve ever been to Minden,” Cannon said during his initial remarks. “And I will definitely remember it for a while because when we got off the Interstate, we got pulled over by one of your local police officers. When he asked for our registration, I handed it to him. He looked at the paper and looked up at me and said, ‘Billy Cannon.’ I said, ‘Yes?’ He asked me what I was doing in town, and I told him I was coming here for this event. He said, ‘Well, welcome to Minden!” “But being Billy Cannon still didn’t keep him from writing my wife a speeding ticket,” Cannon said. Thunderous laughter followed. Dot Cannon is the official driver to all events. With plans to return to their home in St. Francisville, La., following the event, as the clock ticked past nine in the evening, someone asked her if she needed them to wrap it up. “It won’t do any good,” she said. “He will sit there and sign every one of them. When he’s tired and ready to go, he will get up and go.” While Cannon was the featured guest of the evening, there was some chapter business to attend to during the event as well. The Webster-Claiborne Chapter awards two scholarships annually, and those presentations were made by Jerri DePingre. The 2012 Webster-Claiborne LSU Alumni Association Chapter Scholarship was presented to Tiffany Soto. The Major DePingre Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Peyton Ruple. Awards were also handed out for the golf tournament, which was held earlier in the day at Pine Hills. Despite steamy conditions, more than twenty teams participated in the event.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Connections Tureaud Members Bring “Living History” to Stanford

By Rachel L. Emanuel

Stanford University students were presented “living history” when LSU alumni addressed their experiences with the Jim Crow era-South during their presentation “School Integration and the Civil Rights Movement” at Ujamaa Drake Lounge on the campus April 2. Rachel L. Emanuel (1988 BACH MCOM, 1990 MAST MCOM) and A. P. Tureaud, Jr. (attended 1953, HON 2011), authors of A More Noble Cause: A. P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana, and Stanford Professor Emeritus Lucius Barker were interviewed by Jan Barker-Alexander (1989 BACH H&SS), associate dean of students and director of Black Community Services Center, resident fellow, Ujamaa House. Emanuel, Tureaud, and BarkerAlexander are members of the A. P. Tureaud, Sr., Black Alumni Chapter and Louisiana natives. Barker is also a native Louisianan. The students were introduced to the topic by viewing Journey for Justice: The A. P. Tureaud Story, a documentary produced and co-written by Emanuel. The film, an educational and fund-raising project of the Tureaud chapter, explores how, as the local attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Tureaud handled practically all the desegregation and other civil rights cases filed in Louisiana from the early 1930s through the 1960s. Responding to a student’s request on what today’s youth can do to address injustice in society, Barker, Emanuel, and Tureaud encouraged students to get involved and work together with their classmates and other future leaders of their generation. Emanuel read a passage from the book, quoting attorney Tureaud: “There are those who evince a keener interest in public questions, and a stronger grasp of social forces. Their hearts are well kindled with social passion; with considerable definite scientific knowledge of the problems that now press for solution, and with an earnest purpose to have a hand in working them out. “With their present attainment, they have splendid opportunity to make the world a better place in which to live.” The “Living History” panelists agreed that the torch is being passed confidently to students as future leaders. The evening ended with a book signing by Emanuel and Tureaud.

Jan Barker-Alexander, Mary K. Scott, Rachel L. Emanuel, and A. P. Tureaud, Jr.

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you r Alu m n i Dolla r s at Work

Among those recognized at the University-wide Distinguished Faculty Awards Ceremony on May 1 were faculty and a graduate student who received awards funded by the LSU Alumni Association.

LSU Alumni Association Professorship $6,200 of the professorship stipend Hector Zapata, College of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness

LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Awards $1,000 Pictured with LSU Alumni Association Executive Vice President Cliff Vannoy, Chancellor Mike Martin, and Provost Jack Hamilton are Faculty Excellence Award winners Julia Y. Chan, College of Science; Laura Mullen, College of Humanities & Social Sciences; Marcio de Queiroz, College of Engineering; and John R. White, School of the Coast & Environment. Also pictured are Andreas Giger, James Honeycutt, and Kevin Casper, winners of the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, who received LSU watches provided by the Association. Photo by Jim Zietz

LSU Alumni Association Teaching Assistant Award $250 Kevin Casper, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Phi Kappa Phi Non-Tenured Faculty Award $500 Joshua Destre, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics & AgriBusiness Graham Bodie, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Jas Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Political Science and African American Studies

www.lsualumni.org/contribute | 1-888-RING-LSU LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Golden Tigers Reunion Class of 1962, LSU’s Oldest Graduates Honored

By Matt DeVille Photos by Matt DeVille and Larry Hubbard

H. Jesse Walker, 90, Class of 1960.

Golden Tigers, Class of 1962, and Golden Oldies ready to depart for commencement.

The LSU campus was buzzing with activity as the semester came to a close with spring commencement and the LSU Alumni Association’s annual Golden Tiger Reunion. More than 100 alumni and their families attended the event on May 17-18. Oscar G. Richard, 90, Class of 1942.

The reunion, held at the Lod Cook Alumni Center, was sponsored by Peoples Health. As is the tradition, the Class of 1962 was recognized on the 50th anniversary of its commencement and was honored at a Thursday night banquet. Members of the Class of 1962 returning for the reunion included Brian Babin, Charles Becnel, James “Jack” Chancellor, Rita

John J. Capdevielle, 91, Class of 1942.

Don Louis Broussard, 92, Class of 1941.

J.J. “John” Broussard, 92, Class of 1942.

Laura Claire Tison Harris, 94, Classes of 1936 and 1938.

James F. Cole, 94, Classes of 1954 and 1955.

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Milton Chaisson, John Couvillion, Gwen Davis Church, Charlotte Conn Dumestre, Lee Faucette, Henry Friloux, Glynn Gautreau, Joan G.H. Gilson, Kathleen “Kay” Byars Green, Hart Guenther, Tom Lofton, Clare H. Miller, Cleve Larry Mizell, Sidney Rodgers, James E. Smith, Donna Vicknair St. Louis, Lloyd Stoessell, and Gail Nordyke. Also recognized were returning Golden Tigers, those who graduated in or before 1961, and for the first time, the Association honored the University’s oldest living graduates. Thirty-nine individuals – affectionately dubbed the “Golden Oldies” – were located during the spring semester, and eleven of them returned to campus for the reunion. H. Owen Reed, a three-time LSU graduate currently residing in Athens, Ga., is believed to be the oldest living alum at 102 years old. Association officials had planned to visit Reed to present him with an honorary medal and graduation sash and to videotape an interview to show at the reunion. However, health complications and an untimely hospital stay made the meeting impossible. LSU’s oldest living graduate attending the event was ninety-nine-year-old Lilla May Heck Moreau Bennett, a member of the Class of 1933. Other “Golden Oldies” attending the reunion were Frances “Dinks” Crichton Atkinson, Class of 1936; Don Louis Broussard, Class of 1941; J.J.

Class of 1962.

“John” Broussard, Class of 1942; John J. Capdevielle, Class of 1942; James F. Cole, Classes of 1954 and 1955; George J. Harris, Class of 1939; Laura Claire Tison Harris, Classes of 1936 and 1938; Oscar G. Richard, Class of 1942; Elaine Tucker Umphrey, Class of 1943, and H. Jesse Walker, Class of 1960. On Thursday, reunion participants were treated to a tour of the newly renovated LSU Student Union and enjoyed a talk by Mary H. Manhein, director of the Forensic Anthropology & Computer

Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory. They were acknowledged at LSU’s main spring commencement ceremony and heard a keynote talk by College of Art & Design Dean Van Cox at the lunch following graduation.

Tom Lofton, Arleen Friloux, LSU Alumni Association Executive Vice President Cliff Vannoy, Kay Byars Green, Walter H. Green, Jr., and Rodney Adams.

Kyle Rodgers, Sidney Rodgers, and John Rodgers.

Lilla May Heck Moreau Bennett, 99, Class of 1933.

Golden Tigers sing the alma mater at the conclusion of the commencement ceremony.

Frances “Dinks” Crichton Atkinson, 98, Class of 1936.

Elaine Tucker Umphrey, 90, Class of 1943.

George J. Harris, 97, Class of 1939.

Thomas H. Bowen, Jr., Martha Gillespie Ferguson, Jackie Gromatzky Blackman, and Tommy Rankin.

Kerri Milton, David Williams of reunion sponsor Peoples Health, Pat Adams, Clare Miller, and Bud Johnson, director of the Andonie Sports Museum.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

Golden Tigers Reunion LSU’s oldest known living graduate is 102-year-old H. Owen Reed, a composer, author, conductor, and professor emeritus of music at Michigan State University. He was chairman of music composition in the School of Music and served as acting head in 1957-58. He received three degrees from LSU – a 1934 bachelor’s in music, a 1936 master’s in music, and a 1937 bachelor’s in French and, while at the University, studied with music pioneer Helen Gunderson. He earned a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music in 1939. Reed’s published compositions include a variety of works for orchestra, band, voices, opera, and chamber music, plus eight books on music theory and composition. His first wife, Esther, died in 1981. He married Mary L. Arwood in 1982, and the couple resides in Athens, Ga.

H. Owen Reed, official portrait 1997.

Owen and Mary Reed with his daughter, Sara Ferrar, seated left, in April of this year.

Owen Reed, in white jacket, center, at his master’s concert at LSU on May 24, 1936. The concert was a staged version of his Masque of Red Death. His first wife, Esther, is on his right.

The Owen Reed Missourians at the Heidelberg Hotel in 1936. Reed, center, arranged music for the group, but none of it is believed to be in existence. If readers know of any, please contact the editor.

Dear Dr. Roberts, Celebrating the Golden Tigers Reunion in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the class of 1962 and the current class of 2012 was the most memorable occasion in our “golden years.” We first gathered at Lod Cook Thursday evening for greetings, reminiscing, and recognition of alumni. A pianist played oldies during a continuous viewing of overhead pictures of alumni who were present. Mike the Tiger – dressed in his finest attire – visited amongst the guests adding a lot of LSU spirit. We enjoyed a wonderful meal served by an efficient and friendly hostess and crew. Friday morning at Lod Cook, we donned our golden robes and hats, sashes and medals around our necks and other symbols of being a golden Tiger, clutching our hats, which, if you didn’t have much hair, kept trying to fall off. After being helped onto the bus to be transported to the next event by very courteous young student helpers, we experienced a breathtaking moment. Our bus driver had to use his expertise to keep us from going into the lake just inches away. We gave him a burst of applause when he got us going again. At Pete Maravich Assembly Center, the commencement of the class of 2012 was most impressive with the multiple recognitions and addresses. To complete our celebration the alumni returned to Lod Cook for a delicious bowl of gumbo, after which we said our goodbyes. We can’t find words to express our appreciation to all who had a part in making the reunion of the Golden Tigers a special heartwarming experience at our alma mater. God bless you all for your gift to us. I want to take this opportunity to thank our son, George Harris, Jr., for sending our name in and being with us throughout all the events.

George J. Harris (1939 BACH A&S) Laura Claire Tison Harris (1936 BACH MUS, 1938 MAST MUS)

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LSU Alumni Association News

Snapshots New Leaders – Beverly Shea, of New Iberia, La., has been named to the LSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors as an at-large member serving a three-year term, and Stan Williams, of Fort Worth, Texas, has joined The Cook Hotel Board of Managers. Shea holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Stan Williams Beverly Shea human ecology from LSU. A community volunteer, she currently serves on the Shadows-on-the-Teche Council and the Iberia Parish Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Acadiana. She and her husband, Jerry, are major University benefactors and have received the Purple & Gold Award for philanthropic support of the Association. Williams, of Fort Worth, Texas, attended LSU from 1983-1986 before enrolling in pharmacy school at Ole Miss. He received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1989 and is currently executive director of sales at Quest Diagnostics. His wife, Carol, is a pediatric dietitian, and they have two children, Maggie and Jack. A longstanding supporter of the LSU Alumni Association, Williams has contributed annually at the Chancellor’s Club level since 2002.

Left to right, back row, Kevin Clark, Jamie Witherspoon, Stan Bertheaud, Mark Montgomery, John Hawkins (partially visible) Wayne Bossier, Steve Jackson, Ron Harris (not visible), Ike Capdevielle, Steve Losavio, Kurt Hagstette, Jim Saizan, Steve Olson, and Dave Sanderson; middle, Libby Kaul Clark, Raymond Fung, David Arrighi, Carroll Blewster, Tom Braud, Ray Smith, and Don Shaffer; front, Curtis Marcello, Dan Taylor, David Suarez, Sit Wong, Reinaldo Cordoba, Alan Antoine, and Kevin Gallaugher; floor, Bill Tuttle.

Architecture Class of 1978 – Hailing from across the country as well as Costa Rica and Hong Kong, thirty members of the School of Architecture Class of 1978 gathered at the Hilton Capital Center June 15-17 for a reunion. The group toured revitalized downtown Baton Rouge and the LSU campus, with stops at Mike the Tiger’s habitat, Tiger Stadium, the Cox Communication Center for Student-Athletes, and the LSU Student Union. “We also enjoyed camaraderie and a classic meal on Friday night at one of Baton Rouge’s great traditions – the Pastime Lounge – and a reception and dinner on Saturday night.” writes Steve Jackson. “Along with music from the 1970s, we enjoyed a slide show of candid photos from the college experience that brought laughter and memories.”

28 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Lois LaPlante and Jack Jones.

Kristy Coast, Lauren Regner, and Megan Dewberry.

Celebrating the Red, White, and Blue – Retired LSU faculty and staff donned patriotic apparel and enjoyed fried chicken dinners served by LSU Alumni Association and The Cook hotel staffers at the annual Independence Day Celebration at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on June 28. This year’s event included special entertainment – Retired Faculty Follies – presented by Association event coordinator Lauren Regner, Kristy Coast, and Megan Dewberry who sang a medley of patriotic tunes including “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” They were accompanied by Doug Pacas, Larry Hubbard, and Johnny Gordon. Lois LaPlante and Jack Jones took home “Best Dressed” honors for their creative patriotic attire.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Association News

BRAC, Association Form Partnership The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) and the LSU Alumni Association have agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate the promotion of BRAC’s talent development program among LSU graduates.

The Association will distribute information about the program to its members and chapters and provide BRAC the opportunity to partner with the Association at chapter events to promote the Capital Region and the availability of job openings within it. In turn, BRAC will work to identify career opportunities for out-of-region LSU graduates and provide the resumes of alumni members interested in returning to the Baton Rouge area to companies with open positions. The MOU’s goal is to grow the number of resumes included in BRAC’s talent database. “We visit with LSU alumni all over the country who say, ‘If I could find a career opportunity in the Baton Rouge area that has the same or better financial rewards of my current job, I would return in a heartbeat.’ The LSU Alumni Association is excited to partner with BRAC to help alumni fulfill their dreams of Cliff Vannoy, center, with BRAC’s Julie Laperouse and Adam Knapp. returning to Baton Rouge,” said National Association Executive Vice President and COO Cliff Vannoy. “Access to talent is often a key factor in economic development decisions. This partnership is a historic opportunity to increase the number of talented, seasoned professionals in the Capital Region,” said BRAC president and CEO Adam Knapp. “We are pleased to join with the LSU Alumni Association to connect directly to out-of-state LSU graduates looking to return to the region, while adding value to the Association’s great suite of alumni services.” BRAC is building a diverse talent database that can be accessed when regional companies are searching for candidates for hard-to-fill positions. Those interested in being a part of the database can find more information on the “call for resumes” and confidentially submit a resume at www.brac.org/resumes. The talent development program is a core program of BRAC’s five-year strategic plan, The Creative Capital Agenda, designed to address a major concern identified by BRAC’s economic development prospects and investors and is dedicated to retaining and attracting talented professionals to the Baton Rouge area. Over the next few years, BRAC will be implementing a number of strategies aimed at increasing the region’s talent level with initiatives focused on college graduate retention, candidate attraction, and newly relocated employee assimilation.

