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Summer 2016, Volume 92, Number 2
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2016 Hall of Distinction
From the
PRESIDENT
LSU Students, Faculty, Alumni Beyond Compare There’s no way around it – this has been one tough legislative session. We have faced challenges, but we have also been buoyed by an incredible amount of support from you, our loyal alumni and Tiger Advocates. I’d like to take a moment to thank you for standing by your alma mater and for educating everyone from your neighbors to your legislators about what an impact LSU has on our state, its citizens, and its future. The strength of a university is measured by the support of its alumni, and through that lens, LSU is beyond compare. Despite our state’s financial struggles, LSU students have never been more competitive. In the last few months alone, we’ve seen LSU senior and Gonzales, La., native Chauncey Stephens receive the prestigious Truman Scholarship; Valencia Richardson, an LSU senior from Shreveport, La., be awarded a Fulbright Binational Internship; ten LSU students receive the extremely competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; and for the first time, two LSU students, Stewart Humble from Egan, La., and Zach Fitzpatrick of Holden, La., were selected for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. And our students don’t stop achieving once they graduate: LSU alumna Amy Brittain is part of a team of investigative reporters at the Washington Post awarded a Pulitzer Prize in April for its series on police shootings, and LSU alumna Kim Hunter Reed was appointed to the U.S. Department of Education as deputy undersecretary. LSU faculty have also continued their pursuit of excellence, with faculty from our Department of Physics & Astronomy playing a major role in the first recordings of gravitational waves, which confirms Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Boyd Professor Isiah Warner not only was named SEC Professor of the Year but was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Petra Hendry, St. Bernard Alumni Chapter Endowed Professor, received the American Educational Research Association Division B Lifetime Achievement Award, and Wayne Newhauser, director of LSU’s Medical and Health Physics Program, was named a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. LSU has achieved so much over its 156 years – and with your support, we’ll continue to grow and reach new heights. Thank you for your support and loyalty. Sincerely,
F. King Alexander LSU President @lsuprez
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
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Publisher LSU Alumni Association
Contents
Editor Jackie Bartkiewicz Advertising Kelsey David Art Director Chuck Sanchez STUN Design & Interactive
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Features
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26 2016 Hall of Distinction Five distinguished LSU graduates were inducted in to the 2016 Hall of Distinction in March. Alumnus of the Year Roger W. Jenkins and Young Alumnus of the Year Mario Julien Garner were joined by Sidney E. Fuchs, Bernette Joshua Johnson, and Frank P. Simoneaux for induction festivities marking the fiftieth anniversary of the event.
34 LSU Research Works From improving cancer treatments and helping those with Parkinson’s disease stay active, to saving the coastline and fisheries of Louisiana, LSU research impacts Louisianans in ways many do not often realize. To that end, the University has launched a communications initiative – “LSU Research Works” – designed to show the world how LSU research, conducted at all the LSU campuses around the state, profoundly affects the lives of Louisiana citizens.
In Each Issue 1
From the President
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President/CEO Message
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LSU Alumni Association News
38 Around Campus 54 Focus on Faculty 56 Locker Room 64 Tiger Nation
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Editorial Assistants Patti Garner, Karla Lemoine, Brenda Macon Contributors Barry Cowan, Ed Cullen, Danielle Kelley, Bud Johnson, Brenda Macon, Meg Ryan, Alison Satake, Dave Wieczorek Photography Emily Berniard, Mark Claesgens, Ray Dry, David Fisse, Steve Franz, Johnny Gordon, John Grubb, Larry Hubbard, Angelique Johnson Photography, Will O’Halloran, Chris Parent, Dason Pettit, Eddy Perez Printing Baton Rouge Printing NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jan K. Liuzza Chair, Kenner, La.
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Leo C. Hamilton Chair-Elect, Baton Rouge, La. Fred G. “Gil” Rew Immediate Past Chair, Mansfield, La. Jack A. Andonie Director Emeritus, Metairie, La. Lodwrick M. Cook Director Emeritus, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
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Mary Lou Applewhite, New Orleans, La. Louis R. Minsky, Baton Rouge, La. John D. “Jay” Babb, Baton Rouge, La. A.J.M. Butch Oustalet III, Gulfport, Miss. Karen G. Brack, San Diego, Calif. Richard C. “Rick Oustalet, Jennings, La. Stephen T. “Steve” Brown, Sherman Oaks, Calif. Oliver G. “Rick” Richard III, Lake Charles, La. Randy L. Ewing, Quitman, La. Beverly G. Shea, New Iberia, La. Kathryn “Kathy” Fives, New Orleans, La. John T. Shelton, Jr, Houston, Texas Matthew K. Juneau, Baton Rouge, La. Susan K. Whitelaw, Shreveport, La. 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 © 2016 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686
Hall of Distinction inductees, from left, Sidney Fuchs, Bernette Joshua Johnson, Roger Jenkins Mario Garner, and Frank Simoneaux. Photo by Eddy Perez. Design by STUN Design & Interactive.
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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
Successful Events Highlight Spring 2016 We look forward to sharing with you in each issue of the magazine news of the University’s and the LSU Alumni Association’s great events and successes – many of which you make possible. In March, we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the first LSU Alumnus of the Year award with the induction of five notable LSU graduates into the Hall of Distinction. Meet the honorees and read about the gala beginning on page 26. Shortly thereafter, we entered “chapter season,” traveling around the state and from coast to coast to join fellow Tigers at crawfish boils and other “parties with a purpose” to share news from LSU and raise funds for chapter scholarships and professorships. These events not only generate funds – our chapters donated more than $275,000 in both restricted and unrestricted gifts last year – they also help us grow membership in the global LSU Alumni Association through the Joint Membership Program. Closer to home, we continued our engagement activities with faculty and staff, future alumni, and young alumni through such events as Partners in Progress, Partners in Communication, special events for young alumni, and the pre-commencement cocktail party for graduating seniors. This semester saw the return of our Graduating Senior Crawfish Boil, and, in partnership with Student Government, the newly established Speakers: The Series, featuring outstanding alumni who share life lessons and guidelines for successful careers with future alumni (see page 16). One of our most rewarding new projects – in collaboration with and at no cost to the University – is LSU Bound, an outreach program that puts a visual face on academic recruitment. The LSU Bound signs distributed to thousands of future alumni are generating enthusiastic response, and photos of excited students holding or standing by their LSU Bound signs have exploded on social media. All of the above initiatives go a long way toward familiarizing future alums and recent grads with the Association’s pivotal role in supporting the University. And, now a brief update on budget news. Governor John Bel Edwards called the Louisiana Legislature into special session in February to deal with a nearly $900 million mid-year shortfall that meant a possible $70 million to $200 million cut for higher education. Thanks in very large part to our Tiger Advocates, colleges and universities were spared what could have been devastating mid-year cuts. The 2016 regular session ends June 6. As this issue of the magazine goes into production, legislators are tackling yet another grim budget forecast for FY17 and looking for solutions that will spare serious budget reductions in state support for higher education and the Taylor Opportunity for Students (TOPS). To keep abreast of the situation, visit http://www.lsu.edu/budget/. And, remember – your voice matters, so stay involved or get involved now with Tiger Advocates. To join, visit www.lsualumni.org/tigeradvocates. Geaux LSU Tiger Nation!
Cliff Vannoy President and CEO P.S. Our goal in 2016 is to engage 20,016 members. Please encourage your family, friends, and fellow alums to become donors/members of the LSU Alumni Association.
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LSU Alumni Association
NEWS
Chapter Events LSU Houston – More than 350Tiger faithful gathered at the Firehouse Saloon on April 16 for LSU Houston’s annual crawfish boil. The crowd feasted on 2,100 pounds of crawfish with all the trimmings, as well red beans and rice. Silent and live auctions of LSU and Louisiana items brought in dollars for the chapter’s scholarship fund.
Kevin Madden, Lacey Brooks, Julie Klibert, Brooke Bessard, Adonecca Fortier, Brett Meador, Angel Ardoin, Steve Stewart, Emily George, Cheryl Davis, Lisa Bunch, Jacques Duplantis, Andy Arnold, John Robert, John Norcross, Danielle Norcross-Bachan, and Fran Norcross. Tiffany Monette not pictured.
A.P. Tureaud, Jr., Shanique S. Lee, Jazmyn J. Bernard, Taylor C. Alexander, Eriondre T. Adams, and Carolyn Carter Collins, chapter scholarship chair.
Tureaud Scholars – The A.P. Tureaud Chapter announced the recipient of its 2015-2016 national scholarship in February. The $2,000 A.P. Tureaud, Sr. Endowed Scholarship was awarded to Eriondre T. Adams, a freshman physics major from Ringgold, La. Taylor C. Alexander, a freshman nursing major from Breaux Bridge, La., received the A.P. Tureaud, Sr. Chapter 1964 Scholarship, valued at $1,000. Shanique S. Lee, a freshman business management major from Cottonport, La., and Jazmyn J. Bernard, a freshman natural resources ecology major from Lake Charles, La., received Mary K. Scott Tureaud Chapter Past President awards valued at $500. Photo provided by the A.P. Tureaud, Sr. Chapter
B’Ham Tigers in Tuscaloosa – Forty members of the Greater Birmingham Alumni Chapter cheered on the men’s basketball Tigers as they met Alabama in Tuscaloosa in January. “We had a good trip to Tuscaloosa,” writes Paul Chin-Lai, chapter president, “and even though our seats were in the nosebleed section, we were pretty vocal.” Richard Coston, Voice of the Tigers Jim Hawthorne, and Greater Birmingham Chapter President Paul Chin-Lai.
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From left, Bill Dean, Texas Tech University; Loren Taylor, University of Illinois; Chris Batchelder, Oklahoma State University; Joe Irwin, Georgia Tech; Amy Renz, Kansas State University; Steve Grafton, University of Michigan; Doug Dibbert, University of North Carolina; Porter Garner, Texas A&M; Jeff Johnson, Iowa State University; “T” Thompson, U.S. Air Force Academy; Bob McClure, West Point; and Cliff Vannoy, LSU.
SGAF at Kansas State – Presidents and CEOs of Self-Governing Alumni Forum (SGAF) universities gathered at Manhattan, Ks., for the group’s annual meeting. The event was hosted by Amy Renz, president of the Kansas State University Alumni Association. Members of SGAF are totally self-supporting, independent organizations that support their institutions with no state or university funds.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Chapter Events
Front from left, Elise Kaufman, Kathleen Garrison, Carmen Parker, Sharon Pol, Lenore Roberts, Jacquelyne Jahneck, Pug and Larry Gussman, and Ashley Barbier; back, tour guides Patrick Mulhearn and Michael Pappajohn, Pat Hamilton, Sarah Clayton, Gail Gaiennie, Sharon Smith, René Roberts, Laura Parr, Chris Torian, and Jim Parr.
Marion Territo, Jacquelyne Janneck, Pat Hamilton, Kristie Daspit, Bonny Botts, Barry Allen, Katie Copeland, Janice Guitreau, and Gail Gaiennie tour the new gymnastics facility.
BR Chapter Tours – Members of the Baton Rouge Alumni Chapter toured Celtic Media Centre and LSU’s new gymnastics training facility in March.
Phoenix Meet & Greet – Tigers in Phoenix, Ariz., welcomed LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy to town on Feb. 17. The alums gathered at the Angry Crab & BBQ to hear about the Association’s upcoming events and recruiting and engagement initiatives. Don and Diane White, Elke and Michael LeBoeuf, Adam Causey, Amanda Hughes, Mike McBride, Terry Miller, Cliff Vannoy, Tracee Antley McElvogue, Emily and Mike McChesney, and Barbara and Mike Stewart.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Chapter Events Jackson Boil – Alumni, alumni-bychoice, and supporters gathered at Pelican Cover Grill in Ridgeland, Miss., for the annual LSU Jackson Chapter crawfish boil on April 16. “We went through 105 pounds of crawfish and had about forty people attend, despite the chilly, dreary weather,” writes Emily Burch, chapter president. “The highlight of our silent auction was the LSU/Bama tickets. Proceeds from the silent auction go toward our LSU Jackson Scholarship.”
LSU Alumni Association staffers Claire McVea and Brandli Roberts, John Dorsa, Matt Burch, Emily Burch, Scott Andress, Koby Wofford, Taurean Buchanan, and Nathan Trifone.
Little Rock, Ark., Tiger faithful gather for a photo at the April crawfish boil.
Little Rock Tigers – LSU alumni and friends gathered for fellowship and hot boiled crawfish at the Little Rock Alumni Chapter’s annual crawfish boil on April 16 at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. The food and festivities included the traditional crawfish and fixings, jambalaya, boudin, and hot dogs, along with a silent auction for hard-to acquire LSU memorabilia. Joining the Little Rock Tigers were Tammy Brown, director of sales at The Cook Hotel, and John Grubb, vice president of hotel and conference operations.
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Chapter Summit 2016
Chapter Director BJ Bellow, left, and LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy, rear, with members of the scavenger hunt winning team – Candace Dowden, Matt Burch, Paul Chin-Lai, and John Norcross.
Chapter leaders pose for a group shot in Tiger Stadium.
Angel Ardoin, Sarah Clayton, Leone Fontenot, and Markie Russell.
Jim Schnabel, Debi West, Lisa Bunch, Leslie Danks, and Trey Blaise.
Chapter presidents and officers from across the country took part in the annual Chapter Summit at the Lod Cook Alumni Center in February. The threeday leadership workshop kicked off with a tour of athletic facilities and included sessions on financial aid and scholarships, sports trips, student recruitment, athletic compliance, chapter events, and more. A highlight of the meeting was a scavenger hunt, with teams sent throughout the alumni center, The Cook Hotel, and the Andonie Sports Museum to find items reflecting the Association’s core values – Tradition, Loyalty, Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork, Selfless Service, Respect, and Communication. The group also enjoyed a tailgate party before attending the LSU-Mississippi State basketball game. Photos by Johnny Gordon
Jeremy Jones, Chase Zieman, Kim Martin, Paul West, John Spurny.
Cary Nakayama, Tracee McElvogue, Paul May, Jan Liuzza, and Adonica Fortier.
Peggy Arnold, Tiffany Monette, Steve Stewart, Elizabeth Chadwick, and Paul Coussan.
Julie Klibert, Emily Burch, Danielle Bachan-Norcross, and Kristin Dauzat.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Giving Back Through Geaux Vineyards
By Brenda Macon
The Flynt family’s company has developed Geaux Vineyards to produce high-quality wines that will benefit LSU Alumni Association programs. From left are, Campbell, A’Dair, Miller, Julie, Harrison, Jane, and DC Flynt. Photo courtesy Jane Flynt
Two wines from California’s Central Coast American Viticultural Area, a cabernet and a chardonnay, are Geaux Vineyards’ inaugural wines.
