a l u m n i
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Summer 2017, Volume 93, Number 2
Hall of
Distinction 2 0 1 7
From the
PRESIDENT
Thank YOU for Choosing LSU One of the joys of writing to alumni is that I get to share the University’s achievements. There are fantastic things going on at LSU, and here are a few: Just weeks ago, Dr. Gabriela González, one of the lead scientists who achieved a scientific breakthrough that the entire world is still celebrating, was just inducted to the National Academy of Sciences. This marks a milestone that few – no matter how exceptional their accomplishments might be – ever achieve. She is our second active faculty member inducted into the prestigious group. I hope you will all join me in celebrating Dr. González’s success while also acknowledging that she and others from the team who made this incredible discovery are sharing their invaluable expertise with our students. This embodies the benefit of an LSU education – access to experts who do not measure their personal success by the accolades they earn personally, but rather by the impact they have on future generations. As a university, we obviously chart the achievements of our individual faculty and specific departments, but we must also take significant pride in what we as a whole contribute to the good of our entire student body. This dedication to our community is reflected by the fact that LSU ranks fifth in the SEC and fourteenth among flagships for moving students up an entire income quintile after graduation. In other words, LSU is where students still go to change their lives and make their dreams come true. We do this by remaining true to our mission of research, education, and outreach and by serving our students and our state. This is what defines a flagship university, and I am happy to report that not only are we achieving our mission – we are excelling at it. But we won’t rest. Our job is to make a difference for every student who sets foot on our campus … and that is a moving target that we constantly strive to achieve. We have a commitment to having national-caliber faculty and helping students achieve their career goals, and I want to thank you all for continuing your support of those goals. The global community of Tigers has shown the world that an LSU degree doesn’t just secure a career – although it does – but it also demonstrates to others that the individual carrying this credential brings not only expertise but also a desire and ability to change the world. And that is a credit that each and every one of you has proven. We are all so proud of you and thankful that you chose LSU.
Sincerely,
F. King Alexander LSU President @lsuprez
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
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Publisher LSU Alumni Association
Contents
Editor Jackie Bartkiewicz Advertising Kelsey David Art Director Chuck Sanchez STUN Design & Interactive
a l u m n i
m a g a z i n e
Features
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18 2017 Hall of Distinction Alumnus of the Year Major General Glenn H. Curtis and Young Alumnus of the Year Brandon P. Landry highlighted the roster of notable alumni inducted into the 2017 LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. Also inducted at the April 7 event were former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, William Shelby McKenzie, Jake L. Netterville, and Dr. Charles M. Smith.
26 Collaborative Care: LSU Student Health Center After a fire at the Student Health Center in June 2016, the center was up and running in six days. When a mumps outbreak occurred on campus this spring, the center immediately responded with a treatment plan – along with communication and vaccination efforts. With every challenge, the center strives to live up to its ultimate goal – providing the best care possible for LSU students, our future alumni.
In Each Issue 1 4 6 30 40 44 50
From the President President/CEO Message LSU Alumni Association News Around Campus Focus on Faculty Locker Room Tiger Nation
On the cover: Hall of Distinction inductees Shelby McKenzie, Mary Landrieu, Brandon Landry, Glenn Curtis, and Jake Netterville. Photo by Eddy Perez. Design by STUN Design & Interactive.
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Editorial Assistants Patti Garner, Karla Lemoine, Brenda Macon Contributors Barry Cowan, Ed Cullen, Rachel Emanuel, Lauren Heffker, Bud Johnson, Andrew Park Photography Errol Anderson, Mark Claesgens, Marie Constantin, Eye Wander Photography, Andrew Franjella, Steve Franz, Joyce Genco, Johnny Gordon, Carrie Grace Henderson, William Boyd Lee, John T. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chris Parent, Andrew Park, Eddy Perez, William Taylor Potter, Will Stafford, Chip Strange, Ellen Smith, Birdie Thompson Printing Baton Rouge Printing NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Leo C. Hamilton Chair, Baton Rouge, La.
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Susan K. Whitelaw Chair-Elect, Shreveport, La. Jack A. Andonie Director Emeritus, Metairie, La. Lodwrick M. Cook Director Emeritus, Sherman Oaks, Calif. Jon D. “Jay” Babb, Baton Rouge, La. Louis R. Minsky, Baton Rouge, La. Karen G. Brack, San Diego, Calif. Jeffrey M. “Jeff” Mohr, Baton Rouge, La. David B. Braddock, Dallas, Texas A.J.M. “Butch” Oustalet, III, Gulfport, Miss. Stephen T. “Steve” Brown, Sherman Oaks, Calif. Fred G. “Gil” Rew, Mansfield, La. Randy L. Ewing, Quitman, La. Oliver G. “Rick” Richard, III, Lake Charles, La. Kathryn “Kathy” Fives, New Orleans, La. Bart B. Schmolke, Alexandria, La. Mario J. Garner, Pearland, Texas Beverly G. Shea, New Iberia, La. Matthew K. “Matt” Juneau, Baton Rouge, La. John T. Shelton, Jr., Houston, Texas Kevin F. Knobloch, Baton Rouge, La. Van P. Whitfield, Houston, Texas Ted A. Martin, Baton Rouge, La. Stanley L. “Stan” Williams, Fort Worth, Texas LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the LSU Alumni Association. Annual donations are $50, of which $6 is allocated for a subscription to LSU Alumni Magazine. Approval of Periodicals Postage Paid prices is pending at Baton Rouge, La., and at additional mailing offices. 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 Office LSU Alumni Association 3838 West Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686 225-578-3838 • 888-RINGLSU www.lsualumni.org / e-mail: jackie@lsualumni.org © 2017 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686 Letters to the editor are encouraged. LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE reserves the right to edit all materials accepted for publication. Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the Association, or LSU.
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President and CEO
MESSAGE
Ballparks, Ballrooms, Boils, and Bedrooms We’ve been busy this spring. We engaged several thousand alumni and friends on campus and at more than forty LSU Alumni Association chapter and Tiger Tour gatherings across the country. Among these special Tigers were seven individuals who were part of events that stand out as highpoints of the semester. Six were honored in a ballroom. The seventh was “working” with and for us in ballparks. In early March, we kicked off a membership campaign headed up by former Tiger great and Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman. As Honorary National Fund Chair, Alex is using his All Star skills to help boost membership – especially among our younger graduates – and raise dollars for scholarships, professorships, faculty awards, and other LSU Alumni Association programs that benefit the University. Listen to Alex’s message – and share it! – at www.lsualumni.org/letsgeaux. Six outstanding alumni were inducted into the 2017 Hall of Distinction in April. Honored were Alumnus of the Year Major General Glenn Curtis, Young Alumnus of the Year Brandon Landry, Senator Mary Landrieu, Shelby McKenzie, Jake Netterville, and Dr. Charles Smith. Always an elegant affair, this year’s Hall of Distinction was exceptional. From greeting guests in honorees’ Gala Suites – complete with signature dishes and cocktails – to the Academy-Awards-style recognition program in the Willis Noland-John Peter LaBorde Ballroom, the evening set the bar for future events. Get a glimpse of the event and meet the inductees beginning on page 18 and see the video at https://youtu.be/luJlsC0vkBw. We hosted chapter leaders at the Chapter Leadership Summit in early February and soon after kicked off our “Parties with a Purpose” travels – visiting alumni and friends at chaptersponsored crawfish boils and gumbo dinners. More than forty chapter and Tiger Tour dates are on the calendar this year, and we’ll be traveling through July. Though the trips make the work week longer, we always return with renewed excitement and sense of purpose, inspired by dedicated alumni who support their alma mater through the Association. Renovations to The Cook Hotel are nearly complete. The makeover includes new carpeting, furnishings – including the Sealy Posturepedic mattresses featured at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans and new appliances in all of the bedrooms. Standard rooms have new cast-iron tubs and tiled surrounds, and the luxury suites feature new tiled walk-in showers, as well as granite countertops and hardwood cabinetry, mahogany and quartz tables, and additional amenity upgrades. We know you’ll be pleased. Speaking of renovations, be sure to take a look at our redesigned website – and visit often to keep up with what’s going on in LSU Tiger Nation. And, if you’re in Baton Rouge, plan to spend a night or two at The Cook Hotel. Visit www.thecookhotel.com Lastly, our Young Alumnus Brandon Landry has joined the Association’s Global Board of Directors, filling the unexpired term of longtime member John Shelton, who “retired” in March. Thank you for Investing in Tigers and Transforming Lives. You make it all possible.
Cliff Vannoy President/CEO @LSUAlumniPrez
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LSU Alumni Association
AlumniLSU
From Our Readers
Kudos
Editor’s note: We’re bragging a bit – hope you’ll understand. It’s such a nice way to say thanks to all those involved in the production of the magazine. We love what we do – and it’s nice to know that you do too. You have done it again! What an interesting and wide-ranging spring edition of the LSU Alumni Magazine - featuring one of the top 10 U.S. scientists in the person of Gabriela González; Coach Orgeron as head coach of the LSU football team and a “heartbeat” coach - apparently he is a great recruiter and a Louisiana native; and Sparky Wade, a “Legend of His Era.” What a loss to the Board of Directors with the death of Jan Liuzza; you have had her since 1995. Please convey my congratulations to the staff that put this marvel together.
Joseph E. Reid (1951 BACH ENGR) Houston, Texas
The magazine is fantastic! Chuck Sanchez and STUN Design did a great job on the cover and layout of Dr. Gonzalez's feature. Thanks again for the great coverage of our amazing female scientist!
Mimi LaValle, External Relations Manager Department of Physics & Astronomy I just received a copy of the LSU Alumni Magazine and saw the three pictures and details about our Taste of Louisiana event! Thanks so much! I greatly appreciate you adding us at such late notice. Y’all are amazing! Have a great week and GEAUX Tigers!
Debbie Greengard LSU Birmingham
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LSU Alumni Association
NEWS
Chapter Events
Kurt Keppler, LSU Dallas Chapter Flagship Scholar Zoe Martin, and Linda and Ron Young. Zoe was on hand to help welcome the future Texas Tigers.
Vice President for Student Affairs Kurt Keppler with Texas Tigers quads Amy, Joanna, Stephen, and Matthew Lambert, children of Henry Lambert (1988 BACH BUS).
Dallas Chapter alums Ron and Linda Young visit with President F. King Alexander at the Texas Tigers Breakfast.
Texas Tigers – Nearly 150 Texas future alumni and their parents were welcomed to Tiger Nation at the annual Texas Tigers Breakfast held during Spring Invitational in March. Hosting the continental breakfast in Tiger Stadium were representatives of the Dallas, Austin, Greater Houston, North Houston, San Antonio, and Tarrant Tigers chapters. President F. King Alexander welcomed the crowd, and the new students visited with other LSU officials, LSU Ambassadors, and currently enrolled Texas Tigers – and posed for photos with Mike the Tiger.
Mike the Tiger and Linda Young pose with future Texas Tiger Hailey Holland, the daughter of Amy Holland (1993 BACH ENGR).
From left, two future Texas Tigers with Stamps Scholar/Dallas Flagship Scholar Katie Davis, and President’s Alumni Scholar Bailey Tinsley.
LSU on The Hill – Alumni and friends
in the Washington, D.C., area joined LSU administrators and members of Congress in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room G50 in March to discuss the status of the University and Louisiana higher education in general. The annual event is sponsored by the LSU Alumni Association and the LSU Foundation.
Photos by Eddy Perez/LSU Strategic Communications President F. King Alexander, center, with DC Alumni Chapter board members, from left, Alexis Garner, Jill Wilbert, April Anderson, and Tucker Tremblay.
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Currrent LSU Student Government President Zack Faircloth, left, with past Presidents Clayton Tufts, Brad Golson, and John Woodard.
From left, Don Ray George, Linda George, LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy, Jeannine Williams, and Joe Williams.
Mardi Gras Gumbeaux – Austin Tigers gathered at St. Edwards University Ragsdale Center for an evening of food and fun to celebrate Mardi Gras at the chapter’s annual Gumbeaux Dinner. Proceeds from the feast, prepared by Stuffed Cajun Meat Market, support scholarships to send Austin-area students to LSU.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Update Orlandeaux
By Paul West
Chapter President Debi West and LSU running back Derrius Guice.
Karen Jones, third from right, and Drew Masangkay, fourth from right, with family and friends at the tailgate.
The LSU Alumni of Central Florida Chapter collected items for Louisiana flood victims last fall. The donations were collected at multiple collection sites – including local sponsor Fountain Auto Mall – and loaded onto an eighteenwheeler supplied by SAIA, and delivered to a flood relief center in Louisiana. Approximately seventy local Tiger fans showed up to greet the LSU football team on their arrival in Orlando for the 2017 Citrus Bowl. The team and coaches were surprised as they got off the buses at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and walked into a crowd of cheering Orlandeaux Tigers Jordan, Meghan, and Reid West at the Citrus Bowl holding welcome signs donated by Stellar pregame party. Signs & Design, owned by an LSU alum. The chapter worked with Citrus Sports of Orlando to set up hospitality and recreation rooms at the Hyatt Regency hotel for the football staff and players attending the Citrus Bowl. All items were provided by the chapter and Stellar Signs & Designs, and Debi West, chapter president, coordinated the project. More than 200 Tiger fans gathered for a pregame party at Little New Orleans Kitchen & Oyster Bar the night before the bowl game, feasting on jambalaya, gumbo, catfish, po-boys, and other Louisiana specials.
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LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
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LSU Alumni Association News
Portrait Unveiling Highlights a Legacy of Inclusion
By Rachel Emanuel Photo by Eddy Perez/LSU Strategic Communications
Gary Huntley, president, A.P. Tureaud, Sr. Black Alumni Chapter; A. P. Tureaud, Jr.; President F. King Alexander; Mamye Hall, charter president, A.P. Tureaud Chapter; Leo Hamilton, chair of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Direcdtors; and Frederick Bell, president LSU, Black Pre-Law Association.
More than seventy LSU faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters gathered at the LSU Student Union in April for the A.P. Tureaud, Sr., Portrait Unveiling Ceremony, an event highlighting a legacy of inclusion. LSU administrators shared the recent accomplishments of the University’s diversity goals as they recognized the legacy of the late New Orleans civil rights attorney Alexander Pierre “A.P.” Tureaud, whose legal work contributed to initial enrollment of African-American students at Louisiana’s flagship institution of higher education. The portrait of “Louisiana’s Preeminent Civil Rights Attorney” is displayed outside the LSU Union Art Gallery. The plaque identifying the portrait states: “In addition to working with Thurgood Marshall on the landmark school desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education, Tureaud argued cases that ended segregation on city buses and unequal pay for black teachers in Louisiana.” “We are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of acknowledging the significance of our chapter’s namesake,”
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said Gary Huntley, president of the A.P. Tureaud, Sr. Black Alumni Chapter. “We thank President F. King Alexander for suggesting the placement of the portrait in the Student Union and following through on his promise to make this event happen.” “I was delighted and proud to hear of the impressive progress that LSU is making for minority and underserved students as a result of Dr. Alexander’s leadership and the diligent work of the Office of Diversity and other faculty and staff members,” said A.P. Tureaud, Jr., who in 1953 was the first AfricanAmerican undergraduate to enroll at LSU. Tureaud expressed his gratitude to Alexander for “all that you are doing to make LSU an international model of excellence that seriously supports diversity.” In addition to the alumni chapter, a building on campus, a chapter-endowed scholarship, and a milestone award presented to students are named in Tureaud’s honor. His portrait was hung in the LSU African American Cultural Center in 2015. The event was sponsored by the LSU Office of Diversity.
Chapter Leaders Gather for Annual Summit
Dallas Chapter members Chis Nitollo, Jeremy Jones, and Kyle Wall with LSU Alumni Association Vice President for Advancement Rhett Butler.
Chapter leaders kicked off the 2017 Chapter Summit with a tour of Alex Box Stadium.