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LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Y o u n g L o u i s i a n a Ta l e n t F i n d

C r e at i v e C a r e e r s at H o m e By Brenda Macon

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ith the verve that youthful enthusiasm and passion

can deliver, film makers, managers, set designers, and casting

agents flit from building to building and office to office. Cutting-

edge technology is commonplace for them. They work long hours without even a second thought. These are people on a mission – expressing their creativity and view of the world not in Los Angeles or New York, but right here in Baton Rouge. The energy and vitality at Baton Rouge’s Celtic Media Centre are palpable almost from the minute you arrive at the front gate. If you happen to be over forty years old, you may also begin to feel ancient. The average age of the young entrepreneurial business people on the site does not exceed thirty-five years. Moreover, these business owners, artists, and managers are working in jobs that were not even on the radar in Louisiana – or, in some cases, anywhere – just ten years ago. These bright, creative youth represent what otherwise would have been part of the “brain drain” that afflicts the state in most other professions. Celtic Media Centre is the culmination of one man’s dream for film production in Louisiana. Brendan O’Connor, founder of the Celtic Group, envisioned a kind of “one stop shop” for film makers. Today, the Centre houses more than thirty film and entertainment industry-related businesses and allows creative young Louisianans to spread their wings at home instead of leaving for other states. Industry professionals from all over the world now recognize the Centre as an important site for all phases of film production. The Centre has recently hosted major motion picture and television projects, such as Universal’s Battleship, Summit’s Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, and A&E’s Breakout Kings, and has lured innovative companies, such as the Academy Award-winning visual effects company, Pixomondo, to its Baton Rouge facility. Bringing this level of industry to the Baton Rouge area puts the Centre at the top of the list as a generator of economic development in the state. Most of the young people who are responsible for the growth at the Centre are Louisiana natives, and many are LSU alumni. In a series of profiles, we present a few representatives from among the many LSU graduates who have found their dream jobs at the Centre.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Patrick

Mulhearn Leading the Way in Louisiana Film and Entertainment

Mulhearn worked in advertising, first at the Weil atrick Mulhearn has always had a fascination with film, Agency and then at WBRZ-TV Channel 2 in Baton and every path he has taken seems to lead him right Rouge. At WBRZ as a marketing producer, he had opportunities back to that creative medium. Today, as the director to learn and apply computer-based film editing techniques when of studio operations at Raleigh Studios’ Baton Rouge the technology was still new. In 2002, he moved to WWL-TV location and as the current president of the Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association (LFEA), he is uniquely positioned to Channel 4 in New Orleans, which provided a broader market for his work. While he was with WWL-TV, he worked on have a significant impact on Louisiana’s growing entertainment the 2004 Spirit of Louisiana advertising campaign, for which industry. The path that led to his career choice began with an Mulhearn earned a regional Emmy in 2005. eclectic education at LSU. His experience in locating appropriate sites and his contacts Mulhearn left Natchez, Miss., after graduating from high around the state prepared him school to study filmmaking at for his position in the Louisiana the University of Colorado in Office of Entertainment Boulder, Colo., but after his Industry Development, in his first year there, he followed his words, “selling the film industry hometown girlfriend to LSU for on shooting in Louisiana.” He a summer course and fell in love quickly became well-versed in – with the school – and parted the state’s newly approved tax ways with the girl. He changed incentive program – an area that his focus from filmmaking to was then uncharted territory creative writing in the process and is a hot topic still – for but discovered a love for history filmmakers. “The positions and political science, too. He I’ve held have allowed me to eventually graduated from LSU make a lot of great contacts. with a degree in political science I’m a living, breathing Roladex,” and a minor in English in 1997. Mulhearn laughed. One of his favorite classes One of those contacts, Kevin was a creative writing workshop Murphy, is the reason Mulhearn with Andre Codrescu, is in his current position. internationally recognized Murphy was the director of author and scholar and former Patrick Mulhearn | Photo by Lindsey Kleinpeter Stelly studio operations at the Celtic English professor at LSU. “His Media Centre before accepting a job in New Orleans. In 2009, class was fun,” Mulhearn commented. “With professors like when Murphy announced his plans to accept a position with that, you don’t dread going to class; you look forward to it. Second Line Stages, Mulhearn jokingly asked if he could take That’s one of the reasons I really fell in love with LSU.” the position that Murphy was leaving. Murphy liked the idea, Still looking for an outlet for his creative ideas, Mulhearn recommended Mulhearn to the company executives, and, returned to LSU for graduate studies in the Master of Arts within a few months, Mulhearn was at the helm of the in Liberal Arts program through the College of Arts & facility’s operations. Sciences (now the College of Humanities & Social Sciences). At the time, the Celtic Media Centre had just completed The program allowed him the flexibility to design his its first phase of construction, and roughly twelve businesses own curriculum, and he gravitated toward classes in mass were operating under its umbrella. In less than three years, that communication, which became his main focus, and toward number has more than doubled, with thirty-two companies history and political science. “When you have a degree in liberal represented on site and an additional construction phase now arts, you’re well rounded,” Mulhearn explained. completed. Mulhearn says he is most proud of the projects he “You can understand ideas from history, pop has helped land for Baton Rouge and the jobs they have created. culture, politics – just about any field.” These include Universal’s Battleship, Summit’s Twilight Saga: After receiving his graduate degree,

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These are people on a mission – expressing their creativity and view of the world not in Los Angeles or New York, but right here in Baton Rouge.

Breaking Dawn, A&E’s Breakout Kings, and Academy Award-winning visual effects company Pixomondo. Keeping up with the daily operations of this very large and very busy complex requires intense energy and highly developed organizational skills. While the energy level is part of his nature, Patrick Mulhearn has honed the skills that his education at LSU prepared him to use. He has also continued to “sell Louisiana” to all of his out-of-state clients and to bright young people who want to work in the film industry. His position with LFEA, which, Mulhearn explained, “represents the thousands of men, women, and businesses who benefit from having a strong entertainment industry in Louisiana,” gives him the opportunity to work with state politicians in support of the industry. “I have found myself at the Capitol quite a bit as a result of the position, and my political science degree from LSU comes in handy. I’ve found Dr. Wayne Parent’s classes particularly relevant,” he commented. Helping to retain this state’s most promising youth has become a calling for Mulhearn, and he takes that passion to work with him every day. “I love this job,” he confided recently, “but I also really love that we’re providing a space right here in Louisiana where home-grown talent can thrive and succeed without having to leave.”

Top photo: Battleship film stage. Center photo: Flyover shot of Celtic Media Centre. Bottom photo: Entrance to Celtic Media Centre. Photos provided by Celtic Media Centre

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Andre

Champagne Bringing Home the Bacon to Louisiana

for the state. Convincing area businesses to apoleonville native Andre Champagne graduated from advertise in the magazine was difficult at first, but LSU in 2002 with a degree in kinesiology but was intent the project has become one of Champagne’s many successful upon a career in the film industry. He moved to Los endeavors. The magazine now sells advertising nationally Angeles shortly after graduation to pursue his dream as well as locally and represents a broad range of businesses. and worked for a while in film production there, but Louisiana Champagne sees this expanding market as indicative of the called. With the 2006 filming of Autopsy in Baton Rouge, impact the publication is having. Champagne made the move back home. “Louisianans should feel secure and happy that the [economic “At the time, the studio in Baton Rouge was only one building, development] program set in place to attract the film industry and only one person had an office on the lot,” Champagne is creating so many jobs, businesses, and other signs of an recalled. “The industry had limited infrastructure and limited improving economy. Without that support back then, but that first government implementation, we wouldn’t phase of construction was pivotal. be sitting here right now,” he commented. Brendan O’Connor had a great vision Working to get Scene established has that opened up opportunities in the also allowed Champagne to return to yet state for people like me who would another of his talents: film production and otherwise leave and never come back, finance. “If you can be successful at raising and the Centre has made even more money for an entertainment project,” he remarkable advances in just six years. quipped, “then you must be great at sales I feel incredibly grateful that those because it is hard.” opportunities brought me back here.” Champagne is currently in preChampagne’s entrepreneurial nature production on the feature film titled North is perfectly suited to the atmosphere of Hell, and will also be producing three at the Celtic Media Centre. Since his features in Louisiana in 2013. arrival on the lot, he has established Champagne continues to develop a number of entertainment industrynew ideas as the need arises, and one related businesses at the Centre. In of those is his current work to develop 2007, he founded Hollywood Trucks, a joint program with LSU to allow the first transportation company Andre Champagne | Photo by Jarred Coates students to learn about the entertainment at the fledgling studio. Today, the industry while working toward their degree requirements. company operates 300 trucks, has four offices, and is growing Meanwhile, even without a formal program in place, students daily. In fact, Champagne’s biggest problem is the challenge find opportunities as interns and part-time employees with of meeting the growing demand (“I can’t buy trucks fast the businesses at the Centre that extend beyond jobs on the enough!”). Hollywood Trucks LLC has provided entertainment set. He cited one example of an accounting student who was transportation to practically every single project filmed in looking for experience in film finance and who found his niche Louisiana over the last four years, totaling approximately 400 as an account manager for one of the new Baton Rouge-based productions to date. companies. “At the end of the day,” he explained recently, “it’s In addition to leading Hollywood Trucks, Champagne is also about creating jobs and keeping our youth here.” the founder and CEO of Louisiana Entertainment Publishers He should know, as one of those “youths” who left and LLC, which produces Scene, Louisiana’s premier magazine then returned. His position at the Celtic Media Centre has for the entertainment industry. The magazine staff members, even allowed him to witness economic development in his like those working with many of the businesses at the Centre, hometown, with the feature films Looper and The Host to take are all graduates or current student interns from LSU and are place near Napoleonville. “This place is an entrepreneurial young (“99% of the publication is put together by playground,” he summarized. “My real life day job far exceeds staff under thirty years old”) and very bright. my dreams, and I am very grateful.” Champagne sees this trend as a major asset

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Jarred

Coates Creativity with a Purpose

The work he most enjoys however, is making arred Coates, partner in both Hollywood Trucks and Scene family-oriented movies. During summer 2012, he magazine and owner of Red Entertainment Group, took was a producer and unit production manager for Christmas an unconventional route to his current career. Like many Angel, a film featuring Della Reese, in Hammond, La. (See more others at Celtic Media Centre, he is a Baton Rouge native. about the making of Christmas Angel on the following page.) “If He graduated from Trafton Academy (now the Dunham I had the money to do whatever I wanted,” he commented, “I School) in 1988 and received a degree in general studies from would make family films full time.” LSU in 1992. Budgets are always an issue, but his connections in the While at LSU, he met Rusty Domingue, a former LSU film industry help Coates to negotiate with companies to football player who was then leading a Christian student group. Coates’ experience with Domingue’s group – including travels to bring down the cost of his productions. He stressed that this strategy works at all levels in Russia, Uganda, Peru, and Rwanda the industry. “Networking is an to serve on missions – had a important facet of this industry,” lasting, profound influence on his he explained. “Everybody works life. After graduating from LSU, he together, sometimes working for taught at Baton Rouge’s Christian less than they would normally Life Academy and, ultimately, charge because they’re between served as a pastor in Memphis, big projects. For young people Tenn., for three years and worked trying to break into the film with inmates in Monroe, La., for industry, that’s the best strategy: three years. Work for free or for very little on Always on the back burner was your first project so people get to an interest in telling stories on know you. If you do a good job, film. His experiences led him in you’ll continue to get work. The 2003 to pursue a film degree at more connections you make, the Full Sail, a highly regarded film more work you’ll have. The more school in Orlando, Fla. For his experience you have, the more final project, Coates produced money you’ll make. That’s the way and directed the film City of | Jarred Coates Photo by Nick Arnold/Check the Gate Production the industry works.” Refuge. The film’s title refers to an Coates also serves on the Baton Rouge Film Commission Old Testament place of refuge for those who had committed Advisory Board, helping to put into place policies that benefit major transgressions, had repented, and who were seeking both the community and the industry. In fact, he is a strong refuge from the vengeance of those against whom they had advocate for giving back to the community, perhaps a reflection transgressed. Coates used the concept to tell the story of one of the Christian faith that informs all of his work. He has helped such transgressor in modern times who found that the refuge to establish internships, job placements, and “shadow” programs he sought was not in the “city of refuge” itself. This project through connections with area schools, including St. Joseph’s won Coates the highest award that Full Sail offers, the Course Academy, Zachary High, and Baton Rouge Community College. Director’s Award for Film Production, as well as the Salutatorian Though his path to this particular career followed an unusual Award and the Advanced Achievement Award. Since returning to Baton Rouge, Coates, through his company course, Jarred Coates brings all of his experiences and high ideals full circle back to his hometown, thanks to a growing film Red Entertainment, has produced a number of commercial and industry right here in his own backyard. corporate videos, documentaries, and films. Among his recent work is the feature film, Inventing Adam, a romantic comedy filmed mostly on location in St. Francisville, La. Another is a project for Vanity Fair featuring Robert Pattinson that Coates coordinated with celebrated photographer Annie Leibovitz.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Micah

Haley Writing His Own Ticket in the Entertainment Industry

love of language started Micah Haley on his way in life, and a love of ideas and philosophy continues to fuel his creativity. These passions figure into his career as a writer and his work as the editor-in-chief for Scene magazine. Like several of his colleagues at the Celtic Media Centre, he has family ties to Louisiana and loves the state’s culture and quality of life, but he had always assumed he would have to leave the state to pursue his dreams – that is, until he discovered the fledgling film industry right at his doorstep. Haley didn’t start his life in Louisiana, but he may as well have. Both parents are from Louisiana, and his extended family was here. The family moved to his father’s hometown of Denham Springs, La., before he was ten to be closer to Haley’s grandparents. “While I have fond memories of playing in oceans of snow as a child, Louisiana is the state I call home,” he mused. Besides playing in the snow, Haley loved books, and his parents found a unique way to keep him creatively occupied. “I have always loved to read,” he recalled. “For Christmas, my parents would go to garage sales and buy all of the books, giving Micah Haley me a large cardboard box filled with possibility. Especially fascinating to me were books that had been adapted into movies. Michael Crichton and John Grisham were two of my favorites.” His love for books when he was a child firmly established his desire to have a career as a writer. “It was tremendously exciting when I found out that writing was something I could do,” he continued. “That the way in which I told stories could move others. It still is exciting.” Because of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication’s reputation, Haley felt that the school would be an excellent place to develop his writing skills. However, during his first semester at LSU, he realized that journalism was not the kind of writing he wanted to do, and he set out to find an academic unit that felt right to him. “In what I consider a classic university experience, I scheduled a semester composed entirely of introductory classes,” he remembered.

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Then he engaged in his first discussion in James Beebe’s Introduction to Philosophy course. He remembers feeling right at home with the subject and changed his major. “Dr. Beebe was amazing,” he commented. “He displayed the intellectual rigor of a scientist. In his speech and writing, he was efficient. No space wasted. I began to realize that the study of philosophy would equip me with new tools as a writer. Like all writers, I was in love with my own work. Writing about philosophy taught me to be brutally critical of my own writing, approaching even beautifully effusive passages with an analytical eye.” All the while he was working toward his degree, Haley felt that his career would eventually take him away from Louisiana. His dream of screenwriting and storytelling in the film industry just didn’t seem possible without a move to Southern California. Fortunately, just after he graduated, he found that film industry opportunities were right around the corner. He worked on independent and studio films in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and these projects opened doors for even more work. “On my first film, I met some truly great people that kept me working, including Andre Champagne, who had just returned to Louisiana after working in Los Angeles’ studio system,” he recalled. “And the film industry here was, and still is, wide open. Producers wanted to hire locals. As a result, I was blessed with opportunities in my first year that would have taken a decade to get in L.A. I worked in almost every department in production, and as a casting director in film, on commercials and music videos, such as Lil’ Wayne’s ‘Pop Bottles.’ It was a fully immersive learning opportunity and I loved it. I still do.” His work in the Louisiana film industry is also responsible for his current position with Scene magazine. Early in his career, Haley and Andre Champagne were lamenting the lack of a high-quality trade publication that specifically focused on the industry in the state. The discussion eventually led Champagne to establish Scene as a solution to this problem in summer 2009, and Haley joined the company in November of that year. Scene magazine now encompasses all entertainment, focusing on film, music, and fashion.