“With its creation of Geaux Vineyards, MACH Flynt, Inc., is truly a family affair with LSU flair.”
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MACH Flynt, Inc./DC Flynt MW Selections founder and CEO/President DC Flynt and Jane, his wife of thirty years, have sent all four of their children—Miller (2008 BACH H&SS), A’Dair (2012 BACH H&SS, 2016 MBA, 2016 JD), Campbell (2015 BACH BUS), and Harrison (anticipated 2017 BACH BUS) – to LSU and, while neither DC nor Jane attended LSU, the entire family loves the University. Now all four children and Miller’s wife, Julie Rew Flynt (2008 BACH MCOM), are integral to the company – hence the “MACH” in MACH Flynt. As a way to give back, the family came up with the idea of creating Geaux Vineyards and donating all profits from that label to the LSU Alumni Association. In 2016, two wines – a cabernet and a chardonnay – from California’s Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) are inaugurating this new line of wines. “When picking a source for Geaux Vineyards,” Campbell explained, “we felt that the Central Coast AVA was a natural choice. This area produces high-quality grapes and includes regions such as Monterey, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. The Geaux Vineyards Central Coast cabernet sauvignon has warm red and black cherry notes with soft tannins and a dense, rich body. The chardonnay offers bright green apple and pear notes and a mouthwatering acidity.” “Our company has a unique acumen in developing private wine labels, and as we are LSU alumni and students,” Campbell continued, “we recognized the opportunity to develop a high-quality wine as a means to generate additional revenue for the University [through the Association]. We wanted to give back to the University that has given us so much – invaluable education, experiences, and lifelong friendships.” Indeed, all five LSU-educated Flynts have great memories of their time at LSU, including favorite professors, programs like Honors College Gateway to China (A’Dair), and opportunities like KLSU’s Front Porch Fais Do-do Cajun/Zydeco radio show (Campbell). Miller, in particular, recalled classes with “some truly exceptional professors like William Demastes, Justin Walsh, and the late Mark Zucker.” Of these teachers, Miller commented, “they were not only brilliant researchers, but were incredible educators.”
“We are excited about our new partnership with the Flynt family and especially pleased to be able to offer quality wines that are a real value for the price,” said Association President Cliff Vannoy. “We anticipate the Geaux Vineyards label to generate funds to enhance the Association’s support of LSU.” Campbell explained that the LSU Alumni Association will be marketing the wines throughout the state, with the hope that they will be offered in several venues, including restaurants, bars, and the stadium clubs and boxes at Tiger Stadium. “We hope that Tiger fans will support the label,” he commented. “Not only will they be able to enjoy great wines, but they will also be making a donation to the school we all love so much at the same time.” Established in 1991 and based in Lake Charles, La., the Flynts’ company imports, exports, brokers, produces, and distributes wines and spirits in the U.S. and several other nations. With its creation of Geaux Vineyards, the company is truly a family affair with an LSU flair. Brenda Macon is a freelance writer and editor in Baton Rouge. She retired from LSU in 2010 after serving in several units on campus, including The Southern Review and the College of Humanities & Social Sciences.
Geaux Vinyards Wines for Tiger Nation A group of alumni supporters met with representatives from MACH Flynt, Inc., earlier this year to sample chardonnay and cabernet offerings from Geaux Vineyards alongside comparable commercial brand wines from the same California region and at similar price points. Participants were able to compare color, texture, and flavors, and the Geaux Vineyards offerings fared extremely well. LSU Alumni Association board member Butch Oustalet and his wife, Andi, long-time members from the Gulfport/Biloxi area, were among those sampling the wines. “This is an exciting collaboration for LSU,” said Andi. “The wines are fantastic at their price point. The label is inviting and should prove to be a very good seller. This is a winner for the University!” Geaux Vineyards wine will be available in June 2016. The creation and distribution of the new wine has an added benefit to the association because of the connection with the Flynt family.
Butch and Andi Oustalet were among those taking part in the wine sampling.
“The Association incurs no expenses in production and marketing for this project and all profits made by MACH Flynt, Inc., on the Geaux Vineyards wine will be donated to the Association to help benefit the University,” Campbell Flynt explained. “Alumni worldwide are encouraged to request Geaux Vineyards at their local restaurants and wine retailers.” For information, contact Amy Parrino at 225-578-3835 or amy@lsualumni.org.
OOPS! The Caddo-Bossier Parish Alumni Chapter scholarship named for Lloyd Lenard was listed incorrectly as Caddo-Bossier Lloyd Leonard. The magazine regrets the error.
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LSU Alumni Association News
By Danielle Kelley
Bill and Joanne Ziegler are introduced each year to “their scholars” at the annual Scholars Banquet and then invite current and past recipients to meet informally at The Chimes.
“I would have never imagined that receiving a scholarship would allow me to get to know so many past and present LSU students.”
Ziegler Scholar Jordan Renschler, Mike and Jan Ziegler, Joanne and Bill Ziegler, Ziegler Scholar Calli Schneider, and Alice and Dan Landry at the 2013 Scholars Banquet. The Zieglers and Landrys established the Ray & Gene Ziegler Family Endowed Flagship Scholarships.
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Zieglers’ Scholarships Go Beyond Giving Thousands of LSU alumni support the University and its students through annual gifts to the LSU Alumni Association. But one couple’s gifts go beyond just making a donation, for they have formed personal relationships with scholarship recipients for the past nine years. Bill and Joanne Ziegler support multiple scholarship endowments, and each year they invite current and past recipients – and their parents – to an informal luncheon at The Chimes. When Bill (1976 BACH ENGR) received a Top 100 Scholarship (today’s Flagship Scholarship) in 1972, he attended a formal banquet at the French House. “It was a whole new world to be out and about with grownups,” he recalled. “Everybody was dressed up. It was very formal, and I wasn’t all that terribly comfortable.” The Association hosts the annual Scholars Banquet for Chancellor’s Alumni Scholars and Flagship Scholarship recipients, which the Zieglers attend to meet “their students.” Then, to get to know the recipients better, the couple arranges visits at The Chimes. “The Zieglers sit at a table at The Chimes for a few hours and welcome anyone who stops by,” said Tyler Wales (2015 BACH SCI). “I made it to three of these lunches during my four years at LSU and enjoyed each one. It was a pleasure to meet and befriend the family, as well as the other scholarship recipients, whom I then saw on campus often.” When the Zieglers found out that Wales was participating in a summer research program at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where they reside, they insisted he celebrate Fourth of July with them. “Mr. Bill even helped when my truck broke down that summer!” Wales said. “The Zieglers have always supported me financially – it is even better that they support me as a friend.” Kevin Brown, environmental engineering senior, said the Zieglers are “like the Southern grandparents I never had.” From Idaho, Brown said he enjoys the conversations at The Chimes, which range “from light talk about travel to big issues such as water security, coastal erosion, or renewable energy development.” Plus, he added, “it doesn’t hurt that the food is always exquisite.” Bill Ziegler said his Top 100 Scholarship not only helped him attend school but also helped his parents afford his younger sister’s education. That is why he and Joanne give back. “We never had kids, so we thought we could help other people’s children,” Joanne said. “For me, it was my way to give in appreciation of all he’s learned and benefited from the education.” “The family wasn’t rich. My brother was already in school, and my sister was right behind me. An academic scholarship was about all I would ever get,” Bill explained. “It made a big impression. It was important enough that I wanted to make sure that opportunity was available to other students.” Calli Schneider, a kinesiology junior, said she hopes to continue the generous cycle of giving as an alumna. “Not only are they providing help financially, but they also have the opportunity to build relationships with LSU students. I would have never imagined that receiving a scholarship would allow me to get to know so many past and present LSU students,” she said. “I am so thankful for the Zieglers and all alumni contributions to LSU scholarships. It is a great tradition that I hope to one day participate in.” Danielle Kelley (2014 BACH MCOM)) is a graduate student studying strategic communication at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication. @daniellenkelley
Rhett Butler Named New VP of Advancement Rhett Butler joined the LSU Alumni Association as the vice president of advancement on March 1. A Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), Butler has worked in alumni advancement for the past eight years, most recently as assistant director of development for the Tiger Athletic Foundation. Previously, he served as the director of development for the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and as associate director of development in the E.J. Ourso College of Business. “Having the good fortune of playing college baseball on a scholarship, I experienced firsthand the advantages of alumni giving, and I am dedicated to helping donors make investments that will change lives,” Butler said. “We are delighted to welcome Rhett to our team,” said LSU Alumni Association President and CEO Cliff Vannoy. “He has done an outstanding job in garnering support for LSU programs and brings a wealth of experience to the table. His knowledge and expertise will move our giving programs to the next level.” Butler holds a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He, and his wife, Jennifer, have three children, Evan, Emma, and Ethan. The family resides in Prairieville.
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LSU Alumni Association News
Snapshots
‘Jeopardy’ host Alex Trebeck and LSU’s Kevin Brown.
A First for LSU – LSU environmental engineering senior and 2012 Flagship Scholar recipient Kevin Brown was the first LSU student to be invited to the “Jeopardy! College Championship Tournament.” One of fifteen students competing for a $100,000 grand prize in the 2016 tournament, the Boise, Idaho, native appeared on the show on Feb. 2. He missed two questions in the football category and placed third in the quarterfinals round. “Being on ‘Jeopardy!’ was a much more intense and significant experience than I expected,” said Brown. “Over the course of two days, I got a behind-the-scenes look at a nationally beloved TV show, met fourteen amazing students from around the country and, most importantly, had the opportunity to represent LSU on the national stage. I was the first LSU student to be invited to the College Championship, and I hope that my appearance will inspire more students to go for it.”
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, left, with Student Government Vice-Presidnet Elect Lindsey Landry and President-elect Zack Faircloth. Photo by Emily Berniard
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Celtic Media Centre Executive Director Patrick Mulhearn, center, with Student Government representatives at the inaugural Speakers: The Series event. Photo by Johnny Gordon
Real World Prep – Patrick Mulhearn, executive director of Celtic Media Centre, spoke to students about the importance of teamwork at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on March 17. His talk was the first in “Speakers: The Series,” a new professional development program sponsored by Student Government and the LSU Alumni Association. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne talked to students about integrity on April 19. The talks, delivered by outstanding LSU alumni, focus on the Association’s Core Values – Tradition, Loyalty, Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork, Selfless Service, Respect, and Communication. Mulhearn was inducted into the LSU Hall of Distinction in 2015; Dardenne is a 2014 inductee.
The LSU Alumni Association welcomes graduating seniors to Tiger Nation.
A graduating senior poses for a senior portrait.
LSU Alumni Association Chapter Director BJ Bellow, left, and Vice President Jason Ramezan congratulate May graduate Madalyn Knutson on becoming a fullfledged member of the Association.
Grad Fair – Graduation – it’s an exciting but chaotic time for seniors. They have myriad details to attend to – among them, caps and gowns, rings, and senior portraits – before they walk across the stage to claim their diplomas. It can all be done at Grad Fair – and the LSU Alumni Association is a major player in the two-day “one-stop shopping” event, offering future alumni the opportunity to become full-fledged members of the Association. More than 300 soon-to-be grads became official members of Tiger Nation through early membership.
Soon-to-be grads check out the many opportunities available to them as members of the LSU Alumni Association with help from, left to right, Claire McVea, Amanda Robichaux, and BJ Bellow.
Photos by Johnny Gordon
Teague Theatre Scholar – Caitlin Brimer, a New Orleans senior majoring in theatre and English, was awarded the LSU Alumni Association Outstanding Undergraduate in Theatre Endowed Scholarship in March. The scholarship honors the memory and legacy of the late Anna Dean Teague (1973 PHD H&SS), a professor of speech and theatre at LSU and director of theatre at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La. She also taught at Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo., and at St. Michael the Archangel High in Baton Jerry Shea, Caitlin Brimer, Jann Teague Peck, and Jordan Peck. Rouge. The scholarship was established by her daughter, Jann Teague Peck (1973 BACH HS&E, 2001 MAST HS&E), with the assistance of lifelong family friends Jerry and Beverly Shea, of New Iberia, La. Jerry is a former member of the LSU Board of Supervisors and the LSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors, and Beverly currently serves on the alumni board. Photo by Johnny Gordon
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LSU Alumni Association News
Snapshots
Associate Vice Provost for International Programs Hector Zapata, Naomi Clement, Caio Diniz, Guillermo Severiche, Therese Jernbeck, and LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy.
International Scholars – The second round of LSU Alumni Association International Student Scholarships were handed out in April to students from Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Sweden. Receiving the $2,500 awards were Naomi Clement, Canada, pursuing a master of fine arts degree in ceramics; Caio Diniz, Brazil, a junior in music performance; Guillermo Severiche, Argentina, who holds a master’s degree in Hispanic studies from LSU and is pursuing a doctoral degree in comparative literature; and Therese Jernbeck, Sweden, a track athlete pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international trade and finance. The scholarships, first awarded in 2015, foster the cultural and scholarly contributions of students who will carry the values of Tiger Nation to their homelands when they graduate. Photo by David Fisse
Cindy Lane Parr, photo on left, and Austin Scirratt with Vice Provost for Academic Programs & Support Services Matt Lee.
Top Teaching Assistants – Teaching graduate assistants Cindy Lane Parr and Austin Scirratt each received an LSU Alumni Association Teaching Assistant Award at University College’s “Celebration of Excellence” spring awards program in March. Parr holds a master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders and is pursuing a Ph.D. in the field. Scirratt earned a master’s degree in mathematics from LSU and received his Ph.D. in mathematics in May. The award is presented to a teaching assistant who has demonstrated an environment of learning and inspiration in the classroom. Photos courtesy University College
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CUTS TO HIGHER EDUCATION ARE NOT THE ANSWER TO THE BUDGET SHORTFALL. IN 2015, THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE HEARD THE ROAR OF TIGER NATION AND LSU WAS SPARED UNPRECENTED BUDGET CUTS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2017, LOUISIANA WILL AGAIN FACE ANOTHER MONUMENTAL BUDGET SHORTFALL.
ARE YOU A PART OF THE COLLECTIVE VOICE OF TIGER ADVOCATES?
IF YOU LOVE LSU, YOU SHOULD BE. JOIN US AT WWW.LSUALUMNI.ORG/TIGERADVOCATES
THE ONLY INVESTMENT REQUIRED IS A MINIMUM OF YOUR TIME. LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
19
LSU Alumni Association News
Snapshots
LSU Bound quadruplets in Dallas.
LSU President F. King Alexander and LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy. Photo by Will O’Halloran
Future Tigers in Fort Worth proudly display their LSU Bound signs.