Chapter presidents and officers from across the country took part in the annual Chapter Summit in February at the Lod Cook Alumni Center. The three-day leadership workshop kicked off with a tour of Alex Box Stadium and included sessions on chapter bylaw changes, chapter service awards, tickets, auction items, financials, insurance, scholarships, membership, student recruitment, marketing, and Guest speaker Matt Canada with, from left, Misti Edwards, Susie Ruper, and Kathy Nugent-Arnold. social media. The Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and East Baton Rouge chapters were recognized for enrolling the largest numbers of members in the Joint Membership Program in 2016. Special guest speakers were Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, best-selling author, and Baton Rouge-based freelance journalist Jeffrey Marx and new Tiger football offensive coordinator Matt Canada. It wasn’t all work and no play! Those attending were treated to a tour of Alex Box Staidum, a wine tasting of the LSU Alumni Association’s Geaux Vineyards wines, an evening at L’Auberge Casino Resort, dinner at Walk-On’s Bistraeux & Bar, and a tailgate party before the LSUArkansas basketball game.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Welcome Aboard The LSU Alumni Association has welcomed four new staffers to the team.
Mignon Kastanos
Brittany Ernest
Consuela Gowan
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Mignon Town Kastanos (2009 BACH H&SS), administrative assistant to the president and CEO, was previously chief of staff to the president and CEO of Genesco Sports Enterprises, a marketing and consulting firm in Dallas. During her tenure, she planned and executed corporate events and implemented branding strategies, managed executive communications and operations, and collaborated with the executive team on overall company strategy and new business development. Brittany Ernest (2011 BACH MCOM, 2013 MPA) is coordinator of the Alumni Fund. Prior to joining the Association she was development coordinator at the Tiger Athletic Foundation and a donor recruiter at LifeShare Blood Centers. Ernest serves on the board of directors for the Mental Health Association for Greater Baton Rouge and is on the leadership council for Club Blue, a young professional affiliate of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Baton Rouge. Consuela Gowan, director of operations/assistant general manager at The Cook Hotel, was with with Marriott International Hotels for eight years. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta and Business Professionals of America/Delta Division and volunteers at the Louisiana State School for the Deaf and the New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter. Gowan earned an associate’s degree in business from Delgado Community College.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Lod Cook, seated, visits with, from left, Coach Ed Ogeron, Kelly Orgeron, Johnny Butler, and LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy in the Shaquille O’Neal Lodge at The Cook Hotel.
Snapshots
California gymnasts Kennedi Edney, left, and Erin Macadaeg with Lod Cook and Coach D-D Breaux.
Special Guest, Special Visit – During a busy spring visit to LSU, Lod Cook caught up with old friends, met guests at The Cook Hotel, and attended the March meeting and luncheon of the LSU Alumni Association Global Board of Directors. He spoke to – and shook the hand of every Tiger football player –at spring practice and visited with Lady Tigers gymnasts at a weekend home competition. Cook also found time to share LSU and life memories with listeners on the “Jim Engster Show” and with Association staffers before he headed home to Los Angeles.
Gabriela González, professor of physics and one of Nature magazine’s Top 10 Scientists, joined Louisiana Junior Science & Humanities Symposium students in January at The Cook Hotel & Conference Center.
JSHS at The Cook – Nearly 100 students and teachers from across the state took part in the 2017 Louisiana Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS) held at The Cook Hotel & Conference Center in January. A collaborative effort with the research arm of the Department of Defense, JSHS prepares and supports students to contribute as future scientists and engineers.
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Rori Smith, center, with from left, Consuela Gowan, director of operations at The Cook Hotel; LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy; John Grubb, vice president for hotel operations; and Joel Broussard, hotel front desk manager.
STRIVE – Rori Smith (1992 BACH MCOM) conducted a customer service training session with LSU Alumni Association staffers in February. Smith, a corporate instructor on Delta Airlines Brand Strategy and Customer Service team, emphasized the Association’s core values and focused her message on the key points of the acronym STRIVE – Smile, Trust, Respect, Image, Visibility, and Empathy.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Snapshots
Student Government President Zack Faircloth, Roger Ogden, and Student Government Vice President Lindsey Landry.
Real World Prep – Roger Ogden, co-founder, principal and CEO of Stirling Properties and past chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, was guest speaker at “Speakers: The Series” a professional development program sponsored by the LSU Alumni Association in partnership with Student Government.
Jerry Stovall, Danielle Gueho, Tammy Brown, and Eric Engemann.
In the Community – The Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation has a new name – SportsBR. Tammy Brown and Danielle Gueho, both in sales at The Cook Hotel, joined the organization’s past president, Jerry Stovall, and current president, Eric Engemann, along with other community partners for the rebranding announcement celebration in the Lawton Room in Tiger Stadium in April.
Spring Grad Fair – Taking care of senior portraits, caps and gowns, rings, and more before commencement is made easier for soon-to-be graduates at Grad Fair. The LSU Alumni Association, a major player in the two-day “one-stop shopping” event, signed up more than 250 future alumni as official members of Tiger Nation through early membership. May graduates Gabrielle Brewer, Sarah Campbell, and Taylor Fradella show off their #LSUTIGERNATION shirts.
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LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
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Hall of Distinction 2017 GLENN CURTIS, BRANDON LANDRY HIGHLIGHT INDUCTIONS
M
ajor General Glenn H. Curtis, Louisiana adjutant general, and Brandon P. Landry, founder, co-owner, and CEO of Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, highlighted the roster of notable alumni inducted into the 2017 LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. Curtis, Alumnus of the Year, and Landry, Young Alumnus of the Year, along with four other LSU graduates, were inducted on April 7 at the Lod Cook Alumni Center. Also inducted former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, policy adviser with Van Ness Feldman, Washington, D.C.; William Shelby McKenzie, of counsel with Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, Baton Rouge; Jake L. Netterville, chairman of the board emeritus of Postlethwaite & Netterville, Baton Rouge; and Dr. Charles M. Smith, retired family medicine practitioner, Sulphur, La. Always an elegant affair, this year’s Hall of Distinction was exceptional. From greeting guests in honorees’ Gala Suites – complete with signature dishes and cocktails – to the Academy-Awards-style recognition program in the Willis Noland-John Peter LaBorde Ballroom, the evening set the bar for future events. LSU alumna Rori Smith, a brand strategy and corporate trainer with Delta Air Lines, served as master of ceremonies for the awards ceremony. Also on the program were LSU President F. King Alexander, Association President and CEO Cliff Vannoy, and Association Board of Directors Chair Leo Hamilton. Music was provided by pianist Doug Pacas and members of Tiger Band.
ON THE WEB https://youtu.be/4mVtX8c-slA Honorees’ photos by Eddy Perez Additional photos by Johnny Gordon, Heather Bush, and Chip Strange
TH E LS U ALU M N I ASSOCI AT I O N A N N UALL RECOGN Y IZ E S A L U M N I WH D I STI N G O H AV E UISHED T H E M S E LV E TH E U N I S AN D V E R S IT Y T HROUGH CARE E R S, TH E I R TH E I R PE RSON ACCOM A L AN D CIV PLI S H M E NTS, T IC H E I R VO A CTI V IT LU NTE E I E S, A N D R TH E I R L O Y A LT Y T O TH E I R A LMA MA TE R.
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Major General Glenn H. Curtis
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lenn H. Curtis, Adjutant General of the Louisiana National Guard, graduated from LSU in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. While at LSU, he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, and the Alpha Epsilon Chapter named him Alumnus of the Decade for 2010-2020. Curtis has commanded the 11,000-member Louisiana National Guard since 2011 with unparalleled integrity and has provided leadership though numerous natural disasters, most recently the Great Flood of 2016. Curtis was commissioned in 1984 through the LNG Officer Candidate School after serving as an enlisted member of the guard since 1982. From July 1986 to September 1997, Curtis served in various positions of increasing responsibility from Platoon Leader, Construction Officer, S-4, Company Commander, Plans Officer, S-3, and Executive Officer. He served as Battalion Commander of the 1088th Engineer Battalion in Plaquemine, Louisiana, from September 1997 to April 2000 and of the 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry in Lake Charles, Louisiana, from April 2000 to August 2001. He was assigned as the Commander of the 225th Engineer Group from September 2001 to October 2004, and he also served as the J-4, Director of Logistics, Joint Force Headquarters-Louisiana. He was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2004 and served as the Chief of Staff, Purchasing and Contracting Officer in Baghdad, Iraq. In November 2005, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, General Curtis was assigned as the Chief of the Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters-Louisiana. He was Director of the Joint Staff from April 2007 until November 2011, when he was appointed Adjutant General. Recognized with numerous military awards, decorations, and honors during his career, he was inducted into the LSU Military Hall of Honor in 2009; received the General Douglas MacArthur Award in 1989; was named Battalion Commander of the Year in 1999; and received a Business & Industry Top 40 Under 40 award in 2002. In 2015, he was elected by his peers as President of the Adjutants General Association of the United States. Curtis and his wife, Jill, reside in Pineville, Louisiana. They have three children, Meagan, Nicholas, and Jacob.
I AM AN LSU FAN THROUGH AND THROUGH. LSU’S FOCUS ON COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY PREPARED ME FOR A LIFE OF SERVICE TO OUR NATION. I CAN NEVER REPAY LSU FOR THE RICH DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE THAT IS NOW AN INTEGRAL PART OF MY LIFE AS A HUSBAND, FATHER, AND SOLDIER.” 20 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
Brandon Landry
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randon Landry, founder, co-owner, and CEO of Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, earned a bachelor’s degree in management in 2001. His story began in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as a walk-on for the Tigers. Walk-On’s traces its roots to a sketch on a napkin and a vision created by Landry and his teammate and founding partner as an entrepreneurship class project. The plan earned them a “C” grade. Turned down by six banks for financing, bank number seven gave him the opportunity to open the first Walk-On’s in the shadows of Tiger Stadium in 2003. Today, the restaurant is one of the hottest casual dining concepts around. As CEO, Landry provides leadership for thirteen restaurants in Louisiana and Texas, and fifty more locations in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee are on the drawing board. In 2015 New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees bought into the company as Landry’s partner, and annual revenues are estimated to exceed $70 million in 2017. Passionate about creating a memorable, fun experience with true Louisiana cuisine in a sports atmosphere, Landry’s vision for the company is authentic and simple – WIN! He strives to ensure that everyone on the Walk-On’s team knows they are equally important, that “the “walk-on mentality” is the backbone of the company, and that the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back. Landry’s entrepreneurial spirit has been recognized by Nations Restaurant News, Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Times, Headline News, and ESPN. He has been named Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Restaurateur of the Year, Baton Rouge Young Businessperson of the Year, and Louisiana Marketer of the Year, and was recognized as a Baton Rouge Business Report 40 Under 40. Walk-On’s was named ESPN’s #1 Sports Bar in America 2012, and the concept has earned “best new restaurant” and “best sports bar” honors in every city in which it has opened. A four-year letterman in basketball, Landry is a member of the L Club and Tiger Athletic Foundation. He belongs to the Young Presidents Organization and serves on various nonprofit boards, among them the BREC Foundation, Kidney Foundation, and MakeA-Wish Foundation, and he gives generously to his local communities both personally and through the restaurants. He and his wife, Mackenzie, have one daughter, four-month-old Jett.
I GREW UP AT LSU . . . I WENT TO LSU . . . I PLAYED FOR LSU . . . I CHEER FOR LSU . . . I AM FOREVER LSU!”
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Senator Mary Landrieu
M
ary Landrieu, a Senior Policy Advisor with the Van Ness Feldman Law Firm in Washington, D.C., and a former United States Senator, earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from LSU in 1977. Landrieu is the daughter of former Mayor Moon Landrieu and Verna Satterlee Landrieu, of New Orleans. Her leadership skills, honed at an early age, were first noticed as a student at Ursuline Academy when she was elected student body president. At LSU she was active in and held leadership positions in several campus organizations, most notably, Delta Gamma Sorority and Campus Crusade for Christ. Landrieu’s public service began in 1979, when she was elected to the Louisiana State Legislature at the age of twenty-three. The youngest woman ever elected, she championed the rights of women and children and became a standout leader in the fight against child abuse and domestic violence. After two terms she was elected state treasurer. Among her noteworthy accomplishments as a two-term treasurer were pension fund diversification, constitutional debt limitation, and the creation of the first-ever municipal investment fund, now valued at more than $2 billion. After a race for governor, which she narrowly lost, she was elected to the U.S. Senate – the first woman in Louisiana to be elected to a full term – and served for eighteen years. A proud “centrist,” Landrieu helped negotiate many major policy initiatives for the state and nation and was known as a tireless advocate for Louisiana, particularly as a leader in the fight for coastal restoration. Among Landrieu’s major accomplishments were securing billions of dollars to rebuild the state in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including $14 billion for flood control in Southeast Louisiana and more than $500 million in loan forgiveness for local school districts and parishes. She led the successful effort to designate Barksdale Air Force Base as the nuclear strike command for America; was lead sponsor on the RESTORE Act, which directed more than $18 billion over the next fifteen years to Louisiana and Gulf Coast states; and the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, the first mandatory coastal revenue sharing law in the nation. Landrieu is a member of the U.S. Energy Security Council, a board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, honorary board member and former national co-chair of the National Guard Youth Challenge Foundation, national board member for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and founder and honorary national board member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Landrieu and her husband, Frank Snellings, have two children – Connor and Mary Shannon, and one grandson, Maddox Parker Snellings.
LSU OPENED UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD FOR ME. MEETING FRIENDS FROM LAKE PROVIDENCE TO DELCAMBRE WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT HELPED ME TRULY APPRECIATE THE UNIQUE BEAUTY OF LOUISIANA.”
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William Shelby McKenzie
W
illiam Shelby McKenzie, former managing partner and “of counsel” with Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips in Baton Rouge, graduated from University High School in 1957 and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University before graduating from LSU Law School in 1964. During law school, he was editor-in-chief of Louisiana Law Review and a member of Order of the Coif, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi. He received the ODK-Mortar Board Outstanding Law School Senior Award, Dean of Academic Affairs Outstanding Law School Senior Student Award, an LSU Alumni Federation Certificate of Merit, and was named Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity Martin Inn and Province VI Outstanding Graduate. Upon graduation, McKenzie joined Taylor Porter and has worked at the firm for more than fifty years, concentrating in insurance law, university law, and litigation. He served as lead counsel for the LSU Board of Supervisors for twenty years, and after retiring from active practice, returned as interim general counsel to the board and to President Emeritus William Jenkins and President F. King Alexander. He was an adjunct LSU law professor for more than thirty years, offering insurance law courses to more than 3,500 law students. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, McKenzie has held leadership positions in numerous professional, educational, and service organizations. Among them are the Baton Rouge Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, LSU Law School Alumni Association and Board of Trustees, Forever LSU Campaign Cabinet, Louisiana Bar Foundation Board, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Capital Area Legal Services Corporation, First United Methodist Church, Friends of the LSU Libraries, Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge Sheltered Workshop, and Bank One Advisory Board. For his leadership and contributions to LSU and to his profession, McKenzie was named the Paul M. Hebert Law Center’s 2005 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, the Louisiana Bar Foundation’s 2011 Distinguished Louisiana Attorney, and was inducted into the University High School Alumni Hall of Distinction in 2003. McKenzie and his wife, Molly, an LSU alumna, have two surviving children and five grandchildren. Their son Charles McKenzie and his wife, Elissa, have three sons, McVea, Scot, and Charlie; daughter Leslie Porter and her husband, Lance, an LSU professor, have two daughters, Jan Shelby and Kate. Their son Douglas passed away in 2014.
THE LSU LAW SCHOOL PROVIDED EXCELLENT PREPARATION FOR MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER. I WAS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE . . . TO WORK WITH DEDICATED LSU BOARD MEMBERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND FACULTY ON MANY INTERESTING, IMPORTANT, AND CHALLENGING ISSUES.”
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Jake L. Netterville
J
ake L. Netterville, Chairman of the Board Emeritus of Postlethwaite & Netterville, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from LSU in 1960. He was commissioned through LSU ROTC and served eight years in the U.S. Army on active and reserve duty. Netterville was managing partner of P&N for more than twenty years, during which time the firm became one of the top 100 leading accounting firms in the country. He has held leadership roles in numerous professional organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants, and the Baton Rouge Chapter of Certified Public Accountants. He served as Chairman of the Board of the AICPA, the highest office that can be attained in the accounting profession. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times and authored articles in many accounting journals and magazines. He has served as president of the following organizations: the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Downtown Kiwanis Club of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Council for a Better Louisiana, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, CHAMPAC, The City Club of Baton Rouge, and the Baton Rouge Country Club. He currently serves on the boards of Baton Rouge Water Company and Amedisys. Netterville, the current chair of Tiger Athletic Foundation, is a member of the LSU Accounting Advisory Board, the E.J. Ourso College of Business Administration Dean’s Advisory Council, and the LSU Alumni Association. Among the many professional and civic honors Netterville has received during his career are the Society of Louisiana CPAs Establishment of Free Enterprise Award, Baton Rouge Volunteer Activist Award, Louisiana CPA Distinguished Service Award, AICPA Gold Medal Award – the organization’s highest award, and the Association of Government Accountants National Private Sector Financial Excellence Award. He was inducted into the E.J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction in 2000. Netterville and his wife, May Nell, have been married for fifty-five years. They have two children and five grandchildren.