“While Scene appeals to any reader interested in entertainment, each issue is carefully crafted to appeal to entertainment professionals as well,” Haley commented. “Combined with strategically targeted circulation, we’re able to reach a unique demographic for our advertisers that includes decision makers in both Louisiana and Los Angeles.” As editor-in-chief, Haley has interviewed a number of top film stars. Among the well-known entertainers that Scene magazine has featured, one of the most memorable was Matthew McConaughey. “He was amazing. He tracked us down,” Haley recalled. “While filming Killer Joe on the lot at Second Line Stages in New Orleans, he saw an issue of Scene magazine and began calling us himself. We didn’t believe it was him. He left a voicemail, and we thought it was fake. He started texting us and we still thought it was one of our office neighbors at Second Line playing a joke on us. Finally, we agreed to meet with him for an interview, and I called his publicist to see if it was actually him. It was. And he gave the most open, heartfelt interview. He genuinely loves making movies here. Since that time last year, he has shot The Paperboy here and will soon shoot the new HBO television series True Detective here as well.” Experiences such as that one are among the reasons Haley is happy that he was able to remain in Louisiana and still pursue his dreams. He also sees the industry as a way to keep future talented young people from leaving the state. “When I was in high school, and then at LSU, I routinely heard about ‘brain drain,’ young minds leaving Louisiana for jobs elsewhere,” Haley said. “And make no mistake, I was preparing myself to leave for Los Angeles. Now, entertainment means employment.” For Haley himself, the industry is about more than employment; it’s also about continuing to learn and grow, yet another aspect that future graduates will surely embrace. “My professional guide has always been to look for the place where I can learn the most, and I have already learned so much from professionals working at the top of their game,” he concluded. “What other job would allow me to call up a successful producer and set a meeting to pick his brain about how to make great movies?”

Making Movies on Location in South Louisiana

By Brenda Macon | Photo by Nick Arnold, Check the Gate Productions

ouisiana locations are becoming popular with film production companies for a variety of reasons: the state’s unique culture and landscape, attractive tax incentives, and the hospitality of the people, to name just a few. During spring and summer 2012, Hammond, La., was the site for several movie productions, including Check the Gate Productions’ film Christmas Angel. This family-oriented film features Della Reese, Teri Polo, and Kevin Sorbo in principal roles, but also includes a number of Louisiana actors, many of them children. Not only does the production employ the talents of Louisiana actors but it also has the imprint of several talented Louisiana residents behind the camera. Producer and local casting director Lisa Arnold, who owns Check the Gate Productions and who has a number of films to her credit, resides in Covington, La. Her son, Nick Arnold, who is a May 2012 LSU communications studies graduate, worked for Check the Gate this summer to coordinate the 150 or so extras for the film. Another LSU graduate, Jarred Coates (see page 37), as producer and unit production manager for the film and owner of Red Entertainment, brought his considerable talents and experience to bear in helping to create just the right atmosphere for filming. Additionally, local residents provided meals and lodging and technical support for the cast and crew. Lisa Arnold, who is originally from Georgia, has become an advocate for filming in Louisiana. Previously, she produced the film Letting Go on location in Hammond and had wanted to film another of her projects, This Is Our Time, here. The company that backed the latter film ultimately decided to shoot the film in Los Angeles and India, but Arnold continued to press for Louisiana as the location for Christmas Angel. “The people in this state are so accommodating,” she explained. “For Christmas Angel, we were able to create the look of an all-American small town right in the heart of Hammond. The mayor, local businesses, and everyone in the area have been very helpful and friendly. I would come back any time.” Having productions such as this one in the area continues to provide opportunities for LSU students and alumni to develop their own careers in the film and entertainment industry right here in Louisiana. Above photo: Jarred Coates with actor Kevin Sorbo on the set of Christmas Angel.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Aaron

Bayham Found His Niche in Growing Louisiana Film Industry

best education was on the job in Baton Rouge. aron Bayham, operations manager for Raleigh Studios at “This is a fairly new industry for Louisiana, so many the Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge, has found his niche. times we find ourselves exploring uncharted territory, and blazing The position he holds with Raleigh allows him to use and a trail as we go,” Bayham said. “When we booked our first major expand his unique blend of experiences in media and studio production, we had a steep learning curve to overcome. property management. Now every project brings its own challenges, and every time we Born in Slidell, La., Bayham and his family have been in Baton meet those challenges, we learn something new.” Rouge since he was ten years old. He graduated from Runnels His most difficult challenge to date came in 2009, when he High School and entered LSU on a TOPS scholarship, one of his main reasons for remaining in Louisiana for his college education. and the rest of the staff were juggling a massive construction schedule while still maintaining an atmosphere conducive to the While at LSU, Bayham pursued a degree in mass ongoing film projects on site. “It was communication and dabbled in as a nerve-racking couple of months,” many forms of media as he could: He he explained. “We had a strict worked as a “stringer,” a freelance construction schedule to keep, but we reporter, for the Reveille; he helped also had to make sure production was produce a current events specialty unobstructed and happy. Luckily the program for Tiger TV; he was both production was Battle: Los Angeles, so a news reporter and a production our construction noise was nothing assistant for KLSU; and he produced compared to their explosions and a morning radio show and picked gunfire, and close communication up late-night DJ shifts for a national kept everyone playing well together.” broadcasting company. At the same Another challenge came in 2010 time, Bayham gained what would when Battleship and The Twilight Saga: later become valuable experience Breaking Dawn, two of the largest in property management, first as features to ever shoot in Louisiana, a leasing agent for an apartment were both filming on the lot at the complex in 2004, then as a leasing same time. Once again, Bayham and agent and assistant manager at a local his youthful coworkers found a way property management firm in 2005. | Aaron Bayham Photo by Teddy Smith to make it all work. “We’ve learned to After receiving his degree in 2006, solve problems through a team effort. In this industry, we can get Bayham pursued a career in marketing, but it took an opening a lot done with a phone call or a handshake,” Bayham continued. at the brand-new Celtic Media Centre in 2008 for him to find Bayham sees a bright future for the film industry in Louisiana the perfect position for his blend of media savvy and real estate and Celtic Media Centre in particular. “It’s been exciting to start knowledge. One of the first employees hired at the studio, he has on the ground floor and see the studio get bigger and better every seen the campus on which the facility is built change dramatically year,” he said, “We’re off to a great start in 2012, and we’re well on in the last four years. The O’Connor Building, which was the first our way to proving that a full-service film and television studio in and main structure at Celtic, was merely the rusting shell of an Baton Rouge can actually be successful.” unfinished recording studio before construction began. What Like many of the LSU alumni interviewed, Bayham advises are now the fenced, well-manicured grounds and complex of current students to consider the film industry in Louisiana as a buildings, sound stages, and driveways was only a single, two-lane career choice. “Louisiana is easy to shoot and financially viable, road through undeveloped and neglected land. so the local film industry continues to become more indigenous, “When I arrived in 2008, construction was still in progress,” stable, and self-sustaining,” he expanded. “I love the fact that Bayham recalled. “We’ve grown from two stages to seven, and we’re working in a growing industry that brings positive attention we’ve all but tripled the amount of office space on the lot.” Shortly after Bayham started working to the state. It’s attracting people to Louisiana and allowing our at Celtic, he was sent to Raleigh Studios in creative talent to stay and work where they love to live, and that’s Hollywood to observe and learn. While that what makes it great.” experience was helpful, Bayham found that his

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Brinkley

Maginnis Following Her Own Talents Within an LSU Tradition

magic when she finds just the right actor for a aton Rouge-born Brinkley Maginnis comes from a family role, especially when she works with children. “I of many LSU graduates: her mother, Mary Kendall love to watch the transformation that a really good actor can Mhoon; father, Dr. Michael John Maginnis; older sister Kendall Maginnis McCurry; older brother Stuart; younger make as that person ‘becomes’ the character in the script,” she said. “Sometimes, especially with children, we only give them brother Beau; and uncle John Maginnis, a well-known LSU one page of the script from which to create their characters, so alumnus. With this family history, Brinkley always knew she the actors have to make up the back story that goes with the would be an LSU alum, too – though she wasn’t sure, even after words on the page. Even if the actor’s take on the character she graduated, what career she would pursue – that is, until she isn’t exactly the way the full script portrays it, that spark of wandered back onto campus one day in late 2004. imagination that makes you suspend reality and see this person Maginnis graduated from LSU with a degree in human as the character he or she has created ecology in 2001. She was bitten with is always amazing to me.” the entertainment bug during the Not one to sit idle between casting filming of Warner Bros.’ The Dukes projects, Maginnis also serves as senior of Hazzard. Lisa Sabb, a friend and account executive for Scene. Maginnis former classmate who was in charge has honed her marketing and sales of the extras casting for the film, abilities as the fledgling publication convinced her to work as her has grown. Her understanding of casting assistant. human behavior also helps as she After Hurricane Katrina blew explains the importance of the through the state, Maginnis was magazine to potential advertisers. She offered the opportunity to handle sees the industry as one that operates, not only the extras casting but also perhaps more than most, through local casting, or speaking roles, for interpersonal connections, which the movie My Mom’s New Boyfriend requires direct contact with clients. in Shreveport, La. “This was the “One element of this industry that opportunity of a lifetime. I jumped doesn’t change is the importance of at the chance, packed my bags, and networks,” she explained. “Whether moved to Shreveport! It set me on | Brinkley Maginnis Photo by Jackson Beals you’re advertising in the magazine a career path that I didn’t anticipate – or casting on a movie set, this business is driven by how well especially in Louisiana.” you did on your last project – you’re never guaranteed a ‘next’ While in Shreveport, Maginnis launched BAM Casting LLC, project – so it’s essential that people get to know you and and she has worked almost non-stop on a variety of casting your work.” projects throughout Louisiana, including television programs Maginnis has spoken to classes at both LSU and area high and commercials for nationally recognized companies – almost schools regarding this element of the industry and has taught a fifty gigs in the last seven years. Unlike many casting agents who film class at University High. She also worked with University work only with background, or nonspeaking, roles, Maginnis High on a special assignment: The first two seasons of the has experience with casting at all levels and has worked with Danish TV show, World’s Strictest Parents, which followed Hollywood production teams both in Louisiana and California. Danish students as they learned to assimilate into United States Hurricane Gustav blew her back to Baton Rouge in 2008, when and South Louisiana culture. she moved her base of operations to her hometown. Maginnis enjoys the many facets of her work and feels very Helping actors feel comfortable enough to perform during fortunate that she has been to pursue this work while staying their auditions is a large part of Maginnis’ job as a casting agent, close to family and lifelong friends. “I am very grateful for the and she credits her education for preparing her. “While I was opportunities I’ve had,” she commented. “I would never working on my degree in counseling, I took several courses have found my career path if it weren’t for LSU’s openness in psychology and sociology. Those courses have been very to the film industry, the Celtic Media Centre, and friends here useful in dealing with the different personalities of the actors in Louisiana.” I interview,” Maginnis elaborated. Maginnis sees a little bit of

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Derek

Elkins South Louisiana Career with West Coast Style

erek Elkins, manager of studio services for Raleigh Studios at Baton Rouge’s Celtic Media Centre, has found a West Coast career right here in his hometown. A former self-professed “band guy,” Elkins majored in marketing at LSU so he could pursue aspirations of becoming an artists and repertoire (A&R) representative in the music recording industry. Also with this end in mind, he joined the staff at KLSU as a production assistant, using his experience with audio recording in this position. A subsequent promotion to production director made him responsible for recording station identification announcements, promotional spots, and commercials, but he also took a turn as a DJ, emceeing the hard rock and heavy metal program, “The Rusty Cage.” His illuminating experience with at least one segment of the audience of this weekly twohour radio program became one of his most vivid memories of his time at the station – and one that has informed his current work. “A large part of the listening audience were guys at the local prison,” Elkins explained. “Because they were not allowed to call in requests, many would send their requests via mail along with letters they were writing because they really Derek Elkins | Photo by Aaron Bayham just needed someone to listen to what they had to say. One thing that became apparent is that Tuesday nights from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. were the highlights of their week because the music would allow them to temporarily escape their realities. That same realization has stuck with me to this day and is applicable to working in the film industry. We are all contributing to creating a product that helps people take a break and escape from reality.” After he graduated in 2003, Elkins spent time in California and realized that the music industry there was struggling to adapt to the way the world listens to music today. With the advent of the Internet, musicians and other artists are sharing their work in new and innovative ways, and Elkins was drawn to the technology that was evolving not just in music but also in the entertainment industry on a broad scale. The

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mobility of this technology provided him the flexibility to continue working in entertainment – and to come home to Louisiana. “California offers more scenery and natural light,” Elkins elaborated, “but we work in a world of sound stages and playing locations as different places. If the work is here [in Louisiana] and the cost of living is nearly half of what it is on the West Coast, it’s a no brainer to consider relocating, as many have.” In 2009, he joined Raleigh Studios as a stage manager, maintaining the stages and the grounds and working as the studio’s liaison to the various production companies. His position evolved to include studio services, which means he is responsible for seeing that the film production companies have everything they need when they arrive in Baton Rouge. “I hook them up with anything from crew lists to major production service vendors for things like grip and lighting gear and heavy equipment,” Elkins commented. Like others at Celtic Media Centre, he understands that the most important part of his job is how he represents himself and his company. “My job is really all about building and maintaining relationships with the productions so that they trust me and call me when they are in need,” he said recently. “This involves a lot of client entertainment, which happens to be my favorite part of the job.” Also like his coworkers at Celtic, Elkins sees a bright future for the film industry in Louisiana, and he takes pride in knowing that he is helping to make that future possible. “My primary goal is to help ensure that the film industry has a strong base in Louisiana and remains sustainable,” he explained. “Almost all of the pieces are now here: crew, facilities, vendors, equipment, etc. I see film crew members when I walk my dog. I see them when I go to the neighborhood store. I see them when I go out at night. There are workers and families here that make their livelihoods in this industry doing something that they enjoy.” And so is Derek Elkins.