#LSUTIGERNATION – In 2015, The University, in collaboration with the LSU Alumni Association, launched LSU Bound, an outreach program that puts a visual face on the scope of national recruitment. At the privately funded expense of the Association, and at no cost to the University, LSU Bound yard signs were created and distributed to thousands of incoming first-year students at on-campus orientation or via post to their homes. The enthusiastic response to and demand for the signs is remarkable, and photos of excited students – from coast to coast – holding or standing by their own LSU Bound signs have exploded on social media. 1946 LSU Ring – Dr. Walter B. Comeaux, Jr. (1943 BACH, 1946 MD), of Lafayette, La., donated his 1946 ring to the LSU Ring Collection on April 7. Comeaux, a retired general and thoracic surgeon, was chief of staff and medical director at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. To donate a ring to the collection, contact jackie@lsualumni.org. Photo by Johnny Gordon
LSU Alumni Association President Cliff Vannoy and Dr. Walter Comeaux.
20 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
Investing in Tigers, Transforming Lives I have been interested in science and pursuing a career in the medical field for several years. As a biochemistry major
Bud Johnson, center, and coworkers at his retirement luncheon on April 6.
What’s the Next Adventure? – Bud Johnson, director of the Andonie Sports Museum since 2007, retired in April after a nearly sixty-year career in the sports journalism and public relations fields. Johnson joined the LSU family in 1958 as assistant sports publicity director and served as sports information director from 1966 to 1971. He did public relations stints with Eastern Airlines and the New Orleans Jazz and served as assistant athletic director at Tulane University. His “football Saturdays at the Andonie” attracted hundreds of alumni and supporters to the museum, all eager to meet and greet former LSU sports greats. Johnson garnered numerous awards for sports writing and publications and is the author of The Perfect Season LSU’s Magic Year – 1958. Lucky for magazine readers, he will continue to share his sports savvy by coordinating and writing features for the Locker Room section in each issue.
with this scholarship I have the opportunity to work in a biochemistry lab under Dr. Grover Waldrop. Aside from my studies, I am currently involved in the Medical Chapter of the Global Brigades, a volunteer organization that provides supplies and health education to the underserved locally and in Latin America. During spring break, I took part in a medical mission to Nicaragua. I am an associate member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, a premedical honor society, and an active member of the Psi Chapter of Beta Upsilon Chi, a Christian fraternity. After I obtain my bachelor’s degree, I plan to attend medical school and possibly pursue a path in medical research as well. Because of your contributions to the LSU Alumni Association, LSU is able to attract more students like Joshua every year. This doesn’t just make a difference now-it makes a difference for the future, for students like Joshua will be tomorrow’s top educators, scientists, and business leaders. And you make that possible. JOSHUA CASKEY President’s Alumni Scholar Bossier City, Louisiana
You’re Not Just Writing a Check ...
YOU’RE WRITING THE FUTURE. To donate to or endow a scholarship, visit www.lsualumni.org or call 1-888-RING LSU.
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
21
LSU Alumni Association News
Snapshots
Red Carpet Weekend participants at the Governor’s Mansion.
Kudos – Linda Janet with Life Church in Walker, La., shares highlights – and kudos for The Cook Hotel – following the church’s Red Carpet Weekend in April. “We invite missionaries from all over the world and local pastors each year to come and be a part of this special weekend where we literally roll out the red carpet for an entire weekend – this was our second year at The Cook Hotel. We can’t thank you guys enough for the incredible stay. The hospitality we received this past weekend was off the chart. You [have] an amazing staff that loves what they do! It’s so evident,” Janet writes. The group toured the Governor’s Mansion, visited Cajun Village, enjoyed shopping and dining outings, and wound up the weekend with a religious service followed by a Cajun feast at the church.
22 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
23
LSU Alumni Association News
Snapshots HBCU – The Cook Hotel and
High school students from Chicago on the Rainbow Push HBCU National College Tour.
Conference Center was an unexpected but fortuitous stop for the Rainbow Push HBCU National College Tour Tuesday in April. Sixty three high school juniors and seniors and their chaperones from the Chicago area were detoured en route to the Houston/Galveston area due to the recent flooding and needed lodging in Baton Rouge. The detour to the Capital City offered Vice Provost for Diversity Dereck Rovaris and LSU Alumni Association Vice President John Grubb the opportunity to meet with the group and provide an unscheduled tour of the LSU campus prior to their departure for a similar tour of Southern University. It was an excellent opportunity to show off the campus and provide answers to many good questions about the various academic programs, scholarships, and unique opportunities that LSU has to offer. Photo by John Grubb
24 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
25
THE LSU ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N annually recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves and the Un i v e r s i t y t h r o u g h their careers, their personal and civic accomplishments, their volunteer activities, and their l o ya l t y t o t h e i r a l m a m a t e r.
Left page from top: 1. Mario Garner, Patricia Crawford, Serena Crawford, Gwendolyn Garner, and Eugene Garner. 2. 2016 Hall of Distinction Inductees. 3. Rachael Johnson, Bernette Joshua Johnson, and Neyah Johnson. 4. Sidney, Robert, James, William, and Susan Fuchs. 5. Keisha Simoneaux, Denis Simoneaux, Emily Dunlap, Mikie Quinn, Michelle Quinn, Elisabeth Dunlap, Marcy Simoneaux, Frank Simoneaux, Rainier Simoneaux, Camille Dunlap, Isabelle Simoneaux, F. Paul Simoneaux, and Marie Simoneaux. Right page from top: 1. William, Rosalind, Jill, and Roger Jenkins. 2. 2015 Alumnus of the Year Newton Thomas congratulates 2016 Alumnus of the Year Roger Jenkins.
26 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
Celebrating
50 YEARS JENKINS, GARNER HIGHLIGHT 2016 HALL OF DISTINCTION
R
oger W. Jenkins, president and chief executive officer of Murphy Oil Corporation, and Mario Julien Garner, senior vice president and chief
executive officer of Memorial Hermann Pearland Hospital, highlighted the roster of distinguished alumni inducted into the 2016 LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. Jenkins, Alumnus of the Year, and Garner, Young Alumnus of the Year, along with three other outstanding LSU graduates, were inducted on March 4 at the Lod Cook Alumni Center. The Alumnus of the Year designation is the highest honor awarded to a distinguished graduate of LSU. The 2016 gala marked the fiftieth anniversary of naming an LSU Alumnus of the Year. The first award was conferred in 1966; the Young Alumnus of the Year Award was established in 1999 to recognize alumni under the age of 40 who have attained professional prominence early in their careers. Also inducted were Sidney E. Fuchs, president and chief executive officer of McAulay-Brown, Inc.; Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson; and Frank P. Simoneaux, lawyer, legislator, military officer, and public servant.
H O N O R E E S ’ P H O T O S B Y E D D Y P E R E Z ADDITIONAL PHOTOS BY JOHNNY GORDON
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
27
ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
Roger W. Jenkins R
oger W. Jenkins, president and chief executive officer of Murphy Oil Corporation, graduated from LSU in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business, and he completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. Jenkins joined Murphy Oil in 2001 as drilling manager in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and held increasingly responsible positions – general manager/vice president of Sabah Operations; senior vice president, North America; president, Murphy Exploration & Production Company; and chief operating officer, Murphy Oil Corporation – until assuming the president and CEO role in 2013. He is also a member of the executive committee and a member of the board. Prior to joining Murphy, Jenkins was a drilling engineer and ultimately drilling manager for the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Texaco USA where he worked for eighteen years. In addition to Murphy Oil, Jenkins serves on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute, the Arkansas Research Alliance, and the Well Control Institute. He was former national president of the American Association of Drilling Engineers and is a thirty-plus-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. His leadership, work ethic, and business successes are reflected in numerous accomplishments, among them the publication of five Society of Petroleum Engineers technical articles; establishment of safety management systems; participation in various deepwater operational records; implementation of the Kikeh Deepwater Development in Malaysia – one of the largest-ever developments in southeast Asia – with seven industry firsts and considered the fastest major field deepwater execution effort in the world. He oversaw the entry into two successful, major shale plays in North America. As in business, Jenkins is passionate about his community and his alma mater. He spearheads Murphy Oil’s involvement in civic outreach through philanthropy and actively supports United Way, his parish church, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He serves on the LSU Foundation Board of Directors and the Dean’s Advisory Council of the E.J. Ourso College of Business and, as a major supporter of the Tiger Athletic Foundation, is a Purple Blazer recipient. Jenkins and his wife, Jill, have two children, William, an LSU freshman, and Rosalind who has a career in communications.
LSU means flagship – the flagship university of the state. The success of the state requires a solid university system, and we have one. LSU is especially strong in engineering, placing key employees into the businesses of oil and gas production, refining, construction, and chemical – the key drivers of the state. LSU also means success on the playing field where we field top teams across all men’s and women’s sports. I am proud to be an LSU alumnus.”
28 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
YOUNG ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
Mario Julien Garner M
ario Julien Garner is the inaugural senior vice president and chief executive officer at Memorial Hermann Pearland Hospital in Pearland, Texas. Garner served as LSU Student Body vice president in 2001-2002 and graduated from LSU in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. He earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Tulane University and a doctor of education degree in administration and supervision from the University of Houston. Before joining Memorial Hermann in 2015, Garner served for two years as the inaugural president and chief executive officer of New Orleans East Hospital, overseeing the reestablishment of a full-service inpatient hospital to serve the communities that were severely damaged during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Prior to that, he was chief operations officer at Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Ga.; chief operating officer/ethics and compliance officer at The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana in Lafayette, La.; and associate administrator at West Houston Medical Center. Garner is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association of Health Service Executives. He is a member of the LSU Department of Equity, Diversity, and Community Outreach National Advisory Board; a guest lecturer for the LSU College of Science “Careers in Life Sciences” course; and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He was an anchor/host of “Meet the Doctor” segments on WDIG TV in Dublin and hosted a radio talk show on WBOK radio in New Orleans. Garner has served the community as a Rotarian since 2011. He was selected for the Georgia Hospital Association’s 2012 Leadership Cohort. He currently attends Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. Garner was recently named the University of Houston College of Education’s Outstanding Alumnus for 2015, listed among 25 Rising Stars in Healthcare under age 40 by Becker’s Hospital Review, and received the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Robert S. Hudgens Award for “2015 Young Healthcare Executive of the Year.” Other recognitions include the WittKieffer Modern Healthcare “2014 Up & Comer” Award; 2014 City of New Orleans Outstanding Millennial in Healthcare; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity New Orleans Chapter 2014 Citizen of the Year; and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Dublin, Georgia, Chapter Omega Man of the Year for 2013 and 2014. He was inducted into Tulane’s Delta Omega National Public Health Honorary Society in 2010 and in 2006 was named an Ebony magazine’s Top 30 Leaders under age 30.
I will forever cherish my years at LSU. It is the place where my road to adulthood began, my interest for servant leadership was heightened, my appreciation for the essentiality of friendship was strengthened, the trajectory for my career was established, and the zeal to “Live Gold” became paramount. Yes! Love purple. Live gold. Forever LSU.”
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
29
Sidney E. Fuchs S
idney E. Fuchs, president and chief executive officer of MacAulay-Brown, Inc. (MacB), a leading national security engineering company, earned bachelor’s (1984) and master’s (1987) degrees in mechanical engineering from LSU. While a student, he was a member of the LSU Tiger Marching Band and several student and honor societies. He completed executive programs at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago and is a graduate of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Special Operations and Training School and the CIA Intelligence Analysis School. An accomplished and innovative leader and business executive, Fuchs has more than twenty-five years of experience in government, industry, and academia. Prior to MacB, he held CEO positions with ATS Corporation, OAO Technology Solutions, and Northrop Grumman/TASC, and senior executive positions with various high tech companies. He has led public and private corporations ranging in size from $100M to over $1.5B in annual revenue. Upon graduation from LSU, Fuchs was recruited by the CIA and served in a variety of foreign and domestic field operations and management positions. A highly decorated intelligence officer, he received commendations from the Central Intelligence Director, the U.S. Defense and Intelligence Community, and other government organizations in the U.S. and abroad. He received federal appointments to the National Defense University Board of Visitors in 2002 and the Defense Science Board in 2008 and in 2010 was granted a commission by the Governor of Virginia to the Global Strategies Council. Fuchs continues to be an advisor to several government and industry officials and corporate boards on a variety of industry and national security topics. Fuchs is a guest lecturer and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council in the College of Engineering and in 2013 was appointed Executive in Residence. He is chair of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Board of Advisors, a Senior Fellow of the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute, a major donor to the College of Engineering, and a member of the LSU Foundation. He was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2012. Fuchs is the author of the book Get off the Bench: Unleashing the Power of Strategic Networking through Relationships. He is also an internationally published author, speaker, and acknowledged thought leader on intelligence and national security, business strategy and operations, board governance, leadership development, professional networking, and organizational change. Fuchs and his wife, Susan, a 1986 LSU business graduate, reside in Oak Hill, Va., They have three children, William, Robert, and James.
Even though my life and career have taken me to the four corners of the world, LSU has given me deep roots and a set of values that remind me of where I came from, what’s important, and that I can make a difference.”
30 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
Bernette Joshua Johnson L
ouisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, one of the first African-American women to attend law school at LSU, received a juris doctorate degree from the LSU Law Center in 1969. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Spelman College in 1964 and received an honorary doctorate in law from her alma mater in 2001. Johnson began her judicial career in 1984 on the Civil District Court in New Orleans and was elected chief judge by her colleagues. She was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1994, re-elected without opposition in 2000 and 2010, and sworn in as chief justice in 2013. She is the court’s twenty-fifth chief justice, its second female chief justice, and its first African-American chief justice. Long dedicated to public service, social justice, and civil rights, Johnson has worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and she was managing attorney of the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation. She joined the staff of the New Orleans City Attorney in 1982 and later served as deputy city attorney. Johnson is a member of the American, National, Louisiana, and New Orleans bar associations and is active with the Louisiana Judicial Council, A.P. Tureaud Chapter of the American Inns of Court, National Association of Women Judges, Women in Prison Project, Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church, Omicron Nu Zeta Chapter, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and the New Orleans Chapter of Links, Inc., among other organizations. Widely recognized as a trailblazer, Johnson has received numerous awards for her outstanding service to her profession, the public, and the community, among them, the Joan Dempsey Klein Award from the National Association of Women Judges, the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award, the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, the LSU Martin Luther King Unsung Hero Award, the National Urban League President’s Award, the first-ever Ernest N. Morial Award from the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, and the NAACP Louisiana State Conference A.P. Tureaud Citizenship Award. She is a member of the National Bar Association Hall of Fame and the LSU Law Center’s Hall of Fame, and she was named an honorary inductee into the LSU Order of the Coif. Johnson has two children, David, an accountant, who lives in Atlanta with his family; and Rachael, an attorney licensed to practice in Florida and Louisiana.
I attribute my professional success to the excellent training that I received at LSU Law School.”
