LSU Alumni Magazine - Summer 2024

Dear LSU Alumni,

A university’s worth is measured by its impact. We evaluate that in a few concrete ways: through our effect on the state’s economy, through the benefits our faculty’s research and creative scholarship reap for society, through our service and outreach to the people of Louisiana, and through the success of our students and alumni. I’m proud to say that LSU’s family of alumni represents one of the most impressive groups I’ve seen emanate from a single university, and I hope you’re as proud as I am of all your collective accomplishments.

No single event demonstrates LSU alumni’s specific level of achievement more than the LSU Alumni Association's Hall of Distinction, which you’ll read more about in this issue. This year’s recipients truly illustrate what the effect an LSU education can have on an individual’s trajectory. We had the privilege of posthumously honoring William A. Brookshire, co-founder & chairman, S & B Engineers and Constructors, as Alumnus of the Year. You may recognize his name from LSU’s William A. Brookshire Military Museum, housed in Memorial Tower.

Seimone Augustus, WNBA Rookie of the Year and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, received the distinction of Young Alumna of the Year. Lane Grigsby, founder of Cajun Industries, was also honored in this year’s class, along with Lenny Lemoine, president and CEO of LEMOINE; Jyric Sims, President of HCA Healthcare’s West Florida Division; Anthony “Booger” McFarland, ESPN Football analyst, two-time Super Bowl Champion and LSU All-American; Matt Juneau, retired executive vice president of Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations at Albemarle; Melissa Juneau, retired CEO of the Emerge Center; and Beth Courtney, retired president and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

This group’s collective vision, determination, talent, grit, and leadership are the very embodiment of the LSU spirit. I hope you’ll join me in congratulating each and every one of them on their incredible careers.

In just a few weeks, we’ll celebrate yet another stellar graduating class as they make the transition from student to alum, joining your esteemed ranks. They represent the promise and potential our university instills in everyone who spent time beneath our campus’ famous oaks and arches in pursuit of an education that delivers a lifelong return on investment. Our job is to celebrate their milestone, support them as they enter the workforce, and welcome them into the LSU family of alumni, so that we can all watch as they become the leaders of tomorrow.

Sincerely,

William F. Tate IV LSU President

64 Full Circle

LSU alumna Misty Cole saw her first show of art quilts at LSU Museum of Art as a student. It opened her eyes to seeing fiber and textiles as art. She comes full circle as an exhibitor as part of a “Fierce Planets” quilt show at the Museum of Art through July.

On the cover: LSU Alumni Association’s 2024 Hall of Distinction inductees include Dr. William Brookshire (honored posthumously), Alumnus of the Year; Seimone Augustus, Young Alumna of the Year; Beth Courtney; Lane Grigsby; Matt and Melissa Juneau; Lenny Lemoine; Anthony “Booger” McFarland; and Dr. Jyric Sims.

Publisher

LSU Alumni Association

Joe Carvalhido

President & CEO

Editor

Chris Russo Blackwood

Editor Emeritus

Jackie Bartkiewicz

Marketing Manager

Sarah Armstead

Art Director/Graphic Designer

STUN Strategic Creatives

Kimberly Mackey

Principal/Creative Director

STUN Strategic Creatives

Chuck Sanchez

Contributors

Abbi Rocha Laymoun, Barry Cowan, Jordan Mighty, Marc Stevens

Cover photos

Katherine Seghers/LSU Strategic Communications

Photography

Sarah Armstead; Johnny Gordon/JG Photo; Aniya Hall, LSU Athletics; Jordan Mighty; Robert Obier; Amy Parrino; Chris Russo Blackwood, Sally Stiel; Mary Clare Trevison

Printing

Baton Rouge Printing BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Mario J. Garner, Chair Spring, Tx

Mark Kent Anderson, Chair-Elect Monroe, La.

Kathryn “Kathy” Fives, Immediate Past Chair Baton Rouge, La.

Dr. Jack A. Andonie, Director Emeritus Metairie, La.

J. Ofori Agboka, Carnation, Wash.

Michael B. Bethea, Madisonville, La.

David Braddock, Dallas, Tx.

Paul Buffone, Baton Rouge, La.

Dr. Corey Foster, Lake Charles, La.

G. Archer Frierson III, Shreveport, La.

James G. “Jimmy” Gosslee, Shreveport, La.

Leo C. Hamilton, Baton Rouge, La. Erin Monroe, Baton Rouge, La.

Lauren Olinde Hughes, Houston, Tx. R. Scott Jenkins, New Orleans, La. Dr. Louis Minsky, Baton Rouge, La. Jeffrey M. Mohr, Baton Rouge, La. Jady H. Regard, Lafayette, La.

Bart B. Schmolke, Alexandria, La. Rori P. Smith, Baton Rouge, La. Michael Woods, Shreveport, La.

LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the LSU Alumni Association. Annual donations are $75, of which $6 is allocated for a subscription to LSU Alumni Magazine. The LSU Alumni Association is not liable for any loss that might be incurred by a purchaser responding to an advertisement in this magazine.

Editorial and Advertising

LSU Alumni Association 3838 West Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686 225-578-3838 • 888-RINGLSU www.lsualumni.org/editor@lsualumni.org

© 2024 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686

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

LSU Alumni Association's Hall of Distinction inductees affirm our role as gatekeepers of alumni college memories

On a beautiful spring evening, our Hall of Distinction honorees said it best.

Dr. Jyric Sims quoted Mark Twain: “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why” to which Sims added “At LSU, I found out why.”

Seimone Augustus invoked her LSU coach, the late Sue Gunter’s mantra: “Dream big. Work hard. No excuses.” Augustus, recently elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, noted she received her LSU diploma after only three years.

Lenny Lemoine said he never felt more tethered to LSU than he does today.

Lori Garrison, the late Dr. William Brookshire’s daughter, reminisced about their last trip to the LSU campus to visit their scholarship recipients and how she and her dad took a selfie in front of the Cook Hotel. It’s the last photo she has of him.

“I like to think LSU gave my mother roots and it gave my mother wings,” said Julia Moore, who accepted the award for her mother, Beth Courtney.

Lane Grigsby said he was nurtured at LSU, to the extent that his algebra teacher actually wrote a letter to his mother describing how he was doing in the class.

Matt Juneau spoke on behalf of himself and his wife, Melissa.

“Never forget to give back to this university that opened doors for you like it opened for us.”

And, Anthony “Booger” McFarland challenged us all, as he recognized people who helped him along his path.

“Congratulations to all our honorees, who have left indelible marks upon LSU.”

“Our job is to do the same thing they did for us,” he said. “We need to ask ourselves ‘How can we help cultivate the next group who will be standing up here?’”

Congratulations to all of our honorees, who have left indelible marks upon LSU.

The very next day, LSUAA staff traveled across the country to continue making connections at our chapters’ annual spring crawfish boils. Besides enjoying crawfish, alums at these events raise thousands of dollars toward scholarships. We feature those gatherings in this issue too.

Traveling Tigers is 40 years old and going strong in 2024. We have LSU football game trips planned to Las Vegas for the USC game, Aug. 30- Sept. 2; versus University of South Carolina; Texas A&M; and University of Florida. We also have a slate of leisure trips, including Coastal Maine and the Albuquerque Balloon Festival in the Fall and, further afield in 2025, to Iceland for the Northern Lights, Alaska, and so many more destinations. Ford and Suzanne Stinson have traveled with us on both types of trips. Read why they feel like “rock stars” with Traveling Tigers. Then, visit our website, lsualumni.org/traveling-tigers, to plan your next trip.

Geaux Tigers!

Joe Carvalhido President/CEO LSU Alumni Association AlumniLSU lsualumniassociation

Stirring it up –

Members of the LSU Carolinas Alumni Chapter hosted their annual Gumbo Cookoff at Hi Wire Brewery to raise money for scholarships. Michael Lutgring took first place with his Big Easy Gumbeaux.

Carolyn Theresa and Rusty the dog

Wendy Williams Lutgring and Michael Lutgring

Carolyn Theresa

Stephanie Robinson and Chris Robinson

Shannon O'Keefe, chapter president; TJ Fox; Daphne Fontenot; and Amber Stolp, left to right

Michael Lutgring, first place, Big East Gumbeaux; Brady Mattox, second place, The Roux-Stirs; and Carolyn Kellogg, third place, Bayou Queen (right to left)

Todd Fontenot

Double the fun – Members of the Chicago LSU Alumni and Tulane Alumni chapters gathered to celebrate Mardi Gras, support the chapters, and raise money for local scholarships through the event’s ticket sales.

LSU Alums – Latasha Dorsey, Kisha James, and Aimee WelchJames cheered on the LSU Women’s Basketball Team when they took on South Carolina in league play. A watch party was held at The Brig in Washington DC.

Celebrating Jayden Daniels –

The LSU Alumni Dallas Chapter represented DFW area alumni at the Davey O'Brien Award celebrations and ceremony honoring Jayden Daniels. Daniels was honored with the award as the 2023 best college football quarterback. The event was held at The Fort Worth Club in February.

Kenneth Lirette, Austin Parker, Henry Ortiza, Gabby Triplette, Liz Neuner, and Mary Clare Trevison

LSU Alumni Chapter board members Nancy Reed, Shea Mercer, and Bobbi Hebemehl with Jayden Daniels, Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award winner, at the Davey O’Brien Award event

LSU Alumni Association News

2024 Chapter Summit

Chapter officers from across the country gathered at Lod Cook Alumni Center in January for the annual Chapter Summit. The workshop included sessions with campus experts, including Danny Barrow, vice president for Enrollment Management & Student Success; Phil Verpil, director of LSU Admissions; Olivia Cassin, associate director at the Office of Admissions; Lindsay McCrory, manager of Parent & Family Programs; Merdia Sanders, associate director of Transition and Student Success; Ricky Bryant, coordinator of Communications, Marketing & Events at Residential Life; Leighann Westfall, LSU Athletics Executive Director of External Relations; and Mario Garner, chair of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Also on the agenda was a group tour of local Oxbow Distillery and various sporting events, including LSU Gymnastics meet and Men's Basketball game.

Chapter Summit attendees gather for a group shot

Stacie Follis, Jeremy Jones, and Linda Young present check for Dallas Chapter Legacy Scholarship

Shannon O'keefe and Amber Stolp of the Carolinas Chapter

Lindsay McCrory, manager of Parent & Family Programs, speaks to chapter leaders

President William F. Tate IV speaks to chapter leaders

Debi and Paul West, Central Florida Chapter, back row; Laurie Buhrer; Phaedra White Abbott, A.P. Tureaud Chapter; and Tamara Hopkins-Steele of the Central Oklahoma Chapter

Karen Peace, Cooper Knecht, Melissa Olivier, and Brandli Greer

Karen Brack, San Diego Chapter; Mario Garner, LSUAA Chairman of Board of Directors; Debi and Paul West, Central Florida Chapter

Greg Heck and Peggy Arnold of the Panhandle Bayou Bengals

Chapter leaders during session

Chapter leaders during session

Serving crawfish – The Houston Alumni Chapter hosted its annual crawfish boil at Drift Houston to raise money for scholarships. Last year, the chapter raised more than $60,000 for its scholarship fund.

Charlotte, Meagan & Emmeline Parker

Madison Douglas and Shannon McConnell

Billy Hicks, Jennifer Lindsay, Cathy Brown, and Laurie Scott, front row; Don McGinty, Cheryl Fasullo, Susan Jackson, Angel Ardoin, Cynthia Cannizzaro, Wiley Graham, and Marcy Knox, back row

Auctioneer Laurie Scott Annie and Andrew Brien

Susan Jackson holds Nick Saban-signed football

Carolyn Hoffman, Lauren Hughes, and Linda Pepperman

Colleen Estes, Chris Russo Blackwood, Steve Estes, and Bill Blackwood

Laurie Scott, Jennifer Lindsay, Marcy Knox, and Angel Ardoin

Crawfish Time – Members of the Southern California Alumni Chapter gathered for crawfish and camaraderie this spring. Chapter leaders from the San Diego Chapter helped boil the mudbugs.

SoCal chapter leaders Brian Lang, Korbin Law, Murlyn Burkes, Suzanne Erdelyi, and Charles Favors, (front row left to right); and San Diego Chapter members Danny Castro, Kelley Wilson, Jon Stake, and Tammy Jope (back row, left to right)

Murlyn Burkes

Sandra and Rob Cutbirth

Amy Parrino, Jordan Williams, and Jan Barker Alexander

Amy Parrino and Dennis Davis

Gabrielle Schrader, Nerissa Schrader, Ted Schrader, and Sophie Schrader

Jon Stake (crawfish cook) and Nat Sonnier

BAT at the Cook weaves storytelling and the passion baseball season brings

Baseball Alumni Talk (BAT) at the Cook brings together LSU fans, baseball enthusiasts, and alumni in an exclusive pre-game gathering featuring storytelling, renowned baseball legends, and the camaraderie of Tiger Nation.

On three select afternoons this spring, the Lod Cook Alumni Center came alive with the energy of eager LSU fans. Legendary former LSU star Ronnie Rantz took the stage as event emcee. Attendees had the opportunity to rub shoulders with LSU Baseball Alumni Legends, who regaled all with tales, insights, anecdotes, and passion for the game.

Skip Bertman, Anthony Rinaudo, Joe Carvalhido, and Ronnie Rantz

Jeannine and Will Santos

Jim Pevey, Sharon Pol, and David Thornton

Cathy Basso, Mary Craig Bardwell, and Chrystal Musgrove

Lauren Giffin, Jared Mitchell, Paul Manieri, and Mikey Mahtook

Jared Mitchell, Paul Manieri, and Mikey Mahtook

Taylor Mayeux with Stripe Kings, Shannon McConnell, and Jonathan Starns of Louisiana Turf

Tracy Jones and Dick Juneau

Janice Guitreau, Mikey Mahtook, and Chrystal Musgrove

Patrick and Pierce McCune

LSU Alumni Association News 2024 Summer Advancement Corner

WHERE DOES MY DONATION GO?:

The LSU Alumni Association is fostering the culture of ‘Tigers Helping Tigers’.