AS A SOPHOMORE AT BATON ROUGE HIGH SCHOOL, I COMPLETED A KUDDER PREFERENCE TEST AND WAS TOLD IT SHOWED I SHOULD BE A CPA. I ASKED, “WHAT’S A CPA?” LSU PROVIDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL WITH PROFESSIONALS WHO GRADUATED FROM “MORE PRESTIGIOUS” UNIVERSITIES.” 24 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
Dr. Charles M. Smith
D
r. Charles Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from LSU in 1951 and a medical degree from LSU Medical School New Orleans in 1955. He practiced medicine in Sulphur, Louisiana, for thirty-five years and served as Calcasieu Parish coroner for more than twenty years.
clinical partnerships in medical physics around the world. It has Smith served in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1957 as a positively impacted the ability to recruit and retain eminent flight surgeon in Europe before opening his family medical scholars to lead the program and to attract top students from practice, which he later expanded to include industrial Louisiana and across the country. The resources have helped the medicine and chemical dependency. Throughout his career, he program remain among the strongest accredited programs in was considered by his colleagues and patients to be one of the medical physics across in the best doctors in the region, country while serving clinical respected not only for his LSU WAS AVAILABLE FOR ME TO PREPARE AND needs of Louisiana. skill as a practitioner but also Smith is known as a for the kindness and care “quiet philanthropist,” one he gave his patients during STUDY MEDICINE IN THE FINEST OF FACILITIES WITH who impacts individuals and office visits and house calls. organizations through acts Inspired by his personal THE FINEST FACULTY. THE TUITION WAS AFFORDABLE of kindness and generosity experiences as a cancer without recognition. His survivor and his desire to – VERY FORTUNATE FOR A LOUISIANA NATIVE.” philanthropic spirit is improve patient care and evidenced by his numerous cancer treatment within volunteer commitments over the years. He has served on the Louisiana, Smith established the first endowed chair in College of Science Executive Committee and is a charter medical physics at LSU in November 2006. The Dr. Charles member of the Dean’s Circle. He is a member of the LSU M. Smith Chair of Medical Physics, created in partnership Foundation Laureate Society and LSU 1860 Society and has with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center donors, supports the supported the LSU Medical School for decades. Smith is academic research and clinical practice components of the also a benefactor of the Methodist Children’s Home in jointly supported program. Sulphur, and he has served on the board of the Imperial The Smith Chair has significantly assisted LSU and Mary Calcasieu Museum. Bird in maintaining one of the most successful academic and
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COLLABORATIVE
CARE BY LAUREN HEFFKER PHOTO BY LARRY HUBBARD
26 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
T
HE STUDENT HEALTH CENTER IS USED TO ADAPTING AND RESTRUCTURING IN ORDER TO BEST SERVE THOSE AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING IT DOES — LSU STUDENTS, OUR FUTURE ALUMNI.
When a fire broke out in June 2016, the health center was up and running in six days. When
a mumps outbreak occurred on campus this spring, the center immediately responded with a treatment plan – along with communication and vaccination efforts. With every challenge, the health center strives to live up to its ultimate goal, providing the best care possible for students. The SHC practices a “collaborative care” approach, under which its three branches – the Medical Clinic, Mental Health Service, and the Office of Wellness and Health Promotion – work together to practice a well-rounded, holistic health care system.
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Student Health Center administrators, from left, Nelson Perret, director of medical services; D'Ann Morris, executive director; Julie Hupperich, wellness director; and John Otzenberger, director of mental health services.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVERYONE STAYS FOCUSED ON THE STUDENTS AND . . . THAT’S WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE. 28 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
“I think the Student Health Center was built for this purpose,” SHC Executive Director D’Ann Morris said. “If you look at our facility and the fact that there are three levels in the building . . . for years, these three units have existed within the same space, but haven’t always maximized the ability to use this collaborative care.” When Morris began her tenure in 2012, she noticed patients were getting resources from each unit individually, but the departments weren’t doing enough to communicate with one another. Morris said she focuses on “meeting the student where they are,” by treating them as a student – not just a patient. This strategy employs campus resources more efficiently by decreasing the amount of outpatient referrals. This communication-centered approach is a national trend, according to Morris. The definition of wellness has shifted over time, she said, to concentrate more on overall wellness rather than only physical health. The center’s administrators – Medical Director Nelson Perret, Mental Health Services Director John Otzenberger, Wellness and Health Promotion Associate Director Julie Hupperich, and Morris – meet every week to keep communication lines open and direct. The result is an uptick in referrals from University faculty and staff. Professors often will assign classes to attend one of the Emotional Wisdom Seminars hosted by the SHC as homework, Otzenberger noted. “I think the beauty of this center is in the name,” Morris said. “It is the Student Health Center – it is the driver for all of the things that we do . . . the driver is the student. The students pay for this service, and we should be maximizing what they’re paying for every single day.” Student health centers were created for the primary purpose of retention, Morris said, in order to get ailing students back in class as quickly as possible. This collaborative structure ensures the completion of that purpose. The departments refer patients to one another to ensure each person’s needs are being met. For example, if someone arrives in the medical unit and a doctor notices he or she exhibits signs of depression or anxiety, they may be referred to mental health. “Referring” a student can
LOOKING BACK
T
he Student Health Service was organized in 1895 at Pentagon Barracks Building ”B” of the U.S. Army Post, site of the presentday Louisiana State Capitol.
A surgeon, assisted by a hospital steward and nurses, served students at prescribed times. The hospital was used for many years as a mess hall before being restored to its original use as an infirmary with two large wards and ten smaller rooms. Another building contained the surgeon’s laboratory and was used for the isolation of contagious diseases. When LSU moved to its present
mean simply walking them upstairs to make an appointment with the mental health staff, or having another branch contact them. Not all universities operate with the same cohesive approach – different services may operate in separate buildings, Morris said, adding that having the departments housed in the same building makes it much easier for staff intercommunication. The wellness center, which is currently in the LSU Student Union due to damage from last year’s fire, will rejoin the main health center once renovations are complete. “The true benefit of collaborative care is, if there’s a need, they’re going to get routed through the system accordingly,” Hupperich explained. “At the end of the day, everyone stays focused on the students and . . . that’s where it needs to be.” Lauren Heffker, a sophomore in the Manship School of Mass Communication, writes for The Daily Reveille and Legacy Magazine.
location, Student Health Services was housed in a temporary wooden structure (see campus map) until a new hospital was built in 1937. The facility included an out-patient clinic, lab, x-ray, pharmacy, diet kitchen, 100 beds, and an operating room. In the late 1940s, emphasis was shifted to the development of out-patient services, and in 1974 the in-patient service was closed, retaining only four beds for observation, reduced to two beds in 1998. In 1976, Student Health Services was changed form a statesupported unit to a self-supporting auxiliary funded by student fees and charges for ancillary services, such as x-ray, laboratory, and pharmacy. The name was changed to Student Health Center in 1984 to emphasize the educational outreach Starting from top: This 1899 photograph shows the exterior view of the Hospital/Mess Hall. An interior view of the hospital, 1899. The first hospital on the present campus – shown as building 48 on a campus map from the 1931-1932 catalog – was near present-day Broussard Hall. Photos courtesy LSU Special Collections.
opportunity for well students, and a campuswide Wellness Education Department (now Wellness and Health Promotion) was initiated the following year.
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Around
CAMPUS
In Focus
From left, Rendy Kartika, Elzbieta Cook, Josh Grimm, and Elias Goldstein.
Phi Kappa Phi Awards – The LSU Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the LSU Alumni Association recognized four faculty members at the PKP 2017 Awards and Induction Ceremony in March. Rendy Kartika, assistant professor of chemistry; Josh Grimm, assistant professor of mass communication, and Elias Goldstein, assistant professor of music, each received a Non-Tenured Faculty Award valued at $500. Elzbieta Cook, a senior instructor of chemistry, recognized as an Outstanding Instructor, also received a $500 award. Chapter President Richard Vlosky presided over the ceremony, and Michelle Massé, dean of the Graduate School, was the keynote speaker. More than 200 students, faculty members, and instructors became members of the honor society this spring. Photo by William Boyd Lee
International Relations Club members Emma Espenan, Rachel Archey, Clara Bajeux, Annie Suydam, Nana Quajjo Poku-Agyemang, Milad Amini, Christian Christoffersen, Aislin Salassi, Trevor O'Neill, Breea Gould, Caroline Stewart, and Amani Husein at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C.
UN Conference – Members of the International Relations Club traveled to Washington, D.C., in November 2016 to participate in the National Model United Nations Conference (MUN). The trip was partially supported by the LSU Alumni Association through donations to the Alumni Fund. “We want to thank LSU alumni for funding us this year,” writes club member Emma Espenan. “We wouldn't have been able to go to MUN this fall or MAL [Mock Arab League conference] this semester without y'all.”
30 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
SCHOLAR SIPS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
All profits made by LSU alum’s Mach Flynt, Inc. from Geaux Vineyards sales will be donated to the LSU Alumni Association
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The Cook Hotel, Bet R, Calandro’s, Bergeron’s City Market, City Pork, Discount Cigarette & Beverage, Drakes Catering, Hi Nabor, LSU Faculty Club, Oak Point Fresh Market, Robert Fresh Market, T&T Lounge, Harvest Supermarket, Hampton Inn & Suites, Martin Wine Cellar, Matherne’s Supermarket, Pay-Less Supermarket, Theatre Baton Rouge, Tiger Den Suites, TimeOut Lounge, Tramonte's Meat and Seafood, Tureau’s Grocery, Unique Cuisine Catering, Country Corner, Lod Cook Alumni Center, Ralph’s
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| Summer 2017 31 Distributed by Republic National Distributing Company LSU Alumni Magazine
Around Campus
In Focus
From left, Marilyn Cramer, Judy Koonce, guest speaker Marybeth Lima, Martha Wright, and Jintana Cochran.
Guest speaker Cristina Sabliov, center, with, from left, Claire Moreau, Joan Macalusa, Pat McDermott, and Vicki Allison.
From left, Wilma Chustz, Marion Territo, Susan Hodges-Rozas, Laura Larsen, Pat Triche, Leo Triche, Annie Coco, Vernon Triche, and Gene Rozas.
LSU Retirees – LSU AgCenter scientist Cristina Sabliov spoke to the LSU Faculty and Staff Retirees Club in January about nanotechnology in treating cataracts. In February, agricultural engineer Marybeth Lima talked about developing fun, functional and safe playgrounds, and Chancellor Emeritus James H. Wharton reflected on his tenure as chancellor at the March meeting. Members also made field trip to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Livingston, La., Red Stick Spice Company, and Cypress Island Preserve on Lake Martin near Breaux Bridge, La. Photos by Mark Claesgens
32 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
A PP TI M E TO CE LE BR AT E,
RE CI AT E – A N D KE EP
GO IN G!
year, I ring the mid-point of the time flies! Since we are nea how My 17? 20 h oug f way thr Can you believe we are hal omplishments. with r’s achievements and acc yea t las on hed class to enter LSU, and ect refl thought I’d academically accomplis st mo t bodies the den ed stu e ent ers res div rep st ss cla had one of the mo we h, hig The Fall 2016 freshman e tim allan at panic overall enrollment African American and His mary and secondary will be just as talented. ss Martin – met both its pri Ted ever. I feel this year’s cla m alu LSU by d nde Ecosystems – fou g Islands are protecting Earlier this year, Martin e Parish. Martin’s Floatin onn reb d Ter in d lan rsh t existing ma life. Vegetation has “roote goals in a project to protec s for waterfowl and aquatic itat s hab na’ rsh isia ma Lou new of g also creatin in the preservation surrounding marsh while promising step forward a is is Th ns. atio loc e g in som in,” and sediment is buildin entist of the Year by ds. tlan was named a Top 10 Sci lez nza Go valuable we ela bri Ga ist magazine, LSU physic e. Outstanding work! As you read in our spring ific discoveries of our tim ent sci est larg d up (to the plate) and the of Alex Bregman has steppe er eld Nature and was key in one infi s e tro As on ust at energy and perspectiv at and current Ho sociation. Alex brings gre Former LSU baseball gre As i mn Alu LSU the for x – I’m with ya! tional Fund Chair ng alumni. Thank you, Ale is serving as Honorary Na will resonate with our you ely sur winning that elusive ge to ssa se clo me sohis to our efforts, and ible year, finishing ohred inc r the the ano had m tics tea Breaux, Ashley Gnat, and The LSU women’s gymnas gratulations to Coach D-D con , tion Na er Tig the of On behalf national championship. two outstanding m. tea tics leading the team, and his nas now is on entire gym ger Or ach Co excitement to the new era in LSU football. s – are sure to bring much che We have also entered a coa ng you at gre – a ft, Sundays should be fun nda and Coach Canad ft picks in April’s NFL dra dra coordinators, Coach Ara und t-ro firs ee thr h hts this fall. And, wit gridiron on Saturday nig rence Player of The Year; 2017 Southeastern Confe to watch as well. the ed nam s wa ginia ns Bur golfer Sam ampionships bid; and Vir In other news, sophomore ned their first NCAA Ch ear and 8 coach. 27l at bal ket ord rec ers set a LSU head men’s bas in beach volleyball, the Tig Will Wade, was named ch, coa l ns appear bal cer ket con bas g g din nin y’s win do. Budget and fun Commonwealth Universit also have more work to we ates , But voc Ad on. er ng Tig goi gs the g thin s. From leadin Yes, we have many great ortant part of the proces ms at imp alu an is ure on fut g iati soc min As lco r we You and scholarships, to ps, shi to be yearly occurrences. sor fes pro s, ard , standing faculty aw rsity programs for faculty campaign, to providing out tion, to supporting Unive dua gra at ms rts alu effo d se dge porting the registration and full-fle hope you’ll join me in sup are committed to LSU. I too small, and all are is n utio trib staff, and students – we con i Association. NO mn Alu LSU the of er mb by becoming a me g to Baton greatly appreciated. – with a daughter headin l be extra special for me wil fall it’s going this e; e, her not al get to son On a per that moment as a Tiger. I can’t wait for eer car e leg col her rt sta Rouge to do without you and to be exciting. We could not do what we t. por sup ed tinu con r Thank you again for you your generosity. GEAUX TIGERS! Stan Williams ir, LSU Alumni Association National Fundraising Cha
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
33
Around Campus
In Focus
David Songy, Sarah Borders, and Jim Parr.
Ourso Elite – Sarah Borders, Jim Parr, and David Songy were inducted into the E.J. Ourso College of Business 2017 Hall of Distinction in March. Borders (1984 BACH BUS) is a partner in the financial restructuring practice group of King & Spalding, an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100. Parr (1972 BACH BUS, 1973 MBA) is founder and president of Records Management Solutions of Georgia Inc. and an adjunct professor in the LSU Department of Marketing. Songy (1979 BACH BUS, 1980 MAST BUS) is co-founder and chief executive officer of Songy Highroads LLC and previous co-founder Songy Partners Ltd, in Boca Raton, Fla. Photo by Eye Wander Photography
College of Human Sciences Education Dean Damon Andrew, Alumna of Distinction Beverly Brooks Thompson, and SHREWD Director Reid Bates. Wanda Hargroder, assistant professor of kinesiology; Clara Bausa; Melinda Solmon, professor of kinesiology; and Arend Van Gemmert, associate professor of kinesiology.
34 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
Carolyn Collins, College of Human Sciences & Education board member, and Tyree Mitchell, assistant professor in the School of Human Resource Education & Workforce Development (SHREWD).