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
31
F rank P. Simoneaux F
rank P. Simoneaux, lawyer, legislator, military officer, and public servant, graduated from LSU in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and earned a juris doctorate from LSU Law School in 1961. Yet he is of humble origins. Simoneaux entered LSU in 1954 after attending Nicholls Junior College. Excelling in academics, as a student leader, and in ROTC, he was inducted into Pi Gamma Mu academic fraternity and named an LSU Distinguished Military Graduate. After graduating, he served on active duty for two years. He was discharged as a first lieutenant in 1958 but served in the Army Reserve and entered law school. Once again, he excelled in the classroom and as a student leader, serving as president of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, being inducted into ODK, an honorary student leadership fraternity, and winning, with fellow student Charles Ware, the prestigious Robert Lee Tullis Moot Court competition in 1961. After law school, he returned to active duty during the Berlin Crisis, was promoted to captain, and transferred to the Judge Advocate General Corps. He completed thirty years of Reserve and National Guard service in 1986, retiring with the rank of colonel and as state judge advocate general. Simoneaux served with several prominent firms and remains active as a sole practitioner. He has served on the boards of the Baton Rouge and Louisiana State bar associations, the Council of the Louisiana State Law Institute and the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute, American Arbitration Association, and American Judicature Society. He served on the Campaign Oversight Committee for election of judges and as president of the Louisiana Organization for Judicial Excellence. Simoneaux was thrice elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives (1972, 1976-1982) and unanimously elected House Speaker pro tem in 1980. He served on the House and Governmental Affairs, Civil Law and Procedure, and Natural Resources committees and as Louisiana Secretary of Natural Resources (1982-84). In 2008, he was elected by the House to the Louisiana Board of Ethics and elected chair by its members. Among the civic organizations Simoneaux has served are the Lakeshore Lions Club and Inter-Civic Council. He was a founder of the Bocage Racquet Club and founded the Greater Baton Rouge Hope Academy, which serves children with a wide array of disabilities. He is a member of the U.S. National Guard Association, Cadets of the Ole War Skule, and LSU Alumni Association and was inducted into LSU Law School Hall of Fame. Simoneaux and his wife, Marcy, married fifty-four years, have five children and four grandchildren.
LSU has meant learning principles of government, military life, and law, which enabled me to reach far beyond Brusly St. Vincent where I was born.�
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Did You Know? 285
Since 1966, 285 individuals have been inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction. There have been fifty-four honorees have received Alumnus of the Year awards, with corecipients in 1973, 1986, and 1999. From 1966-81, only an Alumnus of the Year was recognized at the Hall of Distinction ceremony. An induction “class” was implemented in 1981.
54
LSU ALUMNI HALL OF DISTINCTION INDUCTEES
ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR HONOREES
9 UNITED STATES MILITARY GENERALS INDUCTED The Hall of Distinction includes nine individuals who achieved the rank of general in the United States military. Honorees include Gen. Robert H. Barrow, Maj. Gen. William Bowdon, Maj. Gen. Ronald Richard, Brig. Gen. Bobby Page, Brig. Gen. Karlynn O’Shaughnessy, Maj. Gen. Jasper Welch, Lt. Gen. Terry Gabreski, Lt. Gen. Thomas G. Rhame, and Gen. Charles “Hondo” Campbell.
GOVER
MCKEIT NOR JOHN
GOVERNO GOVERNO
RM
RE
19 YOUNG ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR SINCE 2000
HEN
ARDS DWIN EDW
“MIKE” URPHY J.
FOSTER, J
R.
Three sitting Louisiana governors have been inducted into the Hall of Distinction. Governor John McKeithen was the 1967 Alumnus of the Year, Gov. Edwin Edwards was the 1977 honoree, and Gov. Murphy J. “Mike” Foster, Jr., was a member of the 1997 induction class.
S E N AT O R
RUSSELL LONG
The Young Alumnus of the Year distinction was first included as part of the 2000 ceremony. In seventeen years, nineteen individuals have been selected as outstanding young alumni. COL. ROY J. YOUNG was the first person inducted into the Hall of Distinction as the 1966 Alumnus of the Year. He died in the Eastern Airlines Flight 66 crash at JFK Airport on June 24, 1975. Ironically, New Orleans BISHOP IVESON B. NOLAND, who was the 1974 Alumnus of the Year, was killed in the same crash.
S E N AT O R
J. BENNETT JOHNSTON
S E N AT O R
JOHN BREAUX
Three former United States senators are members of the Hall of Distinction. Senator Russell Long was recognized as the 1976 Alumnus of the Year, Sen. J. Bennett Johnston was the 1982 honoree, and Sen. John Breaux was a member of the 1990 class of inductees. TWO OF LOUISIANA’S NOTABLE CULINARY PERSONALITIES ARE MEMBERS OF THE HALL OF DISTINCTION. Legendary humorist and Cajun chef Justin Wilson was honored as part of the 1990 induction class. In 2000, Ruth Fertel, the founder of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, was included among the class of honorees.
JUSTIN WILSON 1990
RUTH FERTEL 2000
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
33
LSU
RESEARCH
WORKS
FOR LOUISIANA
34 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
FROM IMPROVING CANCER TREATMENTS AND HELPING THOSE WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE STAY ACTIVE, TO SAVING THE COASTLINE AND FISHERIES OF LOUISIANA, LSU RESEARCH IMPACTS LOUISIANANS IN WAYS MANY DO NOT OFTEN REALIZE. LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
35
IN LOUISIANA ARTHRITIS AFFECTS: MORE THAN
856,000 ADULTS 4,800 CHILDREN
AND NEARLY
LSU RESEARCH WORKS
LSU RESEARCH WORKS
FOR ARTHRITIS
ON AUTISM
WITHOUT THE CONTRIBUTON OF LOUISIANA, OUR NATION WOULD LOSE:
PARISHES IN LOUISIANA ARE AT OR ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR PREVALENCE OF DIABETES.
LSU RESEARCH WORKS
LSU RESEARCH WORKS
ON DIABETES
FOR ENERGY
COASTAL ZONE AND EXTREME STORM SURGE POTENTIAL ZONE
ASIAN CARP $6 million
SUGARCANE APHID $7.6 million
ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID $6.4 million
GIANT SALVINIA $6.9 million
ECONOMIC IMPACT/DAMAGE PER YEAR OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN LOUISIANA
LSU RESEARCH WORKS
ON HURRICANE IMPACTS Greater New Orleans $300 million
ESTIMATED TERMITE DAMAGE PER YEAR
Louisiana outside of Greater New Orleans $200 million
The United States not including Louisiana $500 million
LSU RESEARCH WORKS ON INVASIVE SPECIES
LOUISIANA ACCOUNTS FOR 50% OF ESTIMATED TERMITE DAMAGE IN THE UNITED STATES PER YEAR.
LSU RESEARCH WORKS ON TERMITES
36 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
LSU RESEARCH WORKS ON CANCER
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
T
o that end, the University has launched a communications initiative – “LSU Research Works” – designed to show
the world how LSU research, conducted at all the LSU campuses around the state, profoundly affects the lives of Louisiana citizens.
“It’s impressive to see the breadth and depth of our research,” LSU President F. King Alexander said. “The work being done at all of our campuses covers issues of vital importance to our citizens, such as cancer treatment, energy management, hurricane protection, and even termite damage prevention. If you live in Louisiana, you’re being positively impacted by LSU research every day.” The LSU Research Works initiative shows how LSU is solving some of Louisiana’s biggest problems through high-level research. Some of the state’s issues that are addressed in the initiative include diabetes, childhood obesity, autism, coastal land loss, hurricanes, and infectious diseases. Other topics include all the ways LSU research has assisted the U.S. military, the state’s challenges in dealing with invasive species, and the daily struggles of the Louisiana seafood industry. “The people of Louisiana face many of the same problems the rest of the nation and the world are facing. But they also deal with challenges that are very specific to this state and this region,” Alexander said. “LSU works to address all of these issues and strives to make the state a better place for us all to call home.” The LSU Office of Strategic Communications is using social media, the news media, billboards, videos, and internal communications to the LSU campuses to publicize the Research Works initiative. It has also created a series of one-page fact sheets that were distributed throughout the spring to the Louisiana Legislature and to attendees at research forums, conferences, and events.
As alumni, you can help, too. By spreading the word about all the things LSU does to impact citizens of the state, you can help us heighten LSU’s reputation for research nationwide. Please tell your family, friends, business associates, and others about LSU research, and feel free to use LSU’s fact sheets to help you tell that story. The fact sheets and information about Research Works in general are available by clicking the Research Works box on the LSU homepage, or by going directly to www.lsu.edu/ researchworks. If you follow LSU on Facebook or Twitter, you can share or retweet the items posted. On Twitter, use #LSUResearch to tag research-related posts. And, tell us how LSU Research Works for you by sharing your story on Twitter. Tweet at LSU using #LSUResearch to let us know how your life has been impacted by LSU research. In addition, visit www.lsu.edu/ accolades for information about LSU’s recent accomplishments. It will remind you how proud you should be that you are an LSU graduate!
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
37
Around
CAMPUS
In Focus
Taking part in the French House ribbon-cutting ceremony are, from left, State Rep. Franklin Foil, Executive Director of Facility Services Tony Lombardo, Executive Vice President and Provost Richard Koubek, Roger Ogden, Executive Vice President of Starmount Insurance Donna Sternberg, President F. King Alexander, Honors College Dean Jonathan Earle, Tipton Associates architects Shane Higdon and Lori Prochaska, Ogden Honors Advisory Council Chair Brian Haymon, LSU Board of Supervisors member Rolfe McCollister, 2015 Ogden Leader Zackari Murphy, and Cangelosi Ward contractor Tommy Messina.
Ribbon Cutting – The Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College cut the ribbon on its renovated home, the French House, on Jan. 28. The landmark building provides the college with amenities available in top-notch facilities across the nation. The new classrooms fit the seminar-style classes that characterize the Honors curriculum, the cafÊ is now a spacious student lounge, and the upgraded and refurbished Grand Salon, which serves as a central gathering space, reflects its historical importance. Photo by Eddy Perez
38 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
39
Around Campus
Bill and Barbara Brown, Mary Ann Sternberg, and Lorry and Bill Trotter.
In Focus
Fred and Barbara Bryan, Jeffrey Keller, and Diane and Mike Schouest.
LSU Retirees – Jeffrey Keller, director of the Institute of Dementia Research and Prevention at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, spoke at the February meeting of LSU Faculty and Staff Retirees at the Lod Cook Alumni Center. Keller focuses on home care education by teaching care givers how to help those with dementia without burnout from the stress. In March, Mary Ann Sternberg, the author of three books on the historic River Road, shared her insights on the area’s communities and cultures. Members also took a field trip to Whole Foods and were introduced to novel health foods like chia seeds and sweet potato “spaghetti” by Chef Matthew Downey. Photos by Mark Claesgens.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND Now in Hardback
THE LSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE SIXTH PRINTING of the
LOUISIANA TIGER BAIT
SELECTED RECIPES FROM L.S.U. ALUMS... AVAILABLE AT THE LSU ALUMNI GIFT SHOP LOCATED IN THE LOBBY OF THE COOK HOTEL 225.383.0241 shop.lsualumni.org
40 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
COO a Great TK UP ail with Tige gate r Bait!
THE HEAT IS BACK, BUT NIGHTS STAY COOL AT THE COOK! reintroducing
COOL SUMMER
nights
DELUXE ROOMS $109
LUXURY SUITES $149
AVAILABLE SELECT DATES IN JUNE, JULY, & AUGUST
SIGNATURE SUITES $249
Includes 2 domestic or imported ice cold beers at check-in & 2 LSU Alumni/Cook Hotel koozies
CALL 1.866.610.2665 AND REQUEST THE "COOL" RATE.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Rates are not bookable online, subject to availability and are not applicable to previously booked reservations.
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
41
Around Campus
In Focus
Deke Carbo.
Fernando Guerrero.
James Harp, Jr.
Steven Walker.
Ourso Hall of Distinction – Deke Carbo, Fernando Guerrero, James Harp, Jr., and Steven Walker were inducted into E.J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction in March. Carbo (1990 BACH BUS), Metairie, La., is president, chief executive officer, and owner of Metis Financial, an investment and financial consulting firm. Guerrero (1983 BACH BUS, 1984 MAST BUS) is managing partner and chief investment officer for Varadero Capital in New York City. Harp (1982 BACH BUS) is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hornbeck Offshore, a marine transportation and oilfield service company headquartered in Covington, La. Walker (1971 BACH BUS, 1973 MAST BUS) retired from JPMorgan Chase in 2015 after a thirty-nine-year career in commercial banking.
42 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
HS&E Hall of Distinction – The College of Human Sciences & Education honored three distinguished alumni at its Hall of Distinction celebration in April. Recognized for their significant contributions to LSU and the extended community were Cate Heroman, School of Education Alumna of Distinction; Wendy McLain, School of Library & Information Science Alumna of Distinction; and Wally McMakin, School of Kinesiology Alumnus of School of Education Interim Director Neil Mathews, Distinction. Also honored were Ronnie School of Education Alumna of Distinction Cate Heroman, and Dean of the College of Human and Allyson Morris, Philanthropy Award; Sciences & Education Damon Andrew. Lt. Herbert “Tweety” Anny, Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) Leader, Community Partner, School of Social Work; Mayor Holden’s Love Our Community Summer Youth Employment Program, Community Partner, School of Human Resource Education & Workforce Development; and Cub Club, Community Partner, University Laboratory School.
Dixon McMakin, Jordan Cranch, Andrea McMakin, and School of Kinesiology Alumnus of Distinction Wally McMakin.
Photos courtesy College of Human Sciences & Education
Ellen Tadman, Lauri Blandino, and School of Library & Information Science Alumna of Distinction Wendy McLain.
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Around Campus
In Focus The Firsts Hearsts – The Hearst Foundations last year granted $80,000 to the College of Arts & Design earmarked for the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in the college. The first recipients of the scholarships are Malachi Pursley, architecture; Kamea Comeaux, fine arts; Amanda Campos, interior design; and Scott Self, landscape architecture. The grant will provide scholarships to twenty students over the next five years. Each recipient will receive $4,000 – $2,000 a year during their first and second years of study. The scholarships may be used for tuition, supplies, living expenses – whatever the students need to succeed in their studies at LSU. Scott Self, Malachi Pursley, Kamea Comeux, and Amanda Campos.