When it comes to nurturing a sense of community and support, few institutions can rival the bond shared among LSU Alumni. The LSU Alumni Association serves as the heartbeat of this extended family, connecting Tigers across generations and geographies. As an alum or friend of the University, you might wonder: Why should I give to the LSU Alumni Association? The answer lies not just in supporting your alma mater but also in fostering a culture of ‘Tigers helping Tigers’.

STRENGTHENING THE LSU COMMUNITY

The LSU Alumni Association plays a pivotal role in strengthening the LSU community, facilitating meaningful connections among alumni, students, friends of the University, and faculty. Whether it's organizing young alumni and industry networking events, connecting Tigers through our worldwide alumni chapter networks, or hosting events like our Hall of Distinction, Scholars' Reception, and Retired Faculty reunion, the association creates opportunities for Tigers to engage with each other and give back to their alma mater.

SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS

Your contribution to the LSU Alumni Association is even impactful when it comes to supporting the success of current and future students! Scholarships, mentorship programs, and career development initiatives funded by alumni donations provide invaluable resources to help students pursue their academic and professional goals. By giving back, you empower the next generation of

to excel both inside and outside the classroom.

BUILDING A STRONG PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

One of the most significant advantages of being part of the LSU Alumni Association is the extensive network of fellow Tigers. The Alumni Association created and currently facilitates LSUTigerNation.com, a networking site where all LSU Alumni can connect professionally! Whether you're a recent graduate entering the workforce, or a seasoned professional looking to make a career change, the LSU alumni network provides resources to enable career advancement. By contributing to the association, you not only strengthen this network but also ensure that Tigers support Tigers in their professional endeavors.

FOSTERING A CULTURE OF TIGERS HIRING TIGERS

At the heart of the LSU Alumni Association's mission is the effort to build a culture of Tigers hiring Tigers. Living this mission reflects a commitment to supporting and uplifting fellow members of the LSU community. Alumni who give back to their alma mater are more likely to advocate for fellow Tigers in their workplaces by connecting others with

job opportunities, participating in a mentorship program, or by offering professional guidance. By contributing to the LSU Alumni Association, you play a direct role in fostering this culture of support and collaboration among Tigers of all generations!

LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY

As an alum, your connection to LSU is forever! By giving to the LSU Alumni Association, you leave a lasting legacy that transcends generations. Your contributions help ensure that future Tigers will continue to benefit from the same opportunities and sense of community that enriched your own LSU experience.

Giving to the LSU Alumni Association isn't just about supporting your alma mater; it's about investing in the future of Tigers everywhere. By fostering a culture of Tigers helping Tigers, you contribute to a network of support and opportunity that extends far beyond the confines of the campus gates.

So, whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned alum, consider giving back to the LSU Alumni Association and help keep the Tiger spirit alive for generations to come! To start giving today, visit https://www. lsualumni.org/giving or email us at giving@lsualumni.org

Tigers

Dr. Mario Garner was recognized as an Outstanding Diversity Champion by the Houston Business Journal.

In his role as president of St. Luke’s Health -The Vintage Hospital, he is passionate about driving initiatives to identify and mentor leaders with perspectives that reflect the diverse community in which he serves. Dr. Garner is also president of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

The LSU Alumni Association welcomes new employees: Madie Constantine, intern, and Jurmira Butler, Cook Hotel at LSU front desk lead.

Brown family scholarship recipients meet donor at recent luncheon

Cathy Brown hosted the 2024 recipients of the Stephen and Catherine Brown Family Flagship Scholarship Fund for lunch recently. Scholarship recipients included Ella Troup, a Microbiology and Economics major; Grace Ridgway, a Biological Sciences (Pre Dental) major; and George Tisdale, a Chemistry Major & Materials Science and Engineering Minor. Amy Parrino, senior vice president of the LSU Alumni Association, also attended.

It was a great opportunity for the students to meet the donor who has supported their education and learn about the impact an LSU degree played in the donor's career and success. It also is rewarding for the donor to get to know the students.

Stephen Brown (1972 BACH SCI) was a recipient of an LSU Alumni Scholarship. He paid his appreciation forward to the Alumni Association through his service and support after graduation, serving on the LSU Alumni SoCal Board of Directors in Los Angeles for more than 25 years. He also served on the LSU Alumni Association's National Board of Directors.

For more information on establishing your own scholarship endowment, contact Amy Parrino, amy@lsualumni.org

Cathy Brown, Ella Troup, Grace Ridgway, and George Tisdale

Dr. Mario Garner

Stinsons Feel like Rock Stars On Traveling Tigers Trips

For 40 years, The LSU Alumni Association’s Traveling Tigers have hosted trips to LSU sporting events and to leisure destinations around the world.

Ford and Suzanne Stinson have taken advantage of a bevy of these opportunities, trekking with Traveling Tigers to the Mediterranean and to Normandy as well as to football games in Green Bay and Atlanta.

“These trips are very well planned and organized,” says Suzanne. “There are no worries: all the tours, ports of call are all planned. The ships are great too. And, the sporting events are the best trips. All you have to do is show up and have fun.”

As members of the LSU Alumni Association, the Stinsons receive brochures about upcoming trips, but anyone can travel with Traveling Tigers and anyone can become a member of the LSU Alumni Association. Check out the schedule at www.lsualumni.org/traveling-tigers.

“One of our most memorable trips was a D-Day trip to Normandy,” says Suzanne. “It was very emotional. Dwight D. Eisenhower II was our tour guide. Since we are both veterans, we were able to lay a wreath at one of the memorials.”

On the Normandy trip, the Stinsons took advantage of a pre-trip stay in Portugal as well as a post-trip stay in London. Many of the leisure trips offer these extra days before and after the main event as add-ons.

On Labor Day weekend, the Stinsons will join Traveling Tigers for the 2024 Vegas Kickoff Classic to see the LSU Fighting Tigers football team play USC.

“We love those charter flights,” says Suzanne. “They make you feel like rock stars.”

“It will be like a mini-reunion,” she adds about the Las Vegas trip. “We establish a rapport with the people who go on these sports trips. We actually have made lifelong friends with LSU alums on these trips. We’ve gotten together for dinner, connect on social media, send each other Christmas cards.

“We share these life-changing experiences and that really tightens the camaraderie.”

Suzanne Stinson has four degrees from Louisiana Tech, while Ford Stinson holds a bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate from LSU.

“I’m a Tiger by marriage,” says Suzanne. “And, I’m all in.”

Representing LSU at the Tower of Pisa

Stinsons in Rome

Suzanne and Ford Stinson on Mediterranean cruise

Jay Dardenne, Robert Adley, and Ford Stinson

Ford Stinson poses with the welcome banner

Ford Stinson

Ford Stinson at Lambeau Field for LSU football game

Ford and Suzanne Stinson with the late Jimmy Taylor

Charter flights on Sports Trips

2024 HALL OF DISTINCTION CLASS

HONORED AT APRIL AWARDS GALA

Seimone Augustus; Lane Grigsby; Melissa and Matt Juneau; Anthony "Booger" McFarland; Julia Moore, representing her mother, Beth Courtney; Lenny Lemoine; Lori Garrison, representing her father, William Brookshire; and Jyric Sims

The 2024 Hall of Distinction Class joins 413 elite LSU alumni, who have brought distinction to their alma mater through contributions to the university, the state, the nation, and the world.

This class was honored at an awards gala April 12 at the Lod Cook Alumni Center.

Dr. William Brookshire, co-founder and chairman of S&B Engineers and Constructors, was honored posthumously as 2024 Alumnus of the Year. Accepting on his behalf, his daughter, Lori Garrison, recalled the last trip her father took to the LSU campus in March, 2017, mere months before he died. He came to visit with some of his many, many scholarship recipients.

“I drove over with him,” she recalled. “We took a selfie in front of the Cook Hotel. It’s my last photo of him.”

Seimone Augustus was honored as 2024 Young Alumna of the Year. Augustus is a WNBA Rookie of the Year and MVP; three-time Olympic Gold Medalist; and two-time NCAA National Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. This recognition came on the heels of the announcement of her induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Also included in this distinguished group are Beth Courtney, retired president and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting; Lane Grigsby, founder, Cajun Industries; Melissa Juneau, retired Emerge Center CEO; Matt Juneau, retired executive vice president, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, Albemarle; Anthony “Booger” McFarland, ESPN football analyst; two-time Super Bowl Champion, All American, All-SEC LSU football player; and Dr. Jyric Sims, president of HCA Healthcare West Florida Division.

Congratulatory remarks were made by Joe Carvalhido, LSU Alumni Association president and CEO. Musical entertainment was provided by Doug Pacas. Dan Borne served as master of ceremonies.

1961

PHD AND 1959 MAST CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

DR. WILLIAM BROOKSHIRE

Dr. William Alfred "Bill" Brookshire, co-founder and longtime chairman of S & B Engineers and Constructors, Ltd., was honored posthumously.

Brookshire was awarded LSU College of Engineering’s Alumni Hall of Distinction honor and established the S & B Engineers and Constructors Scholarship in the LSU College of Engineering, which has benefited more than 2,000 students. His philanthropic support of LSU also includes the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum, the William A. Brookshire Military & Veterans Center, the new William A. Brookshire Veterans Law Clinic within the LSU Law Center, the Brookshire Crisis Fund, the William A. Brookshire Award for Teaching Excellence, and the William A. Brookshire Graduate Assistantship in Chemical Engineering.

He has also made an impact on LSU at large through gifts for the renovation of Memorial Tower and the renovation and expansion of Patrick F. Taylor Hall. In his final years, Brookshire created The William A. Brookshire Foundation to provide scholarships for children of S & B employees and engineering students.

Brookshire’s professional honors include being a past member of Government Programs Steering Committee of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a past vice chairman of the Engineering and Construction Contracting Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Executive Board, a former member of the Rice University Engineering Board of Review, a former member of the Board of Industrial Advisors for the University of Houston College of Technology, and a 1998 recipient of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Engineering and Construction Contracting Division Award.

He received his bachelor's of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Houston, where he was recognized as Distinguished Alumnus and Distinguished Engineering Alumnus. He was also honored posthumously with the University of Houston Engineering Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brookshire died on April 21, 2017. He is survived by three children, Lori Garrison, James “Brook” Brookshire, and Christina “Crissy” Brookshire.

Dad continued to expand his giving because LSU understood his priorities and used his gifts to make immediate impact in students’ lives.”

– Lori Garrison

2005 BACH GENERAL STUDIES

SEIMONE D. AUGUSTUS

Seimone Augustus, one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA, led the LSU program to its first of five consecutive women's Final Four appearances. Augustus, the consensus 2005 and 2006 Naismith National Player of the Year in women's basketball, finished her LSU career averaging 19.3 points and 5.2 rebounds.

A native of Baton Rouge, she was the No. 1 pick in the 2006 WNBA, drafted by the Minnesota Lynx, with whom she played 14 years and won four league championships. Augustus finished her WNBA career in 2020 with the Los Angeles Sparks. She also won three Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women's team. In her 15 WNBA seasons, she averaged 15.4 points and 3.1 rebounds and was an eight-time All-Star.

She was also the 2006 WNBA Rookie of the Year and the 2011 WNBA Finals MVP. Other awards include two-time Wade Trophy winner, two-time Wooden Award winner, two-time Honda Sports Award winner; two-time SEC Player of the Year, and 2003 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

Now retired, Augustus volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul, Donors Choose, and Kids in Need. Her No. 33 jersey was retired by LSU in 2010 and by the Lynx in 2022. In 2023, she was honored by a statue unveiled at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU gave me a golden opportunity to grow as a person first, and then as an athlete. The purple and gold standard is the epitome of class and culture driven by a ferocious appetite to win. Simply put, we’re the best!”

1967 BACH CIVIL ENGINEERING

L. LANE GRIGSBY

L.Lane Grigsby, a native of Louisiana, is Chairman Emeritus of Cajun Industries, LLC.

Grigsby started Cajun Contractors and Engineers, Inc (now Cajun Industries), in partnership with Bob Mixon, in 1973. The company has grown to become one of the largest construction companies in Louisiana. Since 1990, Cajun Industries has been listed among Engineering News-Record's Top 400 Contractors.

Grigsby is founder and stockholder of the Atlantic Company of America, a nationally recognized historical restoration business that was responsible for the restoration of the Washington Monument.

Grigsby founded the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Baton Rouge branch, serving in every elected position and receiving ABC's Man of the Year Award twice. He also served in leadership roles in the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), the Baton Rouge Metro Airport Commission and the Baton Rouge Medical Center Board of Directors.

Grigsby also served on advisory boards of the LSU College of Engineering and the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Management and was inducted as a member of the LSU Engineering Hall of Distinction. Grigsby created the Boo Grigsby Foundation, which has donated more than $9.5 million to philanthropic interests.

Grigsby is married to Bobbi Fickes Grigsby and they have three children: Tami, Todd and Tricia; and nine grandchildren.

LSU opened the doors to the success of my life.”

Did you know

Lane Grigsby enjoys bird hunting with his 10 German Shorthair Pointers and seven English Cockers at the El Tesoro Ranch in Charlotte, Texas?

2005 BACH KINESIOLOGY

DR. JYRIC EMMANUEL SIMS

Jyric Emmanuel Sims serves as president of HCA Healthcare West Florida Division, which comprises more than 22,000 employees across 15 hospitals, two behavioral health campuses, 30 emergency room locations, 30 urgent care sites, 14 ambulatory surgery centers, 73 physician practices and division office staff, who support these facilities across Florida’s gulf coast.

Previously, Sims served as President and CEO of Medical City Plano and Frisco, a Texas-based health system within the HCA Healthcare umbrella.