James

Napper, III Fulfilling His Career Dream in Louisiana

need for attorneys who specialize in intellectual rdinarily, entertainment law with a specialization in property,” he recalled. “But I missed Louisiana. No intellectual property law is not a field young attorneys other place compares.” clamor to practice in Louisiana. However, for James Back in Baton Rouge, he decided to set up his own practice on Napper, III, this particular blend of expertise has given the Celtic Media Centre campus and suddenly found himself in him a unique edge in the growing film industry in the state. demand. He handles legal issues, including copyrights, related to Originally from Monroe, La., Napper moved to Baton Rouge when he was twelve. Even before he moved to the area, however, the entertainment industry for the many companies at Celtic. “I was shocked at the number of companies at the centre,” he he knew he wanted to attend LSU. His father is a graduate of commented. “I remember thinking, ‘This is somewhere I have the LSU Law Center, and he encouraged James to attend the to be!’ I’ll always keep a presence here.” University. “My older sister visited several universities all over Some of his favorite the country before she chose projects have been setting one,” he said. “But I didn’t up production companies, really ever think about going working on films in anywhere else.” development, and working Napper knew that his with the staff of Scene magazine ultimate goal was to be an on copyright issues. One of attorney. Majoring in general his favorite clients is Amy studies, he sampled classes in Mitchell Smith, who has a variety of disciplines, but his extensive experience in the film favorites were political science, industry and was the executive sociology, and business. Of all director of the Baton Rouge his favorites, the highlight was Film Commission for five years a business law course taught before recently forming her by Barbara Danos. “She told own production company – us from the outset that no with Napper handling the classroom experience could legal elements of starting the adequately prepare us for what new business. we would experience if we Of course, it helps that decided to attend law school, Napper has his own creative but she did a great job of giving | James Napper III Photo by Caitlin Barry/Scene magazine side. He writes music, us a feel for the legal issues sings, and plays guitar, talents that give him a natural edge faced in a business scenario,” he said. “I will always remember in understanding his artistic clients. They often have unique her advice and her class as something that helped me know I perspectives that bring refreshing insights to Napper’s legal was making the right career choice.” practice, and he says that they have all been smart, genuine, After graduating in 2003, Napper decided that he needed to and sincere. They also have unique ways of showing their find out what life outside of Louisiana was like. He entered law appreciation, something that he finds delightful. “It’s not every school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. day that you get paid by a client with a check that has ‘James is He received his J.D. in law and LL.M. in intellectual property AWESOME!’ written in the memo line!” he laughed speaking law in 2009 and clerked for District Judge Michael Caldwell in about a check he received from his client SOLO Eyewear out of Baton Rouge. Despite the perception that Louisiana has very San Diego co-founded by LSU alumnus Jenny Amaraneni. little call for attorneys with his particular expertise, he decided That seems to be the consensus opinion on the Celtic Media to move back home permanently. “I had originally intended Centre lot – and his colleagues are very glad he chose to come to work in New York, Dallas, Chicago, or Los Angeles after home to Baton Rouge. law school because that’s where you would ordinarily find the

Brenda Macon is a freelance writer/editor living in Baton Rouge and the former editor of Kaleidoscope, the magazine of the LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences. ON THE WEB www.scenelouisiana.com and www.celticmediacentre.com

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Stage Right By Damian Foley

There is a huge puddle of vomit on the Swine Palace floor, and nobody is cleaning it up. A large crowd of people are milling about, all treating it as if it isn’t there. Occasionally someone will wander near it and delicately step over it, taking care not to put a foot in it. A group of girls are sitting in a circle nearby, not even acknowledging its existence. Suddenly, the room goes quiet. “Roll tape … and action.” The conversation that ensues between the girls is fake. The mess on the floor, just five yards away, is most definitely fake. Welcome to Hollywood … on campus. Baton Rouge may be more than 1,500 miles from Los Angeles, but LA is looking more and more like L.A. these days. Far from being a room on a sound stage, Swine Palace is a very real building, located on Tower Drive on a campus that, since 2005, has been used as a filming location for five feature films. Bo and Luke Duke, played by Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville respectively, visited the Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex during The Dukes of Hazzard. As Katherine Winter, Hilary Swank’s office was in Middleton Library, and she lectured in the Bo Campbell Auditorium in The Reaping. Terrence Howard, playing real-life swim coach Jim Ellis, coached a swim team in the LSU Natatorium in Pride. Basketball coaches Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas, and Adolph Rupp, played by Jon Voight, went head-to-head for the NCAA Championship in Parker Coliseum in Glory Road. And during the fall of 2011 Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 50/50, Twilight), Brittany Snow (Hairspray), Anna Camp (True Blood, The Help), and Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids) followed in the footsteps of Scott, Knoxville, Swank, Howard, Lucas, and Voight, and used the campus as the backdrop for Pitch Perfect. LSU first starred on the silver screen in 1988 in Everybody’s All-American, when Dennis Quaid’s Gavin Grey played football for Louisiana University in Tiger Stadium. The film industry in Louisiana was almost non-existent then, but it has advanced in leaps and bounds since the state’s motion picture tax credit was enacted in 2002, making the LSU campus a star in its own right.

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Meg Ryan, Dennis Quaid, and John Goodman on the sidelines while waiting for their scene in Everybody’s All-American filmed on campus in 1987. | Photo by Jim Zietz

Good for University, City, State With The Dukes of Hazzard, The Reaping, Pride, Glory Road, and now Pitch Perfect all being filmed at LSU, the stately oaks and broad magnolias sung about in the alma mater are on their way to becoming as well known to movie fans as the streets of New York and Los Angeles. With a combined $236,037,245 in box office earnings to date, the films shot at LSU have returned handsome dividends, making the arrangement as good for them as it is for Louisiana. With so many movies and TV shows being filmed at LSU, the university now has someone whose job description includes, among other things, acting as a liaison between LSU and film companies. Ashley Territo, assistant to the vice chancellor of finance and administrative services, is LSU’s point of contact for people looking to film on campus, streamlining a process that doesn’t make money for LSU, but helps Louisiana, and the University, immeasurably. “We are being a good steward for the city and the state,” says Territo. “We recover our costs. This is not a moneymaker; there are rental fees, but we charge those of any external group

coming onto our campus. We’re here to assist the state in bringing great films to Louisiana. “They’re hiring local crews, so our very own students and staff are able to work on a lot of these productions and get experience. More and more are coming to Louisiana and Baton Rouge to film. We are becoming a great location; everyone we’ve worked with feels very comfortable because of the process we have in place. They’ve enjoyed it. You have producers and executive producers who say they want to come back and film at LSU because it was a wonderful experience. People have enjoyed their first time down here and have brought their future productions down here.” Indeed, the positive experiences enjoyed by two members of the Pitch Perfect production crew – producer Paul Brooks and executive producer Scott Niemeyer – while filming The Haunting in Georgia in Baton Rouge in 2011 brought them back later in the year for Pitch Perfect. “They knew that they could count on the community and the crew here,” says Dawson Warner, Pitch Perfect location

manager and 2004 LSU graduate. “That’s very important: Can the people in this town, given that they’re fairly new to film, get the job done?” The Motion Picture tax credit – a 30 percent incentive on in-state expenditures that returns $5.71 to the Louisiana economy for every dollar in tax credits issued – may have brought film crews initially, but the ability of the local workforce to get the job done keeps bringing them back. Companies filming in Louisiana like Warner Bros. (The Dukes of Hazzard, The Reaping), HBO (True Blood, Treme), Sony (Battle: Los Angeles), and NBC Universal (Battleship) are now spending 80 percent of their film budgets in state. In 2010, in-state spending by film companies reached $800 million, and only New York and California wrapped more projects. Eight thousand people were employed in Louisiana’s entertainment industry in 2010, and an estimated $1.1 billion was pumped into the state’s economy as a result of the films being shot in the Pelican State.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Film crews prepare the General Lee for a film sequence along Tower Drive during the 2005 filming of Dukes of Hazzard. | Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Ubiquitous Beauty But while the tax credit system and the talented local workforce are enticing to filmmakers, it doesn’t mean a thing if the right location can’t be found. Fortunately for LSU, a campus modeled after Stanford University and named one of the 20 most beautiful in America in The Campus as a Work of Art, filmmakers find its ubiquitous beauty appealing. “It represents ‘Anywhere, USA,’” says Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days, Man on a Ledge, Hunger Games), who is producing Pitch Perfect alongside Brooks, Niemeyer, and husband Max Handleman after establishing herself among Hollywood’s elite on-screen performers. “That was very appealing to us. A lot of schools in the South are very Southernlooking, and we really didn’t want the movie to be so specific.” “[The tax credit system] brings people here from all over the country, but you still have to find locations that work,” says Handleman. “It was very important to us to be able to film on a campus that had the size and scope to be a national university.” A number of universities in Louisiana were considered as filming locations for Pitch Perfect, but in the end only one offered the production team everything they were looking for. “We looked at locations in New

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Orleans and Baton Rouge and felt like LSU provided the best scope,” Handleman says. “They were amenable and flexible and very supportive of the film. It’s a beautiful campus, it really is.” And much of the campus may appear on the silver screen when Pitch Perfect is released in theaters, as filming locations included the Quad, Swine Palace, the Greek Theatre, and the Pentagon. “We needed a lot of specific performance venues, and LSU has a ton of great performance venues,” says Banks. “LSU is clearly very supportive of its arts program. It’s also a big enough school that even though we took over a decent part of campus, we never felt like we were really in the way.” Indeed, not interfering with daily life at LSU was important to the Pitch Perfect crew, all of whom were keenly aware that their movie set was home to close to 29,000 students. “The LSU campus has been fantastic, very hospitable and welcoming to our production,” says Niemeyer. “LSU opened its arms and made this a very pleasant experience. We’re trying to not disrupt the scholastic life on campus. I’m hoping we’re successful at that.” One of the parts of campus the cast and crew took over during filming, much to everyone’s surprise, was the empty

swimming pool in the Huey P. Long Field House. “There are very specific locations that are unique to this school that we love, and frankly found difficult finding anywhere else,” Handleman says. “We needed a scene in an empty pool, and LSU had one. When we walked in everyone’s eyes lit up – you couldn’t create that kind of production value.” “All of the locations were great, but the pool was truly an incredible find for us,” echoes Banks. Filming began in October and continued until December of last year, meaning the film was being shot during the heart of LSU’s SEC Championship football season. Filming on a campus that sees 90,000 visitors each weekend presents an obvious logistical problem, but the school spirit displayed by LSU students created another, much less obvious, issue. “The biggest thing with LSU is you guys have such an amazing athletic program that everyone is wearing your school colors,” says Banks. “It took a lot of negotiating around the purple and gold. The school pride is amazing and great to see and great to be a part of here. It was amazing with the football season you were having, but it was a challenge to not get so much purple and gold.”

Pitch Perfect was the fifth movie to be filmed at LSU since 2005. | Photo courtesy Sian McArthur

B at o n R o u g e m ay b e m o r e th a n 1,500 miles from Los Angeles, but LA is looking more and more like L.A. these days.

Lagniappe – Food and Football While the producers dealt with the logistical problems created by filming on a college campus during football season, the cast members made the most of their spare time in Baton Rouge. “We went tailgating, and that was like nothing I’d ever experienced,” says Kendrick, who grew up watching New England Patriots games on TV but had never attended a football game in person. “LSU does it really big. “The tailgating was great. We got there and some of us had never been to a live football game before. I’d only watched it on TV. People said, ‘You’ve never seen a live football game before? Have our tickets!’ and we got amazing tickets to see the LSU game.” “I’m definitely a Tiger fan now,” says Skylar Astin (Hamlet 2, Taking Woodstock), who made a name for himself in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Spring Awakening and plays Kendrick’s love interest in Pitch Perfect. “It’s impossible not to root for them when you’re down

here, they make it too easy to love them.” During breaks in filming – when they weren’t cheering for LSU in Tiger Stadium – the cast and crew were also able to see the local wildlife on swamp tours and enjoy Louisiana’s famed cuisine. “I’ve heard rumors about some actors having to get some larger clothes – I hope I’m not one of them and they’re not telling me,” Astin says, laughing. “We’ve definitely had a great time down here.” And as much as the cast and crew enjoyed their time at LSU, they definitely felt the love reciprocated. “LSU’s been completely accommodating, it’s been a lovely experience all the way around,” says Banks. “It was really fun,” adds Kendrick. “Everyone was respectful and really great.” The film wrapped, and the camera equipment was put away. The cast and crew moved on to other projects, and the students who either had cameo or

background roles, or stood out of frame on their way to and from class, snapping photos of the film’s stars, moved on also. But LSU’s magnolias are beginning to bloom, the towering oak trees are as majestic as ever, and the Italian Renaissance-style buildings are soaking up the spring sun. Mr. DeMille, they’re ready for their next close-up.

Damian Foley is a creative writer/editor in the Office of Communications and University Relations.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

ollege students looking to enter the booming film and television industry scene in Louisiana now have a new local source for education in the field, as LSU has

joined with Baton Rouge Community College, or BRCC, to offer a concentration in film and television beginning this fall.

to Offer

Film and

Television

Concentration

By Jacquelyn Craddock & Aaron Looney

48 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Film and television is one of two new official concentrations offered by the LSU Department of Theatre, along with physical theatre, as well as minors in arts administration and physical theatre. According to Rick Holden, LSU Theatre co-head of undergraduate performance, assistant professor of acting and directing, and head of film and television, the partnership between LSU and BRCC creates one of the only programs in the country to include hands-on courses in production technology, acting for the camera, and content creation. “The new film and television concentration is exciting because, for the first time, LSU and BRCC students will have a comprehensive training program that prepares them for careers in the fastest growing industry in Louisiana,” he said. Those enrolled in the concentration can choose their overall emphasis based on personal aspirations and interests – film performance, film production, technology, or management. Through their studies, Holden said, students will learn the fundamental technical skills associated with hands-on exposure to equipment and the overall filmmaking process. “It’s about the marriage of creative content – actors, writers, future directors, and cinematographers – to the necessary production skills needed to bring stories to life,” Holden explained. The concentration’s curricula includes courses such as Introduction to Entertainment Technology, Film Production I and II, Digital Post Production, Storyboarding, Acting I and II, Acting for the Camera I and II, Screenwriting I and II, Introduction to Recording Technology, Audio for Digital Media, History of Film, Introduction to Cinema Studies, and more. Students will also have access to internships with professional production companies.Those who complete the program will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre, with a concentration in film and television. Holden said partnering with BRCC for the concentration creates a benefit for both entities. “Our collaboration with BRCC is a marvelous cooperative venture which makes the most efficient use possible of currently available funds, faculty, and equipment and provides tremendous opportunities to the students of both institutions.”

With Louisiana offering tax credits for production, many film and television crews have flocked to the state – dubbed “Hollywood South” – for filming and post production. Numerous production studios have opened in and around Baton Rouge, and the city has hosted filming for a variety of films and television programs in recent years. The LSU campus itself has also hosted television and movie filming crews, including serving as a backdrop for five feature films in the past seven years – Glory Road, The Reaping, Pride, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Pitch Perfect (see story on page 44). In fact, Pitch Perfect made extensive use of the Reilly Theatre, home to Swine Palace and LSU Mainstage productions, and provided work for many LSU Theatre students as principal roles and featured extras. Producers Max Handelman and Elizabeth Banks said they chose LSU campus because of its many and varied performance venues and interesting filming locations. Banks was also impressed with the quality of LSU Theatre students, remarking, “LSU is clearly very supportive of its arts program.”

LSU Theatre students appearing in Pitch Perfect include undergraduates Sloan Bishop, Jacob Cooke, Lauren Gros, Genna Guidry, Madison Holcomb, Dora Pereli, Emily Rodriguez, Samantha Warren, and Benjamin Watt; Master of Fine Arts Acting graduate Katrina Despain; and recent LSU Theatre alumni Stephen Bailey, Reno McClinton, and Shelley Regner. “What an amazing experience for our students, and how exciting to have Swine Palace’s Reilly Theatre, previously a livestock pavilion renovated into a theatre-in-the-round, now transformed into the stage for this film,” said Kristin Sosnowsky, Department of Theatre chair and Swine Palace managing director. “To see our spaces on the big screen is a testament to our campus and our program.” LSU Theatre has embraced Louisiana’s relationship with the film and television industry, recently hosting Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and Pulitzer Prizenominated playwright and filmmaker Adam Rapp. With this new concentration, opportunities such as these will continue for students.