Photo by Dason Pettit
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CHAPTER AND NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
VISIT WWW.MEMBERSHIP.LSUALUMNI.ORG TO BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
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SEC Professor of the Year – Boyd Professor Isiah Warner, vice president for strategic initiatives, Philip W. West Professor of Analytical & Environmental Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, was named the 2016 SEC Professor of the Year. The award recognizes a faculty member whose record of teaching, research, and scholarship places him or her among the elite in higher education. Considered one of the world’s experts in analytical applications of fluorescence Boyd Professor Isiah Warner, center, pictured spectroscopy, Warner, who chaired the with Sen. Eric LaFleur, left, and President F. King Department of Chemistry from 1994 to Alexander, was recognized during LSU Day in the Capitol Senate Chamber. 1997, pioneered efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The award carries a $20,000 honorarium provided by the Southeastern Conference. Warren was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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Noteworthy
Around Campus
Ivan Agullo
James Davis
Thomas C. Galligan Jr.
Ivan Agullo, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, received a five-year National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award and also received the International Society Young Scientist Prize from the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation, an affiliated commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). The $400,000 CAREER award will support Agullo’s research on the early universe. The IUPAP award is considered among the highest international recognitions in the field of general relativity and gravitation for young researchers, recognizing outstanding achievements of scientists at early stages of their career. James Davis was named director of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute. An adjunct faculty member in the Flores M.B.A. Program, Davis is cofounder and chief technology officer of Health Engagements, a startup software development firm specializing in healthcare applications. He earned a doctorate in information systems and decision sciences at LSU, a master’s degree in computer science at the University of South Alabama, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Alabama. He is a former captain in the U.S. Army, lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. Thomas C. Galligan Jr., currently the president of Colby-Sawyer College, was named dean of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, effective July 1. Prior to serving as the president of Colby-Sawyer College, Galligan was dean and the Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. He
46 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
Ward-Oubre Nuptials
taught at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU, where he was named the Dr. Dale E. Bennett Professor of F. Neil Mathews Wayne Newhauser Law, and was honored by the students as Outstanding LSU Professor six times. He holds an A.B. from Stanford University, a J.D. from the Jesse Allison Catherine Deibel University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University) School of Law, and a L.L.M. from the Columbia University Law School. F. Neil Mathews was appointed director of the School of Education and Patrick & Edwidge Olinde Endowed Professor. He had served as interim director since 2014. Mathews returned as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice in 2009 after serving in various administrative roles, among them, vice chancellor for student life, vice provost, and dean of the College of Education. Wayne Newhauser, professor of physics and astronomy and director of LSU Medical & Health Physics, was named a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Newhauser, the Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair of LSU Medical Physics, was recognized for his distinguished contributions to medical physics. He is a board certified and licensed medical physicist. 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. Jesse Allison, assistant professor of experimental music and digital media with a joint appointment in the School of Music and the Center for Computation & Technology, received the Emerging Scholar Award in Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences. Catherine Deibel, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, received the Emerging Scholar Award in Science, Technology, Engineering &
Wedding Dreams Do Come True
W
hen Jacob and I got engaged, we agreed we wanted to enjoy every moment of the engagement stress-free. We wanted a wedding that reflected how much fun we have together, and we wanted something convenient for our family and friends. The Lod Cook Alumni Center was the only place we toured; we felt completely confident this venue and staff would keep us on track with our wedding goals.
We have planned parties, but never something as big as a wedding. When planning a wedding, it’s best to have trust in the people you are working with. Unique Cuisine and the Lod Cook staff went above and beyond our expectations. They helped me choose a menu to entertain 200 guests and helped me save some money along the way (bonus!). They helped me with layouts, assisted with some of my ideas for decorations, and turned my dream of having chocolate chip cookies as the groom’s cake a reality! Unique Cuisine’s cookies really are the best in the city. The Lod Cook Alumni Center is such a spacious venue if you are looking to turn it up on the dance floor. We were able to book Rockin Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters, and we had plenty of space to dance all night and second line our way out to the beautiful courtyard, with the trees lit with white lights, a glowing fountain and snow falling. It was the best night ever, and we cannot thank the staff at the Lod Cook Alumni Center, Unique Cuisine, and The Cook Hotel enough for making our dream wedding come true and make it way too easy for us.
LET US MAKE YOUR WEDDING DREAMS COME TRUE! Contact Lauren Regner to schedule a tour of the venue for your special day. 225.578.3829 • lauren@lsualumni.org
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
47
Noteworthy
Around Campus
Alex Cohen
Prosanta Chakrabarty
John Protevi
Graca Vicente
Katherine Willis
Aubrey Heath
Mathematics. Alex Cohen, associate professor of psychology, was awarded the Mid-Career Scholar Award in Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences. Prosanta Chakrabarty, associate professor and curator of fishes at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, received the Mid-Career Scholar Award Fahui Wang Marcia Newcomer in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. Fahui Wang, the James J. Parsons Professor of Geography and Anthropology, was awarded the Senior Scholar Award Arts, Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences. Marcia Newcomer, the George C. Kent Professor of biological sciences, received the Senior Scholar Award in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. The Distinguished Research Master and Distinguished Dissertation awards were presented in April. John Protevi, professor of French Studies, received the Distinguished Research Master Award in Arts, Humanities, and Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Graça Vicente, professor of chemistry, received the Distinguished Research Master Award in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. The Office of Research & Economic Development presents the awards to honor exceptional research and scholarship. In addition, the LSU Alumni Association and the Graduate School sponsor the Distinguished Dissertation Awards presented to two doctoral students whose research and writing demonstrate superior scholarship. Katherine Willis received the Josephine A. Roberts Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation Award in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Aubrey Heath received the LSU Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation Award in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. In its annual best master’s degree program rankings, Eduniversal placed the E.J. Ourso College of Business Master of Public Administration and Master of Science in Finance programs ninth and eleventh, respectively, among public colleges and universities in the United States. LSU’s master’s degree program in ceramics is ranked seventh overall and fifth among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best Graduate Schools rankings. The Flores M.B.A. Program and Paul M. Hebert Law Center also rose in the rankings this year. The M.B.A. program is ranked sixty-two overall and thirty-three among public universities, and law is ranked eighty-two overall, one of fifty-five public law schools in the country to be ranked in the top 100. LSU Libraries received national recognition at the annual Book & Media Awards Ceremony at the midwinter meeting of the American Library Association. “Free People of Color in Louisiana: Revealing an Unknown Past,” a collaborative digital project led by LSU Libraries, was one of only four resources nationwide to make the annual list of Best Historical Materials. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the project brings together archival collections of personal and family papers, documenting the lives of people of African descent who were either born free or who escaped from slavery and lived freely in the United States, prior to 1865. LSU will house the world’s only 3D, full-color infrared chemical imaging instrument. The National Science Foundation funded the relocation of the high-resolution instrument from the former Synchrotron Radiation Center in Madison, Wis., to the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD). The instrument will
48 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
49
Around Campus
Noteworthy provide critical information for biomedical, biological, chemical, chemical technology and processing, and cultural heritage questions and will be available for faculty and industry to use at CAMD by 2017. The School of the Coast & Environment is LSU’s newest college. The designation – the College of the Coast & Environment (C&E) – recognizes college’s growing achievements in both research and teaching. Formed in 2001 as an academic unit comprising oceanography, environmental sciences, wetland biogeochemistry, marine fisheries and coastal ecology, the CC&E offers baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Its interdisciplinary faculty includes award-winning scientists who contribute significantly to understanding coastal land loss, sea lvel rise, hurricanes, coastal sustainability, and climate change. LSU led the nation in waste collected during the 2015 Total Recycling During the Gameday Recycling Challenge. College football fans intercepted 2.5 million pounds of waste from landfills during the season, with LSU recycling 86,400 lbs. LSU also led the Southeastern Conference in tons recycled per capita. The competition pitted 99 colleges and universities against each other in a fun and friendly way with the goal of engaging fans to reduce their game-day waste, while composting and recycling more.
2016 Hall of Distinction Inductees
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 2017 Hall of Distinction inductees are now being accepted. For more information, please visit www.lsualumni.org or call (225) 578-3838.
50 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
TIGER TRIVIA
For the fourth year in a row, LSU was honored with Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. The national program recognizes colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. The National Society of Pershing Rifles, a military honor society for college-level students, recognized the Pershing Rifles of LSU as the “Best Company” nationwide at its annual national convention in March. The distinction recognizes the chapter that displays exceptional performance in service to the local community, as well as an outstanding commitment to military excellence and leadership development. LSU competed against more than 400 ROTC cadets and midshipmen representing more than fifty-five colleges and universities. In its first time competing, a team of LSU accounting students placed first at the 2016 Deloitte National Accounting Case Competition, beating Brigham Young University, University of Notre Dame, University of Missouri, Florida A&M University, and Miami University of Ohio. The event was held at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas.
1. According to the cadet regulations of 1903, how often were students required to bathe? Daily Every other day At least once a week When ordered to do so by the commandant 2. When was the Aeronautical Department of the College of Engineering established? 1933 1942 1958 1969 3. What were The Blazers? The women’s track team An honorary fraternity that required each member to have a navy blue blazer
An honorary sorority for seniors that promoted school spirit and greater participation in campus activities A generic term for members of fraternities
4. Where was the main campus cafeteria located until 1950? Highland Hall The Pentagon The Union Foster Hall 5. Who were The Bengaliers? The men’s glee club A swing band
The ROTC drill team A jazz band
6. When was the School of Social Work established? 1926 1937 1958 1962 7. When was Miller Hall dormitory completed? 1950 1964 1968 1977 8. What was Acadian Hall called before it became a dormitory? It has always been Acadian Hall Newton C. Blanchard Hall Henry L. Fuqua Hall The Pan American House 9. Who was the first governor of Louisiana to graduate from LSU? Ruffin G. Pleasant Jared Y. Sanders Murphy J. Foster John Bel Edwards 10. How many buildings on campus are named for the men in question 9? 1 2 3 4 11. Which of the universities below were once junior colleges administered by LSU? UL-Lafayette and Southeastern Northwestern and Louisiana Tech Nicholls, McNeese, and UL-Monroe Grambling, Loyola, and Tulane 12. What position did Troy Middleton hold at LSU immediately before becoming president? Dean of the University Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Associate Vice Chancellor of Comptroller Strategic Communications Tiger Trivia is compiled by Barry Cowan, assistant archivist, Hill Memorial Library.
Answers: 1:c 2:a 3:b 4:d 5:a 6:b 7:c 8:d 9:a 10:b 11:c 12:d
Three 2015 LSU Press books were honored as Outstanding Academic Titles by the American Library Association’s academic review magazine CHOICE: Philip Howard’s Black Labor, White Sugar; Jenny Ellerbe and Diana Greenlee’s Poverty Point; and John Bush Jones’ Reinventing Dixie. LSU Press also received honorable mentions for Thomas Aiello’s Jim Crow’s Last Stand and Jeff Forret’s Slave Against Slave in the Prose Awards competition, which recognizes the best in professional and scholarly publishing.
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Making Waves
Around Campus
LSU Physicists Proving Einstein’s Theory By Alison Satake
LSU Physics & Astronomy Professor Gabriela González, right, is the elected spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, a group of more than 1,000 scientists who have been working toward the detection of gravitational waves.
Scientific staff can “listen” to the universe from inside the control room at LIGO Livingston, where they monitor data gathered from the instruments outside.
For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime, called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos. Gravitational waves carry information about their dramatic origins and about the nature of gravity that cannot otherwise be obtained. Physicists have concluded that the detected gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, more massive, spinning black hole. This collision of two black holes had been predicted but never observed. The gravitational waves were detected on Sept. 14, 2015, at 4:51 a.m. CST by both of the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, La., and Hanford, Wash. The observatories, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), were conceived, built, and are operated by Caltech and MIT. The discovery, accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters, was made by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which includes the GEO Collaboration, the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy, and the Virgo Collaboration using data from the two LIGO detectors. On Sept. 14, the LIGO instrument in Livingston, followed seven milliseconds later by the instrument in Hanford, detected a gravitational wave signal from colliding black holes. The near-simultaneous detection was necessary to confirm that the event was real, and, based on the relative time of arrival of the signals traveling at the speed of light, that the source was located in the southern hemisphere sky. According to the Theory of General Relativity, a pair of black holes orbiting around each other lose energy through the emission of gravitational waves, causing them to gradually approach each other over billions of years, and then much more quickly in the final minutes. During the final fraction of a second, the two black holes collide into each other at nearly one-half the speed of light and form a single, more massive black hole, converting a portion of the combined mass to energy according to Einstein’s formula E=mc2. This energy is emitted as a final strong burst of gravitational radiation. Based on the physics of this particular event, LIGO scientists estimate that the two black holes were about twenty-nine and thirty-six times the mass of the sun and that the event took place 1.3 billion years ago. About three times the mass of the sun was converted into gravitational waves in a fraction of a second – with a peak power output about fifty times that of the whole visible universe. LIGO observed these gravitational waves.
“LSU physicists at LIGO LIGO Livingston Livingston are at the The LIGO Livingston observatory is located on LSU property, and LSU faculty, students, and research staff are major contributors to the fifteen-nation international forefront of the universe’s LIGO Science Collaboration (LSC). More than 1,000 scientists conduct LIGO latest discovery.” research as members of the LSC. More than ninety universities and research institutes in the LSC develop detector technology and analyze data; about 250 students are strong contributing members of the collaboration. Indeed, LSU is the only research university in the U.S. located close enough for students and faculty to engage in daily interactions with a LIGO observatory. The LSC detector network includes the LIGO interferometers and the GEO600 detector. The GEO team includes scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute, AEI), Leibniz Universität Hannover along with partners at the University of Glasgow, Cardiff University, the University of Birmingham, other universities in the United Kingdom, and the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
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LSU’s investment in gravitationalwave detection spans more than four decades and is among the longest of the institutions contributing to the present discovery. LSU faculty, students, and scholars have had leading roles in the development of several generations of gravitational wave detectors, in their commissioning and operation and in the collaborations formed. Today’s achievement is in part an outcome of LSU’s long-term vision and commitment to high-risk, high-potential-gain The gravitational waves were detected on Sept. 14, 2015, at 4:51 a.m. CST by both of the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors located in Livingston, La., and Hanford, Wash. scientific research. Gabriela González, LSU professor of physics and astronomy, is the elected spokesperson and leads the LSC. Together with other leaders and founders of the LIGO effort, González made the official statements and took questions starting on Feb. 11 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., before gathered national science press. The announcement was also live-streamed online. “This detection is the beginning of a new era. The field of gravitational wave astronomy is now a reality,” González said. Joseph Giaime, LSU professor of physics and astronomy, is the observatory head of LIGO Livingston. “This first detection of gravitational waves owes its existence to the hard work over many years by hundreds of scientists, engineers, and operations staff members. The breathtaking observation of a never-before-observed system of black holes had earned LIGO its `O’ as a completely new kind of astronomical observatory,” Giaime said. LSU’s pioneering role in this science began in 1970 with the arrival of William Hamilton, now professor emeritus, who along with colleague Warren Johnson, built and operated previous-generation cryogenic bar gravitational wave detectors on campus for many years. Thomas Corbitt, assistant professor of physics, focuses his research on advanced quantum metrology techniques for a future detector. LSU faculty and administrators, including Chancellor Emeritus James Wharton, led the effort to bring LIGO to Louisiana. Alison Satake is a research writer/editor in the LSU Office of Media Relations.