He was CEO of HCA’s Medical City Fort Worth, COO of Tulane Health System in New Orleans, COO of St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and served in executive roles in Houston, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Prior to HCA, he worked as an administrative fellow and director of operations at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Sims also holds a master’s of science degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, a doctorate in Public Policy and Administration from Southern University in Baton Rouge, and a certificate in healthcare leadership from Harvard University.

He serves on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board of Directors and Collin County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Sims has been honored as 2022 Becker’s top African American to know in healthcare, 2018 Young Healthcare Executive of the Year by the DFW Hospital Council, 2017 National Healthcare Executive of the Year by the National Association of Healthcare Executives, 2017 Alumnus of the Year by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and 2016 Modern Healthcare Up and Comer. He was also appointed to serve on a national delegation to Israel.

He also serves on the LSU Foundation Board of Directors and is past finance committee chair. Sims is co-chairman of the LSU Diversity Board and a member of the LSU College of Human Science Dean search committee.

He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (Boule), Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and Bunch Social Club in New Orleans. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at Tulane University School of Public Health.

Sims is married to his college sweetheart, Maisha, and they are the parents of Sabriya and Noah.

LSU is in my heart. I grew up in Baton Rouge and as a firstgeneration college student, LSU provided me a gate way to a better tomorrow and a generational change. LSU means leadership, charter, and scholarship.”

LEONARD K. “LENNY” LEMOINE

Leonard "Lenny" Lemoine is the President and CEO of LEMOINE, a dynamic multi-professional services company renowned for its comprehensive offerings spanning infrastructure, building construction, disaster response and recovery, and project and program services.

LEMOINE has ascended over 100 spots on Engineering News Record’s (ENR) prestigious Top 400 Contractors list within the last three years, currently ranked #186 nationwide and #32 in the 5-state regional area. The #1 general contractor in Louisiana, the company boasts numerous accolades from Associated Builders and Contractors and is hailed by Modern Healthcare as one of the top healthcare contractors in the nation.

Lemoine’s dedication to community service is exemplified through his many roles including the board of directors for the Community Foundation of Acadiana, the University of Louisiana Lafayette Foundation, Our Lady of Lourdes Foundation, Oakbourne Country Club, and St. Thomas More Catholic High School Foundation. He has also made significant contributions to organizations such as Lafayette Central Parks Inc., Love Our Schools, Louisiana Waterfowl Association, One Acadiana and the Acadiana Marine Institute.

A passionate advocate for enhancing both employee well-being and organizational performance, Lemoine champions company-sponsored leadership training and strategic planning initiatives aimed at fostering individual empowerment and growth opportunities. Under his leadership, LEMOINE established LEAP, the LEMOINE Engineering Advancement Program, designed to provide participants with a comprehensive professional experience in construction management. Through a combination of hands-on training and mentorship, participants evaluate their core strengths before charting a sustainable career path.

Recognized for his outstanding contributions, Lemoine has been honored as Entrepreneur of the Year by ABiz Magazine, received Lafayette’s prestigious Civic Cup Award and was celebrated as a National Cox Conserves Hero honoree. Additionally, he was named a Gulf Coast Area winner of Ernst & Young LLP’s esteemed Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Lemoine and his wife, Christine, have two children, Ryan and Caroline. They recently welcomed their first grandchild.

I cannot begin to tell you how essential being a graduate of LSU has been to my life and career. I genuinely believe that whatever I've achieved in business has come from friendships I made during my time at LSU and through networking opportunities with other LSU graduates over the course of my career. More importantly, my relationship with my wife and most of my lifelong friendships were forged while attending LSU.”

1966 BACH SECONDARY EDUCATION AND 1973 MAST HIST

BETH HARDY COURTNEY

Beth Hardy Courtney was an award-winning and visionary leader in public broadcasting for 47 years, here in Louisiana and on the national stage. She began her career as a capitol correspondent and ended with her retirement as the President and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), a position she held for 38 years. When appointed in 1984, Courtney became one of the first women in the country to lead a statewide public broadcasting network.

Courtney created Louisiana: A History, one of the projects that meant the most to her. This beautifully told story of our state included noted historians, culture bearers, and a variety of leaders and characters.

Released during the year of the Louisiana Bicentennial Celebration, the project included lesson plans for educators, a beautiful companion book, and online elements designed for schoolchildren and lifelong learners alike.

Courtney led LPB through remarkable changes in technology: from transmitter towers, satellites, digitization, and now streaming. Courtney’s ability to anticipate and navigate the rapidly shifting broadcast landscape kept quality programming on the air in Louisiana and allowed LPB to serve the entire state during disasters and challenges.

Courtney was tapped and elected to the highest levels of leadership. She served as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as Vice-Chair of the Board of PBS, Chair of the Organization of State Broadcasting Executives, and Chair of the National Educational Telecommunications Association.

In addition to the many awards and accolades presented to LPB for programs produced under Courtney’s leadership, Courtney was personally honored to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Broadcaster for the Year from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters, Communicator of the Year from the Public Relations Association of Louisiana, the Robert B. Hamm Award from the Council for a Better Louisiana, the Distinguished Service Award from the Organization of State Broadcast Executives and the Dan Miller PBS Station Leadership Award from PBS. Courtney was named a Woman of Achievement by the YWCA, inducted into the Louisiana Center for Women in Government Hall of Fame and received honorary doctorate degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University and Centenary College.

She is married to Bob Courtney and is the mother of Julia George Moore and grandmother of Andrew and Virginia Moore.

When I arrived at LSU as a 17-year-old freshman, I quickly found my permanent home. The students, faculty, a loving church family, the swirl of new experiences and leadership opportunities and the rich and unique culture all combined to create the environment in which I knew I could and would thrive.”

ANTHONY “BOOGER” MCFARLAND

Anative of Winnsboro, McFarland was a First-Team All-American and All-SEC defensive tackle at LSU, where he played football from 1995-1998. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and a football analyst for ESPN.

Before joining ESPN, McFarland co-hosted a popular Tampa area sports radio show on 98.7 The Fan from 2012-14. He was also the Tigers' honorary captain when they won the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship at the Superdome in New Orleans.

McFarland joined ESPN in 2014 as one of the SEC Network's first commentators, focused on the Southeastern Conference. In only a short time McFarland moved up the ladder to ABC where he would cover all of college football on ABC with Kevin Negandhi and Mack Brown. In 2018, McFarland joined Monday Night Football as the series' first-ever on-field analyst. A year later, he was elevated to the booth as the solo analyst along with Joe Tessitore for the 50th season of Monday Night Football. With the promotion, McFarland became the first full-time African American booth analyst on MNF since 1985.

Currently McFarland covers college football for ESPN on ABC, does NFL Primetime with Chris Berman and, this past fall launched a new show on Mondays called the Monday Blitz.

The No. 15 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1999 NFL Draft, McFarland played nine NFL seasons with the Buccaneers (1999-2006) and Indianapolis Colts (200506). He helped anchor Tampa's menacing defense and was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams — SB XXXVII (Tampa) and XLI (Indianapolis). He is a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

McFarland serves with the board of the Joe Burrow Foundation, Jack & Jill of America, NFL Health and Safety Committee, host of the Abe Brown Charity Golf Tournament and other charitable functions.

He is married to Tammie and they have two children, Alexis and Jacob McFarland.

I was born in Winnsboro, where the foundation of who l am was laid. However, I was built in Baton Rouge ... the details of work ethic, dreams about my future and a limitless career. LSU is a pillar in my life that signals an accomplishment of graduating and opening doors for the rest of my future.”

1982 BACH CHEMICAL ENGINEERING • 1983 BACH SPEECH AND 1982 BACH SPEECH

MATTHEW “MATT” & MELISSA JUNEAU

Matt Juneau’s professional career with Ethyl Corporation and Albemarle Corporation spanned more than 35 years. Matt held several executive roles during his time with Albemarle including Global Vice President Sales and Services from 2009-2012, Global Business Unit President of Albemarle’s $1.5 billion Performance Chemicals business between 2012 and 2015, and finally, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations from 2016 until his retirement in early 2018. During Matt’s time in this role, Albemarle successfully divested four businesses with total proceeds of almost $4 billion and the company became part of the S&P 500.

Matt has served LSU in many ways, including as a member of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2016 to 2023, and as a member of the Ogden Honors College Advisory Board. Along with some of his classmates, Matt led the endowment of the Stephen Kemerling Flagship Scholarship and the Class of 1982 Chemical Engineering Scholarship Fund.

Melissa Juneau has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a non-profit leader, board member and speech language pathologist. Under her direction as Executive Director of the Baton Rouge Speech and Hearing Foundation the organization secured land and funds to construct The Emerge Center, a 25,000 square foot state of the art facility servicing children and adults with communications disorders at LSU’s Innovation Park. She then led the launch of The Emerge Enterprise, consisting of The Emerge Center, The Emerge Foundation, and The Emerge School for Autism, the state’s first charter school exclusively devoted to serving children diagnosed with autism.

Melissa has received several honors and awards, including the United Way Leadership Excellence Award, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Angel Award, the Zurich Classic Community Impact Award, the 2017 John W. Barton Excellence in Nonprofit Management Award by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and was named as one of the 2014 Influential Women in Business by the Baton Rouge Business Report She is a member of the board of directors for the Knock Knock Children’s Museum and the board of trustees for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University.

Matt and Melissa have four children, with a combined nine LSU degrees among the family.

Growing up in rural Avoyelles Parish, we never imagined the life we have experienced over the past 40-plus years. Our degrees from LSU opened so many doors for us, professionally and personally, and helped us drive opportunities and experiences we never would have though possible when we started college in 1978.””

1 Dr. Louis and Lori Minsky; 2 D-D Breaux and Ronnie Rantz; 3 Joe Carvalhido, Mike the Tiger, and Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite; 4 Mariah and Mark Anderson; 5 Jacob, Booger and Tammie McFarland; 6 Noah and Sabriya Sims

Around CAMPUS

Andrew J. Maas, associate vice president for research overseeing the LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development, has been named board chair of AUTM, a global nonprofit whose members support the commercialization of academic research. At LSU, Maas’s duties include overseeing the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, LSU Innovation Park and the Small Business Development Centers. Maas led the effort that resulted in the National Science Foundation making LSU an Innovation Corps site in 2016 and part of the newly established I-Corps Southwest Regional hub in late 2022. Maas also spearheaded Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL), a statewide effort of more than 50 public and private partners that won the largest and most competitive grant ever awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation – up to $160 million over 10 years. The NSF grant will support Louisiana’s energy industry, create jobs in the energy sector, develop innovative solutions to energy challenges and help train the world’s energy workforce.

Courtney Phillips, former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, has been named vice president of Health Affairs and Chief Health Officer. In this role, Phillips will work closely with university leadership across the LSU system as well as with healthcare partners to maximize the system’s healthcare-related financial well-being, enhance operational efficiency, develop new revenue streams, and leverage related strengths. This role is a recasting of a previous vice president position that oversaw healthcare across the system. The position will not oversee or manage campuses or their leadership, but will focus on building collaborations and maximizing opportunities to improve the state of healthcare in Louisiana. Phillips has a doctorate degree in Public Policy from Southern University as well as a master’s degree in Public Administration and bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from LSU.

Noteworthy

The LSU Quantum Photonics Group offers fresh insights into the fundamental traits of surface plasmons, challenging existing understanding, in a recent publication of Nature Physics. Based on experimental and theoretical investigations conducted in Associate Professor Omar Magaña-Loaiza’s laboratory, these novel findings mark a significant advancement in quantum plasmonics, possibly the most noteworthy in the past decade. While prior research in the field has predominantly focused on the collective behaviors of plasmonic systems, the LSU group adopted a distinct approach. By viewing plasmonic waves as a puzzle, they were able to isolate multiparticle subsystems or break down the puzzle into pieces. This allowed the team to see how different pieces work together and revealed a different picture, or in this case, new behaviors for surface plasmons. The study is poised to make a significant impact on the field of quantum plasmonics, as researchers worldwide will leverage the findings for quantum simulation. Graduate student and co-first author Mingyuan Hong led the experimental phase of the study.

Bhuvnesh Bharti, LSU Chemical Engineering associate professor and his former graduate student, Jin Gyun Lee, were issued a patent for their technology which utilizes lignin nanoparticles to provide an eco-friendly method for oil spill cleanup. It’s the first patent awarded to an LSU College of Engineering faculty in 2024. The technology combines lignin—a complex organic polymer found in wood and plants—with alcohol to form a solution that shrinks the film of spilled oil into a small region that can be subsequently removed in an environmentally friendly way. Currently, silicone-based surface active agents, or surfactants, are commercially used as “oil herders.” Their design and poor biodegradability, however, have raised concerns about their release into the environment and their corresponding impact on human health.

LSU Law Professor Lisa Avalos received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award to conduct research on her forthcoming book, She Must Be Lying to Us! When Reporting Rape Becomes a Crime, during the 2024-25 academic year in the United Kingdom. Avalos is just the sixth LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center faculty member to be granted a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award and the first female professor to receive the honor. She is internationally renowned for her research and scholarship on sexual offenses and gender-based violence. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Granted by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, program awards support teaching and research endeavors by college and university faculty in more than 135 countries around the world. It is an extremely competitive program, with only about 800 grants being made each academic year.

Julia Buckner, LSU Psychology professor, received two separate awards from the National Institutes of Health—more than $800,000 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse—to study the direct links between daily experiences with racism, including microaggressions, alcohol, and cannabis use and potential problems that result from use. Recruitment for both studies is ongoing. While Buckner expects to focus on Black Americans in the Baton Rouge area, the studies are being done virtually through several daily check-ins via a smartphone app to increase accessibility, thus opening both studies up to participants across the nation. To participate, visit https://faculty.lsu.edu/aabc/participatenow. php.

Damon Talley, Paula G. Manship Professor and Director of Bands, was elected to membership in the American Bandmasters Association (ABA), one of the highest honors for a wind band conductor. Talley's election was recognized at the 2024 ABA National Convention, held in Washington D.C. in March, where he conducted the United States Air Force Band in a performance of Floyd Werle's Glider Pilots Reunion March. The ABA, founded in 1929 with John Philip Sousa serving as Honorary Life President, recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of concert band conductors and composers. The current membership comprises approximately 300 band conductors and composers across the United States and Canada. Talley oversees all aspects of the LSU Department of Bands, conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches graduate conducting.