ON THE WEB www. lsuthtr@lsu.edu or www.theatre.lsu.edu.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Around

campus

Legislative Update The 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature was dominated by K-12 education reform and proposals to the pension system. However, the session touched on many more issues, among them marine research, fire training, fees, student football tickets, LSU-Shreveport, veterans, guns, and technology transfer. It’s fair to say no other segment of state government covers as many issues as higher education. There were 110 bills and resolutions filed related to higher education or LSU specifically. Pension reform garnered the attention of LSU employees and retirees since the proposals suggested changes to current participants. The University was also concerned about the competitiveness of its benefits package for prospective faculty and staff. Briefly, the proposals included an increased contribution rate, a change in the age-eligibility threshold, a recalculation of the retirement benefit, and a new “cashbalance” plan. The reform package was based on the state’s pension liability – the unfunded accrued liability (UAL) – which is several billions of dollars. In a nutshell, the UAL is how much the state owes for state employees’ retirement for which there are no funds. Interestingly, more than 40 percent of the University’s employees are in a 401k plan that does not add to the UAL problem, but LSU will pay more than $26 million in UAL

50 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Tiger Trivia

ON THE WEB www.lsu.edu/externalaffairs and also now available on Twitter: LSUCapitolTiger.

1. Which actor chose the LSU Beauties of 1933? John Wayne Fredric March Errol Flynn W.C. Fields 2. Which movie about the life of a football star was filmed on campus in 1986 and 1987? Semi-Tough Brian’s Song The Longest Yard Everybody’s All-American 3. Which Oscar-winning actress majored in drama at LSU in the late 1940s? Elizabeth Taylor Natalie Wood Joanne Woodward Lee Remick 4. For which film did Bill Conti receive an Oscar in 1983 for best original movie score? Rocky For Your Eyes Only The Karate Kid The Right Stuff 5. How many chimes were originally in the Memorial Tower? 18 16 14 12 6. By what method are the chime sounds created now? A tape recording with loudspeakers A roll carillon A digital recording and computer A hunchbacked man with loudspeakers pulling a rope 7. What were the original purposes of the Agnes Morris House and the Helen Carter House? They were the residences of They were demonstration houses their namesakes for home economics students They served as women’s dormitories They were administrative offices 8. What was the “Stormy Incident” of 1948? The 1948 hurricane season An argument between two deans The only time it has ever rained New Orleans stripper “Stormy” in Tiger Stadium Laurence came to campus and students tossed her in a lake 9. When were the murals in Allen Hall begun? 1938 1951 1958 2001 10. Which art professor taught the students who painted the murals? Pasquale Amato Conrad Albrizio Fred Frey Roy Henderson 11. Who was the Tigers’ longest-serving football coach? Charles Coates Les Miles Charles McClendon Edgar Wingard 12. Samuel Lockett taught at LSU from 1868 to 1872. What did he do afterward? He served in the Egyptian Army He was an engineer for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty He was a contributing author to All of the above Battles and Leaders of the Civil War

Tiger Trivia is compiled by Barry Cowan, assistant archivist, Hill Memorial Library. Answers: 1.b, 2.d, 3.c, 4.d, 5.a, 6.c, 7.b, 8.d, 9.a, 10.b, 11.c, 12.d

payments this year for those employees. LSU will pay about $51 million in UAL payments for all of its employees this year and that is expected to increase annually for the next decade. For the next ten years, LSU’s “buying power” will be diminished by this growing payment. The budget has two sides. The first shows LSU’s state-approved budget increasing by about $5 million. On the flip side, LSU had to make adjustments to cope with higher costs associated with mandates (such as the UAL) and the financial aid program as well as the loss of temporary funds in the prior year’s budget. A combination of cuts to administrative and program support units, limited cuts and realignments to some academic units, various administrative and institutional adjustments and transfers, as well as development of new revenues were used to address the FY2012-13 budget challenges. Three factors that helped preserve the academic core. First, the higher education funding formula awarded institutional performance; second, LSU was able to retain its self-generated revenues; and lastly, the Athletic Department chipped in $5.5 million. After budget and pension reform, there were a number of smaller issues. The Fire & Emergency Training Commission was established, and the Louisiana University Marine Consortium added four universities to the executive board. On the research front, LSU received funds for the Innovation Park and a new law related to business leases in research parks was enacted. Finally, a constitutional amendment related to guns will be on the ballot this fall, veterans are now eligible for in-state tuition, and LSU will begin offering academic programs on the LSU-Shreveport campus as part of the LSU System’s Commitment Plan.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Noteworthy

Around Campus

Stuart R. Bell, dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas since 2002, has been named executive vice chancellor and provost, replacing John Maxwell Hamilton, who served a two-year appointment beginning in 2010. Bell assumed his new duties Aug. 1.

Stuart R. Bell

Meredith Blackwell

Luis A. Escobar

Marybeth Lima

Meredith Blackwell, Boyd Professor of Biological Sciences, has joined the ranks of some of the world’s most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities, Lt. Col. Lawrence M. Burns and the arts with election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research. She will be inducted at a ceremony on Oct. 6, at the academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. Lt. Col. Lawrence M. Burns assumed duties as LSU’s professor of military science in July, coming to the University after serving as an Advanced Operations Course instructor at the Command and General Staff College and a signal observer/trainer for Operations Group Sierra as part of the Mission Command Training Program at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Luis A. Escobar, professor of experimental statistics, was appointed by the president of the American Statistical Association (ASA) to the Committee on International Relations in Statistics. The appointment is for a three-year term starting on Jan. 1, 2013.

Jared Llorens

Marybeth Lima, Cliff & Nancy Spanier Alumni Professor of Biological & Agricultural Engineering (BAE) and director of the Center for Community Engagement, Learning and Leadership, has been chosen to be a fellow member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the society. Her induction took place June 13 at the 2012 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. Jared Llorens, the Texas Tiger Tournament/Greater Houston Alumni Association Developing Scholar Professor of the LSU Public Administration Institute, is chairelect of the American Society for Public Administration, or ASPA, Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations. He has also been appointed chair of one of five ASPA Strategic Imperative Groups stabled to increase the influence, relevance and visibility of ASPA.

52 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Noteworthy

Around Campus

Jordana Pomeroy has been named executive director of the Museum of Art, replacing Tom Livesay, who retired last spring. She assumed her new duties on July 2. Pomeroy comes to LSU after serving as chief curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Jordana Pomeroy

Alkis P. Tsolakis

Alkis P. Tsolakis, professor of architecture and acting director of the art department at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., has been selected to serve as the new dean of the LSU College of Art & Design. Tsolakis has worked on the architecture faculty at Drury University since 1987, serving as an assistant and associate professor before becoming a full professor in 2001. He was previously a visiting assistant professor at the University of Oregon and was a co-director and instructor at Tulane University in New Orleans. Kalliat T. Valsaraj, the Ike East Professor of Chemical Engineering, the Charles and Hilda Roddey Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering, and associate vice chancellor of research and economic development, has received the Charles E. Coates Memorial Award, which is jointly awarded by the Baton Rouge chapters of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Chemical Society.

Kalliat T. Valsaraj

James Van Scotter

54 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

James Van Scotter, the Sneda Bhandari Memorial Professor in the Department of Information Systems & Decision Sciences, has been recognized as the eWARDS Technology Educator of the Year. The award is given to a teacher who is an outstanding example of an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Information Age Educator,â&#x20AC;? using current technologies to educate, motivate and inspire students to develop careers in technology fields.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Jindal Appoints 6 to Board of Supervisors

Around Campus

Governor Bobby Jindal has named six individuals to the Board of Supervisors.

Scott Ballard

Ann Duplessis

Lee Mallett

Rolfe McCollister

56 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

They are Scott Ballard, of Covington, La., partner, WOW CafĂŠ & Winery Franchising and Ballard Hospitality, and CEO, PJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coffee & New Orleans Roast., 1st Congressional District; Ann Dr. John George, Jr Stanley Jacobs Duplessis, New Orleans, deputy chief administrative officer for the City of New Orleans and former state senator, 2nd Congressional District; Dr. John George, Jr., Shreveport, La., owner and manager, G6 Management, and co-founder of LifeCare Management Service, LLC, 4th Congressional District; Stanley Jacobs, New Orleans, managing partner, Jacobs, Manuel, Kain & Aamodt, 1st Congressional District; Lee Mallett, Iowa, La., owner, Mallett Buildings, and owner/operator, Academy of Training Skills; and Rolfe McCollister, Baton Rouge, president and founder, Louisiana Business, Inc., 6th Congressional District.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Around Campus

Band Hall donor and Honorary Golden Girl Sue Turner with the Golden Girls.

Photo Ops

Director of Athletic Bands Roy King, College of Music & Dramatic Arts Development Director Steve Covington, Chancellor Mike Martin, Sue Turner, College of Music & Dramatic Arts Dean Laurence Kaptain, and outgoing Tiger Band Drum Major Chase Howard.

Band of Gold – LSU unveiled its new home for “The Golden Band from Tigerland” on April 26, officially cutting the ribbon on the new Tiger Band Hall facility at an event hosted by the LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts. The 17,740-square-foot complex, located on Aster Street near Highland Road and just beyond campus’ north gates, will be used for rehearsals by Tiger Band and the School of Music’s entire band area, including the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, and Symphonic Band concert groups. Photos by Eddy Perez and Larry Hubbard

58 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Front, left to right, J.B. Olinde, Betty Olinde Wilson, and H.T. Olinde; back, Cale P. Smith, Katherine Dantin, Mary Belleau, Dr. Charles Belleau, Dr. Henry D.H. “Heck” Olinde, Pat Olinde Laurent, Dr. Al Olinde, Carol Lanier, Tom Broom, Mary Feduccia, Gary Lacombe, Tom Yura, Kurt Keppler, and Jamie Segar.

Center for Success – The University broke ground on the Olinde Career Center, the future home of LSU Career Services, on May 10. The center will bring together Career Services’ two current locations in a state-of-the-art environment better suited to prepare LSU students and alumni for their careers. Thanks to a generous gift from the Olinde family, the center will open in 2013 in the LSU Student Union. Visit careercenter.lsu.edu Photo by Jim Zietz

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Around Campus

Photo Ops Names of 2 Alumni Unveiled on LSU War Memorial The names of SOCS (SEAL) Robert James Reeves (2003 BACH AGR) and U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Dale Istre (1997-98) were unveiled on the LSU War Memorial Wall of Honor on May 30 during the annual Memorial Day Ceremony sponsored by the University and Cadets of the Ole War Skule.

Both men were killed while serving their country in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Istre graduated from LSU and was commissioned through LSU ROTC in 2003. He died on March 24, 2012, during a training mission outside Kandahar, Afghanistan. Reeves, who attended LSU in 1997-98, was a member of the Navy’s Special Warfare Tactical Development and Evaluation Group, known as SEAL Team Six. He died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011. LSU Alumni Association Executive Vice President Cliff Vannoy; Jim Reeves, father of SOC (SEAL) Following the unveiling and a presentation of etched Robert Reeves; Victoria Cormier, mother of Capt. Aaron Istre; Interim LSU System President renderings of the names to their families, Istre’s uncle, William Jenkins; Cadets of the Ole War Skule President Norman Deumite; and Secretary of the Louisiana Office of Veterans Affairs Lane Carson. Joe Delvecchio, and Reeves’ father, Jim Reeves, shared Photo by Ray Dry their memories of the soldiers. Delvecchio said Istre was dedicated to serving, and the family joked that he would one day be a general. But they weren’t kidding that much,” he said. “He would have attained this position had his mission here on Earth with us been extended.” Reeves recalled the arduous training his son endured to become a SEAL as well as some of his trials during service such as being shot in the neck and escaping from a roof collapse after a grenade blast. “Rob’s enthusiasm for and love of being a Navy SEAL never faded through his thirteen deployments and five Bronze Stars,” Reeves said. Also speaking at the ceremony were Brig. Gen Glenn H. Curtis, Adjutant General, State of Louisiana; and Lane A. Carson, Secretary, Office of Veterans Affairs, State of Louisiana; and Interim LSU System President William L. Jenkins.

60 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Sean Reilly

Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite

Doctorates Honoris Causa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Prominent philanthropist and LSU supporter Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite and Lamar Advertising Company CEO Sean Reilly, were each presented an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during commencement on May 18, recognizing their substantial contributions to LSU and advocacy of higher education. Applewhite, a trailblazer for women physicians, is known as the First Lady of the College of Science for her generous support of the college. She is also a longtime member of the LSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors. Reilly, a former state representative, is chair of the Louisiana Flagship Coalition. Photos by Jim Zietz

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Focus on

Faculty By Emily Herrington Photo by Michael L. Ferro

Christopher Carlton John Benjamin Holton Professor of Agriculture Only five other people on earth share the same research specialty as entomology professor Christopher Carlton. That specialty is the Pselaphine subfamily of staphylinid beetles. The brown critters live in obscure habitats like leaf litter and range in size from one to three millimeters. “There is a certain romance – for lack of a better word – in adopting a group of organisms that you’re the expert on, nobody else knows about, there’s no competition, and there’s not much known,” he says. Carlton teaches graduate-level insect taxonomy, in which students learn to identify insects at the family level. He’s also developed an aquatic entomology course offered this fall and will take on an immature insects course. His favorite course to teach is insect taxonomy, which he says he’s “almost gotten the hang of ” after nearly twenty years. He frequently travels to New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Arizona for “beetle blitzes,” where he and his colleagues “do nothing but collect beetles.” Carlton is also the director of the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum, which contains about one million insects, boasting the largest collection in the state, and he’s undertaken the daunting task of cataloging the museum’s specimen records for a new online database. Through the database, anyone can browse through the museum’s collection and learn about each organism. So far, about 127,000 specimens have been catalogued, which Carlton calls a good start. More than 500,000 will eventually be added to the database. Carlton developed a fascination with insects and nature at an early age. Catching snakes was one of his favorite activities while growing up in the small, rural town of

62 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Lake Village, Ark. After a lengthy period of being a self-proclaimed “snake guy,” his interest drifted toward much smaller creatures – insects. After an undergraduate beetle-collecting project at Hendrix College, he was hooked. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Arkansas and left his patch of woods to take a job at LSU. To his surprise, he quickly settled in, adjusted to city life, and never looked back. He says he enjoys the urban climate of the LSU community. Carlton’s research keeps him forever occupied, and the extent of his research can be overwhelming at times, he says. “It’s both fascinating and frustrating,” he says. “And on bad days, a little bit depressing because I realize I’ll never even make a dent in the amount of undescribed diversity of these organisms.” On the rare occasion that he has spare time, Carlton fixes things. “That’s what I do for relaxation,” he says. His tinkering runs the gamut from repairing an old lawn mower left for trash to converting dieselburning vehicles into vegetable oil-drinkers. He also brews his own beer and enjoys lounging around his property in the woods. ON THE WEB www.entomology.lsu.edu/faculty/carlton_files/carlton.htm Emily Herrington, a junior public relations major in the Manship School of Mass Communication, is managing editor of The Daily Reveille.

Chris Carlton demonstrates his field research collecting method of sifting moist leaf and dead wood litter through a mesh sifter at Kisatchie Bayou.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Locker

ROOM

LSU’s Olympic Year for the Ages

By Will Stafford Photos by LSU Sports Information

The Lady Tigers won the NCAA championship in June. It was the thirty-second national championship won by the track program, and the twenty-sixth national title won by the LSU women.

Former Tiger hurdler Lolo Jones, an eleven-time AllAmerican, was featured in Time Magazine’s Olympic Preview prior to the Olympic Games. Lolo’s recovery from back surgery, and making the U.S. Olympic team for the second time was one of the feel-good stories in sports this year.