ON THE WEB LIGO Livingston video: https://youtu.be/6v_3JW9P9rk and LIGO website: https://ligo.caltech.edu/LA
Are you a Tiger Mom or Dad receiving this issue of the LSU Alumni Magazine? If your son or daughter has recently moved, we’d love to have their new address to keep them in touch with their alma mater. Please send us (or ask them to send us) a quick update at info@lsualumni.org or 225-578-3838. Feel free to keep and read this copy. We’ll send them another!
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
53
Focus on
Heather McKillop Teaches Her Research
FACULTY By Meg Ryan Photo by Johnny Gordon
Mayanist scholar Heather McKillop.
“[My colleagues] were just stunned because no one has wooden buildings preserved from the classic Maya.”
Thomas & Lillian Landrum Alumni Professor Heather McKillop had her eyes set on LSU even before she left graduate school. The Canada-born anthropologist applied to work at the University because of the heavy emphasis the institution places on research.
“This department has a long history of research in Latin America, and LSU is very well known internationally for coastal studies and coastal research generally and coastal research in Latin America specifically,” she said. “And I was well aware of what was going on.” McKillop teaches various courses, including “Indian Civilizations of Middle & South America,” “Field Methods in Archaeology,” and a Mesoamerican archaeology seminar. The professor’s primary focus is on the ancient Maya. With the heavy emphasis on research, McKillop can practice what she preaches. The anthropologist likes how students learn from faculty who are not only professors, but practicing researchers. “I teach what I research, so I’m not a teacher, I’m a researcher,” she said. The research McKillop is currently working on began in 2004. After receiving grant money, she and her students traveled to Belize to look at ancient salt-making sites. Through research, the group discovered that the Mayans were evaporating brine in pots over fire to make salt and trading the product to larger cities in the interior of the country where salt wasn’t as readily available. McKillop said she had two goals going into the project: to find more salt-making sites and to determine what kind of impact the salt making had on the coastal area. What they found was bigger than a few salt shakers. All of their target sites were underwater, but while walking through the water, they not only found more salt-making sites, increasing the number to 110, but preserved wooden buildings. McKillop’s team also found the only ancient Maya wooden canoe paddle to be found in the area. She said the wooden posts and wooden paddle are all dated around 300 to 900 A.D. Normally, wood would decay, but the special environment of highly organic marine sediment helped to preserve the items. She said the sediment is solid and protected from the rising sea level because of red mangrove trees. The red mangroves like to keep their leaves above water, so as the sea level rose, so did the trees, causing the sediment to accumulate and the trees to trap things under the water. “My colleagues were just stunned by what we found because no one has wooden buildings preserved from the classic Maya,” McKillop stated. The anthropologist and teams of undergraduate and graduate students have been able to go back to Belize with more grants to continue studying the area, but bringing items back was the challenge. When the items are taken out of their environment, they begin to decay. McKillop found one way to have the items be in two places at once — 3D printing. McKillop began the idea for the Digital Imaging and Visualization Archaeology (DIVA) Lab in 2008. After grants and planning, the equipment arrived in 2010, making this year its sixth at LSU. The lab includes desktops, scanners, and printers to scan Mayan findings and print them as 3D replicas. While some wooden items have made it back to Louisiana, the research team is also able to take equipment to Belize to make scanning easier. The wooden items are taken out of the water and placed into plastic bags filled with water. They are patted dry, scanned and placed in orange sacks surrounded by deep silt where they are secured and archived on the seafloor. While McKillop has student workers who are trained to work in the lab on Mayan artifacts, she has expanded the DIVA Lab program to include a class called 3D Digital Printing. The class is first-come, first-serve and allows students to learn more about the advantages that 3D printing and scanning bring to research. “I wanted to empower undergraduates to learn how to scan [and] take the mystery out of it,” she said. Meg Ryan, a junior in the Manship School of Mass Communication, is entertainment editor for The Daily Reveille.
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LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Locker
ROOM
LSU Alumni Headline 2016 Induction Class Never has it been clearer that LSU is a prominent contributor of Louisiana’s sports legends than when you look at the number of inductees in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (LSHOF).
Jim Hawthorne.
Bob Thompkins. Photo courtesy The Town Talk
Art “Red” Swanson.
Dr. Julian Bailes.
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Of the 326 individuals inducted since 1959, seventy-six have direct ties to LSU. Adding to that number this year are four notable 2016 honorees including both recipients of the Distinguished Service Award - Jim Hawthorne, the voice of the Tigers for thirty-six years and Bob Tompkins who recently retired after a forty-three year career as a sports journalist, beginning in 1972 as sports editor of The Daily Reveille. Fellow LSU legend and neurosurgeon Dr. Julian Bailes will be inducted as the Dave Dixon Sports Leadership Award recipient for his work in the field, which
was chronicled in the movie Concussion. Rounding out those with ties to LSU is the late Arthur “Red” Swanson, an LSU lineman who played in the first game in Tiger Stadium. Swanson is known for molding “Baby Jack” Torrance into an LSU football and track star, for recruiting Y.A. Title away from the University of Texas, and for convincing basketball player Joe Adcock to play baseball. To view a schedule of the Induction Weekend Celebration (June 23-25) events, to leave congratulatory messages, or to purchase tickets to the Induction Ceremony (scheduled for Saturday, June 25, at the Natchitoches Event Center), visit www.LaSportsHall.com or call the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation at 318-238-4255. For additional information, contact Lisa Babin at lisababin@lasportshall.com.
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
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Pressure
Locker Room
By Bud Johnson
LSU’s 1933 National Championship Track Team, from left, Coach Bernie Moore, Buddy Blair, Glenn “Slats” Hardin, Jack Torrance, Al Moreau, and Matt Gordy.
“Nothing can compare to the final event of the 1933 NCAA track and field championships.”
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There have been many golden moments in LSU sports history. But for a pressure-packed performance, nothing can compare to the final event of the NCAA track and field championships on June 17, 1933, in Chicago. LSU led Southern Cal 49 to 45. It was near midnight. Only the pole vault competition remained. Bill Graber of USC could win it for the Trojans with a first or second place. Third place would be good for six points. Most observers did not realize that LSU even had a vaulter, much less one who could be a factor in the scoring. Graber got over the bar at 14 feet on his second effort. Three other vaulters including LSU’s Matt Gordy were left. If either of those two beat out Gordy and Graber won, Southern Cal would win the team title. Gordy had never vaulted higher than 13 feet, 6 inches in his life. Now, the slight 135-pound senior from Abbeville had to clear 14 feet. He was down to his final attempt. As Gordy gripped the pole and stared at the cross bar, the public address announcer intensified the situation. He told the crowd of 12,000 at Soldier Field that Gordy would have to clear 14 feet for LSU to win the NCAA championship. Gordy leaned forward and then ran as hard as he could down the runway. His pole propelled him over the bar. He lifted his arms into the air. But one arm hit the bar on his downward flight. The cross bar trembled. A steady breeze off Lake Michigan made some think the bar would fall. It didn’t. Graber and Gordy both failed to vault 14 feet, 2 inches. By tying for first place at a height he never attained before, Gordy had delivered the necessary points for a national championship. The final team score read LSU 58, Southern Cal 54. Matt Gordy’s vault in the final event of the meet would forever place his name as one of the greatest clutch performers in Tiger sports history. Coach Bernie Moore’s Tigers had remarkably won the 1933 NCAA track and field championships. Most track and field experts thought they might finish as high as fifth. To get to the high drama, LSU’s two world-class athletes, Slats Hardin of Greenville, Miss., and Jack Torrance of Oak Grove, had produced 36 of the Tigers’ 58 points. Hardin shattered two world records in winning the 440-yard dash and the 220-yard low hurdles. This was not surprising. Slats had won a silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. He would go on to win the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin. Torrance won the shot put with an effort of 52 feet, 10 inches, beating the world record by almost three inches. He finished third in the discus with a performance of 147 feet, 7 inches. Senior Al Moreau, of Marksville, La., was another Tiger who had competed internationally. He also had been counted on for points. Moreau finished a close second in the high hurdles and got a sixth place in the low hurdles. Buddy Blair, of Sicily Island, La., was fourth in the javelin. But the four points he scored in the NCAA championships was precisely what LSU needed to beat USC in the team scoring competition. His performance was especially significant since he spent most of the 1933 season pitching and playing shortstop for the LSU baseball team. Moore, assistant coach Ben Ennis, and trainer Frank Wandle drove three cars to the national meet in Chicago, leaving Baton Rouge on a Sunday and arriving at the University of Illinois on Monday afternoon. The team worked out at Illinois for three days before going on to the competition. Half-miler Red Lehman rode the train to Chicago. Ten athletes competed in the meet. Five team members participated but did not score. Ted O’Neil and Pete Burge failed to qualify in the 440-yard dash. Lehman, hurdler George Fisher, and two-miler John Sanders were unable to score, but they witnessed one of the greatest clutch performances in LSU sports history.
The Man and The Statue – LSU paid tribute to one of its basketball superstars by unveiling a statue of Bob Pettit near the north entrance to the PMAC. Pettit, one of the NBA’s all-time greats, is a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
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Locker Room
Jabbar Jaluke, Les Miles, and Dameyune Craig.
Coaching Staff Complete – Coach Les Miles welcomed two new additions to his coaching staff this spring – Jabbar Jaluke, running back coach, and Dameyune Craig, receivers coach. Jaluke, who has New Orleans roots, replaces Frank Wilson as running backs coach and comes to Tigertown from Texas Tech. Craig comes to LSU from Auburn and replaces Tony Ball. Craig, who played quarterback at Auburn, will also work with the Tiger quarterbacks. To replace Wilson as recruiting coordinator, Miles announced that defensive line coach Ed Orgeron will assume that responsibility.
Shaquille O’Neal and his mom, Lucille O’Neal, at the unveiling of the LSU player's statue.
Naismith Welcomes Shaq – Shaquille O’Neal will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield, Mass., in September. The fifteentime NBA All-Star joins two other ex-Tigers – Bob Pettit and Pete Maravich – in the prestigious hall, which is named for the creator of the sport of basketball, Dr. James Naismith. Shaq was selected to the All-NBA team thirteen times and finished his NBA career with 28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds and 1,207 games played. At the collegiate level, he was twice selected as national college Player of the Year and twice chosen as SEC Player of the Year. Photo by Steve Franz
2016 GOLDEN TIGERS REUNION Honoring the Class of 1966 Reconnect with friends and classmates during a fun-filled day of activities.
September 29 - September 30, 2016 • Lod Cook Alumni Center For information, contact Brandli Roberts at 225.578.3852 or brandli@lsualumni.org
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Tiger Gymnasts Reach All-Time High
Locker Room
By Bud Johnson Photos by Chris Parent
Ashley Gnat.
The gymnastics training facility, opened in February, features an expansive practice area, facility team locker room, coaches’ locker rooms, a training room, cardio area, dance studio, team squad room, a video review/team meeting room, equipment storage and laundry area, a multi-purpose room, and a roof-top terrace complete with an outdoor kitchen.
D-D Breaux’s LSU Tigers are truly one of the elite programs in collegiate gymnastics. In its best season ever, everything began to fall into place for the Tiger gymnastics team in 2016. • A gleaming, state-of-the art practice facility was completed. • LSU upset No 1-ranked Oklahoma in the opening meet. • Record crowds supported the Tigers during its home season. • LSU had accomplished performers in every event.
Myia Hambrick.
Sarah Finnegan.
• And most of all – the Tigers had their all-time best finish in the NCAA Super Six championship – a secondplace finish to national champion Oklahoma. LSU’s previous best was a third place in 2014.
Oklahoma led the way in NCAA championship team scoring with 197.675. LSU (197.45) was second. Alabama (197.4375) finished third, followed by Florida (197.350), UCLA (196.825), and Georgia (196.8125). Five LSU gymnasts received All-America honors. Sophomore Myia Hambrick was named All-America in all-around and floor exercise. Junior Ashleigh Gnat was first team in the vault and balance beam, and second team in all-around and floor.
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Jessica Savona.
Lexie Priessman.
Freshman Sara Finnegan earned a place on the first team in bars. Senior Jessica Savona made first team in floor. Freshman Lexi Priessman was a second team choice on the bars.
Gymnastics Head Coach D-D Breaux, third from left, with Bob Moore, assistant coach; Jay Clark, associate head coach; Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, volunteer coach.
Bud Johnson, retired director of the Andonie Sports Museum, is a former LSU Sports Information director and author of The Perfect Season: LSU's Magic Year – 1958.
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NATION
1970s
Michael D. Carleton (1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD) has joined the Lake Charles, La., office of Chaffe McCall as a partner in the firm’s real estate, business, and transactions sections. A thirty-year veteran of legal services, Carleton was previously with Woodley Williams. He is a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and past president and member of the board of the Kiwanis Club of South Lake Charles. David R. Cassidy (1972 BACH H&SS, 1975 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for
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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Business for Louisiana in the area of Corporate/M&A: Tax. Rachel L. Emanuel (1977 BACH MCOM, 1990 MAST MCOM), director of communications and development support at Southern University Law Center, received a Gatekeeper Award from the law center’s chapter of the National Lawyers Guild for her commitment to memorializing the school’s history. The award was made on Feb. 27 during the Pillar Awards Ceremony honoring local living legends who have made great strides in the areas of civil and human rights. Among Emanuel’s works are a biography, A More Noble Cause: A.P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana, co-authored by A.P. Tureaud, Jr.; a pictorial history, Images of America: Scotlandville, coauthored with Ruby Simms and Charles Vincent; and films Southern University Law Center: 60th Anniversary; Taking A Seat for Justice: the 1960 Baton Rouge Sit-Ins; Louis A. Martinet Legal Society: Lawyers With A Purpose; Fulfilling His Promise: Walter C. Dumas; The Bridge Builder: Dr. Jesse N. Stone, Jr., and Journey for Justice: The A.P. Tureaud Story. Gregory D. Frost (1977 BACH H&SS, 1981 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Healthcare. Charlotte Holmes (1977 BACH H&SS) received an M.F.A. from Columbia University in 1980 and was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University from 1982-83. She has been on the creative writing faculty at Penn State since 1987
and is currently director of creative writing and associate professor of English & Women’s Studies. Her work has appeared in The Antioch Review, Epoch, Grand Street, Narrative, New Letters, The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Tar River Poetry, and Women’s Review of Books, among others. Her work has been cited for excellence in O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Stories, and Best American Essays, and anthologized in After O’Connor: Contemporary Georgia Writers and Stories From the South: The Year’s Best. The recipient of a Writer’s Exchange fellowship from Poets & Writers, she has received two Pennsylvania Arts Council Fellowships; the D.H. Lawrence Fellowship; a travel fellowship from the American-Scandinavian Foundation; and, from Penn State, the George Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Stephanie J. Pavoucek Shields Faculty Award for the Mentoring of Women, the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Advising Award, and the College of Liberal Arts Award for Outstanding Teaching By Tenure-Line Faculty. See Tigers in Print (page 74) for information on her new book, The Grass Labyrinth. Holmes and her husband, James Brasfield, who has published two books of poems with LSU Press, live in State College, Pa. Kenneth S. Klaus (1974 BACH M&DA, 1976 MAST M&DA, 1983 PHD M&DA), director of choral activities in the Department of Music at Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, La., was named the Gloria B. Callais Endowed Professor of Music. Klaus, in his thirty-second year at Nicholls, conducts three choirs and teaches studio voice, choral conducting, choral literature, choral arranging, music history, and classical strings. Since 1985, he has been director of music at First United Methodist Church in Houma, La. Klaus is the son of the late Kenneth B. Klaus, coordinator of graduate studies to the
LSU School of Music from 1950 to 1980 and one of the first four faculty members to be designated an Alumni Professor. Ann London Liberman (1976 BACH H&SS, 1978 MSW) was recently promoted to director of the Center for Career & Professional Development for the Houston Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW). She had served as director of GCSW Alumni & Career Services for the past fifteen years. Liberman and her husband, Mitch, have a daughter, Leslie, who is a first-year law student at University of Texas School of Law.