HS&E Hall of Distinction – The College of Human Sciences & Education inducted five distinguished graduates and three “Community Partners” into its Hall of Distinction in March. Honored were Laurie Aronson, Alumna of Distinction, University Laboratory School; Gina M. Rossi (1980 BACH H&SS, 1983 MSW) Alumna of Distinction, School of Social Work; and Beverly Brooks Thompson (1993 BACH H&SS, 2005 MAST H&SS, 2015 MAST HS&E, 2015 PHD HS&E), Alumna of Distinction, School of Human Resource Education & Workforce Development; and Community Partners Arlington Preparatory Academy, School of Kinesiology; Colegio Concepción San Pedro, School of Education; and the Louisiana Library Association, School of Library & Information Science.
Discover Scholars Connor Rouillier, Shelby Stewart, Bryanna Fields, Vernell Dunams, and Camille Boechler.
Discover Scholars – Five LSU students were named 2017 LSU Discover Scholars: Bryanna Fields, a senior psychology major from Fond du Lac, Wisc.; Vernell Dunams, a junior photography and Spanish double major from New Orleans; Camille Boechler, a senior liberal arts major with a concentration in film and media arts from Baton Rouge; Shelby Stewart, a senior psychology and criminology major from Metairie, La.; and Connor Rouillier, a sophomore anthropology and religious studies major with double minors in linguistics and Arabic studies from Baton Rouge. The LSU Discover Scholar award recognizes students who exemplify the potential for undergraduate research and creative endeavors at LSU. The students were nominated by faculty members and selected by a panel of judges.
Celebrating Excellence – Two of the many scholarships and awards presented to students and faculty at University College’s Celebration of Excellence in March were LSU Alumni Association Graduate Teaching Assistant awards underwritten by LSU alumnus Bill Ziegler (1976 BACH ENGR) and his wife, Joanne, of Raleigh N.C. Recipient Vicki Davis received her Ph.D. in English in May. Award winner Joshua Fallon (2014 MAST SCI) expects to graduate in May 2018 with a Ph.D. in mathematics. The awards are presented to teaching assistants who demonstrate an environment of learning and inspiration in the classroom.
Joshua Fallon, graduate teaching assistant of the Department of Mathematics, left, and Norman Deumite, chair of the University College Advisory Board.
Vicki Davis, graduate teaching assistant in the Department of English, left, and Paul Ivey, executive director of University College.
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Noteworthy
Around Campus
J. Bryan Benchoff
Amanda Benson
Susanne Brenner
J. Bryan Benchoff was named president and CEO of the LSU Foundation and LSU vice president of institutional advancement, effective July 17. Benchoff currently is vice president of university advancement for Ohio University and president and CEO of the Ohio University Foundation. He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from West Virginia University, a certificate degree in financial development/ nonprofit management from Adelphi University, and a bachelor’s degree in social welfare from Kutztown University.
Amanda Benson, assistant program director for athletic training and associate professor of kinesiology, received the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA). Prior to her arrival at LSU, Benson worked at Troy University in various capacities including clinical coordinator, department chair, and program director for athletic training.
David Comeaux
Mette Gaarde
Susanne Brenner, the Nicholson Professor of Mathematics, was among fourteen Southeastern Conference faculty members chosen to receive a 2017 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. The $5,000 honorarium recognizes extraordinary teaching and a national and/or international record of scholarship. Brenner holds a joint appointment with mathematics and the Center for Computation & Technology (CCT). At the CCT, she serves as the associate director of academic affairs. David Comeaux, a web development librarian at LSU Libraries, was named to the editorial board for The Journal of Web Librarianship, an international, peer-reviewed journal focused on all aspects of librarianship as practiced on the World Wide Web. He will serve a two-year term as a peer reviewer of manuscripts.
Katherine Henninger
Rendy Kartika
Benjamin Kahan
Lance Porter
Donghui Zhang
36 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
Femi Euba
Mette Gaarde, professor of physics and astronomy, was selected by the American Physical Society (APS) as a 2017 Outstanding Referee for her exceptional work in the assessment of manuscripts published in the Physical Review journals. The Outstanding Referee program annually recognizes approximately 150 currently active referees for their invaluable work. Comparable to Fellowship in the APS and other organizations, this is a lifetime award. Gaarde was named APS Fellow in 2011. Katherine Henninger, associate professor of English, was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to support the research and writing of her third book Made Strangely Beautiful: Southern Childhoods in U.S. Literature and Film. She is one of eighty-six university faculty in the country to receive the recent round of NEH fellowships to support advanced research. Six faculty members received Rainmakers Awards for Research and Creative Activity in March. The awards, sponsored by the Office of Research & Economic Development and Campus Federal Credit Union, recognize outstanding faculty who balance teaching and research responsibilities while extending the impact of their work to the world beyond academia. Benjamin Kahan, assistant professor of English and women’s and gender studies, received the Emerging Scholar Award in Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Rendy Kartika, assistant professor of chemistry, received the Emerging Scholar Award in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. Lance Porter, who holds the Mary P. Poindexter Professorship in the Manship School of Mass Communication, received the Mid-Career Scholar Award in Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Donghui Zhang, associate professor of chemistry, received the Mid-Career Scholar Award in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. Femi Euba, the Louise & Kenneth Kinney Professor of Black Drama and Playwriting in the College of Music & Dramatic Arts, received the Senior Scholar Award in Arts,
Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Kermit Murray, professor of chemistry, received the Senior Scholar Award in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. Morgan Kelly, assistant professor of biological sciences, received a 2017 Sloan Research Fellowship awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which recognizes 126 outstanding U.S. and Canadian researchers each year. The honor is awarded to earlycareer scholars whose achievements mark them as the next generation of scientific leaders. Kelly, a marine biologist, studies how oysters adapt to changes in their environment. LSU is one of three universities in the Southeastern Conference to have a faculty member awarded this fellowship.
Kermit Murray
Morgan Kelly
Michael Khonsari
Richard L. Kurtz
Michael Khonsari, professor in mechanical engineering, received the Danek Award at the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research’s (EPSCoR) 2017 Coalition of States Conference. This honor recognizes his established, long-term commitment to the ideals and goals that EPSCoR exemplifies. Khonsari was chosen unanimously by the committee due to his dedication to the program and service on both the coalition and foundation boards. Richard L. Kurtz, professor of physics and astronomy, was named director of the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD). Kurtz previously served as associate dean of the College of Science and as interim director of CAMD.
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Noteworthy
Around Campus
Kevin McPeak, the Gordon A. and Mary Cain Professor of Chemical Engineering, received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early CAREER Development Award, which supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars. He will receive $500,000 over the next five years to develop his research program, the study of chiral light-matter interactions that can provide a non-invasive method for characterizing the structure of biomolecules to enable devices to identify diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and ultimately advance the search for cures. Kevin McPeak
E. Ward Plummer
Olivier Moréteau
Michael Pasquier, Jr.
Alkis Tsolakis
Alexandre Leupin
Mary Julia Wornat
Michael Thomas Pasquier, Jr., associate professor of religious studies and history, the Jaak Seynaeve Professor of Christian Studies, and director of the Religious Studies Program, received a Whiting Foundation Public Engagement Fellowship, a $50,000 award to showcase how the humanities enrich lives. Pasquier’s project, “Coastal Voices,” features multimedia exhibits to bring the perspectives of Louisiana’s coastal communities into public discussion about the complex relationship between people, land, and water in endangered landscapes. E. Ward Plummer, professor of physics and astronomy, received the Award for International Scientific Cooperation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was one of three international experts to receive the award in 2016 and is the only physicist from the United States to have ever received the award. He was recognized for his contributions to build a talent pool of professionals with international vision. College of Art & Design Dean Alkis Tsolakis, Center of Civil Law Director and Assistant Dean Olivier Moréteau, and Center for French and Francophone Studies Director and the Phyllis M. Taylor Professor in French Studies Alexandre Leupin were selected for induction into the French Republic’s prestigious Ordre des Palmes Academiques, or the Order of the French Academic Palms. The award, which recognizes both foreigners and French living abroad who promote French education and culture, is given to about forty individuals in the U.S. and U.S. territories each year. Tsolakis and Moréteau were bestowed the grade of officier. Leupin received the grade of chevalier, or knight. Mary Julia “Judy” Wornat, was named dean of the College of Engineering. She served as interim dean since July 2015. Wornat, who holds the Bert S. Turner Chair in Engineering, earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She joined the LSU Department of Chemical Engineering in 2002 and served as director of graduate studies from 2005 to 2011 and as department chair from 2011 to 2015. The College Band Directors National Association’s Athletic Band Committee chose the Golden Band from Tigerland to present at the CBDNA National Conference in March in Kansas City, Mo. The band was one of eight collegiate marching bands from around the nation recognized for exceptional or unique performances. Tiger Band was selected for its performance, the “NOLA” marching show, which featured classic New Orleans tunes such as “Second Line,” “Do Whatcha Wanna,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
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Focus on
FACULTY By Ellen Smith and Jayce Genco Photo by Johnny Gordon
Cybersecurity expert Golden Richard.
“You have to immerse yourself, and it has to be something you’re intensely interested in.”
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Self-described ‘Hacker’ Joins LSU Faculty New LSU faculty member Golden Richard developed an obsession with how computers work that has grown into a career as a leading cybersecurity expert. He identifies as a “hacker,” which he defines as someone who is deeply interested in understanding how things work and comes up with creative ways to look at systems. Because operating systems, viruses, and malware are continuously evolving, hacking takes a lot of work and tenacity. It’s not as glamorous or mysterious as depicted in film. Richard believes the only way you can be successful and satisfied while cracking viruses is if you love it. You have to be willing to never give up. “You have to immerse yourself, and it has to be something you’re intensely interested in,” he said. It requires not only tenacity but also deep knowledge of operating systems and low-level programming. “I’ve always had an interest in how systems work and eventually turned it into a career in cybersecurity,” Richard said. He grew up as computers were developing from their infancy into the revolutionary powerhouses they are today. As a child growing up in New Orleans, he stumbled upon a Radio Shack store on Magazine Street just four blocks from his house. The store manager befriended him and let him spend hours tinkering with the store’s computers to learn how they work. “I would arrive at the store and wait for it to open in the morning and program the computers there until the store closed that evening,” Richard said. At night he filled legal notepads with computer code that he’d try at the store the next day. When he was sixteen, Richard started programming for money, which helped him finance and purchase his first floppy disk drive for $600. He majored in computer science at the University of New Orleans and pursued his master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science
at Ohio State University. He is now on faculty in the Division of Computer Science and Engineering and the Center for Computation & Technology (CCT). “CCT is something magical. It’s an amazingly dynamic community in a state-of-the-art facility,” he said. Richard teaches LSU’s first class on reverse engineering, in which students take apart and analyze malicious software and viruses to study them and learn how systems are exploited and how they can be protected. “In today’s world of massive information technology and interconnectivity, it’s crucial to know how security breaches and computer viruses work. Dr. Richard’s expertise is invaluable, and we’re excited to have him join our faculty at LSU,” said J. “Ram” Ramanujam, CCT director. Governmental and national security agencies have become increasingly interested in reverse engineering because of its complexity and potential threat. “I’ve been working in cyber-related projects for the U.S. Department of Defense and the intelligence community for more than twenty years,” said Jeff Moulton, executive director of the Transformational Technologies & Cyber Research Center at LSU. “I know good when I see it, and Golden is great! He is a world-class researcher whose name is recognized in the most respected circles.” The responsibility of someone working in cyber security is to create a strong defense; however, defense is the most difficult part. There are basic safeguards that users can adopt to protect themselves online, Richard said, but the best form of protection is to not be interesting enough for people to want to hack into your privacy. Ellen Smith and Jayce Genco, both students in the Manship School of Mass Communication, interned with LSU Strategic Communications. Jayce graduated in May, and Ellen will graduate in 2018.
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Focus on Faculty
By William Taylor Potter and Carrie Grace Henderson Photos courtesy Hill Memorial Archives
General. William Tecumseh Sherman.
“There’s always hope that somewhere they’re being saved.”
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Cold Case: Stolen LSU Art Since 1980, a cold case – involving several of the University’s most notable historical players – has loomed over David Boyd Hall, the University’s art collections, and LSU history enthusiasts. Four paintings were stolen from David Boyd Hall just over thirty-seven years ago, and the pieces of LSU’s history have never been recovered. According to a story in The Daily Reveille written days after the break-in, the thieves sliced the works of art from their frames in the evening of Sunday, March 30, 1980. The four paintings are of great historic value to the University. The first was “The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson” – an The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson. original copy of the famous painting hanging in the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia. According to University Archives, Col. David F. Boyd, the first president of the University, persuaded the original artist, Everett B.D. Julio, to paint a copy in 1869. Two of the paintings, done by the University’s first engineering professor, Samuel H. Lockett, are large-scale portraits of two larger-than-life figures in LSU history – Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and George Mason Graham. The portrait of Graham, who was the first Board of Supervisors president and called “The Father of LSU,” was a full-length portrait painted in 1870. Both the portraits stand more than seven feet tall. The full-length portrait of Sherman, the first superintendent of the old Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy near Pineville, La., and Civil War hero, was painted by Lockett while he was the commander of cadets at the seminary. The painting hung over the mantelpiece of the seminary’s library until the building burned in 1869. A group of cadets, which included a young Thomas Boyd, saved the painting from the blaze. The painting was done after Sherman, as a Union general, had scorched the southern earth during his famous “March to the Sea.” But his friendship with Louisiana military men remained, and it was Sherman who intervened on behalf of David Boyd after he was captured by Union forces. The fourth painting featured Dr. George King Pratt, a medical doctor from St. Landry Parish, who lived in New Orleans. He was the leading member of the Board of Supervisors from 1900 to 1906. The portrait was painted in 1920 by C.J. Fox. Henry P. “Pat” Bacot, who served as the LSU Museum of Art’s director for thirtythree years and retired as professor emeritus in art history, described the theft as a terrible loss and fears the stolen works were destroyed after the FBI was brought into the investigation. “The FBI got involved and all kinds of things, and I think that could have scared people,” Bacot said. “They could’ve thrown them over the levee into the river, or they could have burned them. You just don’t know.” In Bacot’s opinion, the thieves were likely not professionals – possibly students or thieves with general knowledge of the paintings. According to Reveille archives, the burglars broke into Himes Hall through a window and stole approximately $3035,000 of video equipment. According to the archives, the paintings were collectively worth approximately $50,000 at the time. The thieves crossed over the portico connecting Himes and David Boyd halls. According to the Reveille archives, Oscar G. Richard III, director of public relations
and, and James W. Reddoch, vice chancellor for student affairs in 1980, suggested that the crime had a “touch of professionalism,” as the thieves would have needed a van to carry off the equipment and artwork. Following the theft, then-LSU Police Chief Gary Durham wrote Reddoch lamenting the general lack of security the University. “I can assure you that even with the aggressive crime prevention/building security program the police department started some six months ago, that few campus buildings are properly secured,” Durham wrote on April 9, 1980. “Our officers can check and secure a building at one time and recheck it thirty minutes later and find doors and windows open.” Bacot holds out hope the paintings are still intact, sitting somewhere safe. George Mason Graham. He said “The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson” is most valuable monetarily. He said it would likely sell for close to $200,000. The portrait of Graham, while only worth a couple thousand dollars, is probably the most valuable to the University, Bacot said. According to the archives, Graham carried the University through some of its most difficult days – the Reconstruction period. “If you know your LSU history, you know that George Mason Graham was the glue that held the University together after the Civil War,” Bacot said. “That painting is very important, and he should be well remembered.” A fifth painting – also done by Lockett – was severed from its frame, though it was left behind. The painting was a half-portrait of Gervais Baillio, a member of the first Board of Supervisors. He was also the son of the Rapides Parish pioneer Pierre Baillio, whose house was restored in Alexandria and stands as a museum and is representative of the early French culture in central Louisiana. While the majority of current University students and faculty and recent alumni may be unaware of the paintings’ disappearance, the theft made waves at the time. The April/May 1980 edition of the LSU Alumni News included a posting for a reward totaling $10,000 through LSUPD. Though such a long period of time has passed since the crime, and despite his theory that the paintings have been long since destroyed, Bacot remains optimistic that the paintings are still safe. “There’s always hope that somewhere they’re being saved,” Bacot said.