Jennifer Qian, associate professor of learning analytics and educational technology and program lead of master’s and graduate certificate in Educational Technology at the LSU Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education, was selected as a member of the International Data Policy Committee (IDPC) within the International Science Council’s Committee on Data. As a member of the IDPC, Qian will participate in shaping global data governance standards, influencing policy decisions, and fostering international collaboration.

Dr. Steve Nelson was named chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. His career spans decades of progressively more senior academic leadership positions while maintaining significant National Institute of Health funding, caring for critically ill patients, training hundreds of future healthcare professionals and advancing healthcare policy.

Margaret Reams, LSU researcher and the Joseph D. Martinez Professor of Environmental Sciences, has joined the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation as its new associate director for community engagement. In her new role, Reams will support communitybenefits planning for new energy projects across the state, including in collaboration with industry.

TIGER TRIVIA

1. Which Lady Tiger basketball player scored the most points in her college career?

Angel Reese Seimone Augustus

Sylvia Fowles Marie Ferdinand

2. Which former Louisiana governor would lead the Tiger Band in parades before football games?

Russell Long Earl Long

Gillis Long Huey Long

3. Who was LSU’s longest-serving baseball coach?

Harry Rabenhorst Smoke Laval

Skip Bertman Jim Smith

4. Which students were the dormitories (Grace King, Annie Boyd, Evangeline, etc.) around the Horseshoe originally built to house?

Male Students Honor Students

Female Students Nursing Students

5. Which campus building is the tallest?

Tiger Stadium The Memorial Tower Life Sciences The parking garage

6. When was the Parker Coliseum completed? 1860 1887 1926 1937

7. What color were the caps freshman women were required to wear in the early 1930s? Green Purple Gold Red

8. What was the “Pajama Game?”

A slumber party Male freshmen were required to wear their pajamas to the first football game of the season Male freshmen were required Male freshmen were required to wear their pajamas to the to wear their pajamas on the Union for lunch first day of class

9. According to superstition, what would happen to a student if they walked on a certain square of concrete in front of the law building? They would trip and fall They would have to wear their because the square was pajamas to the first football game uneven of the season They would have to wear They would fail their next exam a red cap

10. Who were the first editors of The Southern Review?

Eudora Welty and Harper Lee Don Stanford and Lewis Simpson Cleanth Brook and Robert James Monroe Smith and Penn Warren Richard Leche

11. Who was the observatory atop Nicholson Hall named for?

Arlo Landolt James Nicholson Charles Coates Thomas Atkinson

12. When did the observatory open? 1926 1939 1946 2022

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

Around Campus Noteworthy

James C. Garand, the Emogene Pliner Distinguished Professor of Political Science, has received a major honor recognizing his work over the course of his career in mentoring doctoral students, undergraduate students, and junior faculty. The Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) established the James C. Garand Outstanding Mentor Award, to be presented each year at the SPSA annual meeting. The award honors outstanding mentors in political science and is intended to recognize a political scientist who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring undergraduates, graduate students and/or colleagues in the discipline.

Fran’Cee Brown-McClure was named LSU associate vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. She provides leadership and support for Campus Life, Greek Life, the William A. Brookshire Military and Veterans Center, Student Advocacy and Accountability, and Student Government. She was previously vice president for Student Affairs at Jackson State University.

LSU’s Office of Research & Economic Development honored Mette Gaarde and Paul J. Frick as faculty Distinguished Research Masters for their exceptional research and scholarship. Gaarde, the Les and Dot Broussard Alumni Professor in the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy, was recognized for her scholarship in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Frick, the Roy Crumpler Memorial Chair in the LSU Department of Psychology, received the title based on his research in the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences. They were honored at a presentation during the Holliday Forum in the LSU Journalism Building, followed by a reception.

Ryan Stoa, environmental, natural resources and cannabis law scholar, joins the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center faculty at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.

Stoa has been a faculty member of the Southern University Law Center since 2020 and previously taught at Concordia University School of Law and Florida International University College of Law. His research and scholarship focus on environmental, energy, and natural resources law and policy, as well as cannabis regulation, coastal law and sustainable development.

A fiber optics-powered breakthrough discovery by Jyotsna Sharma, LSU petroleum engineering professor, could quickly and accurately identify pipeline leaks, preventing potentially significant environmental damage and saving the oil and gas industry billions of dollars a year. Sharma is working with the LSU Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, part of LSU Innovation & Ecosystem Development, to patent her technology.

Turner-Fischer Center for Opera takes first-place award

The Turner-Fischer Center for Opera, College of Music & Dramatic Arts, was awarded First Place (Division II) at the National Opera Association's Robert Hansen Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition for the performance of the second act quintet from Mozart's The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte).

Following a preliminary judging round of submitted video, four finalist programs in each size division were invited to the National Opera Association's annual conference, held in Tempe, Az., for a live performance of their selected scene. LSU's performing cast was composed of Kyle Melton, Yonathan T. Astatke, Chuyan Luo, Sydney Sorbet, and Anna Safko.

This is the 13th National Opera Association award garnered by the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera in the last five years.

Recently-published Handbook of Obesity: most comprehensive in its field Handbook of Obesity, a two-volume set edited by Dr. George Bray and Dr. Claude Bouchard, former Pennington Biomedical Research Center executive directors, was recently published by Routledge and CRC Press.

In addition to Drs. Bray and Bouchard, associate editors included Pennington’s Dr. John Kirwan, associate executive director of Population and Public Health Sciences; Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, associate executive director for Scientific Education; Dr. Leanne Redman; and Dr. Philip Schauer, director of the Metamor Institute.

ProudMe project uses novel approach to obesity prevention

LSU Kinesiology Professor Senlin Chen and his team have secured a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R15 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The threeyear, $450,000 project, named ProudMe (Preventing Obesity Using Digital-assisted Movement and Eating), aims to implement a novel obesity prevention intervention in Louisiana schools.

Building on Chen's previous NIH R21 project, SWITCH-MS, and his ongoing Louisiana Board of Regents Research Competitiveness Subprogram (RCS), ProudMe represents a significant step forward in adolescent obesity prevention. The foundational work of SWITCH-MS provided valuable insights, laying the groundwork for an ecological, multi-level, multi-component approach offered within schools that propels the ProudMe project. The new grant will also support the creation of research training opportunities for more than a dozen undergraduate and graduate students to contribute to the project.

Chen’s ProudMe intervention is poised to make a substantial impact on the health of Louisiana's adolescents, aiming to improve the state’s healthcare ranking, currently at 45 out of 50. The grant will benefit hundreds of Louisiana children, their families and their schools advancing knowledge and informing policy-making on adolescent obesity prevention.

LSU Professors win $550,000 National Science Foundation Partnership for Innovation grant

Professor Kerry Dooley, LSU ChE Department Chair and professor, Mike Benton, ChE professor, and Roger Laine, LSU Department of Biological Sciences professor, will continue their work on a project that could bring affordable and effective insect repellent to the masses, possibly decreasing the number of Lyme disease, malaria and West Nile virus cases around the world.

The research continues thanks to a $550,000 National Science Foundation Partnership for Innovation grant. The project involves the use of nootkatone,

an FDA-approved organic compound found in grapefruit skin and Alaska yellow cedar trees that is a natural deterrent for many insects, including the deer tick responsible for Lyme disease. The LSU researchers propose decreasing the cost of the nootkatone synthesis, making any products made with the compound affordable to the general public.

The LSU research team hopes to sell their synthesis process to a manufacturing company, who would then be able to mass produce affordable nootkatone products that could save people’s lives by preventing bites from infectious insects.

LSU-Led Team Wins Largest Grant ever awarded by U.S. National Science Foundation

A statewide effort led by LSU won the largest grant ever awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, providing up to $160 million to support Louisiana’s energy industry, create jobs and develop the energy workforce.

The NSF Engines grant focuses on energy transition and decarbonization of Louisiana’s industrial corridor.

Louisiana’s team, called Future Use of Energy in Louisiana, or FUEL, includes private energy companies, universities, community and technical colleges, and state agencies that will work together to drive technology and workforce development in support of Louisiana’s energy industry.

Representatives from the White House, the National Science Foundation, Baker Hughes, Shell and ExxonMobil were on campus this spring for a media briefing.

How solar farming affects our Louisiana environment – Solar farming is fairly new to the state of Louisiana and, with the advancement of renewable resources, come questions about how they will affect humans and the environment.

Chris Kees, LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering professor, understands this curiosity and is working alongside Fabiana Trindade de Silva, LSU School of Landscape Architecture professor, and Brett Wolfe, LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources professor, to study the effects of solar farming in the state.

Thanks to a nearly $500,000 experimental grant from LSU’s Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI), Kees and his co-investigators are developing physicsbased models of solar farms that will include their interactions with the surrounding environment and ecosystem using resources provided by LSU’s IEI, Center for Computation & Technology, Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio, and Office of Research & Economic Development.

Successful solar farms in states like Massachusetts and Colorado illustrate cattle and sheep co-existing on the same land as the solar panels. The panels are elevated high enough that livestock are able to graze on vegetation underneath and around the panels and also take shelter under them. Some farmers who had previously been unable to financially keep their farms going were able to use the money from solar companies for their land and bring back their livestock. Solar power is also a year-round source of income, whereas certain crops are seasonal.

Fabiana Trindade de Silva, Chris Kees, and Brett Wolfe

New Richard & Lori Pellerin Athletic Training Suite – LSU Human Science and Education celebrated the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Richard & Lori Pellerin Athletic Training Suite.

Generously funded by Baton Rouge philanthropists and entrepreneurs, Richard and Lori Pellerin, this suite is home to excellence in athletic training and the commitment to provide an elite education to our students. The event drew a distinguished audience, including LSU Provost Roy Haggerty, CHSE Dean Roland Mitchell, faculty from the School of Kinesiology, and special guests of the Pellerin family. The suite’s comprehensive features include classroom spaces, high-fidelity patient simulators, and advanced recording equipment.

Richard & Lori Pellerin cut the ribbon for the new Athletic Training Suite

Around

Cheers to 60 years

The LSU Student Union celebrated its 60th anniversary on the Parade Ground with a time capsule dedication and entertainment.

Student organizations and university departments lined up to present items for the time capsule. Mike the Tiger, the Spirit Squad, and bands, including Speak Easy, Neon Luck and Few Blue, entertained. Shirley Plakidas, who served 44 years at the Union and retired as director, gave a brief history of the Union, which opened in 1964.

The event was sponsored by LSU Auxiliary Services, LSU Campus Life, LSU Dining, and LSU AgCenter.

Alison Paz, Josh Finch, and Catherine Zachariah

Shirley and Sandy Plakidas

Six LSU Faculty members dubbed Rainmakers

Six LSU faculty members have been selected as Rainmakers by the LSU Council on Research based on their outstanding scholarship and creative activity within their respective ranks and disciplines. The Rainmaker awards recognize sustained work with high impact on the academic community and beyond, in alignment with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda to elevate lives.

The Rainmakers awards are presented in partnership with Campus Federal Credit Union and include a one-time cash stipend of $1,000. The winners were recognized during a reception and celebration in the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse Ballroom on the flagship campus.

Rainmakers include Don Zhang, Psychology, College of Humanities & Social Sciences; Emerging Scholar in

Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Science; Christine Lattin, Biological Sciences, College of Science, Emerging Scholar in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics; Kathleen Searles, Political Science, College of Humanities & Social Sciences and Mass Communication, Manship School of Mass Communication, Mid-Career Scholar in Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Science; Catherine Deibel, Physics & Astronomy, College of Science, Mid-Career Scholar in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics; Rafael Orozco, World Languages, Literatures & Cultures, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Senior Scholar in Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Science; and Michael Malisoff, Mathematics, College of Science, Senior Scholar in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building underway

LSU broke ground this spring on the Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building, having achieved a $148 million funding goal to expand research and teaching laboratories in science fields.

Once constructed, the new building will be a nearly 200,000-square-foot, four-story epicenter for academics, research and industry collaboration and able to accommodate as many as 1,150 students, faculty and researchers at a time. The facility will be located at the corner of South Stadium Drive and Tower Drive on LSU’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge, with a projected opening of late fall 2025. The new building was designed by EskewDumezRipple and will be constructed by MAPP.

The premier facility is the university’s top capital priority for catalyzing its

vision for the future of STEM education, research and impact. Led by a $15 million investment from Our Lady of the Lake Health and a $10 million investment from LCMC Health, LSU donors contributed $43 million and the State of Louisiana directed $105 million in funding to the project.

The Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building will support five focus disciplines: biological sciences, chemistry, geology and geophysics, mathematics and physics, and astronomy. The building will increase the college’s lab space, accelerating the timeline to graduation for students in highly sought-after STEM fields and will include technology-rich active learning classrooms, formal and informal collaborative workspaces and a dedicated interdisciplinary research institute.

Don Zhang Christine Lattin

Catherine Diebel Kathleen Searles

Rafael Orozco

Michael Malisoff

Around Campus Eight seniors named Rucks fellows

The Rucks Department of Management at the E.J. Ourso College of Business acknowledges outstanding students as Rucks Fellows. These students are chosen by the faculty and represent the highest level of academic achievement among senior management majors in any of the department's concentrations. To be eligible, the student must be among the top graduating seniors in the management curriculum based on their grade-point average.

Selected for the spring 2024 Rucks Fellows class are May graduates Blythe Babin of Saint Amant; Mary Claire Delaune of Thibodaux; Julia Fontana of Mandeville; Victoria Funes of Baton Rouge; Joel Guerra of New Orleans; Alex Le of Lafayette; Katelyn Nguyen of Pearland, Texas; and Reid Robinson of Shreveport.