Eve B. Masinter (1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Labor & Employment. Mary T. Neal (1975 BACH SCI, 1979 MD), an obstetriciangynecologist who has transitioned from private practice to nonprofit medicine as a part-time volunteer gynecologist at San Jose Clinic in Houston, was named to the LSU Foundation Board of Directors. She is the chair of the College of Science Advisory Board and was inducted into
the college’s Hall of Distinction in 2012. She and her husband Ron, an LSU alumnus, have hosted countless LSU gatherings in Houston, including an annual student recruiting event at their home. She is an active board member with Medical Bridges, a regional nonprofit that recovers medical surplus and redistributes it to hospitals, clinics, and healthcare providers in less fortunate countries. E. Fredrick Preis, Jr. (1971 BACH BUS, 1974 JD), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Labor & Employment.
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Claude F. Reynaud, Jr. (1974 BACH BUS), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Litigation: General Commercial. Mark Ripple (1979 BACH A&D), cofounder, partner, and director of operations at the Eskew Dumez Ripple architectural firm in New Orleans, was elevated to the American Institute of Architects Class of 2016 College of Fellows. The fellowship program recognizes architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession, acknowledging their individual achievements and their significant contributions to architecture and society on a national level. Ripple serves on the LSU School of Architecture Professional Advisory Board. Percy “Rebel” Roberts III (1976 BACH A&D), president, COO, and design partner at VOA Associates Incorporated in Chicago, was elevated to the American Institute
of Architects Class of 2016 College of Fellows. The fellowship program elevates architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession, recognizing their individual achievements and their significant contributions to architecture and society on a national level. Roberts serves on the LSU School of Architecture Professional Advisory Board.
Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital and chairs the St. Mary’s Foundation. He was inducted into the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction in 2001, co-chaired the capital campaign for the Business Education Complex, and has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council since 1999. He also holds a master’s degree from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. He and wife, Holly, an LSU alumna, reside at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga., and have hosted numerous LSU alumni gatherings over the years.
Jack Wann (1978 PHD M&DA), professor emeritus of theatre and former artistic director at Northwestern State University (NSU) in Natchitoches, La., was named to the university’s Hall of FameCreative and Performing Arts and honored by the naming of the Studio Theatre as the Jack Wann Theatre. Wann is retired but continues to direct, teach, and consult in his now-home state of Kentucky and returns to NSU each spring to teach Shakespeare or Chekhov and Ibsen.
Robert L. Atkinson (1980 BACH H&SS, 1983 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Healthcare.
Rick Wolfert (1976 BACH BUS), a retired corporate finance and banking executive, was named to the LSU Foundation Board of Directors. He currently serves on the board of Georgia-based Stadion Money Management and St.
Robert J. “Bobby” Crifasi (1981 BACH BUS), a Certified Club Manager, Certified Club Executive, Certified Public Accountant, and general manager of New Orleans Country Club, was installed as secretarytreasurer of the Club Managers
1980s
Band Reunion October 14 & 15, 2016 LSU VS. SOUTHERN MISS 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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Association of America (CMAA) Board of Directors. He joined the board in 2013. Crifasi began his career as the club’s first controller/chief financial officer in 1988 and was named manager in 1991 and general manager in 1992. He has served on numerous CMAA national committees and as the legislative affairs chairman, career services chairman, secretary-treasurer, vice president, president, local conference golf tournament chairman, and local conference co-chairman of the Pelican Chapter. He serves on advisory boards for the University of New Orleans (UNO) School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism and the UNO College of Business and is a guest lecturer at the university. Crifasi is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Louisiana State Society of CPAs.
Kat Gallagher (1985 BACH MCOM, 1988 JD), a partner in the Beck Reddin law firm in Houston, received the 2016 Women in law Award from Lawyer Monthly in recognition of her outstanding legal expertise and contribution in the area of litigation. Recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 2006, Gallagher is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and an associate in the American Board of Trial Advocates. Roger Jenkins (1983 BACH ENGR), president and CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation, was recently named to the LSU Foundation Board of Directors.
Jenkins started his career with Texaco USA, joined Murphy Oil in 2001, and was named CEO in 2013. He is a member of the company’s executive committee and board of directors and also serves on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute and the Arkansas Research Alliance. He earned an M.B.A. from the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business. In March, Jenkins was inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction as Alumnus of the Year. Kim Hunter Reed (1987 BACH MCOM, 1995 MPA) was appointed deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education in March. Most recently, Reed was a principal at HCM Strategists, a public policy and advocacy consulting firm in Washington, D.C., focused on advancing
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effective solutions in health and education. She also previously served as chief of staff for the Louisiana Board of Regents and executive vice president of the University of Louisiana System. Emily Stich (1983 MPA), founder of the Protocol & Etiquette Institute, was named director of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber Leadership Program, beginning in July. After training at the Protocol School of Washington in 2014, Stich opened the institute, which offers corporate etiquette and international protocol to help her clients “outclass the competition.” Jeff Stouffer (1984 BACH A&D), executive vice president and health group director at the Dallas location of worldwide architectural design firm HKS, was elevated to the American Institute of Architects Class of 2016 College of Fellows. The fellowship program recognizes architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession, acknowledging their individual achievements and their significant contributions to architecture and society on a national level. Stouffer serves on the LSU School of Architecture Professional Advisory Board.
1990s
Ofori Agboka (1998 BACH H&SS, human resources director for General Motor’s North America Manufacturing Strategy & Global Manufacturing staffs, was
named among the 2016 Automotive News Rising Stars. The honor recognizes increasingly influential efforts as a young executive leader, mentor, and champion for organizational excellence. Agboka helps lead GM’s North America Manufacturing Operations Strategy Team, with responsibility for global safety and industrial hygiene, medical services, environmental compliance and sustainability, and facilities. He has distinguished himself by taking on a number of large and challenging assignments with international roles in Shanghai, China, and Zurich, Switzerland. John T. Andrishok (1993 BACH BUS, 1997 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Construction. Beau Fournet (1995 BACH BUS), managing director and partner of HBK Capital Management, was named to the LSU Foundation Board of Directors. He served as a member of the organization’s investment committee prior to joining the board. Fournet also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He and wife Natalie, an LSU alumna, live in Dallas with their five children. David Herron (1993 BACH BUS) joined the San Francisco office of DZH Phillip as a senior tax manager. He was previously a tax manager with the accounting firm Calegari & Morris. During his twenty-
year career, Herron has developed a complex practice in tax consulting and compliance for small- to medium-sized businesses and their owners, particularly in real estate and professional services, and he has significant experience in corporate finance and merger and acquisition advisory. Herron is on the board of GirlVentures, a San Franciscobased nonprofit dedicated to empowering adolescent girls through outdoor adventure. He earned an M.B.A. from Tulane University. Todd D. Keator (1999 BACH H&SS, 2002 JD), an attorney in the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight, was selected for inclusion in Texas Rising Stars 2016 in the area of Tax. The list appeared in the April issue of Texas Monthly. James McGuffee (1994 PHD SCI) was named dean of the School of Sciences at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. He will assume his new position on July 1. Adrian Mitchell (1996 BACH ENGR), CEO and board director of Arhaus, was named to the LSU Foundation Board of Directors. While at LSU, Mitchell was named the College of Engineering’s and university’s Most Outstanding Student for three consecutive years, U.S. Black Engineering Student of the Year, and National Society of Black Engineers Member of the Year. He was also invited to join the Minority Engineering Program Board of Directors. Mitchell also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction in 2014. He and wife, Lily, live in Golf, Ill.
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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Jeanette S. Riggins (1997 BACH H&SS) has joined the New Orleans office of Manion Gaynor & Manning (MG+M) as a partner. Riggins is licensed in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts of Louisiana, the Southern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She earned her law degree at the Tulane University School of Law and is a member of the LSU Trial Advocacy faculty. Melissa M. Shirley (1993 BACH H&SS, 1997 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Labor & Employment.
2000s
Christopher L. Chauvin (2001 BACH H&SS, 2004 JD), an attorney in the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight, was selected for inclusion in Texas Rising Stars 2016 in the area of Business Litigation. The list appeared in the April issue of Texas Monthly. Paul Coussan (2006 BACH MCOM) was named federal relations manager of the Civil War Trust in Washington, D.C., after working on state and local issues for the organization for two years. The Civil War Trust is the nation’s leading historic battlefield preservation organization, having saved more than 42,000 acres
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across the country, including in Louisiana. Coussan was previously press secretary for Congressman Charles Boustany and community liaison to the Acadiana region for U.S. Senator David Vitter. He is the current president of the DC Alumni Chapter. Emily Black Grey (1997 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD), an attorney in the Baton Rouge office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Healthcare. Bryan Jeansonne (2002 BACH H&SS), a partner in Dore Jeansonne Law Firm and Lakeland Title, was re-elected to the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee, the governing body of the Republican Party of Louisiana. Earlier this year, he was re-elected chairman of the East Baton Rouge Parish Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Angelina Rhodes Keck (2000 BACH H&SS) recently received the Certified Luxury Home Marketing designation, was invited into the Million Dollar Guild as a top producer, and in January obtained her broker’s license. Keck is a past board member of the LSU Houston Alumni Chapter. She and her husband, John, have three boys, Evan, Tristan, and Julian. Erin Marino (2004 BACH BUS, 2007 JD) has joined Thompson & Knight as an associate in real estate and banking practice in the firm’s Dallas office. Marino is a member of the Texas, Louisiana, and Dallas Bar associations; Commercial Real Estate WomenDallas; Real Estate Council; and Dallas
Association of Young Lawyers. She serves on the board of Friends of the Santa Fe Trail. She previously practiced as an associate at Jones Day and at McGuire, Craddock & Strother in Dallas. Wesley M. Plaisance (2004 BACH ENGR), an attorney in the New Orleans office of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, was listed in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Louisiana in the area of Gaming & Licensing. Krista Pennington Terracina (2007 BACH SCI), a third-year resident at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, took firstplace honors in the annual essay contest organized by the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS) Communications Committee, in which residents are asked to describe what they learned outside of the lectures, textbooks, operating rooms, and patient wards that typify residency training. In “The Things I Carry,” Terracina recounts those lessons – encapsulated in life-changing experiences that taught her about diligence, the relationship between surgeons and patients, and about how appearances can be deceiving. She received a $500 prize, and her essay was published in the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. Terracina earned her medical degree at LSU School of Medicine-Shreveport. Liz Wilks Van Dervort (2007 BACH MCOM), of Metairie, La., a producer with Gillis, Ellis & Baker, was named a 2016 Power Broker by Risk & Insurance Magazine. The awards recognize the most effective and influential commercial insurance
brokers. Van Dervort completed Traveler’s School for Producer Development and Young Leadership Council’s Leadership Development Series and earned a Management Liability Insurance Specialist (MLIS) designation. She is a member of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce board, Young Leadership Council, and 504ward.
2010s
Scott M. Blanchard (2015 MAST HS&E) was named Jefferson Davis Parish Teacher of the Year for 2016-17. Davis, a high school social studies teacher and assistant football and basketball coach at Jennings High School, completed one of the first online degree programs offered through LSU Online. He is now pursuing a doctoral degree in social studies education. Photo by Karen Ardoin
BABY
BENGALS Philip Kearny (2007 BACH ENGR) and his wife, Lindsey Johnson Kearny (2007 BACH BUS), proudly announce the birth of future Tiger Graham Joseph, on Jan. 21, 2016. Graham has eight other Tiger relatives, including grandparents Ric (1978 BACH BUS) and Cary Biggs (1979 BACH A&D) Kearny and Brenda Altizan Johnson (1974 BACH AGR). The family resides in Humble, Texas. Scott Perrigin Minett (2007 BACH BUS) and wife Andrea “Andi” Strange Minett (2007 BACH MCOM) proudly announce the birth of future Tiger Poppy Aimée Minett, born on Jan. 21, 2016.
Poppy is the granddaughter of Danna Miciotto Strange (1986 BACH H&SS) and Charles Allen “Chip” Strange, Jr., and the great-granddaughter of Dr. Charles Allen “Bo” Strange (1965 MDNO)and the late Julie Sholars Strange (1961 BACH HS&E). Proud parents Charles Travis “C.T.” (2006 BACH BUS) and Jamie Edwards Taylor (2001 BACH BUS, 2009 MBA) announce the birth of their first child, Caroline Elaine, born January 2, 2016. Caroline Elaine is the third grandchild of paternal grandparents R. Gary (1975 BACH BUS) and Linda Colquitt Taylor (1974 BACH HS&E, 1978 MAST HS&E). All of the Taylors reside in Baton Rouge.
ALUMNI-BY-CHOICE
Judi Hoffman and Randy Sprouse (Alumni-byChoice) were marred on the beach in Biloxi, Miss., on Jan. 15. The newlyweds reside in Baton Rouge.
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Sharing News Pamela D. “Pam” Wall (1970 BACH HS&E, 1989 MAST H&SS) shares “a tidbit about our seven degrees from LSU” with readers.