Coach Dennis Shaver was honored as the NCAA Division I Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year. It was the second time in eight seasons that he received this award from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

64 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Another chapter was written in the storied history of one of the nation’s premier athletics programs as LSU Track & Field was represented by ten athletes in London, England, for the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Athletics events ran Aug. 3 to 12 at the Olympic Stadium with the Tigers and Lady Tigers representing four countries, including Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. Tiger great Richard Thompson returned as the reigning Olympic silver medalist in both the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay as he burst onto the international stage for Trinidad and Tobago in Beijing in the wake of his senior season at LSU in 2008. Other alums making their return to the Olympic stage in London were Lolo Jones of the United States, Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago, Samantha Henry-Robinson and Nickiesha Wilson of Jamaica, and Neisha Bernard-Thomas of Grenada. In addition, four members of the 2012 squad were also ready to compete in London, led by seniors Ade Alleyne-Forte and Semoy Hackett representing Trinidad and Tobago and senior Riker Hylton and junior Damar Forbes competing for Jamaica. LSU’s appearance at the Olympic Games came on the heels of a collegiate season in which the Lady Tigers captured the program’s thirty-second national

championship with their dominating performance at the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The LSU women scored seventysix points in four days of competition at Drake University in June to take home a fourteen-point victory over the sixtytwo points by the favored Oregon Ducks in the final team standings. Texas A&M finished well off the pace in third place with thirty-eight points. That performance earned the Lady Tigers a twenty-sixth national championship in the history of the women’s program with their first NCAA Outdoor crown since the last Olympic year in 2008. The women have now captured a national-leading fifteen NCAA Outdoor and eleven NCAA Indoor titles since their sweep of national championships in 1987. Junior Kimberlyn Duncan was the star of the meet as the top individual point scorer at this year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships as she totaled twenty and a half points to lead the Lady Tigers to their team title in Des Moines. While also winning the NCAA Outdoor silver medal in the 100-meter dash, Duncan defended her NCAA Outdoor crown in the 200-meter dash and anchored the Lady Tigers to a defense of their national title in the 4x100-meter relay. Duncan even broke her own low-altitude collegiate record in the 200-meter semifinal with her wind-legal run of 22.19 seconds en route to the title.

With her performance, Duncan was honored as the NCAA Division I National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and a finalist for The Bowerman for the second year in a row. She made history as the first two-time finalist for collegiate track and field’s equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy. LSU head coach Dennis Shaver was also recognized for his team’s national championship victory as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored him as the NCAA Division I Women’s Outdoor National Coach of the Year for the second time in eight seasons leading the program. In addition, Shaver received his fifth selection as the SEC Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year as he coached the Lady Tigers to their fifth conference title in six seasons at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships held on their home track at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge.

Not to be outdone were the Tigers as they nearly won a national championship of their own with a runner-up finish in the final men’s standings at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. They scored forty-eight points in four days of action at Drake Stadium to finish just two points shy of matching the fifty points by the Florida Gators for the team title. LSU actually held a two-point lead over its SEC rival with only the 4x400-meter relay remaining, but the Gators took the title by winning the relay with the Tigers following in third place in the final event of the championship. Will Stafford is associate sports information director. Kimberlyn Duncan was the NCAA Division I National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and a finalist for The Bowerman for the second year in a row. She made history as the first two-time finalist for collegiate track and field’s equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

Tiger

NATION

1940s

John P. Laborde (1947 BACH H&SS, 1949 JD, 1995 HON), of New Orleans, has received the 2012 Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes Louisiana growth companies and business professionals for their accomplishments. Laborde served as Tidewater Inc.’s chief executive officer for nearly forty years and is currently chairman emeritus. He was the founder and first chairman of what is now the Offshore Marine Service Association and has played a major role in the worldwide development of the offshore service industry. A past president of the LSU Alumni Association, Laborde has been named Alumnus of the Year by the LSU Alumni Association, inducted into the LSU Law Center Hall of Fame, inducted into the LSU Military Hall of Honor, and named a Peoples Health Illustrious Alumnus of LSU. Degrees BACH Bachelor’s Degree MAST Master’s Degree PHD Doctorate DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine JD Juris Doctorate (LSU Law School) MD Medical Doctor (LSU School of Medicine) DDS Doctor of Dental Science (LSU School of Dentistry) Colleges/Schools AGR Agriculture A&D Art & Design 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

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E. Dean Carson (1955 BACH ENGR), a professional engineer and consultant, is retired and living in Murphy, N.C., after a twenty-eight-year career in engineering and management positions with ten American oil companies in South America, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, and Australia. He is registered and licensed in New York, Illinois, Texas, and Louisiana. In 1990 he was cited by the United Nations as Humanitarian Par Excellence for the rescue supervision of more than 5,500 Vietnamese Boat People in the South China Sea from 1986 to 1990. He and his wife, Renate Brigitte Goerke, have two children, Peter and Mari, both born in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

1960s

James R. Andrews (1963 BACH H&SS, 1967 MD, 1998 HON), of Birmingham, Ala., a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, was named a Louisiana Legend at the 22nd Annual Louisiana Legends Gala on May 10. The event, sponsored by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, honors the best and brightest of Louisiana’s sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in a variety of disciplines and have brought honor to the state. Andrews was named to the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction in 1996 and to the College of Science Hall of Distinction in 2008. Kenneth Drude (1968 BACH H&SS), of Dayton, Ohio, was appointed by Ohio Gov. Kasich in February to serve a fouryear term on the Ohio Board of Psychology, which licenses psychologists practicing in Ohio. After obtaining a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Illinois and working in various public service and

nonprofit organizations in Ohio, Drude has been providing private-practice outpatient counseling services to children and adults. He has served for twenty-nine years on the governing board of the Ohio Psychological Association as chair of various committees as well as president and finance officer. Drude is active in the development and use of ethical guidelines for telepsychology practices and led efforts resulting in the adoption of the first set of telepsychology guidelines in the United States.

1970s

Ralph Bender (1976 BACH BUS) is serving the second year of his twoyear term as a memberat-large of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA) board of directors. Bender is CFO of the Manship Media Group, Baton Rouge. David Cassidy (1972 BACH H&SS), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of corporate mergers and acquisitions (tax). Jan M. Hayden (1976 BACH H&SS, 1979 JD), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of bankruptcy and restructuring.

Grady Hazel (1970 BACH BUS, 1971 MBA) received the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants Distinguished Service Award recognizing his seventeen years of service as the nonprofit association’s executive director. The award was presented at his retirement banquet in April, at which he was honored for his many contributions and the high ideals and professionalism he represented on behalf of CPAs throughout Louisiana. Ernest W. Lutz, Jr. (1975 BACH H&SS) has been appointed chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center

(ERDC) Internal Review Office in Vicksburg, Miss. Lutz joins ERDC from Headquarters, Department of the Army, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7 at the Pentagon, where he served as director of internal review. His past assignments include the Defense Contract Audit Agency in Germantown, Md., along with a variety of civilian and military duty positions in the Pentagon. A U.S. Army veteran, Lutz is the recipient of many decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Joint Services Achievement Medal. He also earned the Joint Staff Identification Badge and the Army Staff Badge.

Eve Masinter (1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of labor and employment. Robert W. Nuzum (1974 BACH BUS, 1977 JD), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of corporate mergers and acquisitions (tax).

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Thomas J. Phillips, Jr. (1977 MAST BUS) was elected treasurer of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA). Phillips is director of the School of Accountancy at Louisiana Tech University and also serves as the KPMG Endowed Professor.

Claude Reynaud (1974 BACH BUS), of Baton Rouge, an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of general commercial litigation.

Fred Preis (1971 BACH BUS, 1974 JD), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of labor and employment.

Linda ThomasGreenfield (1974 BACH H&SS), director general of the Foreign Service and a member of the Career Foreign Service, was named a Louisiana Legend at the 22nd Annual Louisiana Legends Gala on May 10. The event, sponsored by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, honors the best and brightest of Louisiana’s sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in a variety of disciplines and have brought honor to the state. ThomasGreenfield was named to the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction in 2010.

Ann Ford Reilley (1975 BACH H&SS, 1979 MD), a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with Associates in Plastic Surgery in Baton Rouge, was elected president of the Southeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons (SES) at the group’s annual meeting in Amelia Island, Fla., in June. Her election marks the first time that the organization will have a female president. Reilley completed a residency in general surgery at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and a residency in plastic surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. In 1988 she became the first board certified female plastic surgeon in Louisiana. Reilley and her colleagues, Drs. Holly and Simeon Wall, of Shreveport, La., and Dr. Kenneth Odinet of Lafayette, La., were instrumental in passing the “Truth-inAdvertising” legislation in Louisiana, which requires that physicians advertising services must state their certifying board rather than just indicating “board certified.”

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Jack Wann (1978 PHD H&SS), professor emeritus and former artistic director at Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, La., has been honored by the naming of the university’s Loft Theatre in his honor. A member of the faculty from 1990 to 2003, Wann built one of the top undergraduate theatre programs in the South, gaining accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Theatre. More than forty of his students worked in summer stock companies each year and a number of his former students are working professionally. He also established the NSU Summer Theatre and regularly brought working theatre professionals to the city to hold workshops for students. His book,

Shakesperience!: An Approach to Performing Shakespeare, received the Mildred Hart Bailey Research Award from Northwestern State. The Jack Wann Theatre is on the second floor of the A.A. Fredericks Center for Creative and Performing Arts and is being renovated to create a state of the art acting and movement laboratory theatre. Harold K. “Hal” Watson (1971 BACH H&SS, 1974 JD), a partner in Chaffe McCall, LLP’s Houston office, was recently elected second vice president of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. An active member since 1978, Watson previously served as the organization’s secretary. A frequent lecturer, he sits on the planning committees for the Houston Marine Insurance Seminar and the Tulane Admiralty Law Institute, and is a member of the Association of Average Adjusters of the United States. He formerly served as chairman of the Energy and Maritime Law Committee of the International Association of Defense Counsel and as a director of the Episcopal Foundation of Texas. The Texas Lawyer named Watson one of five “go to” marine lawyers in 2012 and in 2011 named him one of threedozen Super Lawyers in the field of insurance coverage in Texas. He is also regularly included in The Best Lawyers in America in Maritime Law. Watson earned a Master of Laws from Yale Law School in 1977. He is admitted to practice law in Louisiana, Texas, and the United States Supreme Court and is a member of each corresponding bar. Paul S. West (1977 BACH H&SS, 1980 JD, 2005 MBA), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, is listed

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in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of gaming and licensing. Susan Whitelaw (1971 BACH H&SS) has received the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants’ (LCPA) 2012 Distinguished Public Service Award, presented jointly by the LCPA and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). The award is the highest honor for public service leadership, impact, involvement, and innovation by a Louisiana CPA. Since 1978, Whitelaw has generously shared her time and talents with The Arc Caddo Bossier, holding leadership roles at the local chapter, state chapter, and national association levels. She also volunteers with the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana Developmental Disability Council, Caddo Parish Indigent Defender Board, Shreveport Cancer Society, Shreveport Junior League, Northwest Louisiana Child Care Services, Caddo Parish Special Education Advisory Council, and Feist Weiller Cancer Center and is a member of the LSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors. She is now nominated for the American Institute of CPA’s National Public Service Award.

1980s

Edward H. “Hank” Arnold III (1983 BACH H&SS), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business

for Louisiana in the area of banking and finance. Phyllis G. Cancienne (1986 BACH MCOM, 1989 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of labor and employment. Marcel L. Debruge (1987 BACH H&SS), a partner in Burr & Forman’s Birmingham, Ala., office, will be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Labor and Employment Lawyers during the college’s fall 2012 meeting. Fellows are selected on the basis of their dedication to the study and enhancement of civility and professionalism in the practice of labor and employment law and the improvement of the delivery and quality of labor and employment legal services. Sidney E. Fuchs (1984 BACH ENGR, 1987 MAST ENGR), of Oak Hill, Va., president and CEO of MacAulay-Brown, Inc., an engineering and technical services company serving the defense and intelligence communities, was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Distinction in April and named chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board. He has also published his first book, Get Off the Bench: Unleashing the Power of Strategic Networking Through Relationships (see Tigers in Print, page 73).

Susan Halsey (1980 BACH BUS, 1983 JD), managing partner of Jackson Walker’s Fort Worth office and chair of the firm’s real estate practice group, has received the Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council Founder’s Award. The award recognizes an individual who exemplifies the council’s mission “to be a unified voice for the commercial real estate industry, influencing action and supporting change to accomplish longterm job growth and enhance the quality of life in the Greater Fort Worth area.” Halsey is a founding member and former chair of the council. She has been named a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters (2003-2004, 2009-2011), a Tarrant County “Top Attorney” by Fort Worth, Texas magazine, and a “2009 Power Attorney” by the Fort Worth Business Press. In addition to legal recognition, she is a past recipient of the YWCA “Tribute to Women in Business Award” in Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Business Press’s “Great Women of Texas” Award. Halsey was also selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guide. Halsey was ranked in the Real Estate category. Sarah Ann Holliday (1984 BACH H&SS), of Baton Rouge, has been elected vice president of the Louisiana Federation of Republican Women Region 6, which oversees eight parishes. She is a charter member and president of Capital City Republican Women and Baton Rouge Unit of Parliamentarians and serves on the City Parish Planning Commission. Holliday was one of twelve women nominated for

Where Are You? Who are you? Where are you? What are you doing? Tell us and share news of your new job or promotion, your wedding, honors, awards, new babies, and other celebrations with fellow alumni. Send your information, news items, and photos for publication to jackie@lsualumni.org or call 225-578-3370.

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a Women of Honor award presented in July by the second annual Women of Honor event sponsored by City of Joy, Inc. The nominees, women of varying denominations, backgrounds, races, and ethnicities were chosen by people in the community and selected based on community service, diversity, service to people in need, and leadership. Gary Huntley (1989 BACH ENGR), regional manager for the New Orleans electric distribution network, has been named vice president of regulatory and governmental affairs for Entergy New Orleans, Inc. Huntley joined Entergy in 2001 and worked as a senior analyst for Entergy Solutions, worked with regulatory groups, and served as manager of new business development.

He worked for Chevron from 1989 to 2001 before joining Entergy. Huntley has served in the core program for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Louisiana for more than nineteen years and served as a board member for fourteen years. He is also a board member for Family Services of Greater New Orleans. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Tulane University. Roger Jenkins (1983 BACH ENGR), of Houston, executive vice president of exploration and production with Murphy Oil Company, has been named by the company’s board of directors to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Jenkins joined Murphy in 2001.

David Reiling (1986 BACH ENGR) has been named executive vice president of international business at the global consulting company North Highland. Prior to joining North Highland, Reiling spent more than ten years with Parametric Technology Corporation, an enterprise software solutions provider, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president of client services worldwide, and served as a member of the Asia professional services leadership team while living as an expatriate in Shanghai, China. He also has fifteen years of industry experience in product design and development in the aerospace, manufacturing, and consumer products industry. Reiling earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina.

LSU Museum of Art presents An exhibition celebrating the unique flora and fauna of Louisiana August 11 – November 11, 2012 Where else in the United States but Louisiana does the natural environment have such a dramatic influence on its heritage and culture? While everyone else talks about quality of life, Louisiana celebrates a way of life. Acclaimed for its rich cultural traditions and zesty cuisine, Louisiana’s melting pot of peculiar plant, water and animal life serves up a wondrous and remarkable “natural gumbo.” From slow-water bayous and swamps to expansive fields and vibrant river land, Louisiana’s astonishingly diverse habitats represent singular ecosystems. Uniquely Louisiana is an ambitious exhibition celebrating Louisiana’s 200th anniversary of statehood. Featuring more than 50 works of art, including some by prominent LSU alumni, the show explores the many ways contemporary artists portray—and are inspired by—Louisiana’s unique plant and animal life. “In the wake of considerable international media attention over natural disasters and oil spills, Uniquely Louisiana encourages a renewed look at the region’s spectacular natural life and its resilience through the eyes of some of Louisiana’s finest contemporary artists—many of them LSU alums,” says recently appointed LSU Museum of Art Executive Director, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy.