DO YOU HAVE A CLUE? The story on LSU's stolen art was inspired by an alumnus's love for his alma mater and his desire to know more about her long, rich history. During his studies, research, and correspondence with the staff in Hill Memorial Library, Dr. Gil Rew, a dentist in private practice in Mansfield, La., discovered the a 1980 issue of LSU Alumni News, which featured an article about the theft. "It was a shock to me," Dr. Rew said. "I was busy at the time, far from LSU beginning my professional life without paying attention to affairs on campus. Knowing that many might have forgotten or, as in my case, didn't know about the missing art, I reached out to Taylor Potter at the Reveille to discuss the story.” Rew hopes that, with some luck, someone in Tiger Nation has heard, seen, or will see something that will provide a clue to the fate of the portraits. "The dedicated staff and faculty who worked this case so many years ago, who loved and cared for these treasures, deserve closure and peace of mind,” he said. "If destroyed, as some speculate, just maybe those involved would provide information on the art’s fate with adequate detail of the night’s event to validate that fact – or perhaps they have survived and can be brought home." Several LSU friends and supporters have joined Dr. Rew in his search. Persons having information about the art can reach Dr. Rew at 318-872-3972 or gillisrew@aol.com. All contacts will be kept confidential.
Reprinted with permission of The Daily Reveille. The original story appeared in the April 6 issue. William Taylor Potter is a senior in the Manship School of Mass Communication and news editor for The Daily Reveille. He will graduate in December 2017. Carrie Grace Henderson is a junior in the Manship School of Mass Communication and editor of LSUNow.com. She will graduate in May 2018.
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Locker
ROOM By Bud Johnson Photo by Andrew Franzella/LSU Athletics
Will Wade, LSU’s twenty-second basketball coach.
“We are going to build a consistent, sustainable winner here.”
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A Thinking Man’s Coach High-Energy Hire Joe Alleva had a front row seat. For five years, Alleva served on the NCAA basketball tournament committee. He observed the nation’s best coaches in high pressure, win-or-go-home games. He attended practice sessions and media interviews. He mentally evaluated the performance of countless coaches in a variety of situations. In his mind, one young coach stood out — Will Wade of Virginia Commonwealth. Alleva made Wade LSU’s twenty-second basketball coach in late March. “Will Wade is smart, and he is driven,” Alleva declared at an introductory press conference. “When you combine smart and driven, you have a real success story.” Others were equally impressed. Paul Woody, veteran sports columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, witnessed Wade’s contributions to Virginia Commonwealth in six recent seasons — four as Shaka Smart’s assistant and the past two years as head coach. This is Woody’s take on LSU’s new hire: “Wade should not be underestimated,” Woody said. “He is one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball, a rising star in his profession. He cracked the Rosetta Stone of the Ratings Percentage Index. He schedules smart and understands all the ‘metrics’ that are vital to the postseason hopes.” Wade led VCU to a 51-20 record in the past two years. The Rams won their first Atlantic 10 conference regular season championship and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament, which included a 75-67 win over seventh-seeded Oregon State in the 2016 NCAA first round. VCU ranked in the nation’s top 40 defensively the past two seasons. The coach’s game is up tempo and old-school aggressive. You play defense or you don’t play. Yet, Wade uses modern tools. He employed a sports psychologist at VCU.
“Having an outside entity helps,” Wade told Woody of the Times-Dispatch. “It helps me make sure we’re giving ourselves the best chance to reach each of our guys. Each one is different, so you want to make sure you’re giving yourself your best crack to get through to them. “You can’t handle everybody the same. Everybody learns differently. My job is to try to find solutions, whether it’s a basketball solution, a solution for something psychological, a solution for something physical. Whatever is best for the team. I’m in the solutions business.” Few media types know Wade as well as Woody, who has covered a competitive VCU basketball program thoroughly for years. We asked Woody to share his evaluation of Wade in areas that are vital to the success of a college basketball team.
Bud Johnson: Is he a good recruiter? Paul Woody: He’s a tireless and a constant recruiter. He's excellent at identifying talent and selling his program and his school. BJ: How about player development? PW: Wade is especially effective in figuring out how to motivate and teach players. He realizes players learn differently and tailors his coaching to individual players. If they listen to Wade and put in the time, they get better. BJ: What about his use of statistical data? PW: Will Wade might be the smartest coach I've been around in thirty-eight years as a sports writer. He understands every number associated with the game. He knows all the "metrics" that are so much a part of the game now, from where the most effective shot is on the court to the success his team has when it makes two or three passes as opposed to one pass and
a quick shot. He understands the importance of the three-point shot, but took advantage of his superior inside game by insisting his team play inside-out. BJ: How about his use of a sports psychologist? PW: It’s easy to forget the best way to manage players during games or in a high-intensity practice situation. To stay grounded and aware, Wade consults regularly with a sports psychologist. Getting the best out of those players then becomes the challenge. Players being players, as well as students, often have a number of things going on in their lives. Wade seems acutely aware of their situations. And the players notice how he deals with each of them.
Clemson’s Oliver Purnell got Wade started as a student manager and director of basketball operations in 2005-2006. Wade coached for two seasons at Harvard under Tommy Amaker. He served Shaka Smart as an assistant for four years at VCU. In Wade’s four years as a VCU assistant, the Rams compiled a 113-37 record, reached the NCAA tournament three times, and made the 2011 Final Four. That led to a head coaching job in 2012-14 at Chattanooga, where his teams compiled a 40-25 record, and Wade earned Southern Conference coach of the year honors in 2014. Locker Room is compiled and edited by Bud Johnson, retired director of the Andonie Sports Museum and a former LSU Sports Information director. He is the author of The Perfect Season: LSU's Magic Year – 1958.
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Locker Room
Tiger Gym Team Best in School History NCAA Gymnastic Championships
By Bud Johnson Photos by Chis Parent/LSU Athletics
Second place doesn’t fit the LSU gymnastics team. The team accomplished too much in a magical season to be known as anything but a winner. In the NCAA championships — for the second year in a row — Oklahoma won, and D-D Breaux’s Tigers finished second. A look at the season highlights reveals the reason for the outpouring of emotion about this LSU team, and why they should take pride in significant achievements. • The best finish in school history. • The most wins in a single season. • The best balance beam score in NCAA Championships history. • The best national semifinal record for team performance with a 198.275 score. • Championships in the NCAA Lincoln Regional, the SEC Championship, and the SEC regular season title.
Best in History – D-D Breaux’s Tigers finished second to Oklahoma in the NCAA championships but they won the hearts of LSU fans everywhere.
“The team accomplished too much in a magical season to be known as anything but a winner.”
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• NCAA individual titles by senior Ashleigh Gnat, sophomore Sarah Finnegan, and freshman Kennedi Edney. Gnat won the floor title with a 9.9675 score for the third floor title in school history. She ended her career as a four-time SEC champion, two-time SEC Specialist of the Year, two-time NCAGC/W Central Region Gymnast of the Year, seventeen-time All-American, NCAA champion. She was named the 2017 AAI Award winner for the best senior gymnast in the country. That’s the gymnastic equivalent of the Heisman Award. Finnegan took home the first bars championship in school history, posting a 9.95 in the event. Edney stuck her vault to capture the title outright for a 9.9875. She became
TIGER TRIVIA
A LETTER TO THE COACH OF THE YEAR Hi, D-D, Please forgive us for arriving late to the Gymnastics Appreciation Parade. It’s been a special year for LSU sports – the hiring of Coach O. and Will Wade. Two turnarounds waiting to happen. But you and your team captured our hearts. So, Oklahoma won the NCAA championship for the second straight year. Did their coach have to overcome as many obstacles over forty years to lift their program to elite status? How many gymnastics coaches has Oklahoma had during that time span? Did anyone ever have an athlete like Ashleigh Gnat? She captured the gymnastics equivalent of the Heisman. Plus seventeen All-America awards. And she was a champion in her last time out. Bug? I don’t think so. She is a butterfly in purple and gold. And you, D-D – Coach of the Year. Again. How many does it take to retire the trophy? We can’t wait until next year.
Your adoring public.
1. When did Troy Middleton first arrive at LSU? 1962 1951 1939 1930 2. What was Middleton’s first job when he arrived? Football coach Commandant of cadets Comptroller President 3. According to the 1950-51 L Book, where were women students allowed to sunbathe? Only on residence hall sundecks Sunbathing was not allowed Only at the Huey Long Pool Anywhere on campus 4. When were the south end zone seats and dormitory rooms in Tiger Stadium constructed? 1924 1936 1953 1979 5. When did the Tigers baseball team win their first SEC championship? 1939 1975 1991 2000 6. Who was the coach when they won their first championship? Jim Waldrop Jim Smith Jack Lamabe Harry Rabenhorst 7. Who was the Tigers’ first African American baseball player? Collis Temple Henry LeBoyd Charles Stewart Lora Hinton 8. For what purpose was the French House used during World War II? A barracks for enlisted men A dormitory for women students An officer’s club for the Army Married student housing Administration School 9. What was The Giggler ? A student magazine produced by The Scribblers Cub A magazine produced by Student Government
A student magazine produced by the Comedy Club A magazine produced by the Athletic Department
10. What punishment was meted out to cadets who received demerits? Confinement to barracks Guard duty Dismissal from the university All of the above 11. How many students were in the first graduating class in 1869? 6 8 10 12 12. When Middleton Library opened in 1958, how many floors did it have? 4 plus the basement 3 plus the basement 2 plus the basement 1 plus the basement Tiger Trivia is compiled by Barry Cowan, assistant archivist, Hill Memorial Library. Answers: 1:d 2:b 3:a 4:c 5:a 6:d 7:b 8:c 9:a 10:d 11:b 12:c
The Great Gnat — Ashleigh Gnat has been called LSU’s all-time best gymnast, a debate that only D-D Breaux should decide. She was a seventeen-time All-American. She was a national champion in floor exercise. And she tied the LSU record for the most perfect 10s by a Tiger gymnast. She has been nominated for the Honda Award, given to the outstanding gymnast in the country. Her four years at LSU paralleled the most successful period in the history of the sport.
the first (there’s that word again) freshman in school history to win a national championship, and she set the highest score by an LSU gymnast ever at an NCAA championship. D-D Breaux was named the NACGC/W National Coach of the Year, NACGC/W Central Region Coach of the Year, and SEC Coach of the Year. Jay Clark and Bob Moore were also named National Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year and NACGC/W Central Region Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year. In her final interview as a collegian with the Advocate, Ashleigh Gnat said it best: “This team is on the rise.”
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Locker Room
Jackson Wins Weight Throw Title NCAA Track & Field Championships
By Will Stafford Photo by Errol Anderson/LSU Athletics
Senior Johnnie Jackson was crowned NCAA Champion at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.
“It’s big to be here and compete for LSU and be a significant part of the team.”
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Senior Johnnie Jackson seized the early lead in the men’s weight throw and was crowned the NCAA Champion at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. Jackson put the Tigers on the scoreboard in their first event of the day. He matched the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium record of 75-0 ¾ on his second attempt to become LSU’s second NCAA weight throw champion in school history and first in six years. Senior Michael Cherry was crowned the NCAA Indoor Silver Medalist in the men’s 400 meters, senior Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake took home a fourth-place finish in the men’s 200 meters, senior Blair Henderson scored a seventh-place finish in the men’s 800 meters, and their 4x400meter relay closed out the meet with fourth place. Their thirty points secured the Tigers a sixth-place team finish after entering the meet with a No. 12 national ranking by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Lady Tigers totaled eleven points on the day to tie for eighteenth place in the women’s team standings, as freshman Ruby Stauber led the way with a fifth-place finish in her first NCAA final in the women’s 800 meters. Also earning All-America honors as NCAA scorers for the Lady Tigers were senior Jada Martin with a sixth-place finish in the women’s 200 meters; sophomore Kortnei Johnson with a sixth-place finish; and junior Mikiah Brisco with an eighth-place finish in the women’s sixty meters. “I’m so proud of the effort our guys showed coming here to this NCAA Indoor Championship,” said head Coach Dennis Shaver. “At the end of the day, we scored about twice as many points on the men’s side than we would have thought coming in, and that’s just a testament to
those guys coming here and competing in qualifying yesterday and all the way through the relay tonight.” The Tigers boast one of the proudest traditions in the country in the weight throw event, with three NCAA Champions and six All-American performances in the men’s final over the past nine seasons. With his victory in the opening event, Jackson joined the great Walter Henning as LSU’s NCAA Champions in the event as Henning won back-to-back titles in his final two seasons in 2010 and 2011. Jackson also earned the team’s first AllAmerica honor as an NCAA scorer in the final since the 2012 season when Michael Lauro went out as an All-American in his final NCAA Indoor Championships. Jackson was never threatened. Michigan’s Grant Cartwright inched as close as 74-5 ¾ in the third round to finish runner-up in the final weight throw standings. Virginia’s Jordan Young rounded out the medalists after throwing 73-6 ¼ in the fifth round to finish in third place overall. “I felt pretty confident just because I came out in my first competition and had a really good meet. I’ve been trying to find that feeling since that meet, and this is my second-best meet of the season,” Jackson said. “To be able to go out there and hit one right at the beginning of the competition was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was just able to compete from there. “I’m happy because I was able to put up ten points this week that I didn’t put up two weeks ago at SECs. It’s big to be here and compete for LSU and be a significant part of the team. I wanted to do that last year when I first came here, and I wanted to do it again.” Will Stafford is associate communications director for LSU Athletic Communications.
Early Fireworks at Alex Box Photos by Steve Franz/LSU Athletics
Making History – Senior left-hander Jared Poché became the sixth pitcher in LSU history to throw a no-hit game, pitching a seven inning 6-0 win over Army on Feb. 18. The first recorded no-hit game was a nine inning effort by lefty Fred Southerland on May 3, 1962. He beat Tulane 2-0. Of the six no hitters thrown by LSU pitchers, four were by left-handers.
What a Recovery – Greg Deichmann hit a monster home run – 486-feet – over the Intimidator in right field on Feb. 22 against Hofstra. Deichmann had been struck in the face with a pitch in pre-season practice and had surgery on Feb. 12, a week before the season opener against Army, Feb. 18.
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LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2017
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Tiger
NATION
1940s
The late J.B. Olinde, Sr. (1949 JD), president of B. Olinde & Sons, was named to Baton Rouge Business Report’s Business Awards Hall of Fame in March. The honor recognizes individuals who distinguish themselves not only by succeeding in business but also giving back to the community. Olinde died in 2015 at age ninety. The Olinde Career Center at LSU is named for J.B. Olinde, Sr., and his family. J.B. “Beau” Olinde, Jr. (1977 JD) accepted the award.
Degrees BACH Bachelor’s Degree MAST Master’s Degree PHD Doctorate SPEC Specialist DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine JD Juris Doctorate (LSU Law School) MD Medical Doctor (LSU School of Medicine) DDS Doctor of Dental Science (LSU School of Dentistry) Colleges/Schools AGR Agriculture A&D Art & Design 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
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1960s
Allen Bedell (1960 BACH AGR), owner of Circle B Logging of Hot Springs, Ark., was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in March. He served as president of the Arkansas Forestry Association in 1994-1995 and continues to serve on the association’s executive committee and board of directors. He is in his second term on the Arkansas Forestry Commission Board. Bedell helped start the Log A Load for Kids program, which has raised more than $9 million for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. A founding member of the Arkansas Timber Producers Association, he is a two-time recipient of the Arkansas Forestry Association’s Logger of the Year Award. Bedell holds a master’s degree in forest management from Yale. Toni (1967 BACH H&SS, 1990 MBA) and Emmet (1967 BACH BUS) Stephenson, national leaders in portfolio management and internet publishing, were honored at Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s Louisiana Legends Awards Gala in March. The award recognizes the best and brightest of Louisiana’s sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in a variety of disciplines and have brought honor to the state. At LSU the Stephensons have established the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute, the Stephenson National Center for Security Research and Training, the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute (now the Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Sciences), the Sean O’Keefe Leadership Award, and the Stephenson Technology Corporation. Stephenson was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction in 2007.
Roger H. Ogden (1968 BACH BUS), of New Orleans, joined the LSU Foundation Board of Directors in January for a four-year term. Ogden is co-founder, principal and CEO of Stirling Properties. He is a current board member of Greater New Orleans, Inc., BioDistrict New Orleans, and the New Orleans Aviation Board. He is a past chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors and many other public and non-profit organizations and has donated his time and talents as a developer to several projects, including the LSU Business Education Complex. Dedicated to the arts, Ogden has served on the boards of the LSU Museum of Art, Louisiana State Museum, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans Ballet, and New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. He donated more than 1,000 pieces of artwork to help found the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. Ogden received a juris doctorate degree from Tulane Law.