Blythe Babin

Joel Guerra Mary Claire Delaune Alex Le

Julia Fontana

Katelyn Nguyen

Victoria Funes

Reid Robinson

LSUA’s Professional Aviation Program prepares students to become professionial pilots

Nathan Blackwell is the first student in the LSU Alexandria (LSUA) Professional Aviation program to earn a professional pilot’s license. Between this exciting, innovative program and the nationwide demand for pilots, Blackwell will surely be the first of many successful graduates.

The Professional Aviation program began in 2022, as a partnership between LSUA and England Airpark, through their Aviation Careers and Education (ACE) initiative. The program prepares students to become FAA-certified multi-engine commercial pilots and flight instructors. Students take flight courses with Gulf Coast Aviation, a flight school with years of experience partnering with college aviation programs. Flight instruction takes place at Alexandria International Airport (AEX), where a state-of-theart flight simulator, provided by the England Airport Authority, is available for student use. Required aviation lecture courses are held on the LSUA campus.

Industry experts are predicting this country’s aviation industry will need more than 260,000 new pilots in the next decade. This acute demand means LSUA’s Professional Aviation students will definitely see a return of their investment in education and training. While enrolled in the program, students have the opportunity to intern at Million Air Alexandria. Besides on-the-job training, students maintaining a 3.0 grade point average earn competitive pay and tuition assistance.

“With a growing shortage in pilots, our students will be able to graduate with a job in hand,” said LSUA Chancellor Dr. Paul Coreil.

LSUA, the fastest-growing university in Louisiana, fosters workforce development through more than 80 career-oriented degree programs and certificates, including innovative programs like professional aviation.

For more information on LSUA’s Professional Aviation program, visit www.lsua.edu/aviation or contact Eamon Halpin at ehalpin@lsua.edu.

Inside the flight simulator with student Brett Chelette

LSUA Chancellor Paul Coreil and Robert Claypool, co-owner of Gulf Coast Aviation

Nathan Blackwell earns LSUA Professional Aviation program’s first private pilot’s license

Around Campus

By Jordan Mighty

LSU Alums catalog USS Kidd artifacts before the destroyer heads out for renovation

Most Baton Rougeans recognize the USS Kidd as part of the downtown landscape, but most do not think of the destroyer as a museum.

LSU alumni Christopher Kennedy and Molly Jones were tasked with cataloguing artifacts in rooms and compartments of the ship the public has never seen, before the ship left for renovations.

During time cataloging, they found many fascinating artifacts, specifically from the Officer’s Quarters.

“The most interesting thing I cataloged is typewriters, because I’ve never used one before and these still work,” Kennedy said. “They date back to around the late 1940s, early 1950s”.

Jones explains what they are planning to do with what they find.

“From my understanding, [the USS Kidd] hasn't been cataloged since the 80s and there's a lot of donations that come in from people and things that have always been on the ship,” Jones said. “Since it became a museum, they just need a comprehensive catalog of all the different artifacts and books. Some of it is being pulled off the ship for upkeep. Once we catalog it all, we’re also going to work on some restoration of some things like repainting and sanding things and trying to get rust off.”

Kennedy and Jones found out about their job openings around the same time, but both were coming from different academic and professional areas.

USS Kidd docked in downtown Baton Rouge

Molly Jones at work cataloging items

Christopher Kennedy checks out old typewriter

“I was working as an archaeologist previously, kind of around the southeast,” Jones said. “I saw the job posting in Baton Rouge. I've worked with artifacts before and we're just cataloging the artifacts. I think because of our specific backgrounds, [Kennedy] liked archives and me with artifacts, it's relevant for both of us.”

Jones stated that the museum stores books and manuals for research and that they might be the only destroyer museum still on the waterfront.

“Some stuff is just being stored, especially things that are maybe particularly fragile,” Jones said. “We take a picture of everything. So, whether it's going back into the ship or if it's going to storage. The books have been on the ship for so long. Some of them are in kind of bad shape from the dampness or wood. We keep them for records and information or to research something. The way museums work, there is always a bunch of things stored in a warehouse. They might bring it out later for a temporary exhibit or something.”

The USS Kidd remained open for guests and visitors while the cataloging continued, until the ship was moved.

“People have still been renting it out overnight,” Jones said. “We kind of work around people. I thought I saw a ghost on one Friday because I didn't realize that we were open to the public, and I turned around, and I saw a single person who had gotten separated from a tour.”

Molly Jones has help removing larger items for cataloging

USS Kidd, the destroyer-turned-museum

By Abbi Rocha Laymoun

LSU Cybersecurity Research Collaborates with High School Student

While 16-year-old Kaitlyn Smith spends most of her days at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, where she’s a junior this year, Smith has spent almost as much time on LSU’s flagship campus as some college juniors.

“I'm working on the transformation from the memory to soundwaves, but the sound isn't meant for listeningit's just to make the memory easier to analyze, so we can determine if it's malicious or benign.”

Smith’s quest is to learn as much as she can about cybersecurity. While she has no official LSU affiliation, she’s earned her own dedicated computer in Professor Golden Richard’s Applied Cybersecurity Lab while contributing to a cyber research project with Associate Professor Aisha Ali-Gombe’s group.

“I’m nearly 100 percent certain I want to do something in the cybersecurity field for the rest of my life,” Smith said. “Right now, I’m trying to learn as much as I can, contribute to as much as I can, and spend as much time as I can at LSU just doing the stuff I love.”

Together with LSU undergraduate and graduate computer science students, she is working on developing an intrusion detection system for internetconnected smart appliances, such as thermostats, televisions, air conditioners, lights, stoves, refrigerators, doorbells, and security cameras.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize how much stuff in their house is controlled by computers, which hackers can use to destroy your property or spy

on you,” Smith said. “At my house, we have Google Home, a smart thermostat, an Alexa, and a Ring doorbell. We have a smart refrigerator, too. It’s kind of crazy, thinking someone can just hack into your refrigerator and completely mask the fact they’re in your system, watching you, stealing your information and whatnot.”

To prevent hackers from messing with her family, Smith and other students on Ali-Gombe’s research team are figuring out how to access the memory of any smart device, extract this memory and translate it into a lossless audio signal, use artificial intelligence to identify patterns and distinctive features in the audio signal and, as a result, find easy and surefire ways to tell whether a smart device has been hacked or not. Once diagnosed, the device can automatically turn off and reset itself, purging potential hackers and malware in seconds.

“I’m working on the transformation from the memory to soundwaves, but the sound isn’t meant for listening—it’s just to make the memory easier to analyze, so we can determine if it’s malicious or benign,” Smith said.

Recent testing of the team’s anomaly detection algorithm—the component that discovers malware in the device memory—has produced very promising results—100 percent accuracy in

In LSU Associate Professor Aisha Ali-Gombe’s lab, Kaityn Smith helps secure the more than 20 billion smart devices connected to the internet in homes and elsewhere around the world

distinguishing compromised from uncompromised devices. With more than 20 billion smart devices connected to the internet in homes and elsewhere around the globe, most of which are believed to be vulnerable to attack, Ali-Gombe’s research team works to make their system as useful and universal as possible.

While smart devices, also called Internet-of-Things, or IoT, devices, are extremely varied and task-specific, they have one thing in common - they operate according to strict routines, running the same processes over and over again: Turn on/off the light; turn on/off the heat; turn on/off the camera. As such, smart device behavior is expected to be predictable when not compromised. This is the main feature Ali-Gombe’s team is exploiting to build their detection algorithm.

“The algorithm initiates by using the runtime execution context of an IoT device to create a fingerprint,” AliGombe explained. “This fingerprint is then converted into sound, from which we can extract discriminable features, specifically MFCCs and Chroma features, which are subsequently used as input vectors for a convolutional neural network, or CNN, model.”

“The primary objective of the CNN model is to learn and discern the unique memory activities of each device,” Ali-Gombe continued. “By transforming device memory into audio, the algorithm not only improves its detection capability but also bolsters robustness and reliability. Moreover, this transformation introduces an added layer of stealth and obfuscation, making it more challenging for attackers to decipher and potentially bypass our system.”

Mother and son, Jamie and Alex Carruth, have spent their eight years as a U.S. Lawns franchisee building a clientele they consider “partners in growth.”

From their first client, Homewood Suites on Corporate Boulevard, to their latest one, the LSU Lod Cook Alumni Center and Cook Hotel at LSU, the Carruths serve a variety of market verticals, including medical, hospitality, home owners’ associations, retail, multi-family, and restaurants.

Life-long Baton Rougeans, the Carruths also have history with LSU. Alex is a graduate of LSU University Lab School, while his mother, Jamie, earned LSU bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communications Disorders. As the owners, they were the company's first employees; now, there are 18 employees.

“Customers will see my face on the site, not just the gardeners,” says Alex. “Once we acquire a new customer, our goal is to build trust with the property owners and managers.”

He’s been a familiar face around the LSU Alumni Center for the past few weeks, as he and his crew installed a completely new landscape look and irrigation system for the lakeside conference center and hotel.

“It’s instant gratification,” says Alex. “I like looking back after we've finished. To me, quality is king.”

Jamie concentrates on sales. She also serves as a member of the franchise's national advisory board.

Their Baton Rouge team offers complete year-round management programs that include basic landscape maintenance with irrigation installation and repair. They have expanded their service portfolio to include landscape renovations, new installations, landscape lighting, and chemical applications for turf and shrubs. They can even plan and implement landscape improvement and renovation projects, no matter how big or small. Additionally, any service can be custom-tailored to the unique needs of a commercial property.

Gymnastics Claims First National Championship in Program History

As junior gymnast Aleah Finnegan began her anchor routine on the beam, her teammates, Coach Jay Clark, and the 7,684 fans at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX watched with anticipation.

They knew Finnegan’s routine would decide this season’s champion.

The Lee's Summit, Montana native leapt for her dismount, flipped through the air and stuck the landing. Her eyes began to well up and she hugged Assistant Coach Ashleigh Gnat. Tiger fans chanted L-S-U, and the team celebrated as the weight of what they had accomplished began to sink in.

The Tigers were moments away from the first Gymnastics National Championship in LSU history.

The team’s crowning was confirmed when the judges awarded Finnegan a 9.95 for her routine. The Tigers closed the meet with a beam event score of 49.7625 – the highest beam score in program history and an NCAA Championship record – and posted a final score of 198.225. LSU became the eighth school in history to win the title.

“We’ve all worked so hard this entire season. I looked to [the team] before I went [to the beam],” Finnegan said. “I wanted it for them, and that routine was for every single one of them.”

The Tigers opened the meet with a strong performance on the floor, and after a solid showing on the vault, LSU held a 0.100 lead over Utah heading into the third rotation. But the Utes came back to take the top spot as the squads moved into the final rotation.

Miscues on the vault sent Utah tumbling down to third in the standings, while the Tigers gave an impressive performance on the beam to re-establish their advantage. California climbed into second while Florida finished fourth.

The final four teams, LSU, California, Florida, and Utah, were ranked No. 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively but noticeably absent was top-ranked Oklahoma. The back-to-back defending champion Sooners were favorites to win their third consecutive title, but after a disastrous collapse in the semifinal meet, they finished third and crashed out of the competition.

The results shocked the remaining teams, but it made for a more wide-open field heading into the final, according to the Tigers’ coach.

"Every team was out there fighting for their lives," Clark said after the meet. "It made for a championship that became so packed with emotion because every team out there believed they could do it, and it was just tremendous."

In addition to the team title, the Tigers claimed two individual national championships, as Finnegan and senior Haleigh Bryant claimed titles on the floor and the all-around for their performances in the semifinals.

Finnegan posted a 9.9625 mark while Bryant recorded a 39.7125 to become just the second Tiger gymnast to be named the NCAA individual all-around National Champion.

Bryant’s impressive all-around performance continued in the final meet, as she scored another 39.7125 to help make history.

"This is something I've dreamed about since I committed in the eighth grade to come to this program," Bryant said. "I'm just so excited to bring this national championship back to LSU, and I'm just thankful for all the opportunities I've gotten here, and I really don't have words. I'm just so happy.”

Locker Room is curated and edited by sports writer and LSU Manship School of Mass Communication alumnus Marc Stevens. Marc is an avid sports fan, and Locker Room combines his passion for storytelling with LSU athletics.

Confetti streamers surround members of the LSU Gymnastics team as they celebrate their first NCAA Championship on the floor of the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas

LSU Head Coach Jay Clark celebrates with a fist pump as his team competes in the NCAA Championship meet

LSU Gymnastics alumnae at NCAA finals

Photos: LSU Athletics

Men’s Basketball Makes Strides in McMahon’s Second Year

When Coach Matt McMahon took over the LSU Men’s basketball team in March of 2022, it was a program in disarray.

NCAA sanctions loomed large as the investigation into former Coach Will Wade, and his actions while leading the program, was coming to a close. As a result, all 13 scholarship players were moving on to the NBA or into the transfer portal. Coach McMahon had to rebuild his roster from scratch.

“When I got here, all of that was gone. No players, no foundation, no culture, no nothing. It was essentially a little bit of a dumpster fire,” McMahon said in an interview with NOLA.com about his first couple of months as head of the program. “And we have to go about a methodical process of rebuilding it.”

McMahon eventually rebuilt his roster, consisting mostly of transfers and freshmen signings, and the squad moved into the 2022-23 season.

The team suffered from issues on both sides of the ball and struggled to find a rhythm throughout the year and finished the campaign 14-19 with a 2-16 SEC record. As a result, the expectations for the 2023-24 season were low, and many expected The Tigers to struggle. They were picked 13th in the SEC Preseason Media Poll, ahead of South Carolina alone.

LSU’s start to the season 202324 nonconference slate did little to dissuade that opinion. The team went 8-5, while playing only one ranked opponent before beginning their conference slate against Texas A&M.

The matchup started tight as the Aggies headed into halftime with a 3230 lead, but an incredible second-half performance saw the Tigers outscore their opponent by 17 to start the conference season 1-0.