Embracing its unusual natural treasures, Louisiana has adopted a wealth of state symbols revolving around wildlife. The state amphibian is the green tree frog; the state insect, the honeybee; the state dog, the Catahoula. Even the official state seal depicts a pelican feeding three young birds, with the inscription, “Union, Justice, Confidence.” And today, Louisiana continues to inspire. Experience the beauty and wonder of a magnificent state through the eyes of its resident artists with Uniquely Louisiana! The LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) opened in March 2005. The new museum, part of Louisiana State University (LSU), manifests a decade-long vision to offer LSU and the Baton Rouge community greater access to its diverse collection, exhibitions, programs, and special events—all within an exceptional cultural complex. LSU MOA shares the Shaw Center for the Arts with the LSU School of Art Gallery and the Manship Theatre. For more information, visit www.lsumoa.com. Dawn DeDeaux, Oyster Cube Pear, 2011. Wood, resin, and oysters. Courtesy of Arthur Roger. LSU Museum of Art Shaw Center for the Arts Fifth Floor 100 Lafayette Street Downtown Baton Rouge lsumoa.com Contact Fairleigh Cook Jackson at fairleigh@lsu.edu or 225-389-7212

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Steven J. Toups (1989 BACH BUS), of Mandeville, La., is serving the second year of a two-year term as member-at-large of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA) board of directors. Toups is chief operating officer/chief financial officer for Bottom Line Equipment, LLC, in St. Rose, La. A highly regarded speaker in the area of business management, business planning, and strategic thinking, he received the LCPA’s Outstanding Discussion Leader Award.

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Lisa Traina (1982 BACH SCI), president of Traina & Associates in Baton Rouge, was named the 2012-2013 president-elect of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA). The firm was recently honored for the second time as a member of the LSU 100 list of the 100 fastest growing Tiger-led businesses. Traina is also an alumna of the LSU Graduate School of Banking.

1990s

John Andrishok (1993 BACH BUS), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP, is listed in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America’s

Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of construction. Shauna Johnson Clark (1990 BACH H&SS), partner-in-charge with Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Houston, was recognized by The Network Journal as one of its “25 Influential Women in Business” award winners for 2012. Winners are selected from a pool of top-level business executives nationwide. TNJ, a New Yorkbased African American magazine, provides information and advice for black businesses and professionals. Clark is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She joined Fulbright & Jaworski soon after graduating cum laude from Tulane Law School in 1994.

Tigers in Print Sidney E. Fuchs (1984 BACH ENGR, 1987 MAST ENGR) Sidney Fuchs’s first book, Get Off the Bench: Unleashing the Power of Strategic Networking Through Relationships (Advantage Media Group), demonstrates the value of creating and cultivating strategic networks for people at all career levels. With ideas, techniques, stories, and examples, he explains how to build the strategic networks that today’s globalization and technology demand. Fuchs gets readers “off the bench” and encourages them to create powerful relationships to help them achieve their own goals and give them the opportunity to help those in need. Chris Warner (1993 BACH H&SS, 1995 MPA) The SEC is bonded through its shared love of sports. Chris Warner, author of SEC Sports Quotes (CEW Enterprises), has compiled more than 1,500 quotes from various SEC noteworthy athletes, coaches, and observers, dedicating each chapter to one of the SEC schools with words that exemplify the wisdom and inspiration of key characters from that university. The quotes allow an understanding of the deep-rooted fascination that continues to shape popular culture in the south. Chris Warner (1993 BACH H&SS, 1995 MPA) On the coast of the Florida-Alabama state line sits the Flora-Bama Lounge, Package, and Oyster Bar, a legendary roadhouse that has been on the radar, along with Joe Gilchrist, for more than three decades. Gilchrist, who believes

life is meant to be enjoyed, developed his tropical bar into a southern and global icon as a laidback yet wild place where you can feel at home – wiping your feet on the doormat on your way out. In Bushwacked at the Flora-Bama (Wagon Publishing), Chris Warner shares Gilchrist’s reminisces about his entrepreneurship during simpler times and his uncertainty of the future in an environment in which small business is dwindling. Considered one of the last great American honky-tonk roadhouses, the fun-loving roadside ambiance provides a place for good times, music, and libations for people from all walks of life. Dorothy Sample Shawhan (1966 MAST H&SS) Dorothy Sample Shawhan’s Spirit of the Delta: The Art of Carolyn Norris (University Press of Mississippi) is a biographical essay on Carolyn Norris, a self-taught artist who moved at the age of twenty-one to the Delta railroad town of Cleveland, Miss. Norris created her first painting by tearing the wooden back off a dresser for a canvas and used available house paint to complete the painting with makeup. From there, Norris realized her passion for art, serving as the visual storyteller for Cleveland. She has painted on canvas, wood, paper, cardboard, glass, plates, tiles, sheets, floor covering, mirrors, and her garage door. Spirit of the Delta contains 115 color images from Norris’s twenty-five years as a painter.

Going to Graceland (E-Book), characters board a bus in New Orleans to travel up the famous “Blues Highway,” U.S. Route 61, to experience the birthplace of American music in Graceland. Along the way, the bus stops at various music landmarks, and while on the bus, passengers tell each other stories, much like Chaucer’s pilgrims did so long ago. On this pilgrimage, though, all the stories have a touch of music. Laura T. Murphy (1996 BACH H&SS) Metaphor and the Slave Trade in West African Literature (Ohio University Press), by Laura T. Murphy, provides compelling evidence of the hidden yet unmistakable traces of the transatlantic slave trade that continue in West African discourse. Through the examination of metaphors that describe the trauma, loss, and suffering associated with the trading of human lives, she reveals how the horrors of slavery are communicated from generation to generation. Murphy explores the relationship between memory and metaphor and the emphasis on how repressed or otherwise marginalized memories can be transmitted through images, rumors, and fears.

Dorothy Sample Shawhan (1966 MAST H&SS) In Dorothy Sample Shawhan’s book,

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Jennifer Semien Brew DeBouse (1996 BACH ENGR), of Atlanta, Ga., a winner of an Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO) Education Foundation Scholarship, earned the second installment on her $2,500 scholarship with a 3.0 grade point average on her fall semester coursework at Capella University in Menatta, Ga. DeBouse, a training coordinator with Aaron’s for three years, manages the Aaron’s University database, and helped create an alliance partnership agreement with Capella, which helps Aaron’s associates earn college degrees. She was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network as part of “Capella Women Who Have Overcome, Inspire and Influence” (www.oprah.com/ world/Capella-Women-Who-HaveOvercome-Inspire-and-Influence). DeBouse, a single parent of three girls, volunteers with Second Chance Career and Development Center, Project Healthy Grandparents, and Hope House for Women. David Wayne Sanders (1990 BACH ENGR), vice president of the Augustus Group, LLC, has been recognized by Worldwide Who’s Who for showing dedication, leadership, and excellence in technology. Sanders, who has served in the position for five years, specializes in regulatory compliance and mechanical integrity. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of the Pacific, Calif., in 1976 and is accredited as an RBMI specialist and a certified API inspector. In his spare time, he is involved with “Hearts Wide Open,” a U.S./Israel charity.

2000s

Sunny Mayhall Delacroix (2008 BACH MCOM) has joined the corporate section of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson’s Baton Rouge office. Before joining the firm, Delacroix worked at the Hudgins Law Firm in Houston, Texas, where she completed a fifty state and federal circuit court survey on a complicated procedural rule at the request of the Mississippi Supreme Court in connection with one of the state’s longest-running oil and gas trials. She received a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2011. A member of the Moot Court team and the St. Thomas More Inn of Court, she earned the Law Excellence Award. Gary J. “Bo” Ortego II (2007 BACH BUS), executive producer/campus pastor intern at James River Assembly’s Wilsons Creek Campus in Springfield, Mo., was awarded a master of arts degree in theological studies from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary on May 5. Julie Elizabeth Rew (2008 BACH MCOM) has been named manager of Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute in New Orleans. In this role, she manages and coordinates the daily operations of the institute in collaboration with the administrative vice president and chief of transplant. The appointment follows her service in an administrative fellowship with Ochsner Health Systems in New Orleans and as strategic operations manager and interim manager of the Oncology Clinic at Ochsner. Rew earned a master’s of science in healthcare

administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2011. Sangeeta Singh (2004 MAST SCI/AGR), has joined DUNNHUMBYUSA as a senior associate for communications and media in the firm’s Cincinnati, Ohio, office. Singh previsouly spent six years at IEM, Inc., a global consulting house for safety and security, most recently serving as a statistical analyst. She also holds a master’s degree in statistics from Banaras Hindu University in India. John F. “Trey” Smith III (2006 BACH H&SS and BACH MCOM), chair of the science department at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School in Philadelphia, Pa., has been named the 2011-2012 Outstanding Science Teacher by the Philadelphia chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers. The award, given annually to a science teacher and a math teacher, is based on nominations from school principals, students, and peers. While at LSU Smith was a member of Tiger Band, president of the Honors College Student Council, was an LSU Ambassador, an Alumni Top 100 Scholar, president of Mortar Board, and named one of the Tiger Twelve. He joined Teach For America after graduation. He is an adjunct instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and a teacher consultant with the Philadelphia Writing Project. He has received a summer fellowship for teachers through the National Endowment for the Humanities, a summer research apprenticeship in the University of Pennsylvania’s Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter through the National Science Foundation, and a New Teacher

Share Your News Share news of your new job or promotion, your wedding, honors, awards, new babies, and other

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fellowship with the National Science Teachers Association. Smith earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. Sevetri M. Wilson (2008 BACH MCOM), lead community consultant for Tyrus Thomas, Inc., has been elected to the unexpired term (2011–2014) of Marco J. Barker, who was nominating chair of the A. P. Tureaud, Sr., Black Alumni Chapter. Tyrus Thomas, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in Louisiana and other areas. Wilson is also a founder of Solid Ground Innovations, LLC, whose mission is to ensure organizational growth and development to better communities, the country, and the world. Wilson is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and has been featured in 225 magazine as an up-andcoming nonprofit leader.

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BABY

BENGALS

Robert M. Ducote (2003 BACH BUS) and his wife, Melissa, of Cottonport, La., are proud to announce the birth of their son and future Tiger, Colin Paul Ducote. Colin was born on May 3, and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Eric Eskew (1999 BACH HS&E, 2000 MAST HS&E) and Shellie Shetler Eskew (2006 BACH HS&E) announce the birth of future Tiger Ellis Charles Eskew at 6:39 pm on Feb. 16. Ellis weighed in at 9

pounds, 9 ounces and 22 ½ inches. His grandparents are Carl and Rosie Shetler of Lake Charles, La, and Eddie (1971 BACH AGRI, 1979 MAST AGRI) and Eileen Eskew of Jennings, La. Matthew Schittone (2003 BACH BUS) and his wife, Amanda Tassin Schittone (2003 BACH H&SS), announce the birth of their daughter, Isabella Elaine, who was born on May 4, 2012. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. Isabella was welcomed home by big brother Michael. The family resides in Denham Springs.

In Memoriam Edsel Earl “Tad” Thrash (1950 BACH, 1951 MAST, 1963PHD) died on May 1, 2012, in Raymond, Miss. Thrash served his country in the U. S. Navy from 1943-46 then enrolled at Hinds Junior College. He continued his education at LSU where he lettered in boxing and won the NCAA championship in 1949 and 1950. During his career at LSU he served as boxing coach, director of alumni affairs, and on the Department of Economics faculty. He received the National “L” Club Award for the most successful varsity coach at LSU and is a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame and the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. In 1968 he moved to Mississippi where he served as executive secretary and director of the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning (now Commissioner of Higher Education). After retiring in 1987, he continued working as a Distinguished Professor of Health Care Economics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

1940s Harriet Gene Houston Cale, 1945 BACH, July 4, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Marie Celeste Chaudoir, 1945 BACH, 1947 MD, May 20, 2012, White Castle, La. Kathryn Jumonville Creed, BACH 1947, May 5, 2012, Houston, Texas Ralph Crosby, 1949 BACH, June 28, 2012, Bartlett, Tenn. Frances Azema Theresa Lieux Dabadie, 1946 BACH, June 27, 2012, New Roads, La. Anthony Benjamin “Ben” Daniels, Jr., 1944 BACH, June 1, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Edward N. Engolio, Sr., 1943 BACH, 1948 JD, July 11, 2012, Plaquemine, La. Robert Louis Jeansonne, 1949 BACH, May 23, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. John M. Jolissaint, Sr., 1940 BACH, May 23, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. John Bradford Lancaster, 1949 BACH, June 27, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Paul T. Landry, Jr., 1949 BACH, May 8, 2012, Donaldsonville, La. Gus Daniel Levy, 1947 BACH, March 11, 2012, Metairie, La. Daniel M. McDonald, 1940 BACH, June 13, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Otto H. Olivera, 1947 MAST, July 8, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. James Harris Prosser, 1947 BACH, July 3, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Lavan Ray Robinson, 1950 MAST, 1979 PHD, June 4, 20122, Valdosta, Ga. Charles Elson “Budgie” “Charlie” Roemer II, 1947 BACH, July 2012, Bossier City, La.

1950s Ruffin Leon “R.L.” Bergeron, Jr., 1950 BACH, 1953 MAST, July 4, 2012, New Roads, La. Mary Nic “Nickie” Ellis Bertrand, 1957 BACH, June 23, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Albert Sidney Bonner, 1952 BACH, May 2012, Santa Fe, N.M. Wiley Brown, Sr., 1958 MAST, July 3, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Thomas Bosley Cocke, Sr., 1959 BACH, 1963 MD, June 6, 2012, Prosper, Texas Ernest Ray Eldred, 1952 BACH, 1957 JD, July 2, 2012, Baton Rouge, La.

John Michael “Mike” Fitzsimons Professor Emeritus of Biology and Curator Emeritus of the Museum of Natural Science May 20, 2012 Baton Rouge, La.

Edmund J. “Ed” Glenny II Retired Associate Professor of Architecture June 6, 2012 Baton Rouge, La.

Benjamin Lyons Garris, 1952 BACH, June 2012, St. Francisville, La. J.L. “Lee” Magnon, 1956 BACH, Nov. 11, 2011, Houston, Texas Frank P. Mineo, 1952 BACH, June 23, 2012, Lafayette, La. Carolyn Gay McGraw Peters, 1954 BACH, July 3, 2012, Baton Rouge, La.

1960s Sidney Lee Carroll, 1961 BACH, 1965 MAST, April 22, 2012, Arlington, Va. Duncan Lee Carter, 1963 BACH, June 5, 2012, Boulder, Colo. Thomas L. Frazer, 1967 BACH, 1969 MAST, July 4, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Charles H. “Chick” Hadden, 1960 BACH, 1965 PHD, July 9, 2012, Knoxville, Tenn. Charles Thompson “Tommy” Hazleton, 1964 BACH, May 2012, Denham Springs, La. Eddie Joe Jones, 1963 BACH, June 27, 2012, Abita Springs, La. Glenn Charles Morgan, 1966 BACH, May 9, 2012, New Roads, La. Victor Leander Roy III, 1965 BACH, 1969 JD, May 26, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Malcolm Stein, Jr., 1960 BACH, July 4, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Linda Holmes Tumlinson, BACH 1966, June 11, 2012, LaPorte, Texas George Bradford “Bumpy” Ware, Sr., 1965 JD, June 10, Rayne, La.

1970s Jose Luis Alvarez, 1972 BACH, June 10, 2012, Plaquemine, La. Sammy Grezaffi, 1970 BACH, June 29, 2012, New Roads, La. John David Jett, 1971 BACH, 1975 MAST, June 30, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Malcolm McNaylor, 1970 BACH, 1973 MAST, June 29, 2012, Huntsville, Ala.

1980s Clint Edward Gainey, 1981 BACH, May 20, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Sara Mata Lavastida, 1984 BACH, 1995 PHD, May 2, 2012, Baton Rouge, La. Therman Demetri Williams, 1984 BACH, July 10, 2012, Gretna, La.

Richard Lavelle Greer Alumni-by-Choice June 9, 2012 Keithville, La.