1970s
Dr. Julian E. Bailes, Jr. (1978 BACH H&SS, 1982 MD-Shreveport), chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, codirector of the NorthShore Neurological Institute in Wheeling, W.Va., and a nationally recognized leader in the field of neurosurgery, was honored at Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s Louisiana Legends Awards Gala in March. The award recognizes the best and brightest of Louisiana’s sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in a variety of disciplines and have brought honor to the state. Bailes was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction in 2011.
James Boren (1975 JD), criminal defense attorney and adjunct professor of law at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, is the cover feature of the Louisiana 2017 Super Lawyers magazine. Photo Romero & Romero
Patrick G. “Pat” Bourg (1978 BACH BUS) was named vice president/ retail lending at the Magnolia, Miss., branch of First Bank. Bourg spent the last decade at United Community Bank in Gonzales, La. He attended the LSU School of Banking and the Oklahoma School of Banking and holds a Master’s of Divinity from New Orleans Theological
Seminary. He serves as the bi-vocational pastor at Magee’s Creek Baptist Church in Jayess, Miss., and was former pastor at Silver Creek Baptist Church in Pike County, Miss. Bourg and his wife, Ella Cosby Bourg, reside in Tylertown, Miss. They have four children, six grandchildren, and two great “grand-twins.” David R. Cassidy (1972 BACH H&SS, 1975 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Corporate/M&A.
Charles “Charlie” D’Agostino (1970 BACH H&SS, 1972 MBA), founder and executive director of the Louisiana Business & Technology Center at LSU, was named to the Baton Rouge General/ General Health System Board of Trustees for a three-year term that began January 1. D’Agostino twice served on the Board of Directors of the Association of University Research Parks and served on the board of the National Business Incubation Association. He is the 2011 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Business Incubation Association, the 2012 recipient of the Governor’s Leader in Technology Award, and was appointed to serve on Governor-Elect Edwards’ 2015-2016
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Economic Development Transition Team. Gregory D. Frost (1977 BACH H&SS, 1981 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Healthcare. Eve B. Masinter (1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, New Orleans, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Labor & Employment. Van R. Mayhall, Jr. (1971 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Corporate/M&A. Charles “Wally” McMakin (1976 BACH HS&E) was appointed by Gov. John Bel Edwards to serve on the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, which is responsible for developing and administering the state's traffic safety program through collaboration with the federal government and state and local agencies. McMakin is a partner at Altus Wealth Management, Baton Rouge, focusing on retirement, financial
planning, and investment advice. E. Fredrick Preis, Jr. (1971 BACH BUS, 1974 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, New Orleans, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Labor & Employment. Katherine Rutledge (1971 BACH A&D) received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who's Who in America. The Baton Rouge artist’s work is included in the permanent collections of the LSU Rural Life Museum, the Audubon Institute, and the McIlhenny Collection at LSU Hill Memorial Library, as well as in private collections and has been displayed at the Old State Capitol, the Southwest Regional Audubon Society Show, and the Acadamie Gallery. Her work has appeared in Louisiana Life and Delta magazines, and she has illustrated books and designed book covers. Neil D. Singletary (1977 PHD AGR), professor of food/nutrition science and retired U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) food safety specialist, received the 2016 Jaguar Favorite Professor Award from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The award recognizes outstanding teaching performance. During his career with FDA, Singletary conducted and coordinated domestic and foreign food manufactural safety inspections, training courses, and state/federal
canned food, seafood, and juice HACCPs (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and nutrition science development programs.
1980s
Robert L. Atkinson (1980 H&SS, 1983 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Healthcare. Robert J. “Bobby” Crifasi (1981 BACH BUS), general manager of the New Orleans Country Club was elected vice president of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) Board of Directors. Crifasi previously served as the secretary-treasurer of CMAA, and was first elected to the board in 2013. Crifasi began his career at the club as controller/chief financial officer in 1988, was named clubhouse manager in 1991, and later general manager in 1992. A Certified Club Manager, Certified Club Executive, and Certified Public Accountant, he has served in leadership roles at the local and national levels. He serves on advisory boards for the University of New Orleans School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism and the University of New Orleans College of Business and is a guest lecturer at the University of New Orleans on club management. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Louisiana State Society of CPAs.
SHARE YOUR NEWS Share news of your new job or promotion, your wedding, honors, awards, new babies, and other
celebrations with fellow alumni. To submit an item and photos for publication, e-mail jackie@lsualumni.org or call 225-578-3370.
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Deborah Augustine Elam (1984 BACH H&SS), of New Orleans, joined the LSU Foundation Board of Directors in January for a four-year term. Elam recently retired as president of the GE Foundation and chief diversity officer for GE after thirty years of service. She was recognized as one of The Network Journal magazine’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business and has received the Enhancing Perceptions in Culture Award from the White House Project and the Women of Power Award, given by the National Urban League to influential women in the civil rights, government, entertainment, journalism, sports, and corporate sectors. Elam earned an M.P.A from Southern University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Clarkson University. Louis R. Minsky (1981 BACH SCI, 1985 MD), chief of staff at Baton Rouge General and a family practitioner in Baton Rouge, was named to the Baton Rouge General/General Health System Board of Trustees. Minsky, who is at Minsky and Carver Medical Center for Personal Wellness, served as the East Baton Rouge medical officer for the Mayor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the medical director for Clinical Informatics of General Health System. Minsky is a past chair of the LSU Alumni Association Global Board of Directors.
1990s
John T. Andrishok (1993 BACH BUS, 1997 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA:
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America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Construction. Carol Coffey (1991 MLIS) recently celebrated twenty years with the Central Arkansas Library System. Alan Dabdoub (1994 BACH H&SS, 1997 JD), an attorney with Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst in Dallas was listed as a Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation and employment litigation by Law & Politics in Texas Monthly and recognized by his peers in D Magazine as one of the 2016 Best Lawyers in Dallas. Dabdoub and his wife, the former Michelle Ackal, have a son, Grant, and two daughters, Ava and Sloane. Matthew C. Gaudet (1993 BACH H&SS), a partner and co-chair of the patent litigation division in the Atlanta office of Duane Morris, was named a Georgia Lawyer of the Year in the area of Litigation by Best Lawyers. In 2011, Gaudet was named one of Law360’s Five IP Lawyers Under 40 to Watch and described as “a deadly cross-examiner,” and he was included in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business Lawyers in Georgia from 2009 to 2016. He is a graduate of Duke University School of Law. Emily Black Grey (1997 BACH H&SS, 2002 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, is listed in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Healthcare.
Scott A. James (1998 BACH H&SS) was named a partner in Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Houston. Before joining Shook, James was a senior chambers attorney for the Texas First Court of Appeals and a product liability and business litigation associate with Andrews Kurth LLP. He received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where he served as a staff member of The Review of Litigation. Christopher McFarlane (1993 MAST M&DA), a master sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, took part in the 58th Inauguration of the President of the United States in January as a member of The President's Own United States Marine Band. McFarlane, a bassoonist, joined the band in 1994 and was appointed principal bassoon in 2010. Prior to joining the band, he performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony in Louisiana. He performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band's annual concert tour. McFarlane earned a bachelor's degree in music from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1990. Russ Pottle (1997 PHD H&SS), formerly the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Misericordia University, joined Worcester State University as dean of Humanities and Social Sciences. After earning his doctoral degree in English, Pottle served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and later as dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Education, and Social Sciences at Regis College. He was the academic dean and held the Abbot David Melancon Endowed
Professorship at Saint Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana. He has active professional involvement in the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the American Association of Academic Deans, and the Deans Think Tank of Brandeis University's Academy for Leadership, Innovation, and Excellence. He is vice president of the International Society for Travel Writing, area chair for the Literature and Madness section of the Popular Culture Association, and a member of the editorial board for The Hemingway Review, the premier academic journal in Hemingway studies. Pottle lives in Worcester, Mass., with his wife. Patricia.
Kelly Scalise (1997 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD), an attorney with Liskow & Lewis, New Orleans, was named to New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law 2017. Scalise is the current president of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and chair of the Admiralty Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, a national section that she co-founded. She served as senior editor of Louisiana Law Review and was a law clerk to the Hon. James L. Dennis, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, from 2000 to 2001. Laurie Wagner (1992 BACH HS&E), of Pearland, Texas, received the 2016 Texas Teacher of Humanities Award, recognizing her exceptional
2017 Hall of Distinction Inductees
contribution to teaching, curriculum development, and extracurricular programming. She has been teaching for more than twenty years. Steve Underwood (1995 MAST SCI) joined NeelSchaffer, Inc., as coastal program manager. Underwood has significant scientific, managerial, and planning experience working in partnerships to administer coastal initiatives for state government, the USACE, and private companies. He will be based in the firm’s Baton Rouge office and lead efforts to grow and expand the firm’s coastal science and engineering discipline.
Do you know an outstanding individual who
has made significant contributions to society and whose achievements have brought credit and distinction to LSU?
Nominations for 2018 Hall of Distinction inductees are now being accepted. For more information, please visit lsualumni.org/annual-events/ Hall-of-Distinction or call (225) 578-3838.
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2000s
Jeremy Adkins (2001 BACH AGR, 2003 MAST AGR) was promoted to Permian Area manager for Danos operations in the West Texas region, leading a team of managers and local support staff based in Midland, Texas. Adkins, a certified Project Management Professional, joined Danos in 2011 as a bidding and estimating manager in coatings services and held project and operations management positions before being named employee development manager in 2016.
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Sarah Caudill (2010 MAST SCI, 2012 PHD SCI), a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, received the Honorary CUR Fellows Award in April at the Council on Undergraduate Research's 2017 Posters on the Hill event on Capitol Hill. Caudill, a 2006 Posters on the Hill participant, contributed to the discovery of gravitational waves through the Caltech-MIT Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Posters on the Hill, CUR’s signature student advocacy event, is held in partnership with the American Chemical Society.
Joseph J. Cefalu, III (2009 BACH BUS, 2012 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was named St. Michael’s 2017 Distinguished Graduate. Every year, each of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge selects a single graduate who has exemplified the moral values, academic accomplishments, and community service that are the guiding principals in a Catholic school education. William C. McGehee, III (2005 BACH BUS, 2009 JD), cofounder and chief executive of Tin Roof Brewing Co., was named as Young Businessperson of the Year at Baton
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Rouge Business Report’s Business Awards Hall of Fame in March. The honor recognizes individuals who distinguish themselves by not only succeeding in business but also giving back to the community. Tin Roof, Baton Rouge’s first local brewery, got its start at the Louisiana Business and Technology Center at LSU. The company’s Bayou Bengal Lager is LSU’s officially licensed beer. Photo by Marie Constantin for Baton Rouge Business Report. Abhishek Parakh (2007 MAST ENGR), an assistant professor of cybersecurity at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), received an Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award from the UNO Alumni Association in April. The honor recognizes distinguished teaching in the classroom. Parakh joined the UNO faculty in 2011. He is a member of the Nebraska University Center for Information Assurance and has received competitive research funding from the National Science Foundation and NASA and several internal grants at UNO.
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Dee Dee Reilly (2002 HON Humane Letters), a Baton Rouge philanthropist and community leader, particularly in the areas of social, health, and educational services, was honored at Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s Louisiana Legends Awards Gala in March. The award recognizes the best and brightest of Louisiana’s sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in a variety of disciplines and have brought honor to the state. Nicklos S. Speyrer (2004 BACH BUS), founder and president of Emergent Method, a management consulting firm, was honored in March at Baton Rouge Business Report’s Business Awards Hall of Fame at which Emergent was named Company of the Year (fewer than 100 employees). The honor recognizes individuals who distinguish themselves by not only succeeding in business but also giving back to the community. Speyrer is a member of the E.J. Ourso College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.
Liz Wilks Van Dervort (2007 BACH MCOM), a producer with Gillis, Ellis & Baker insurance company in New Orleans, was named the 2016 Board Member of the Year by the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. The award is voted on by the sixty-person board of directors and is presented to the member who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Van Dervort, co-chair of the 2016 Jefferson Chamber Young Professionals Steering Committee, launched the "How to be a Grown Up" Educational Seminar Series and helped start the first-ever young professionals dine-around event. She also volunteered at the Annual Bridge House-Grace House Christmas in July event.
2010s
Michael Barron (2014 MAST AGR), senior scientist at AeroFarms in Newark, N.J., was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Science. He was recognized for his work in designing a series of improvements that significantly increased the company’s yield. AeroFarms uses indoor vertical arms to improve crop productivity. Barron holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard
University and a master’s degree in science from Indiana University-Bloomington. G. Archer Frierson, III (2001 BACH BUS) was named managing director of Vintage Realty Company’s brokerage and leasing department. Frierson joined the company as a licensed commercial real estate agent in 2004. He was previously affiliated with Coldwell Banker Commercial in Savannah, Ga. He is a 2005 graduate of the Leadership Shreveport program, a
2012 graduate of the Leadership Louisiana program, and a 2006 Community Catalyst for the Community Foundation of Shreveport/ Bossier City. In 2007, he was named to Northwest Louisiana’s Top 40 Under 40 by the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce. Frierson holds an M.B.A. from Centenary College. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member and a member of the Commercial Investment Division of the Northwest Louisiana Association of Realtors.
Leland Howe (2014 BACH A&D), a landscape designer, has joined Civil Site Design Group in Nashville, Tenn., focusing on master planning, urban design, and graphics. As an undergraduate, Howe interned for The Urban Collaborative, a military planning firm based in Eugene, Ore., and Land Innovations, a development firm in Nashville. He is an American Society of Landscape Architects member and an active Montgomery Bell Academy alumnus.
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Matt Lafleur (2010 MAST HS&E), of Opelousas, La., is associate editor of the national blog "Sick Pilgrim," which won the Wilbur Award for Best Faith-Based Blog. The Wilbur Awards, presented by the Religion Communicators Council, recognize excellence in the communication of religious faith, values, and themes through a variety of secular media. Visit www.patheos.com/blogs/sickpilgrim Alison Pourciau (2011 BACH HS&E, 2012 MAST HS&E), of Baton Rouge, received the 2015-2016 Faculty Sisterhood Award at Sacred Heart of Jesus School.
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ABCs
David E. Roberts (Alumnus by Choice), chief executive officer of Excel Group, Inc., was honored as Businessperson of the Year at Baton Rouge Business Report’s Business Awards Hall of Fame in March. The honor recognizes individuals who distinguish themselves by not only succeeding in business but also giving back to the community. Roberts serves on the Tiger Athletic Foundation Executive Committee and is a member of the LSU Alumni Association.
Bobby Yarborough (Alumnus by Choice), chief executive officer and co-owner of Manda Fine Meats, was named to Baton Rouge Business Report’s Business Awards Hall of Fame in March. The honor recognizes individuals who distinguish themselves by not only succeeding in business but also giving back to the community. Yarborough is a member and past chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
BABY
BENGALS Walter “Walt” J. Leger, III (2000 BACH H&SS) and Danielle Doiron Leger (2005 BACH MCOM)) welcomed future Tiger Catherine Victoria Leger at 1:40 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2016. Cate weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. Walt’s parents, Walter, Jr. (1973 BACH H&SS) and Cathy Buras Vidos (1973 BACH HS&E); his brother, Capt. Rhett Leger (2004 BACH H&SS) and sister-in-law Dana Lampard Leger (2007 BACH SCI); and his sister, Elizabeth Leger Fick (2006 BACH H&SS) and brother-in law Jeff Fick (2007 BACH ENGR) welcomed baby Cate (Class of 2037) to the LSU family. Walt is the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives and an attorney at the law firm of Leger & Shaw, and Danielle is a local government advocate for the Louisiana Restaurant Association. They reside in New Orleans. Brad Mathews (2005 BACH BUS) and his wife, Maria (2005 BACH H&SS, 2008 MAST H&SS), announce the birth of their son George Alexander, on Jan. 2, 2017. George weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long and was welcomed home by big sister Victoria and big brother Nicholas. His maternal grandparents are former LSU Professor of Music Victor and June Klimash (1973 BACH SCI, 1980 PHD SCI), and his maternal great-grandfather is Thomas C. Walachy (1951 MAST M&DA). Maria is a manager in the E.J. Ourso College of Business.