“I thought the physicality and toughness was on full display,”

McMahon said. “Every area we’ve been trying to make improvements in.”

The squad’s momentum continued as they followed the performance with two more victories over their next three games to improve their record to 3-1 and surpassed their SEC win total from last season.

LSU’s early successes began to falter as they dropped six of the next seven, but McMahon’s team kept fighting. They found a new rhythm and finished the regular season with five victories in the last seven contests to finish the season 9-9 in conference play with a 8th place finish.

“Twenty-three months ago, LSU didn’t have a basketball program. There was no coaching staff in place, there were no players, no academics, there was no program,” McMahon said after the last game of the regular season. “I’m proud of our players. I’m proud of our program.”

The Tigers' regular season finish earned them an eighth seed in the SEC Tournament. Although they fell in the first round to Mississippi State, their previous successes were enough to earn them a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.

The opening round was a rematch with North Texas. The Tigers won the first game at the start of the season, but this time the Mean Green were up to the task, and ended LSU’s season with an 84-77 win.

After the game, McMahon discussed the rebuilding process and praised the steps that this year’s team took to help those goals. He mentioned how his squad improved from last season’s win total and to make the postseason, while he acknowledged that the NIT isn't the end goal for the Tigers.

“We’ve got to get better. … That’s what this offseason will be about,” McMahon said. “To keep building the program to take the next step, which for us is getting to the NCAA Tournament next year.”

LSU Guard Jordan Wright hoists the “Boot Up Belt” after a 89-80 win versus Ole Miss

LSU Men’s Basketball Coach Matt McMahon motivates his team against Texas A&M

Locker Room

Women's Basketball Leaves Lasting Mark While Defending Title

After winning the school’s first-ever basketball national championship, the LSU women’s team came into the 2023-24 season with unprecedented levels of expectation, eager to defend their title.

by the Tigers alongside a fourth-quarter run that pushed the lead to 22 before claiming a 92-78 win.

“A ranking doesn't win championships, but it brings great awareness to our program and our school.”

The Tigers started the year with their first-ever preseason No. 1 ranking, tallying 35 of the 36 first-place votes, and many expected them to exceed last year’s team. Senior superstar Angel Reese and sophomore Flau'jae Johnson returned alongside transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow for a strong foundation, building the hype.

“We appreciate the recognition of being the No. 1 ranked team going into the season and it is something we will embrace,” Coach Kim Mulkey said in an interview with the Associated Press. “A ranking doesn’t win championships, but it brings great awareness to our program and our school.”

Mulkey’s squad picked up right where they left off in dominating fashion. The Tigers won their two preseason exhibition games by a combined scoreline of 220-62.

The team flew to Las Vegas for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series against No. 20 Colorado, ready to start their run for a second national title. The Buffaloes flipped the script and took advantage of poor shooting

“You can live with just a tough night offensively,” Mulkey said. “What I don’t live with is just guts and fight and physical play and you got that dog in you. I just didn’t think we had that tonight.”

LSU’s early season was plagued by injuries and off-the-court issues. They lost Sophomore Sa’myah Smith for the season after she suffered an injury, Reese missed four-games for undisclosed reasons in November, and Kateri Poole left the team in December.

Despite the team’s struggles, their record did not reflect it. After dropping the game against Colorado, the Tigers won 18 of the next 19 games to set up a top-10 matchup against undefeated South Carolina.

In front of a raucous, sold-out crowd in the PMAC, LSU took an 11-point lead over the Gamecocks in the first half, but by the start of the fourth quarter, the lead had slimmed to just four. The final 10 minutes saw five lead changes and four ties before South Carolina used a 6-0 run in the final two minutes to win the matchup.

“That was a good basketball game,” Mulkey said. “There’s a lot of talent on both sides. A possession here, maybe we would have won it. A possession there, maybe we would have won it. They made the plays to win it.”

A sellout crowd of 13,215 Tiger fans cheer on LSU during the matchup against South Carolina in January

After the loss, LSU suffered a second loss in a row before regaining their footing and ending the season with 10-straight wins earning a rematch with South Carolina in the SEC Tournament Championship Game.

The Tigers battled injuries throughout the Tournament and played another close matchup. Van Lith used a 9-0 run late in the fourth to pull LSU within one, but ultimately the Gamecocks' depth proved too much. South Carolina scored six unanswered to put the game out of reach, but as the play wound down the teams clashed and benches cleared after a foul was called on Johnson. Once the dust settled on the resulting skirmish, both teams were left with just five players each.

“We battled with five, maybe six healthy players,” Reese said. “We’re not scared. We’re in a place right now that I’m proud of and I’m happy where we are right now.”

Reese and her teammates took that attitude into the NCAA Tournament. After earning a three-seed, LSU cruised through the first two rounds of the tournament with double-digit victories against Rice and Middle Tennessee to advance to the Sweet Sixteen against UCLA.

The Tigers and Bruins fought hard for all four quarters, trading blows like heavy-weight boxers. Johnson proved to be the catalyst LSU needed. Her play and leadership through adversity was ultimately the difference in the contest. The sophomore led all scorers with 24 points and was active in team huddles when the Tigers were struggling.

The victory setup a rematch of last season’s National Championship against Iowa and Senior Guard Caitlin Clark in the Elite Eight. Clark garnered national attention throughout the season for chasing, and eventually breaking, former LSU basketball legend Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring record of 3,667 points.

The game was one to remember. Iowa was hot from the start and jumped out to a 15-6 lead early in the

first quarter. LSU answered with a 13-0 run to take a 34-26 advantage in the second quarter. The team’s momentum was halted when Reese left the floor after appearing to twist her ankle. The first half continued as a back-and-forth affair until the halftime buzzer sounded and the Tigers and Hawkeyes headed into the locker rooms tied with a 45-45 scoreline.

Throughout the game, the unenviable task of keeping Clark in check fell to Van Lith. There was little she could do to slow down the Iowa superstar.

Clark began the third quarter by sinking a three-point jump shot to take a 48-45 lead – one they would never relinquish. The Des Moines, Iowa native continued her hot streak throughout the period, scoring 12 and ballooning the Hawkeye lead to as many as 14 throughout the rest of the game.

Mulkey’s squad fought back to close the gap to seven, but LSU couldn’t find an answer for Iowa and ultimately fell 94-87, bowing out of the tournament. Although the Tigers’ season ended, the impact of the matchup echoed throughout the sports world.

The game had a record 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen, which had more viewership than four of the five NBA finals games, the clinching game in the 2023 World Series, and the most watched college basketball game – men’s or women’s –in ESPN history.

The unprecedented viewership continued days later as the IowaUConn Final Four matchup set more viewership records, before being shattered again in the National Championship contest between Iowa and South Carolina. The final game of the season became the most watched women’s college basketball game ever with Nielson reporting 18.7 million average viewers.

“It’s just great for the sport,” Reese said. “Our viewership [is] going up. … I’m happy to keep raising women’s sports, not just women’s basketball but women’s sports in general.”

The LSU Women’s Basketball Team celebrates its Sweet Sixteen win over UCLA in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

Nussmeier Stays Home, Ready to Lead Tigers in 2024

Junior Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has a rare quality in the transfer portal era – patience.

Although a highly-ranked recruit, he began his LSU career in 2021 as the thirdstring quarterback behind senior Myles Brennan and sophomore Max Johnson.

The next year, the Tigers brought in Jayden Daniels from Arizona State. After losing the starting job to Daniels, Johnson entered the transfer portal and left for Texas A&M, but Nussmeier stayed and served as LSU’s backup for the next two seasons.

In the modern era, no one would have faulted him for leaving. He could have moved and started at a number of high-level programs immediately, but playing for Louisiana was what brought him back.

“It matters to me to wear this state on my jersey,” Nussmeier said to Sports Illustrated prior to the 2023 season. “I was born in Lake Charles. All of my family is in Lake Charles. … Being a kid who moved around so much. Louisiana was the only constant place in my life and every time I would cross into this state, it felt like home.”

At the end of last season, his patience finally paid off. As the Tigers prepared for a bowl game against Wisconsin, Daniels announced he would opt out. Nussmeier’s waiting was over. After 39-straight games as a backup, he earned his first collegiate start in his 40th career game.

It was worth the wait.

He completed 31 of 45 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-31 victory over the Badgers, including a carefully-crafted eight-play 98-yard drive to take the lead with only minutes left. He was named MVP of the ReliaQuest Bowl, and Coach Brian Kelly took notice.

“His ability to manage the moment, be calm in those situations, speaks to a guy that is going to only excel and get better as he plays more football,” said Kelly.

Nussmeier put his skills on display in the 2024 National L Club Spring Game. With him at the helm, the offense looked different without the mobility that Daniels brought, but the unit was just as explosive.

The Lake Charles native completed each of his seven passes for two touchdowns and 187 yards in a 34-34 tie. In the first possession of the contest, he zipped a 45-yard strike to junior transfer Zavion Thomas. Later in the first quarter, he connected with senior Kyren Lacy for a 59-yard score.

“The throw when he stepped up into the pocket was quintessential in terms of what he is able to do,” Kelly said of Nussmeier’s touchdown to Thomas. “He keeps his eyes down the field and that’s a huge thing. … I thought he was clean today. I thought he was efficient.”

After LSU’s annual scrimmage, it’s clear that Nussmeier is going to head into the season as the starting quarterback. He stuck with the Tigers and is set to succeed one of the most prolific offenses in school history. His journey is a testament to patience in an era where it's rarely seen.

Of course, there are still many questions that need to be answered about the team, and only time will tell if there’s enough talent to compete for a championship. But one thing is certain, for Nussmeier, the waiting is over.

Coach Brian Kelly addresses the LSU football team during the 2024 National L Club Spring Game

LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier looks downfield while competing in the 2024 National L Club Spring Game

Tiger NATION

1970s

Rodolfo J. “Rudy” Aguilar (1979 BACH BUS, 1982 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford, Baton Rouge office, was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers list.

James L. Decker (1972 BACH SCI, 1975 MAST SCI) was honored as the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus by the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina. He also holds a master’s degree in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a master’s degree in Business Administration from the

DEGREES

BACH Bachelor’s Degree

MAST Master’s Degree

PHD Doctorate

SPEC Specialist

DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

MLIS Master of Library & Information Science

JD Juris Doctorate (LSU Law School)

LLM Master of Laws

MD Medical Doctor (LSU School of Medicine)

DDS Doctor of Dental Science (LSU School of Dentistry)

COLLEGES/SCHOOLS

AGR Agriculture

A&D Art & Design

C&E Coast & Environment

H&SS Humanities & Social Sciences

SCI Science

BUS Business

HS&E Human Sciences & Education

ENGR Engineering

M&DA Music & Dramatic Arts

MCOM Mass Communication

SCE School of the Coast & Environment

SVM School of Veterinary Medicine

SW Social Work

University of Tennessee, and a doctorate of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Chrisitne Lipsey (1974 H&SS, 1982 JD) of McGlinchey

Stafford Baton Rouge office was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers list.

Kathleen Manning (1974 HS&E, 1977 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford New Orleans office was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers list.

Michael Rubin (1972 BACH ARTS, 1975 JD) of McGlinchey

Stafford Baton Rouge office was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers list and as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Louisiana.

1980s

Richard Arsenault (1980 JD) sponsored law students from Southern University Law Center who attended the Mass Torts Made Perfect seminar in Las Vegas.

Arsenault was also included in the Best Lawyers rankings and recently addressed a mass tort conference in West Palm Beach.

Katherine Conklin (1980 BACH MCOM) of McGlinchey Stafford, New Orleans office, was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers list.

Michael D. Ferachi (1986 BACH BUS, 1989 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford, Baton Rouge office, was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers list.

Marshall Grodner (1983 BACH HIST, 1990 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford, Baton Rouge office, was named to the 2024 Louisiana Super Lawyers List.

1990s

Emily Grey (1997 BACH HS&E, 2000 JD) joined the Management Committee of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson. She leads the firm’s LLP’s Healthcare Practice Group, the largest healthcare practice group in Louisiana.

Col. Robert P. Hodges (1993 BACH H&SS) was appointed the 27th Superintendent of Louisiana State Police by Gov. Jeff Landry in January. He began his career as a state trooper at Troop B in 1995.

Kate Moore (1998 BACH MCOM), an evening anchor and investigative reporter, and Derek Waldrip (2010 BACH COM), photographer/ editor, both at WWL-TV in New Orleans, were honored by the Emmys and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, on a national level with a crystal pillar for the best local investigative reporting in the country. Their investigative series, The Man Behind the Warehouse, received a regional Emmy Award in 2022 and was then entered in the national contest. The award was presented at the national News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony at the Palladium Times Square in New York City.

2000s

Brad Barback (2008 BACH BUS, 2013 JD) of McGllinchey Stafford Baton Rouge office was named to the 2024 Louisiana “Rising Stars” list.

Tony Clark (2002 MAST BANK) has been tapped as CEO of Worthington Bank’s newest location in Denton, Texas, and will be serving on the Bank’s board of directors. He has provided financial services in Denton since 1993 and currently sits on the board of the City of Denton Economic Development Partnership.

Jarrett E. Cohen (2008 BACH BUS) founder of JECohen, a New Orleansbased wealth and investment management firm, was honored as a 2024 New Orleans CityBusiness Money Maker. New Orleans CityBusiness recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding success in their respective industries and make significant impacts to the economic landscape of their communities. This is the second time that CityBusiness has recognized Cohen as a Money Maker. Cohen was previously recognized in 2020.

Lt. Cdr. Gerry Johnson (2000 MAST MCOM) retired from the U.S. Navy after 20 years of honorable active-duty service. While a graduate student, Johnson worked as managing editor of Tiger Rag magazine. He completed four combat tours, serving in Southeast Asia, Central America, South America, the Middle East, and Afghanistan. At his retirement, the Navy and U.S. Central Command honored him with the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Gerry and his wife, Anne, reside in Tampa, where he works as a strategic policy analyst for U.S. Special Operations Command.