George Cantine Kent Alumni Professor Emeritus of Zoology and Physiology Jan. 4, 2012 Pittsburgh, Pa.

Peggy Chapman Oustalet Wife of National LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors Member Richard C. Oustalet June 3, 2012 Jennings, La.

If you would like to make a gift to the LSU Alumni Association in memory of a family member, friend or classmate, please contact our office for additional information at 225-578-3838 or 1-888-746-4578.

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LSU Alum Becomes Brigadier General, Deputy Chief of Chaplains

By Katherine McCrocklin

Within a year of mandatory retirement, U.S. Air Force Col. Bobby V. Page received some unexpected news – a promotion. Page (1973 BACH HS&S), previously, command chaplain for Air Education and Training Command (AETC) with headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, was promoted to brigadier general on Aug. 2 and assigned as the deputy chief of chaplains at the Pentagon. Page describes his success with gratitude, “What an amazing honor to be able to continue serving America’s Airmen and working for our Chief of Chaplains providing leadership for our Col. Bobby V. Page Air Force Chaplain Corps.” While he undeniably has had a prosperous career, he stays humble, saying, “My wife, Ruth, and I believe we are blessed beyond words.” Commissioned through the LSU Air Force ROTC, Page earned his wings at Mather Air Force Base in 1975, serving as a navigator, instructor navigator, and senior navigator for the Standards and Evaluations section. In January 1980, he separated from the Air Force to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree in 1983. For the next six years, he served pastorates in Arkansas and North Carolina while serving as a chaplain in the Air National Guard in Arkansas and Georgia, as well as at the Air Force Reserve in South Carolina. Since returning to active duty on July 4, 1989, Page has served in chaplain assignments at the wing, two major commands, and Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He completed a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1999 and deployed later that year, serving as the wing chaplain at Prince Sultan Air Force Base (PSAB), Saudi Arabia. Several years later he returned to PSAB to lead the largest chapel team in the CENTCOM area of responsibility during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During that deployment Page established the first Air Force chaplain ministry at the Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. Katherine McCrocklin will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in English.

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LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

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“Goose” Inspires Geaux Tiger Creations By Jackie Bartkiewicz

Drs. Steven and Patricia Granier.

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Dr. Patricia Granier knew what she wanted to give her husband for Christmas. She just couldn’t find it. “She would always get me something LSU related for Christmas, but she joked that she was running out of unique ideas,” says Dr. Steven Granier (1989 BACH H&SS, 1992 MD). “She had seen the occasional “goose” on southern front porches – the kind people decorate for different seasons with a Santa suit or pilgrim outfit, so she was looking for a Mike the Tiger figure to stand on the porch and have different outfits or jerseys for each sports season or other holidays.” After shopping around and searching the Internet to find such a product and finding nothing, she shared the idea with her husband. “I told her, ‘Why don’t you create it?’” says Steven. So she did. “I did a lot of research, talking to artists and manufacturing companies, poring over patenting books and books on how to start a business,” says Patricia (1993

MD), who designed and patented LSU Mike the Tiger and his attire. The molded plastic Mike stands two feet tall and features a hand-painted face. When not sporting LSU gear for view-ins and tailgate parties, Mike can don outfits to reflect the seasons or for special occasions – purple-and-gold Santa costume, baby announcement shirt, Mardi Gras shirt, and more. All the items are available from the Graniers’ company, Crescent City Collegiate Creations, LLC. Getting the company up and running was indeed a challenge for the Drs. Granier, both of whom practice medicine in New Orleans. Steven is an internist at Ochsner Medical Center, and Patricia is a pediatrician at Ochsner Childrens Health Center. “It was done in the little spare time we could find from our main jobs,” he says. The Graniers live in Harvey, La., and have three daughters, Hillary, nineteen; Amanda, seventeen; and Mallory, twelve.

ON THE WEB geauxtigercreations.com

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Meeting a Heroine for Animals

One of the most inspiring speeches I’ve read in the field of animal protection was Robert Chenoweth’s address in Grand Rapids, Mich., as chairman of the board of the freshly minted Humane Society of the United States, to assembled members in 1955.

By Wayne Pacelle Photo by Julia Breaux Melancon

“We felt, first of all, that there was a great vacuum, at the national level, in humane work,” said Chenoweth. “The American humane movement needed an organization that would tackle the problems which, because they were national, were beyond the views and the powers of any local society,” such as particularly inhumane slaughterhouse practices, dog theft, and interstate dog fighting networks. This spring, at an event for The Bond [Pacelle’s book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them], in Baton Rouge, I met a woman who heard and watched Chenoweth deliver that address. At the time, Holly [Frederick] Reynolds (1941 MAST HS&E) was thirty-eight, and she had trekked to Grand Rapids from her home in Louisiana. Now, she’s ninety-three, and it was a joy to meet her. Outrage about cruelty burns intensely in her still, and she asked me about puppy mills, factory farming, and even a captive chimp named Candy, who has been held captive for decades at an amusement park in Louisiana. Holly shared some slightly yellowed correspondence she’d had with the HSUS’s primary founder, Fred Myers, a true visionary. Myers was an advocate through and through, and in the letters he was exhorting Holly to help him enact what would be one of his signature accomplishments – the passage of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act in 1958. “I am glad to know about the promise from Representative [James] Morrison to vote for the humane slaughter bill,” Myers wrote to Holly, who saw the congressman at a wedding and buttonholed him. “How about . . . asking him to use his influence with Senator [Allen] Ellender” (who was the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee). There have only been six chief executives in the HSUS’s history. It was remarkable to be with a woman who heard me give an address this spring but who had also heard from the HSUS’s first director and its first board chairman more than a half-century ago. Her lifetime of commitment to humane work spans our entire organizational history, and she’s still going strong. We look back upon history, and we sometimes assume there’s a certain inevitability to it all. But that’s not how it works. There are a thousand forks in the road. There are people who step up and, through their intentional actions, make history and drive the direction of our society. I met a special person of that kind last night. Every one of us can aspire to be like Holly Reynolds. Passionate, modest, determined, and endowed with a fire for justice and a disdain for cruelty.

Wayne Pacelle and Holly Frederick Reynolds.

ON THE WEB www.humanesociety.org Wayne Pacelle is CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States. Reprinted with permission of A Humane Nation – Wayne Pacelle’s Blog.

From the moment you step through the doors of McLavy, Ltd., you know you’re entering a unique shopping experience. From the friendly atmosphere to the in-house tailoring, Frank McLavy and their associates do their best to meet all of your needs. Whether you are a new customer or one who has been coming back for more than 33 years, you will always feel at home at McLavy, Ltd.

7665 Jefferson Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70809

225.927.8820

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Satisfying Cravings Wins Award for Couple

By Ben Wallace

Brett and Lovey Wakefield.

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Muffaletta bread in California, olive salad in Afghanistan, and king cake in New York: Nolacajun.com serves up homegrown favorites with a slice of nostalgia to anybody fighting the Cajun craving. The idea for the e-commerce grocery store, which ships out orders placed on the Web site from a warehouse and guarantees fresh delivery, was the silver lining of Hurricane Katrina displacement for Brett (2004 BACH BUS) and Lovey (2003) Wakefield, who have spent their lives smothered in Louisiana’s rich and spicy culture, especially the food. When the recently engaged, soon-tobe business partners moved to Houston in the fall of 2005, the couple found themselves desperately wishing for authentic Cajun and New Orleanian food. The result three years later was the ever-expanding Nolacajun.com, which serves more than 700 items in all fifty states and some international countries as well, says Lovey, the Web site’s communication coordinator and page designer. “We want our customers to feel as though they are shopping at their hometown Cajun/Creole grocery store,” she says. But that doesn’t mean the Web site looks like it’s run by “somebody from the backyard in the bayou,” as the Erath, La., native jokingly puts it, since they constantly update the site to keep its operation user-friendly and products fresh and diverse.

Muffaletta bread and olive salad are Nolacajun’s cash cows, but the grocer also offers fresh turducken, Cajun seasonings, pralines, and mixes for all sorts of dishes from jambalaya to beignets. Brett mainly works behind the scenes, while holding down a full-time job. He works eight-hour days and an additional four to five hours on the Web site at home during the week. Lovey left a position as the director of marketing for Commander’s Palace Family Restaurants to work full-time for Nolacajun in February. In fact, the venture’s success in the New Orleans Idea Village IDEAxcelerator played a large role in her decision to go full-time. The entrepreneurial competition rewards successful local businesses with cash prizes and sponsorships, and the company came away with $2,500 in free capital and a top five finish out of 500 applicants. Brett, who sleeps very little due to twelve-hour work days and two young sons, three-year-old Cooper, and Luke, who was born in May, hopes Nolacajun continues to grow during expansion efforts. “It’s definitely worth it,” he says. Ben Wallace is a senior in the Manship School of Mass Communication.

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LSU Alum Attains World Record

Dr. Xiulu Ruan (1993 MAST SCI) has set the world record for the most medical board certifications, achieving seven medical board/subspecialty board certifications in the United States, according to the World Records Academy (www.worldrecordsacademy.org). Xiulu attended Shandong Medical University (formerly Medical School of QiLu University) before coming to the U.S. in 1989 to attend graduate school at LSU. “To me, the practice of medicine is not just a profession but a life-long commitment that calls for dedication to excellence,” says Xiulu. “This dedication has led me to pursue an added measure of expertise via board certifications.” His formal medical training in the states includes an internship in the Department of Medicine, Worcester Medical Center, Worcester, Mass.; residency training in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, Milwaukee, Wis.; and a Clinical Interventional Pain Management Fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Mich. Xiulu is a certified diplomate with the American Board of Pain Medicine, American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American Board of Addiction Medicine, Subspecialty of Pain Medicine by American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Subspecialty of Neuromuscular Medicine by American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He is also a fellow, Interventional Pain Practice, World Institute of Pain. “My career goal is to become that physician, in the history of the United States, who has achieved the most medical board/sub-specialty board certifications of all time – and be able to translate what I have learned into the best patient care,” Xiulu says.

Dr. Xiulu Ruan has set the world record for most medical board certifications.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

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Courtney Clark: From LSU to L.A.

By Emily Herrington Photo by Alan Markfield property of Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtney Clark is taking on Hollywood one step at a time.

Zac Efron isn’t the only familiar face in the romantic film The Lucky One, which was released this summer. Courtney Clark, a 2007 LSU alumna, plays Efron’s sister in the movie. Clark, originally from Mandeville, La., is taking on Hollywood one step at a time. Shortly after she graduated with a degree in theatre performance and a minor in dance, Clark went on a professional theatre tour in China with the Swine Palace. Upon her return, she transitioned from theatre acting to film and moved to Los Angeles. In addition to The Lucky One, Clark’s acting resume includes numerous movie and commercial roles and a television part on ABC Family’s Beauty and the Briefcase with Hilary Duff and Jennifer Coolidge. Clark remains true to her Louisiana roots and says her Southern upbringing has been beneficial to her acting career. She said her background taught her to be family oriented and to treat people well. “It’s kept me grounded and not so wacky,” she laughs, alluding to some of the eccentricities of Hollywood.

When Clark auditioned for The Lucky One, she wasn’t trying out for the role of Efron’s sister. But a casting director noticed similar features and coloring between Clark and the heartthrob celebrity and, after some improvisation and testing, the role was hers. Clark said her Lucky One co-workers formed a dream team. All of the actors worked and improvised collaboratively on an even playing field, she said. Efron was “exactly how you’d picture him to be,” she described. “It’s easy to see why he is the big name that he is,” Clark says of her onscreen brother. Lately, the majority of her time is spent promoting the film – she’s done interviews with not only American media, but Chinese and Australian as well. But when she’s not working, she enjoys hiking, volunteering at an animal welfare foundation, and cooking Southern favorites. She advises aspiring actors to do at least three things a day for their career – whether it’s writing a scene, taking an acting class, or simply hitting the gym – and not to fear taking risks.

ON THE WEB www.courtneyjclark. com/index.html

Justice Hall of Fame – Civil rights advocate and career educator Alexander P. Tureaud Jr., stands in front of his exhibit at the Angola Prison Museum after the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the exhibits of the 2012 Justice Hall of Fame inductees. The Louisiana State Penitentiary Museum Foundation inducted nine individuals to its Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame on July 9.

A.P. Tureaud, Jr.

84 LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

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Update Kyrgyzstan By Judson Moore

Greetings Tiger Nation,

Hot weather, sports, seemingly endless food, group activities and an element of learning by fun. Yes, it has all the symptoms of summer camp season and even half a world away few things feel different â&#x20AC;&#x201C; other than the language and towering mountains engulfing a summer of inspirational camps and fun. A Peace Corps volunteerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role often turns into that of a camp director in summer time. This summer I had many rewarding service opportunities conducting camps and special trainings for kids from all around Kyrgyzstan. Themes have ranged from HIV/AIDS education, to making appropriate decisions in healthy relationships, to implementing social media strategies in rural areas serviced by community radio. The experience that most touched me, however, was a bit of a special situation. Peace Corps volunteers are not allowed to travel to the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan so a camp from the Jalalabad region brought their kids to me in the north. The camp was a seven-day English camp for fifteen students and, after the seven days, participants traveled to Bishkek for two days of basic computer skills training. Some of these students had never touched a computer, but upon completion of the camp all participants demonstrated skills in basic Microsoft Word and Excel; used e-mail to send, receive, and save files and messages; explored a Judson Moore with students from the southern provence of Jalalabad Kyrgyzstan variety of information through Google searches on the Internet; who participated in an English Language and Basic Computer Skills Camp. and registered with Twitter via SMS. Photo by Polina Melnikova

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A main goal was to inspire these students by removing them from their environment and exposing them to the possibilities that exist outside their village. Meerim, the university student who organized the camp, is from the same village as the camp participants. She found scholarships to study in America and is a recent university graduate. She used herself and others as examples to inspire the students to follow their dreams. Hands down, this was extraordinarily effective at inspiring the students, and it was a great inspiration to me as well. At the end of summer I changed my worksite to the capital city where I will develop syndication agreements between the community radio stations throughout Kyrgyzstan and the Kloop Media Foundation (www.kloop.kg), which will broadcast content from the rural areas via the Internet. I conceptualized this project and will be working with local and national media as well as several multinational organizations to develop a sustainable plan. My last ten months of service promise to be full of challenges and rewards! I continue to love my life and have great pride in my service to the Kyrgyz people. I hope that you find a way to serve your own community and find your own inspiration to better your world. As always, you may follow my adventure at http://JudsonLMoore.com and @JudsonLMoore. Yours in Service & Geaux Tigers! Judson L Moore US Peace Corps 2011-13 Volunteer, Talas Kyrgyzstan

LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2012

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Tigers Around the World Road Trip West – During their

Terry and Auburn Brown with their children, from left, Lucy, Abby, Alice, Helen, and Gus.

vacation “out west” this summer, Terry (1993 BACH H&SS) and Auburn (1993 BACH H&SS, 1995 MAST H&SS) Brown, and their children, future Tigers Abby, Lucy, Gus, Alice, and Helen, of Eunice, La., spent three days at the historic TA Ranch in Buffalo, Wyo. Among the many other adventures on the two-week, 4,300 mile trip were stops at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Royal Gorge in Colorado, and Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, Homestake Mine, and Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. Before heading home, the family took in a Cardinals game in Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.

Singapore Sling – Mickey Olivier (1963 BACH H&SS) and wife Cath, of Melbourne, Fla., enjoy a Singapore Sling at Raffles Long Bar in Singapore where the drink originated. “The picture was taken on April 14 of this year,” writes Olivier. We were in Singapore for a few days, resting up from the long flight, before boarding the Diamond Princess cruise ship for a thirty-five day cruise up and around Eastern Europe, the Aleutians, Alaska, and ending up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.”

Mickey and Cath Olivier

Share your photos of “LSU sightings” across the country and around the world. Send to jackie@lsualumni.org.

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