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Tigers in Print Pamela Davis Arceneaux (1977 MLS) Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans (The Historic New Orleans Collection) Between 1897 and 1917, a small section of New Orleans known as “Storyville” thrived as a legal, red-light district adjacent to the French Quarter. The area was touted as an entertainment district for affluent white men, and during the district’s heyday, small directories – known as blue books – were produced to guide tourists and newcomers to the local businesses, which included dance halls, saloons and, most notably, brothels. Storyville’s blue books promoted commercialized prostitution as bourgeois leisure, promising lavish goods and services, without mentioning sex. Arceneaux’s research, illustrated with facsimile pages from twenty-five guides, gives readers the chance to step back into this fascinating demimonde balancing the blue books’ rosy portrayal of Storyville with historical insight into their production. Paige Bowers (1995 BACH MCOM, 2012 MAST H&SS) The General’s Niece (Chicago Press Review) The General’s Niece is the biography of Charles de Gaulle's niece, confidante, and daughter figure, Geneviève, to whom the legendary French general and president dedicated his war memoirs. Paige Bowers leads readers
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through the life of this young woman who risked death to become one of the most devoted foot soldiers of the French resistance. Beginning with small acts of defiance such as tearing down swastikas and pro-Vichy posters, she eventually ferried arms and false letters of transit to fellow résistants and edited and distributed the nation’s largest underground newspaper until she was arrested and sent to the infamous Ravensbrück concentration camp. The General’s Niece reveals the horrors the young de Gaulle witnessed and endured there that could have broken her spirit but instead inspired her many remaining years of activism on behalf of former prisoners and of France’s neediest citizens. Thomas W. Cutrer (1969 BACH H&SS, 1974 MAST H&SS) Theater of a Separate War: The Civil War West of the Mississippi River, 1861–1865 (University of North Carolina Press) Though its most famous battles were waged in the East at Antietam, Gettysburg, and throughout Virginia, the Civil War was clearly a conflict that raged across a continent. From cotton-rich Texas and the fields of Kansas through Indian Territory and into the high desert of New Mexico, the trans-Mississippi theater was the site of major clashes from the war’s earliest days through the surrenders of Confederate generals Edmund Kirby Smith and Stand Waite in June
1865. Theater of a Separate War details the battles between North and South in these far-flung regions, assessing the complex political and military strategies on both sides. While providing the definitive history of the rise and fall of the South’s armies in the far West, Cutrer shows, even if the region’s influence on the Confederacy’s cause waned, its role persisted well beyond the fall of Richmond and Lee’s surrender to Grant. Rod Dreher (1989 BACH MCOM) The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation (Penguin Random House LLC) From the inside, American churches are hollowed out by the departure of young people and by an insipid pseudoChristianity. From the outside, they are beset by challenges to religious liberty in a rapidly secularizing culture. Rod Dreher argues that the way forward is actually the way back – all the way to St. Benedict of Nursia, a Benedict monk who, horrified by the moral chaos following Rome’s fall, retreated to the forest and created a new way of life for Christians. Today, a new, post-Christian barbarism reigns. Many believers are blind to it, and their churches are too weak to resist. Politics offers little help in this spiritual crisis. What is needed is the Benedict Option, a strategy that draws on the authority of Scripture and the wisdom of the ancient church. The Benedict Option is both manifesto and
rallying cry for Christians who, if they are not to be conquered, must learn how to fight on culture war battlefields like none seen for fifteen hundred years. Roland Gravois (1950 BACH ENGR) L’histoire et la généalogie de la famille Gravois (Virtualbookworm.com Publishing) Spanning 300 years and fourteen generations, this book combines family history and genealogy to give the reader an insight into the lives of the descendants of Pierre Gravois, a family that multiplied and prospered after arriving in Louisiana in 1766. Pierre had died, but his family accepted Spain's offer for a land grant and transportation to Louisiana. In addition to rich farm land, the family received provisions, farm equipment, and seed cane – the beginnings of the very first Gravois sugar plantation – and Gravois families are farming sugar cane today. Pierre's son, Jean Gravois, fought the English in Louisiana during the American Revolution and at age fifty-nine was in the trenches at the Battle of New Orleans. The Gravois name is found in muster roll records for every war fought by America since it won its independence. Some, like Noland Joseph Gravois, who was killed at Iwo Jima in World War II, gave their all.
Louie P. "Pete" Heard (1960 BACH AGR, 1961 MAST AGR) Out of the Earth: A Memoir (Alphagraphics) In Out of the Earth, Pete Heard takes us from his boyhood exploring Mississippi’s backwoods and bottomlands to his notable accomplishments as a national conservation leader. Heard has lived, worked, and grown with the conservation movement, and his deep commitment to environmental stewardship runs like a steady stream through time to put it down for us and for the generations that will follow. Alfred A. Olinde (1957 MD-New Orleans) Just Me and the Moon (Create Space) Al Olinde’s fifth volume of poetry, Just Me and the Moon, is a collection of poems, almost-poems, and musings on topics ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the life of a tulip “dedicated to my many good friends who went through LSU in Baton Rouge (where I did my undergraduate pre-med studies) and LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans with me,” writes the author. Robert J. Muller (1981 MD-New Orleans) Hospital Emergency Management: A Bible for Hospital Emergency Managers (CRC Press) Emergency management in a hospital environment presents many unique challenges. Hospital Emergency
Management addresses all aspects of hospital emergency management – from preparedness and planning to event mitigation, response, and recovery. It provides best practices for developing an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and communicating an effective emergency plan to all staff. All content is based on the author’s decades of experience in real disaster events, including Hurricane Katrina. Theodore R. Weber (1947 BACH H&SS) War, Peace, and Reconciliation: A Theological Inquiry (Wifp and Stock) Theodore Weber’s book invites Christians and the churches into a conversation over how to think about war from a standpoint in faith. It asks how reconciliation, which is central to Christian life and doctrine, can engage the realities of war without surrendering its fundamental affirmations. It defines these realities politically by discussing the meanings of power, peace as a particular organization of power, and the international system. The study of war and politics is unavoidable, as is the engagement with reconciliation, because all human existence and activity exist in the context of the gracious work of God to renew and reconcile the fallen creation. The inquiry is theocentric and christocentric, and it culminates in a call to the churches to examine all their practices in the light of this perspective.
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In Memoriam 1930s Dorothy Bridger Eglin, 1937 BACH HS&E, March 31, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Claire Pellerin Schmidt, 1939 BACH HS&E, 1955 MAST HS&E, January 2017, Prairieville, La.
1940s William Anderson Jr., 1948 BACH BUS, Feb. 5, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Benjamin Franklin “B. Frank” Armstrong, attended 1944-1946, Feb. 3, 2017, Memphis, Tenn. Claude H. Babin, 1945 BACH H&SS, Feb. 25, 2017, Little Rock, Ark. Eileen Causey Bachemin, 1945 BACH AGR, March 30, 2017, Tallahassee, Fla. Patricia Norman Brockway, 1947 BACH H&SS, Jan. 25, 2017, Metairie, La. Ethel Ragan Brupbacher, 1947 BACH BUS, March 5, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Dan F. Clower, 1949 BACH AGR, Professor Emeritus of Entomology, Feb. 14, 2017, Pineville, La. William Emmett “Bill” Edrington, Jr., 1948 BACH ENGR, Feb. 17, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Mary Margaret “Peggy” Richardson Frese, 1947 BACH HS&E, Jan. 29, 2017, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Lloyd D. McClatchey, Jr., 1949 BACH ENGR, Jan. 9, 2017, Marshall, Texas Ellen Frances Nunnally Owens, 1947 BACH H&SS, Dec. 22, 2016, Texas City, Texas Alfred M.L. Sanders, 1942 BACH HS&E, Feb. 22, 2017, Minneapolis, Minn. Marion Lucille Crawford Spann, 1948 BACH BUS, Jan. 5, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Martha Stacy, 1949 BACH M&DA, 1952 MAST M&DA, Feb. 16, 2017, Oberlin, Ohio Dorothy B. Warrick, 1942 BACH BUS, Jan. 9, 2017, Bethesda, Md.
1950s John William Beck, Sr., 1952 BACH H&SS, Feb. 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Leslie Edward “Les” Broussard, Jr., 1958 BACH ENGR, March 28, 2017, Lafayette, La. Ted Z. Collins, 1952 BACH BUS, 1954 MBA, 1965 MD, March 24, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Jack Thomas Conran, 1956 BACH MCOM, April 5, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. William Thurm “W.T.” Firesheets, 1950 BACH ENGR, March 1, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Thomas W. Graves, 1956 BACH H&SS, 1959 MD, Jan. 30, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Johnnie Ruth Vaughan Green, 1953 BACH H&SS, March 30, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Holt Benton Harrison, 1956 BACH H&SS, 1961 JD, March 14, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Ralph R. Miller, 1956 BACH BUS, 1958 JD, March 30, 2017, Norco, La. Charles Lynn Oakley, 1955 BACH HS&E, 1959 MAST HS&E, April 10, 2017, Nashville, Tenn. Clarence Earl Phillips, 1950 BACH ENGR, March 26, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Elster Ray Reech, 1955 BACH HS&E, 1961 MAST HS&E, April 2, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Sidney Brock Sanders, 1958 BACH BUS, Jan. 22, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Roland Neff Selig, Sr., 1950 BACH BUS, Feb. 7, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Marvin Earl Stuckey, 1959 MD, March 22, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Paul Wayne, 1952 MAST HS&E, Jan. 12, 2017, Amite, La.
1960s Barbara Martin Bowden, 1964 BACH HS&E, Feb. 18, 2017, Central, La.
Steve Buttry Director of Student Media Feb. 19, 2017 Baton Rouge, La.
Melvin Lawrence DeFleur Professor of Mass Communication Feb. 13, 2017 Baton Rouge, La.
Chester Hugh Boyd, 1969 BACH H&SS, 1976 JD, Feb. 4, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Jean Daray Harmon, 1968 BACH HS&E, 1970 MAST HS&E, March 17, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Louis Gustave “LG” Hoffmann, Jr., 1965 BACH HS&E, April 1, 2017 Sunshine, La. Christine Murphrey Humphreys, 1968 BACH HS&E, Jan. 24, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Jimmie G. Kinnison, 1960 MAST BUS, Jan. 23, 2017, Hammond, La. Elizabeth “Betty” Landon Romero, 1960 MLS, Feb. 19, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. H.F. Sockrider, Jr., 1962 BACH H&SS, 1973 JD, Feb. 4, 2017, Shreveport, La. Lawner Wilson “Sonny” West, Jr., 1962 BACH H&SS, March 16, 2017, Baton Rouge, La.
1970s Dudley Rochelle Carter, 1972 BACH H&SS, March 4, 2017, Atlanta, Ga. Clarence C. “Coach Christy,” Christenson, 1974 MAST HS&E, March 15, 2017, Morgan City, La. Ruby Catherine Bloxom Dart, 1974 PHD M&DA, March 25, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. William A. Efferson, Jr., 1974 A&D, March 29, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Robin Suzanne Everitt, 1974 BACH H&SS, Jan. 28, 2017, St. Francisville, La. Betty Sue Rockett Kilpatrick, 1973 MAST HS&E, March 3, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Thomas Booker Lawson, III 1967 BACH ENGR, 1973 MAST ENGR, April 1, 2017, Hammond, La. Christine Roques Matassa, 1970 BACH HS&E, March 25, 2017, Prairieville, La. Willis B. “Semi” Simmons, 1971 BACH HS&E, April 1, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Lynn Dale Wascom, 1970 BACH HS&E, Jan. 19, 2017, Baton Rouge, La.
1980s Loyd Daniel “Danny” Barry, 1985 BACH H&SS, April 1, 2017, Prairieville, La. Karen Marie Ebert, 1983 BACH AGR, Feb. 3, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Kenneth Stephen Ebert, 1982 BACH H&SS, Oct. 17, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Robert N. “Bobby” Ferachi, 1989 BACH H&SS, March 19, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Nora Miller, 1982 BACH HS&E, 1994 MAST HS&E, Jan. 25, 2017, St. Francisville, La. Ramona Robichaux, 1980 BACH H&SS, Dec. 23, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Bryan S. Rushing, 1988 BACH H&SS, March 11, 2017, Baton Rouge, La. Billy Charles Smith, Jr., 1986 BACH H&SS, Jan. 25, 2017, Plaquemine, La. James Adams Truly, Jr., 1989 BACH BUS, Jan. 21, 2017, Ponchatoula, La. Joan M. Wallyn, 1983 MAST HS&E, March 2017, Baton Rouge, La.
1990s Brandi A. Murphy Latham, 1998 BACH HS&E, Jan. 23, 2017, Darrow, La. Sage Saisorn, 1997 BACH BUS, Jan. 7, 2017, Baton Rouge, La.
2000s Juan Barroso, IX, 2002 BACH BUS, Feb. 2, 2017, Alpharetta, Ga. Michelle Ami Mackey Robertson Heinle, 2004 BACH H&SS, March 2017, Pueblo, Colo. Jason Thomas Jack, 2004 BACH H&SS, March 29, 2017, Baton Rouge, La.
2010s Doyle Whittington, 1996 BACH H&SS, March 2, 2017, Baton Rouge, La.
Robert B. Lank Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Science April 16, 2017 Baton Rouge, La.
Patrick Donald Staub Professor Emeritus of Architecture Feb. 22, 2017 Baton Rouge, La.
If you would like to make a gift to the LSU Alumni Association in memory of a family member, friend or classmate, please contact our office for additional information at 225-578-3838 or 1-888-746-4578.
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WEDDING
BELLS
Newlyweds Allison and Erik Runnels, center, with the groom’s parents, John and Karen Runnels.
Erik Walker Runnels (2011 BACH H&SS) and Allison Ann Davis were married on Oct. 9, 2016, in New Orleans. The bride is the daughter of Janet Davis, of Roswell, Ga., and the late Craig Davis. The groom’s parents are John (1980 BACH SCI, 1985 JD) and Karen (1982 BACH BUS, 1985 JD) Runnels, of Baton Rouge. Erik is a library associate with the DC Public Library and Allison is an attorney with CACI International in Washington, D.C.
Katherine and David Carver.
Katherine Reed Fremin (2014 BACH MCOM) and David Taylor Carver (2011 BACH AGR) were married at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette, La., on Feb. 22, 2017. The newlyweds honeymooned in St. Lucia and reside in Baton Rouge. Taylor is a customer manager with Acosta Sales and Marketing and Katherine is the communications coordinator for ABC Pelican Chapter.
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Profile
Tiger Nation
A Medical Mission and Tiger Spirit in Honduras By Ed Cullen
It’s easy to spot orthopedic surgeon James Warmbrod, Jr., at Tennessee home games when the Vols are playing LSU. He’s the guy in the Tiger cap bobbing in a sea of orange.