Allison McCarthy (2008 BACH BUS) is the new owner of a Zoom Drain franchise in Houston. The new location will offer drain and sewer services focusing on the repair, maintenance, and installation of everything "below the drain” to area residents. As a certified court reporter,

Allison has managed her own stenography business for the past 10 years. She is a mother to three young children and looks forward to sponsoring youth programs around her Zoom Drain location.

Leon Roché II (2004 BACH H&SS) won a seat on the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court bench, beating his opponent with 66% of the vote. Roché, a 40-year-old career defense attorney, fills the court’s Section I seat, which opened up after longtime Judge Karen Herman won election to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal.

Tiffany Monette Sunwall (2009 BACH ChE) was named plant manager of the Chevron Phillips Chemical joint venture facility on Jurong Island in Singapore.

Amy Trainor (2002 BACH HS&E, 2018 MAST HS&E ADM) was named System Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Ochsner Health. She will lead the team responsible for the design, implementation, and use of healthcare Information Services at the organization on a systemwide level.

Matthew Witenstein (2004 MAST EDU) of Palm Springs, Ca. received tenure and was promoted to associate professor at the University of Dayton, where he works in the Department of Educational Administration in the School of Education and Health Sciences. He regularly publishes about higher education in the areas of comparative and international education, global citizenship and sustainable development, and immigrant education. His latest publication, Comparative and International Education: The Fundamentals, will be out in late 2024.

2010s

Remington M. Angelle (2013 BACH BUS) of McGlinchey Stafford Baton Rouge office was named to the 2024 Louisiana “Rising Stars” list.

Rachel Balkovec (2011 BACH SCI) was named farm director of the Miami Marlins, becoming the first woman to manage a minor league baseball.

Marco Barker (2010 PHD HS&E), vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, University of Nebraska Lincoln, was named to the national board of directors of the American Association of Colleges and Universities.

Jamee Blink (2015 BACH H&SS) was named the first managing partner for The Tatman Group, a Baton Rouge-based government relations firm.

Allyson Byrd (2011 BACH H&SS, 2014 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford New Orleans office was named to the 2024 Louisiana “Rising Stars” list.

Timothy Byrd Jr. (2014 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford New Orleans office was named to the 2024 Louisiana “Rising Stars” list.

Michael V. Clark (2019 MAST ENG) was promoted to senior bridge engineer and project manager for the Engineering Department of the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 11 Office, in Philadelphia, Ohio.

Robert “Rob” Denny (2010 BACH H&SS, 2016 JD) has joined McGlinchey Stafford. He previously practiced at Hurley & Cot, APLC.

Lance Frank (2011 BACH MCOM), was promoted to executive vice president, communications, for CBS News & Stations and CBS Media Ventures.

Azadeh Keivani (2012 MAST SCI, 2013 PHD SCI) received the American Physical Society’s FIAP Career Lectureship Award, which recognizes physicists in industrial and other non-academic careers for their significant contributions to the advancement of physics of a technical, industrial, or entrepreneurial nature and for their demonstrated ability to give interesting and engaging lectures to both experts and non-experts. Keivani, a senior data scientist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, earned the award “for the development and application of artificial intelligence techniques to problems ranging from education to clinical studies in cancer and heart disease, and for enthusiasm in the translation of esoteric academic research training into solutions for pressing real-world problems.” Keivani uses deep learning to develop and deploy models that detect cardiac diseases at an earlier stage.

She is also co-founder of the Digital Age Academy Inc., an educational technology initiative that empowers youth for the future of work through online project-based digital workforce and entrepreneurial development programs.

Morgan Kelley (2014 JD) of McGlinchey Stafford New Orleans office was named to the 2024 Louisiana “Rising Stars” list.

Jeanne Kenney (2014 BACH KIN) has rejoined the St. Michael the Archangel High School faculty and will serve as Head Girls Basketball Coach. A former LSU Women’s Basketball player, Kenney ranks tenth in all-time assists and seventh in career three-point shooting. She served as a graduate assistant coach at UCLA, while earning her master’s degree in athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine. Kenney continued her career, coaching at Utah State and Appalachia State. She originally joined the St. Michael staff after graduation, earning 2017 and 2018 6-4A Coach of the Year honors.

Elisabeth LeBlanc (2016 JD) joined McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans as a corporate and transactional attorney.

Derrick Winn (2010 H&SS) received the 2024 Miliken National Educator Award and $25,000 for his contributions as a third-grade math and science instructor at Crestworth Elementary in Baton Rouge. He was surprised when Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken and State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley presented him with the prestigious honor at a schoolwide assembly before cheering students, appreciative colleagues, dignitaries, and media.

Timothy Wisecarver (2017 BACH BUS, 2021 MBA, 2021 JD) joined McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans as an associate who supports employers, insurers, and third-party administrators in workers’ compensation claims.

2020s

Hannah Stierwald (2020 BACH MAR) joined McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans, representing employers in workers’ compensation, transportation defense, and premises liability claims.

Edward Beauregard Picou, Jr., 1955 BACH SCI, died Jan. 30 in New Orleans. A retired paleontologist of Shell Offshore Inc., Picou supervised the Exploration paleontology staff for almost three decades and retired as Exploration Consultant, the company’s highest technical rank. He was known as “Mr. NOGS,” because of his many years of volunteer service to the New Orleans Geological Society. In 2021, he received a NOGS Lifetime Achievement Award. Picou was a Life Trustee of the Paleontological Research Institution of Ithaca, New York, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and former chairman of the LSU College of Science Dean’s Circle Executive Committee. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hall of Distinction of the College of Science, and in 2009, he was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. For many years, he served on the LSU Geology Alumni Advisory Council. In 2007, through the Foundation

In Memoriam

of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Grants-in-Aid program, he funded a university restricted graduate scholarship for deserving geology students at LSU. In December 2023 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from LSU.

The LSUA family mourns the passage of Dr. Mary Boone Von Brock Treuting, 1980 BACH H&SS, 1985 PHD H&SS, 1992 PHD H&SS. She died Jan. 4 in Marksville, La. Her leadership at LSUA affected so many, particularly through her involvement in the growth and development of the Psychology department and College of Social Science. Her contributions were recognized recently with the award of Dean Emeritus of the College of Social Sciences and Professor Emeritus, Professor of Psychology. Her 30-year career included creating academic programs and mentoring countless students.

Edward F. Zganjar retired LSU Alumni Professor, Professor of Physics Emeritus, and an eminent researcher in experimental physics, died Feb. 8. He joined the faculty of LSU as assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in 1966. He chaired the department from 1982-85 and served as associate vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development from 1991-94. Zganjar’s major research interest was nuclear astrophysics and he was awarded continuous grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy from 1970-2017. He received the Francis G. Slack Award from the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society and was inducted into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction. He earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics from St. John’s University, and master’s and doctorate degrees in nuclear physics from Vanderbilt University.

1940s

Jessie Mullin Hammonds, 1948 BACH HS&E, 1952 MAST HS&E, Jan, 21, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Myrtle Ann Gebhart Saxon, 1943 BACH, March 22, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

1950s

Larry Hansel Christy, 1957 MAST HS&E, March 5, 2024, Prairieville, La.

Martha Ann Ellison Cunningham, 1953 BACH H&SS, April 9, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Stanton Pendery Gibbens, Jr., 1954 BACH BUS, Jan. 17, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Roan Hausmann, 1957 BACH HS&E, Jan. 14, 2024, New Orleans, La.

Larry Abraham McKee, 1958 BACH ENG, April 6, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Lawrence H. Meares, 1957 BACH HS&E, 1959 MAST HS&E, Feb. 27, 2024, Slaughter, La.

Katie Nell Bond Morgan, 1955 MAST ED, Feb. 23, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Elizabeth Inez Fair Pittman, 1954 BACH, April 3, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Donald Raymond Remson, 1958 BACH ENG, March 13, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

1960s

Andrew Thurman Armstrong II, 1967 PHD SCI, March 7, 2024, Arlington, Tx.

Robert Nelson “Bob” Baugh, 1969 BACH ENG, Jan. 28, 2024, Raleigh, N.C.

Rose Marie Pearce Bergeron, 1962 BACH AG, 1966 MAST AG, Feb. 27, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Leo J. “Lee” Berggreen, 1967 JD, March 8, 2024, St. Gabriel, La.

Dr. William Verdell “Bill” Booth, 1966 MD, March 4, 2024, Hartwell, Ga.

Randall Joseph “Randy” Cashio, 1966 BACH BUS, 1969 JD, March 30, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Patricia Weaver Comeaux, 1963 BACH SCI, 1973 MAST SCI, Feb. 3, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Felix William Dawson, Jr., 1969 BACH HS&E, 1979 MAST HS&E, March 18, 2024, Prairieville, La.

Robert Biscal “Bob” Emerson, 1960 BACH H&SS, March 12, 2024, Covington, La.

George “Kim” Johnson, 1964 BACH H&SS, 1975 JD, April 7, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Mary Genevieve “Genny” Kirby, 1968 BACH HS&E, Jan. 24, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Jacklyn Bates Porta, 1967 MAST ED, Feb. 24, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Donald Bernard Richardson, 1962 BACH ED, Feb. 12, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Arthur Leonard “Red” Swanson, Jr., 1964 BACH HS&E, 1965 MAST HS&E, Jan. 18, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Dr. Freddie Howard “Sam” Watson Jr., 1960 BACH SCI, 1963 MAST SCI, 1969

PHD SCI, April 2, 2024, Conway, Ark.

Henry Lee “Wick” Wicker, 1961 BACH MATH, 1968 MAST HS&E, Feb. 7, 2024, Zachary, La.

1970s

William “Bill” Blair Jr., 1974 BACH HS&E, Feb. 18, 2024, Gonzales, La.

Vincent Joseph DeSalvo, 1977 JD, March 1, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Thomas Alan “Tom” Greene, 1971 BACH ENG, 1974 MAST ENG, 1979 MD SVM, March 22, 2024, Maringouin, La.

Alan Christopher “Chris” Halphen, 1971 BACH ENG, March 28, 2024, Clinton, La.

Karen Elizabeth Bridges Hayes, 1972 BACH HS&E, Jan. 30, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Jean Helen Kirkland, 1977 BACH H&SS, March 26, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Mark Stephen Nassif, 1975 BACH HS&E, 1977 MAST HS&E, Jan. 11, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Jo Louise Pecoraro, 1971 MAST H&SS, Feb. 9, 2024, Mandeville, La.

Alfred R. “Moose” Roy Jr., 1971 BACH ENG, Feb. 16, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Jack Paul Showers, 1976 JD, Feb. 13, 2024, Lafayette, La.

Solomon Elwood “Woody” Thames Jr., 1975 BACH H&SS, 1978 JD, March 15. 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

O.M. “Mim” Thompson III, 1970 BACH BUS, 1971 MAST BUS, Feb. 25, 2024, Baton Rouge, La

1980s

Dr. Linda S. Andrews, 1988 MAST AGR, 1994 PHD AGR, March 14, 2024, Charlottesville, Va.

Brian Russell “Rusty” Blackwell, 1980 BACH BUS, Jan. 16, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Helen Mae Pavalock Burwell, 1983 MAST HS&E, Dec. 29, 2023, Spring, Tx.

Robert G. Claitor Jr., 1982 BACH H&SS, April, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Linda Jane Hodges Coulter, 1986 BACH BUS, Dec. 25, 2023, Baton Rouge, La.

Elva Rose Williams George, 1982 MAST HS&E, Jan. 29, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Rhonda Gail Ratcliff Guillot, 1982 BACH HS&E, 1997 MAST HS&E, Feb. 17, 2024, Gonzales, La.

John Jude “Jay” Harris, 1983 BACH BUS, Feb. 10, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Joseph ‘Joe’ Koger Hopkins IV, 1985 BACH ENGR, Jan. 11, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Keely Cassano Anderson

1997 BACH SCI

LSU Swim Team

Jan. 11, 2024

Lake Mary, Fla.

Nancy Porter-Steele

Chief Architect

Doris Loveday Carver

Former LSU Vice Chancellor

Research & Development

Feb. 11, 2024

Baton Rouge, La.

Bonnie Jo Juve Meeker, 1989 MAST NURS, 1994 PHD NURS, Feb. 20, 2024, Hammond. La.

Richard ‘Dick’ Bruce Minogue Sr., 1982 JD, Jan. 13, 2024, New Roads, La. Scott Peterson Nesbit, 1987 BACH AGR, 1991 MAST AGR, Jan. 18, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Kenneth Wayne Roberts, 1987 BACH GEN, Feb. 21, 2024, New Orleans, La.

Sanford Forrest Roy, 1989 BACH SCI, March 12, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Katherine Frances Schatzle, 1982 MAST H&SS, March 16, 2024, New Orleans, La.

George Randall “Randy” Trelles, 1985 BACH H&SS, March 18, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Anthony Frederick “Tony” Whitford, 1985 MAST ED, 1991 JD, Jan. 25, 2024, Lafayette, La.

Richard Michael Young, 1989 BACH BUS, March 28, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

1990s

Christopher Paul Moise, 1998 BACH H&SS, March 6, 2024, Lafayette, La.

Allison Marjorie Naquin, 1994 BACH SCI, 2001 PHD CHEM, March 13, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Dr. Adam Thomas Perry, 1997 BACH KIN, 2002 MD, March 23, 2024, Lafayette, La.

Dr. Alan Craig Twedt, 1997 DVM, March 19, 2024, Springfield Mo.

2000s

Mark Mathew Dufrene, 2000 BACH BUS, 2010 MAST BUS, Feb. 16, 2024, Shreveport, La.

Anna Faye Hamilton, 2000 BACH BUS, Feb. 17, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

2020s

Ashley Margaret Culpepper Grant, 2022 MAST MCOM, Feb. 1, 2024, Montgomery, Al.

Lt. Col. Morton C. Hurston, Jr.

Old War Skule

March 27, 2024

Baton Rouge, La.

Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Jan. 25, 2024

Halifax, NS

Dennis Ray Stipe

Former Asst. Dir. LSU AgCenter March 19, 2024

Baton Rouge, La.

Cecil Randolph Phillips

Retired CEO & President

LSU Foundation April 4, 2024

Baton Rouge, La.

James Gibson “Jim” Traynham

Retired, LSU Department of Chemistry

College of Sciences Hall of Distinction March 17, 2024

Baton Rouge, La.

Tigers in Print

Maurice Carlos Ruffin The American Daughters One World

Maurice Carlos Ruffin, LSU assistant creative writing professor, received praise from the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times for his new book, The American Daughters. The book was also named a New York Times Editor’s Choice and Apple Book’s March Favorites Staff Pick.

The historical novel follows Ady, a curious, sharp-witted girl, and her fierce mother, Sanite. “The American Daughters brings a little-known aspect of the Civil War to vivid life in a tale of enslaved women working as resistance fighters against the Confederacy. Ruffin’s vibrant novel offers an inspiring story of people who show a way forward with their perseverance, bravery and love,” wrote Kate Manning in a New York Times Book Review

Ruffin, currently on leave from LSU, is traveling for his Southern Book Tour for The American Daughters

Brooke Champagne (2005 MFA Creative Writing)

Nola Face: A Latina’s Life in the Big Easy University of Georgia Press

Early in Brooke Champagne’s childhood, her Ecuadorian grandmother Lala (half bruja, half santa) strictly circumscribed the girl’s present and future: become beautiful but know precisely when to use it; rationalize in English but love in God’s first language, the superior Spanish; and if you must write, Dios help you, at least make a subject of me. Champagne’s betrayal of these confounding dictates began before they were even spoken, and she soon started both writing and hiding the truth about whom she was becoming.

The hilarious, heartbreaking essays in this collection trace the evolutions of this girlhood of competing languages, ethnicities, aesthetics, politics, and class constraints against the backdrop

of a boozy New Orleans upbringing. In these essays, Champagne and members of her family love poorly and hate well, whip and get whipped, pray and curse in two languages, steal from The Man and give to themselves, kiss where it hurts, poke where it hurts worse, and keep and spill each other’s secrets―first face-to-face, then on the page. They believe and doubt and reckon with the stories they tell about themselves and where they come from, finally becoming most human, most alive, in their connections to one another.

Champagne was awarded the William Bradley Prize for Nola Face and is an assistant professor in the University of Alabama’s MFA program.

Dr. Meredith Warner (2010 MAST BUS)

Bone on Bone: An Orthopedic Surgeon’s Guide to Avoiding Surgery and Healing Pain Naturally BenBella Press

This book features a surgeon’s protocol that challenges conventional orthopedic practices to help heal pain naturally while avoiding surgery or recover faster from a necessary procedure. Bone on Bone is a total lifestyle guide for optimal health and pain-free living. Dr. Meredith Warner—an orthopedic surgeon who performed combat surgery in Iraq and Afghanistan, operates an orthopedic practice, and teaches surgical residents—shows how the same underlying principles that extend life, reduce heart disease, prevent diabetes and decrease incidences of dementia should be applied to the overall care for orthopedic problems.

Glenn Guilbeau with Leo Honeycutt

Everything Matters in Baseball: The Skip Bertman Story Acadian House Publishing

This 248-page, hardcover, book is about former LSU head baseball coach

Skip Bertman, the man who brought winning baseball to LSU. It sheds light on Skip's work ethic, inventiveness, attention to detail, entrepreneurial ability, and overall contributions to LSU in his capacity as Coach and later as Athletic Director. It includes chapters on each of the five National Championships won under his direction, beginning in 1991; it reveals his secrets to training great pitchers who later pitched in the Major League; and it shows how he embraced and used "The Power of Positive Thinking" throughout his career. “Anything you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon, must, absolutely must come to pass,” are words Skip Bertman used

to motivate his LSU Tigers Baseball teams to victory.

The book is based in part on personal observations by the author, a veteran sportswriter, and numerous interviews with Skip's former players, colleagues and family members.

Trent Angers (1970 BACH MCOM)

Dale Brown Court and the Battle for Human Dignity Acadian House Publishing

The book is the story of the fiery LSU basketball coach who led a successful 35-year campaign to have the NCAA change dozens of its rules that trampled on the rights and human dignity of college student-athletes throughout this country. Proclaiming "the NCAA

legislates against human dignity," he pressed to change or eliminate rules that demeaned athletes and failed to provide for their basic human needs. He led an authentic civil rights movement that today is benefitting some 500,000 studentathletes per year - including women and minorities - in all 1,100 NCAA schools. The winningest men's basketball coach in LSU history, Dale Brown is depicted as a role model of courage, tenacity, and integrity - for this generation and generations to come. The book provides a behindthe-scenes look into the years-long struggle to have the LSU basketball court named in his honor: "Dale Brown Court."

By Chris Russo Blackwood

Science Experiment Gone Wrong Inspires Exhibit’s Big Bang Quilt

Misty Cole’s son’s red-food-color science experiment disaster became the inspiration for her award-winning Big Bang quilt.

Her quilt is one of 42 intricate fiber art pieces featured in “Fierce Planets: Work from the Studio Art Quilt Associates,” an exhibit at the LSU Museum of Art through July 28. The exhibit focuses on the work of Dr. Sabine Stanley, Bloomberg distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of What’s Hidden Inside Planets

But, back to The Big Bang.

“When he was younger, my son loved to do ‘chemistry.’ said Cole. “He loved mixing vinegar and baking soda to see the cool chemical reaction that happens when they bubble together. He poured some food colorings into his new flask, then added baking soda, poured in vinegar, and popped in the stopper. When he gave the mixture a good shake, the pressure built up inside the flask blew the stopper right out. I had red stains all over my white carpet, bookshelves, and ceiling. His experiments moved to the patio after that.”

Talk about making lemonade out of lemons, or in this case, art out of disarray.

Cole has two LSU degrees: one in French and another in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Studio Art, both earned in 1996. A native of Blanchard, she worked in Baton Rouge five years before marrying and moving to Maryland, where she started quilting, as she says, “to use the math part of my brain and to meet new friends.”

During her 17 years in Maryland, she was active in the Baltimore Applique Society and Southern Comforters Quilt Guild. She moved to Madison, Wis. three years ago and jumped right into the quilting scene there, joining three guilds and exhibiting three pieces at The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show.

She has exhibited at the International Quilt Festivals in Houston and Chicago, the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Colorado, and the International Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky. She had a solo exhibition, “Flying Solo,” at College Park Aviation Museum, which included 32 of her pieces inspired by the museum, a Smithsonian affiliate. She travels to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Mass, this summer for another SAQA show called Stitchpunk.

With all of her accolades, Cole is very excited her work is featured in Baton Rouge.

Misty Cole

Misty Cole with donkey and elephant quilt

“I saw my first-ever show of art quilts at the LSU Art Museum,” she said. “It opened my eyes to the possibilities of fiber and textiles as an art medium. It feels like a full-circle moment.”

And, the ties to Louisiana just keep on coming.

“Through Facebook, I recently reconnected with Kay Donges, who was my middle school art teacher at Herndon Magnet School. She has also become a well-known quilter!”

The LSU Museum of Art is the premiere venue for Fierce Planets, with the exhibition expected to travel nationally and internationally in the next several years. It includes traditional

quilts, fabric assemblages, and soft sculptures. To complement the exhibit here, Loren Schwerd, associate professor in LSU’s College of Art and Design, has integrated a project where students will design and install a sculpture inspired by the cosmos and the exhibit, which will be on display in the adjoining gallery for the length of the exhibition. Artifacts from the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy and Geology and Geophysics, including a tile from a Space Shuttle and meteorites, will also accompany this exhibit.

You can follow Misty Cole on Instagram @playmyste4me.

Detailed view of The Big Bang

The Big Bang quilt

By Chris Russo Blackwood

Robert Obier Finds Spontaneity In Fusion of Art and Industrial Design

Robert Obier (1980 BACH ARCH) believes being an artist is the greatest thing you can be. Why? Because the artist is in control and can execute at will.

That’s so much different from his career as an architect, where the client is in control.

“Things can change daily with clients and what is the best thing for them,” Obier says. “I worked with clients who were developing projects – in the prefunding stage a lot of time. Most of the things I designed have never been built.”

Since he retired three years ago, Obier concentrates on his art, what he calls a fusion of art and industrial design, another of his passions. These unique pieces, bold and fashioned of wood with metal, are an extension of his thinking process.

“I have a discipline about how I organize things,” he says. “I did sketches for years, thinking threedimensionally. Now, I take those doodles and turn them into art.”

Obier explains the preliminary shapes are explored and refined through multiple iterations as 3-D computer models. These varied iterations might refine a particular concept or be individually developed as part of a limited edition of sculptural works.

His latest series, Renaissance Man 2.0, inspired by AI, is a nod to Leonardo da Vinci.

“I wanted to do something more topical,” Obier explains. “We are at a new renaissance with AI. The technology out there can create some serious dangers. I show that with the end of the lines going ‘out of control.’”

Obier’s Dynamo

Robert Obier works on piece from his Renaissance Man 2.0 series

He sees his art hung more in corporate settings and recently delivered a piece to a Sirius executive in New York. Represented by a New York gallery, he was invited to be part of a Los Angeles art show, after he won several of their online competitions. He works mostly with poplar wood but is also a lover of cypress, having grown up restoring his family home, Live Oaks Plantation in Rosedale.

While attending LSU, he met his wife, Cindy, also an architect. Obier earned an industrial design degree

from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Ca., selected one of the 2023 top design schools in America Graphic Design USA.

His latest idea is to merge design elements of Ferrari cars with his art style, heavily influenced by transportation design. The good news is he can take those pieces wherever he wants to go.

“I love the spontaneity of it,” Obier says. “You have to have such patience in architecture.”

Robert Obier with some of his pieces

Renaissance Man 2.0 piece in progress

One of the finished Renaissance Man 2.0 pieces

LSU alumnus shows at Metal Museum exhibit

Branching Out, a current exhibition at Memphis’ Metal Museum showcasing casting sculptures, includes one from LSU alumnus Bryan Massey (1988 MFA).

Massey’s Three Sistas, 2017, composed of cast iron and alabaster marble, is part of the show.

The diversity in this exhibition provides a "cross section" of artists in different stages of their careers. Branching Out showcases work that has been cast by acclaimed individuals in foundries around the world, while revealing a network of artists connected by their shared experiences and training. The examples on display range from classically inspired figures to abstract orbs and even performances made by artists who received recognition for their work as far away as Bolivia. It is open through Sept. 8.

Massey serves as chair and professor at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts at the University of Central Arkansas. He started at the university in 1988, ascending to chair in 2018.

The Metal Museum is the only institution in the country devoted exclusively to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of the art and craft of fine metalwork. It is open to the public Tuesday - Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more by visiting metalmuseum.org.

Metal artist Bryan Massey

Three Sistas, 2017. Cast Iron, Alabaster Marble

LSU alumnus remembered in France

A group composed of representatives of the French government, the Museum of the Resistance in Cahors, France and of the family of the late William Hawk Daniels (1937 BACH, 1961 JD), have been working on honoring his contribution to the liberation of the Department of the Lot in Southern France. On July 14, a plaque will be unveiled in Miers, France, near the site where he and a fellow officer parachuted into occupied France.

Daniels, a Captain in the 506th Parachute Infantry, had been seconded to the Office of Strategic

Services (OSS) and parachuted into France to help slow the advance of the German Das Reich division towards Normandy. His actions during his time there resulted in his receiving the Silver Star, the Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Legion d’Honneur from France. He continues to be remembered in France posthumously for his willingness to help in their liberation. He will also be recognized with an exhibit in the 2025 reopening of the Museum of the Resistance.

Daniels is also recognized at the LSU Law School with the William Hawk Daniels Memorial Professorship.

William Hawk Daniels

William Hawk Daniels receiving military honor

Seven lifetime friends, all former “Flag Girls” at LSU in the late 1970s and early 1980s, gathered in San Antonio to reminisce about their years in Tiger Band.

The group included Katherine (Jensen) Boccaccio, Maria (Vitanza) Ezell, Rhonda (Silvio) Lewis, Tammy (Norton) McCauley, Julie (Bolden) Metz, Colleen (Colclough) Rabalais, and Karen C. Tabor.

LSU alums play key roles in Academy Award movie nominees

LSU alumni held prominent positions in the art departments of three of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, held on March 10.

Matt Gatlin was supervising art director on Killers of the Flower Moon. Andrew Bofinger (2004 BACH GS) worked as assistant decorator/ buyer on Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer. And, Jeremy Woolsey (2001 BACH MCOM) worked on Holdovers.

Tammy McCauley and Julie Bolden, front row; Rhonda Lewis and Karen Tabor, middle row; and Kat Boccaccio and Colleen Rabalais, Maria Ezell, back row

BABY BENGALS

Welcome Tigers!

Berry Holt (2014 BACH SPTS ADM) and husband, Nick Holt, welcomed their son, Wyatt Holt, in February. Berry works at the Tiger Athletic Foundation and is excited to add a new Tiger fan to the LSU family.

Andrew Sylvest (2015 BACH CONST) and Katie Franks Sylvest (2015 BACH HS&E) met in a Tiger Stadium concession stand line and later, Andrew took Katie back to the concessions in the North Endzone to pop the question. After ten years of marriage, two careers, and 80-plus countries later, the couple welcomed their first baby, Beau. Bringing Beau to his first LSU Football game was magical. Beau, who was born to be a Tiger, is learning to shout "Geaux" around the world. But, there's nowhere like Death Valley.

WEDDING BELLS

Grace Ibert (2020 BACH BUS, 2024 MBA) married Preston Denn on Dec. 9, 2023 in Las Vegas, surrounded by family and friends. The couple met at the LSU Business School in 2018 and have been together ever since.

Preston Denn and Grace Ibert wed in Las Vegas