When Warmbrod (1961-1964 pre-med) posted a photo on Facebook of his seeing patients at a free clinic in Honduras, the number of “likes” surprised him. In the photo, Warmbrod, seventy-three, is examining a small child whose mother had dressed him in a tiger suit. “People accused me of dressing that child in a Tiger suit,” Warmbrod said. “But I didn’t. Of course, I was wearing my LSU cap. I always wear my LSU cap down there.” Down there is Tegucigalpa, in one of Honduras’ capital’s poorest neighborhoods, where Warmbrod and a team of volunteers have seen patients a couple of times a year since 1998. “In the winter, we take about twelve people,” said Warmbrod, who lives in Jackson, Tenn. “In June, we take a construction team to build and repair, as well as a medical team.” Warmbrod goes to his office in Tennessee three days a week but no longer does surgery. In Honduras, it’s basic medicine, but that’s a lot in a country that has adequate medical resources but whose people are too poor to afford treatment, the physician said. “Clinic starts at 9 a.m.,” Warmbrod said. “We go until about 4:30 in the afternoon. We might see 200 to 250 people in a day. We give them a bag of Tylenol, and it’s like gold to them. They buy by the pill because that’s all they can afford.” Word spreads before Warmbrod arrives for his five or six days of clinic. “I keep my license up to date,” the doctor said. “This is primary care, but I take my cortisone with me to inject knees and shoulders. They know I’m coming. There’s no such thing as joint replacement for them. Cortisone gives them relief from pain for three or four months.” Dr. James Warmbrod, right, with patients at a free clinic in The medics take about $5,000 worth of medicine with them. If Tegucigalpa, Honduras. they paid full price, the medicine would run as much as $75,000. The clinic is supported by the Anglican Church, including Warmbrod’s home church of All Saints Anglican Church. The medical team works under the auspices of South Carolina’s Suzy McCall and the LAMB Institute “We’re not doing any surgery, just (www.lambinstitute.org). Warmbrod and other physicians see a lot of diabetes in Central America. basic medicine. This is primary In Honduras, Warmbrod’s patient load is more than half children. “Parasites. care . . . they know I’m coming.” Malnourishment. It’s not that bad, but we give them parasite medicine and vitamins. There’s a lot of upper respiratory tract infection. It’s dusty, and the cooking’s done over open fires. Lot of acid reflux with the adults.” Warmbrod’s nickname at LSU was, of course, “Tennessee.” How he got to Baton Rouge in 1961 is one of those Ole War Skule stories. “My dad (James G. Warmbrod, Sr.) lettered at LSU in baseball and football,” Warmbrod said. “I was an LSU fan in the womb. Dad played for Coach Bernie Moore. I listened to the Billy Cannon run in my living room in Jackson, Tenn., with my dad. Coach Moore had a Tennessee connection and heard about Warmbrod’s dad. “Moore coached dad in football. I think the baseball coach was (Harry) Rabenhorst.” When it was time for Warmbrod to go to college, Moore told Warmbrod’s father he’d help junior out. “I worked in Broussard Hall and ate at the training table,”
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Warmbrod said. “I washed dishes for two years, and ran the Tiger Recreation Room.” Warmbrod earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in 1967. “In those days, you could go three years as an undergraduate and then go to medical school. Some of my friends (in Tennessee) went back to their undergraduate schools to graduate with their classes. I couldn’t do that at LSU because I’d left Tennessee. I regret not being able to graduate with my LSU classmates.” Maybe, that’s why the doctor is so stubborn about where he wears his LSU ball cap. “Oh, gah, yeah,” Warmbrod drawled, “I wear my LSU cap when LSU plays up here. I’m right there in my reserved seat (in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville) cheering for LSU.” Ed Cullen, an LSU journalism graduate, is author of Letter in a Woodpile, a collection of his essays for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” He is retired from the Baton Rouge Advocate where he wrote the Sunday column “Attic Salt.”
Band Reunion September 22-23 2017 LSU VS. SYRACUSE For More Info, call (225) 578–3838 or register at bandreunion.lsualumni.org for hotel reservations, call 225-383-2665 and ask for the band reunion rate
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Tiger Nation
Story and photo by Andrew Park
Profile
Deployment Enriches Classroom Teaching Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand? What year was the ice cream cone created? Who was the first person to fly around the world? Questions such as these might bring back memories of sitting at a rickety desk as some history teacher spouts off endless lists of names and dates to be memorized in preparation for an end-of-year exam. Chances are, however, most people can name at least one history teacher who breaks the stereotype.
U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Jason Paseur (1997 BACH H&SS), an educator currently deployed in Southwest Asia as the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing historian, is always on the hunt for creative lessons for the students. Paseur is a reservist deployed from the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. “I really wanted to teach history because I wanted to make it interesting,” said Paseur. “My goal is to make history tangible.” Known as Mr. Paseur to his students at Trion High School in northwest Georgia, Paseur uses personal experience to liven up his lessons. In the past, this has included bringing an antique loom into his classroom, where he uses it during lessons on the Industrial Revolution. He also takes his classes on the occasional field trips around the region that coincide with the curriculum. This works well with teaching U.S. history but becomes a bit more complicated with world history. “I’ve never been out of the United States until now, so this is going to help me to be able to teach U.S. history as well as world history next year,” Paseur explained. “This is going to really broaden my experiences to share in the classroom.” As a first-time deployer, Paseur likes to explore the region to learn more about its culture. Whether it’s Master Sgt. Jason Paseur poses for a photo in front of a C-130H Hercules. shopping at local souks or visiting museums, Paseur hopes to take this experience back to the classroom. “Where I live in northwest Georgia, a lot of people grew up camping with their “Whether it’s shopping parents,” said Paseur. “You kind of equate camping with skills that are passed down. at local souks or visiting It’s interesting that their culture here promotes camping as a way of not forgetting museums, Paseur hopes to their past. Historically, there were Bedouin tribes camping and going to various take this experience back areas, so if I can somehow tie that into what my students do, they may remember what the term ‘Bedouin’ means.” to the classroom.” The same is true at a local level. His students are no strangers to seeing Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) on social media. In fact, several of his students follow the 386th AEW’s Facebook page to see what he’s doing. Being an active member of OIR will be beneficial in teaching U.S. history, said Paseur. “When I incorporate lessons in the classroom, I try to use experiences and descriptions to teach my students,” Paseur said. “Of course with today’s technology you can almost bring them to certain places.” The knowledge and experience Paseur will share with his students won’t fit on flashcards. Instead, students will hear his stories and will have a better understanding of the world around them. They might sit up a bit straighter at their desks, listen a bit more attentively, and ask more engaging questions. More importantly, they’ll be on the path to becoming more informed citizens, ready not only for their end-of-course exam but also for life outside the classroom walls. Senior Airman Andrew Park serves with the U.S. Air Force 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs in Southwest Asia.
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Tiger Nation
By Ed Cullen Photo courtesy John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Profile
Genius at Work Three years ago, the telephone rang in Susan Murphy’s office at the University of Michigan.
“The people at the MacArthur Foundation called me,” said Murphy, H.E. Robbins Distinguished University Professor of Statistics and a professor of psychiatry. She’s also a College of Science 2016 LSU Hall of Distinction inductee. “I picked up the phone. I was standing up. Then, she tells me about the fellowship and I just sat on the floor. I was standing up. I just sat on the floor.” Sitting on the floor, Murphy had just been told she’d been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes called a “genius award” of $625,000 to be paid in quarterly installments over five years, no strings attached. “The MacArthur Award gave my work validation,” Murphy said. “That’s very rare for people in straight, data science.” In announcing Murphy’s MacArthur award, a spokesperson for the University of Michigan said, “Murphy, who has appointments in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the Medical School, is developing new methodologies to evaluate courses of treatment for individuals coping with chronic or relapsing disorders such as depression or substance abuse. “In contrast to the treatment of acute illness, where clinicians make a single decision about treatment, doctors treating chronic ailments make a sequence of decisions over time about the best therapeutic approach based on the current state of a patient, the stage of the disease and the individual’s response to prior treatments.” Her research group is currently involved in the development of a mobile application that uses data from wearable activity sensors, like FitBit and Jawbone, to propose physical activity and to support behavioral changes that will have a positive MacArthur Foundation Fellow Susan Murphy, a impact on health. statistician at the University of Michigan. “I never thought I was a genius,” Murphy laughed. “If you think you’re a genius, you never get anywhere. I mean, I “The MacArthur Award thought it was wonderful. The award means you get opportunities you might never have gotten anywhere else.” gave my work validation. The MacArthur Foundation doesn’t refer to the grant as a “genius award,” but That’s very rare for people the press often does. Murphy’s award is made possible by the John D. and Catherine in straight, data science.” T. MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur fortune was generated largely by the MacArthurs’ insurance companies. Catherine was a bookkeeper for one of the early companies and worked closely with her husband. John and Catherine died in 1978 and 1981, respectively. Murphy spent her childhood in Marksville, La., where her dad, Allan Allbritton, was a veterinarian. “My mom, Irene, was a stay-at-home mom and now is currently Dad’s receptionist,” Murphy said. The family moved to Missouri and from there to Gonzales, La., where Murphy went to East Ascension High School. After high school, she went to Nichols State University for a year to study accounting. Then, LSU. “The math department at LSU was great,” Murphy said. “Dr. [Ray] Fabec was a great teacher. He wrote me a letter to go to grad school at the University of North Carolina in 1984.” Murphy’s next stop was Pennsylvania State University for seven years. “I was always good in math,” she said. “I didn’t realize math could be a career until my junior year at LSU. I was an accounting major. Once I realized that you could have a career in math as an adult I switched majors; I thought, math ‘is what I’m good at!’”
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“My parents were so supportive. That helped. The Rotary Club gave me a scholarship to study math in Germany after graduating from LSU. I wasn’t a deep thinker,” Murphy continued. “I just wanted to work on math problems. I was rather immature both in high school and college.” Murphy’s memories of LSU include meeting her future husband, Dr. Terrance Murphy, then an undergraduate in pre-medicine. Terrance Murphy’s medical degree is from LSU in New Orleans. “At LSU, I was a runner,” Murphy said. “I ran the lakes, which are beautiful. I had a great roommate, ran every morning through the live oaks, and enjoyed being a student in the math department.” And there’s the homecoming equation. “When I come home to Louisiana,” Murphy said, “everyone is so nice. Even on the plane from Atlanta to Baton Rouge, everyone is so friendly.” Ed Cullen, an LSU journalism graduate, is author of Letter in a Woodpile, a collection of his essays for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” He is retired from the Baton Rouge Advocate where he wrote the Sunday column “Attic Salt.”
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Tiger Nation
Denise Boutté: Acting, Producing – and Cooking By Ed Cullen Photo by Birdie Thompson
Film and television star Denise Boutté.
“I never asked ‘What if?” It was always, ‘Why not me?’”
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Denise Boutté (1999 BACH MCOM) parlayed talent, hard work, and luck into a career in the movies and television. Oh, and she has a cookbook coming out that taps the roots of her South Louisiana childhood, working title, Cookin’ in California with Louisiana Roots. Boutté, daughter of Betty and the late Nelson Joseph, grew up in a farming community north of Maurice near Lafayette, La. “Lots of soybeans and sugar cane,” she said from her home in Los Angeles. “We got our meat from boucheries. My dad was an appliance repairman, and my mother cooked for the Head Start program.” With the help of TOPS and student loans, Boutté, valedictorian at North Vermillion High School, worked as an intern in a Dallas ad agency while earning her degree at LSU. When she graduated from LSU, she had offers from three ad agencies in Dallas. “I was ready to leave (Louisiana),” she said. “I was young and wanted to see what was out there. In hindsight, I have an appreciation for the simplicity of small-town life.” LSU, where she lived in “good old Herget Hall,” allowed Boutté to learn in a protective environment, she said. “I never asked ‘what if?’ It was always, ‘Why not me?’ It was fearlessness. Going away to school, living on campus, then living off campus, having to pay my own rent.” She met Kevin Boutté, who grew up near New Iberia, La., at a Junior Daughters/Junior Knights Catholic teen talent show in Lafayette. When the couple decided to move to California, Kevin was working in a hospital in Dallas. They’d married in 2003 and now have a five-year-old daughter, Jordan. Because of work obligations, Kevin joined Boutté in Los Angeles six months after she moved to California. “I imported Kevin,” Boutté laughed.
Before Kevin joined her in Los Angeles, Boutté lived with her manager, a former actress she met in Dallas. “I lived with her, did the cooking and groceries, fed the dog,” she said. In Dallas, Boutté had a successful career as an ad agency account executive and then manager of an agency before she started appear on the other side of the camera in print and commercial campaigns. The move to Hollywood was a leap of faith rewarded with recurring roles in TV shows that included Boston Legal, Everybody Hates Chris, Days of Our Lives, and Girlfriends. She was “Trina” in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? and Sasha Brown in Perry’s Meet the Browns on television. When Boutté added co-producer to her credits in In Full Bloom, she was doing something that had come naturally since her ad agency days. “Tyler was very open to my (input) on Why Did I Get Married?” she said. “As a co-producer (In Full Bloom), I talked to the cast, had input on dialog, characters, locations, camera angles. I’m really good at organizing. Very detailed,” she explained. Upcoming work includes Media, a TV movie that will become a dramatic series; Secrets (acting and producing) with limited release in theaters, then television; and Couples’ Night, a romantic comedy that wrapped in Washington, D.C., late last year. Boutté gets more celebrity recognition in Los Angeles than she does at home. “We go home a lot to see my family. Kevin won’t miss Mardi Gras. We go home so often we’re not a novelty.” Instead of: “Y’all, is that Denise Boutté?” It’s, Boutté, where y’all been?” Ed Cullen, an LSU journalism graduate, is author of Letter in a Woodpile, a collection of his essays for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” He is retired from the Baton Rouge Advocate where he wrote the Sunday column “Attic Salt.”
The Lod Cook Alumni Center at Louisiana State University
WHERE WORK AND PLAY MEET STATELY OAKS AND BROAD MAGNOLIAS
Whether it’s business luncheons or wedding receptions, company meetings or class reunions, the Lod Cook Alumni Center can fulfill all of your needs with first-class service and accommodations. The Cook Alumni Center has nine meeting rooms totaling more than 12,300 square feet, and the Andonie Sports Museum, a stand-alone facility featuring LSU sports history, to fit your event requirements. With award-winning Unique Cuisine catering on site, as well as The Cook Hotel steps away, we have everything you need for a comfortably arranged event.
Look no further than the Lod Cook Alumni Center To book rental space, contact Devon Breeding, Coordinator of Event Rentals, at 225-578-3829 or email at events@lsualumni.org
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Tiger Nation
Tigers Around the World
Sam and Catherine Holden renew their wedding vows on their seventieth anniversary.
Happy Anniversary – Sam and Catherine Boggs Holden, of Sulphur, La., celebrated seventy years of marriage in April. The couple, ninety-one and eighty-nine, respectively, met at the LSU Field House in the spring of 1946, and they married on April 18, 1947. They both graduated in 1948, Sam in petroleum engineering and Catherine in home economics. Sam served as a navigator in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. The couple has eight children, eleven grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren.
Easter in the Big Apple – Taking in the sights and sounds of New York City during spring break – including Broadway shows and the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue – were, from left, Christine Weatherford (1974 BACH H&SS, 1976 MSW), of Baton Rouge, future alumnae Abby Brown (2020) and Lucy Brown (2021), and Auburn Brown (1993 BACH H&SS, 1995 MAST H&SS), all of Eunice, La.
Christine Weatherford, Abby Brown, Lucy Brown, and Auburn Brown on the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Tiger Nation
Tigers Around the World
Front, from left, Colleen Barnett (studying construction management), Kelly Quinn Barnett (1980 BACH AGR), future Tiger Henry Quinn, Evelyn Humphreys Quinn (1956 BACH HS&E), Alison Quinn Touchstone (1983 BACH AGR), and future Tiger Katie Claire Ferrier; middle, Charlotte Barnett (2014 BACH MCOM), future Tiger Harold Quinn, Robin Quinn (2007 BACH HS&E), Katherine Quinn Ferrier (1987 BACH HS&E), and future Tiger Christopher Ferrier; back, Darrell Barnett, Jr. (2013 BACH ENGR, 2014 BACH SCI), Darrell Barnett, Sr. (1985 MDShreveport), Andrew Touchstone (2013 BACH BUS), Nolan Touchstone (2010 BACH BUS), Robert Touchstone, and Robby Ferrier.
Quinn Tigers – Proud mom and grandmom Evelyn Humphreys Quinn shares a photo taken for the Quinn family’s 2016 Christmas card. “My family includes ten LSU graduates, one current LSU student, and four future tigers – all from Shreveport,” she writes. “We were all dressed in purple and gold to watch the LSU-Texas AM football game on Thanksgiving day.” LSU Spirit in Arizona – Maria Wacienga’s fourth graders at Mirage Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., “took home” the Spirit Stick at Spirit Assembly this spring. The LSU Alumni Association provided LSU paraphernalia for the students to wear and to display in their classroom.
Mirage Elementary fourth graders celebrate their ‘win.’
Kristi, Madeleine, Mike, Marcus, Kennan, Carter, Gia, and Eva Lois Webb Mashon.
On Safari – The family of the late Kenneth T. Mashon (1963 BACH BUS) enjoyed a South Africa game viewing safari earlier this year, visiting South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Pictured at Victoria Falls are Kristi, Madeleine, Mike (1982 BACH H&SS), Marcus (1993 BACH H&SS), Kennan, Carter, Gia, and Eva Lois Webb Mashon (1960 BACH HS&E, 1965 MAST HS&E).
WHAT’S YOUR VOLUNTEER PASSION? Send a photo of yourself “in action” and tell Tigers Around the World how and why you share your time and talents with others.
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