“My husband, Michel V. ‘Mike’ Wall (1969 BACH ENGR, 1971 MAST ENGR), and I are both now retired and exploring the many opportunities that come from having studied hard at LSU. Mike retired after thirty-three years with Albemarle, and I retired in 2015 from Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.” The Walls, their two children, and a daughter in-law all boast degrees from LSU institutions. Their son, Dr. Brandon Standing, from left Mike and Pam Wall, Dr. Brandon J. Wall, Avery Wall, Brooke Slack Wall, and John Abney; J. Wall, who currently works for the seated, Madison Wall, and Katy Wall Abney. University of Arkansas Medical Center, earned his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine-Shreveport in 1999 and his wife, Brooke Slack Wall, graduated from the LSU School of Allied HealthShreveport in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy. Daughter Katy Wall Abney, now employed at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation Institute in Warm Springs, Ga., earned a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the LSU School of Allied Health-Shreveport in 1997. “We are hoping our granddaughters, Avery and Madison Wall, are future Tigers, too,” Pam writes.
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G I V I NG BACK William R. “Bill” Ziegler, of Raleigh, N.C., is a
retired nuclear engineer, currently working part time with the Numerical Applications Division of Zachry Nuclear Engineering. As a Top 100 Scholar, Bill graduated from LSU in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering science (nuclear option) then earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Georgia Tech. Bill and his wife, Joanne, along with his brother, Mike, and his sister, Alice, established the Alumni Scholars Endowed Flagship Scholarship and the Ray & Gene Ziegler Family Endowed Flagship Scholarship. My parents, Ray and Gene Ziegler, gave their children the gift of the opportunity to attend the colleges of their choice. To turn this initial gift into accomplishment, however, took many more resources than just the entry fees. Each of us had to also make our own investments in this education effort. The LSU Alumni Association awarded me a Top 100 Scholarship that made the difference between a normal family struggle to make ends meet and the possibility of suffering some truly difficult hardships. The scholarship was another key gift that allowed me to turn my four years at LSU into a degree and education that was integral to the successful career I’ve had in the utility nuclear power industry. As a young professional, my “giving back” to LSU was nominal and non-specific. As time went on, I began to recognize, understand, and value these gifts that made my LSU experience possible. With Joanne’s support, we focus on helping the Association provide current students with the scholarship benefits and opportunities for which I am so grateful. The LSU Alumni Association provides amazing support for faculty and students that goes well beyond the basics of campus life. Every student’s and graduate’s experience at LSU is different. With so much focus these days on university budget challenges, I encourage all LSU alumni to find ways to give back to LSU – through the LSU Alumni Association – to programs that are meaningful to you and reflect your LSU experience. My personal experience tells me that the Association will help you leverage your gifts to make a measurable, positive difference in an LSU student's life.
To donate to or endow a scholarship, visit www.lsualumni.org or call 1-888-RING-LSU. LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
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Tigers in Print
Ada Kealoha Causey (2005 BACH MCOM) 100 Things to Do in Las Vegas Before You Die (Reedy Press) Las Vegas may have risen to fame as hotbed of forbidden fun, but in its modern incarnation, there’s something here for everyone. Whether sinner or a saint, 100 Things To Do in Las Vegas Before You Die takes visitors to places they never knew existed. It includes information on world-class dining and entertainment on the Strip, the hippest new restaurants in Chinatown, or cheap but delicious eats in suburban strip malls. Hike Alpine heights just an hour away from the bright lights, or soak up mob and natural history right in town. Come any time of year: If it’s summertime, there are pools galore. If it’s winter, get an up-close view of the Mojave Desert’s beauty. Using this insider’s guide to everything the Las Vegas Valley has to offer, it’s not hard to see why forty million people a year visit this desert oasis – and why many of them keep coming back. Peter Finney (1957 BACH MCOM) The Best of Peter Finney, Legendary New Orleans Sportswriter (LSU Press) Five times each week over the past several decades, sports fans in New Orleans began their mornings by reading local sportswriter Peter
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Finney’s columns. His columns connected readers to the world of sports for nearly seventy years. From a career total of 15,000 articles, this book offers a prime selection of the very best of Finney’s writing as well as an introduction from Peter Finney, Jr. The collection includes Finney’s account of Billy Cannon’s 89-yard punt return against Ole Miss in 1959; Tom Dempsey’s 1970 NFL-record 63-yard field goal; and the Saints’ 31–17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl. His interviews and profiles covered nearly every major sports figure of his time: Ted Williams, Jesse Owens, Joe DiMaggio, Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Billy Cannon, Pete Maravich, Lee Trevino, Rusty Staub, Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning, Eddie Robinson, Doug Williams, Dale Brown, Billy Martin, Brett Favre, Nick Saban, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Ditka, Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Sugar Ray Leonard, Skip Bertman, Les Miles, Tom Benson, and more. Both hardcore sports enthusiasts and casual fans will delight in the stories told with Finney’s characteristic grace, humility, and wit. James F. Fargason (1985 BACH BUS) Legal Services: Auditing the Process, 2nd edition (IIA Research Foundation) By LSU Flores MBA Program and
Department of Finance senior instructor James S. Fargason’s account, many organizations do not effectively manage legal counsel. Legal Services: Auditing the Process details how the efficiency of in-house and external legal counsel can be improved through a review of their respective processes. It also provides for a systematic approach and gives illustrations of how the review of counsel can be performed with a moderate amount of resources. Fargason explains that even simple analyses and small changes in processes can dramatically reduce risks associated with legal counsel, including loss of assets, increase in liabilities, lost revenues, increased costs and expenses, and damage to reputation. Charlotte Holmes (1977 BACH H&SS) The Grass Labyrinth (BkMk Press) The linked stories in The Grass Labyrinth by Charlotte Holmes challenge the reader to determine if the artist’s work is worth the pain often visited on those who share an artist’s life. Whether in a college town in Pennsylvania, a loft in Brooklyn, or a ramshackle cottage on the Carolina coast, these stories explore, over a thirty-year span, how the choices made by this family of visual artists and poets end up shaping those they love, in ways they never anticipate, down
themes for the soul’s immortality and its relationship to the body, the book concludes with an exploration of the place of sacrifice within ethical life.
through the generations. By turns ironic, hopeful, and wry, Holmes paints a surprising portrait of one family’s intimate struggle to find the paths that will carry them to the work they want to do, the lives they want to lead, and the people they can’t help but love. M. Ross Romero (1997 MAST H&SS) Without the Least Tremor (SUNY Press) In Without the Least Tremor, M. Ross Romero considers the death of Socrates as a sacrificial act rather than an execution, and analyzes the implications of such an understanding for the meaning of the Phaedo. Plato’s recounting of Socrates’s death fits many of the conventions of ancient Greek sacrificial ritual. Among these
are the bath, the procession, Socrates’s appearance as a bull, the libation, the offering of a rooster to Asclepius, the treatment of Socrates’s body and corpse, and Phaedo’s memorialization of Socrates. Yet in a powerful moment, Socrates’s death deviates from a sacrifice as he drinks the pharmakon “without the least tremor.” Developing the themes of suffering and wisdom as they connect to this scene, Romero demonstrates how the embodied Socrates is setting forth an eikôn of the death of the philosopher. Drawing on comparisons with tragedy and comedy, he argues that Socrates’s death is more fittingly described as self-sacrifice than merely an execution or suicide. After considering the implications of these
Genevieve Munson Trimble (1941 BACH MCOM) Afton Villa: The Birth and Rebirth of a Nineteenth-Century Louisiana Garden (LSU Press) Genevieve Trimble’s story of Afton Villa began in 1963, when fire ravaged the Victorian Gothic plantation home, bringing to ashes over 170 years of history. Over the next decade, a place of enchantment crumbled toward extinction, and to protect the property from oblivion, Trimble and her husband purchased the estate in 1972. Afton Villa documents her decades-long restoration project while providing a history of the original owners and paying tribute to the other people who contributed to its rebirth. Focusing on preservation, Trimble reveals how the garden’s original footprint survived as well as how she thoughtfully introduced new flora into the terraced landscape, including the foundation ruins of the house, under the guidance of landscape architect Neil G. Odenwald, professor emeritus and former director of the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture.
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF SUMMER EVENTS, VISIT
www.lsualumni.org/events/eventscalendar2.asp
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
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Tiger Nation
In Memoriam 1940s Shirley Fournet Chappuis, 1946 BACH AGR, March 18, 2016, Brevard, N.C. Ralph Leroy Cowen, 1940 BACH AGR, March 15, 2016, Crowley, La. Joseph M. Edelman, 1941 H&SS, 1943 MD, March 19, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Fannie Sue Robinson Heard, 1941 BACH HS&E, 1951 MAST HS&E, Feb. 11, 2016, Toledo, Ohio Jean Smith Howard, 1949 BACH H&SS, Feb. 3, 2016, Houston, Texas Joy Christian Laine, 1945 BACH HS&E, April 11, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Carl Bryan Luikart, Jr., 1942 BACH H&SS, 1944 MD, Feb. 3, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Edward Raymond “Ed” Millet, Sr., 1940 BACH H&SS, 1941 MAST H&SS, March 26, 2016, French Settlement, La. Anthony Mumphrey, 1943 BACH AGR, Founding Chancellor of LSU Eunice, April 6, 2016, Eunice, La. William Macquorn Nuttall, 1949 BACH ENGR, Feb. 22, 2016, Plaquemine, La. Mathilda Ramon “Matt” Overall, 1945 BACH HS&E, Jan. 21, 2016, Sarasota, Fla. Emily Clara Roberts Robinson, 1943 BACH HS&E, March 29, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Donald Womack Staples, Jr., 1948 BACH BADM, March 31, 2016, Sugarland, Texas Virginia Dean Crawford Young, 1948 BACH H&SE, Jan. 27, 2016, Baton Rouge, La.
1950s Adeline Tifft Abel, 1956 BACH H&SS, 1959 MAST H&SS, 1966 MAST H&SS, Jan. 31, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Antonio S. Achacoso, 1959 MAST AGR, 1962 PHD AGR, Retired Associate Professor Dairy Science, March 2, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Bobby G. Argrave, Sr., 1955 BACH AGR, 1958 BACH ENGR, April 5, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Herbert Luke Babin, Jr., 1957 BACH ENGR, Feb. 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Harold Michael “Buddy” Barnes, 1960 BACH SCI, 1963 MAST SCI, 1969 PHD SCI, March 16, 2016, Raleigh, N.C. Glenn Harris Beadles, 1951 BACH AGR, Feb. 7, 2016, Dallas, Texas Ralph Wright Brewer, Jr., 1950 BACH MCOM, 1955 JD, March 5, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Jack O. Brittain, Sr., 1957 JD, Jan. 11, 2016, Natchitoches, La. Harold Jude Brouillette, 1954 JD, Feb. 23, 2016, Marksville, La. Carroll Erwin Brown, 1951 BACH HS&E, Feb. 17, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Marcia Louise Roberts Campbell, 1959 BACH HS&E, Jan. 5, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. O’Hern Vincent “Duffy” Dufour, 1950 MAST HS&E, Jan. 26, 2016, Alexandria, Va. Fred Charles Frey, Jr., 1957 BACH BUS, April 15, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Patricia McLin Fugler, 1958 BACH H&SS, Jan. 19, 2016, Lafayette, La. John D. Graham, 1950 BACH MCOM, March 3, 2016, Jackson, Tenn. Patricia Copponex Hannie, 1956 BACH, HSS, 1957 MSW, Jan. 21, 2016
Huey Peter Hinckley, 1953 MAST HS&E, Jan. 27, 2016, Santa Monica, Calif. Betty Nell Lea Hubbs, 1951 BACH AGR, Feb. 8, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Lester Deurelle Hulett, Jr., 1955 BACH SCI, 1958 MAST SCI, 1959 PHD SCI, March 29, 2016, Oak Ridge, Tenn. John B. Kent, 1953 BACH AGR, March 27, 2016, Dallas, Texas Theodore Richard “Ted” Lieux, Sr., 1950 BACH BUS, April 7, 2016, New Roads, La. Howard P. Nelson, 1952 BACH ENGR, Dec. 25, 2015, Orange, Texas Lewis Carroll Peters, 1950 BACH AGR, Feb. 22, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Katherine Virginia Rayne, 1947 BACH, HS&E, 1951 MSW, Jan. 12, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Theodore Robinson, 1956 BACH H&SS, 1960 MD, April 2, 2016, Gainesville, Ga. Glenn Austin Sharp, 1958 BACH BUS, Feb. 21, 2016, Prairieville, La. Mary Kent Thomas, 1958 BACH MCOM, Jan. 16, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. George G. Wilkes, 1952 BACH AGR, Jan. 13, 2016, Lagrange, Ga.
1960s Jack Elton Burnham, 1961 MAST M&DA, Jan. 15, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Bob Leonard Christian, 1961 BACH AGR, Feb. 2, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Gaylene Vogt Denford, 1969 MAST H&SS, 1979 CERT HS&E, Jan. 24, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Nathan D. Forrest, 1966 MD, Feb. 23, 2016, Loranger, La. Richard Charles Gravois, 1964 MAST H&SS, March 29, 2016, Austin, Texas Russell Stephen “Steve” Lefeaux, Jr., 1966 BACH H&SS, 1969 MSW, March 3, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Lawrence Allen Melsheimer, 1968 BACH ENGR, Feb. 14, 2016, Jonesville, Va. Jean Marie Hodgeson Nauman, 1968 BACH H&SS, Feb. 28, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Helen Deloris Quiret Shaw, 1962 MAST H&SE, Feb. 7, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Jodie R. Smith III, 1963 BACH H&SS, March 31, 2016, Lilburn, Ga. Fred Lee Tuton, 1962 MAST H&SS, March 23, 2016, Warrensburg, Mo. Everardo Vogel, 1968 PhD H&SS, March 11, 2016, Baton Rouge, La
1970s Patricia Boyd Adams, 1976 BACH HS&E, Jan. 15, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Vincent James Bell, 1973 BACH H&SS, March 27, 2016, Houston, Texas Charles C. Campbell, 1970 BACH H&SS, Feb. 8, 2016, Shreveport, La Russell Paul Cook, Sr., 1976 BACH H&SS, Feb. 28, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Richard de la Houssaye, 1976 BACH H&SS, 1983 MPA, March 28, 2016, New Iberia, La. Steven C. Graalmann, 1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD, March 19, 2016, Alexandria, La. Kenneth J. Guillaume, 1979 BACH H&SS, February 25, 2016, Ocala, Fla. Tom Spec Jones IV, 1970 BACH AGR, Feb. 7, 2016, Clinton, La. Alfred M. Krake, 1977 BACH H&SS, January 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Linda Margaret Lambert, 1970 MAST H&SS, Jan. 14, 2016, 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.
76 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
ADVERTISE Sherill Womack Lane, 1976 BACH H&SS, Feb. 5, 2016, Baton Rouge, La Mary Katherine Bennett Lapeyrolerie, 1970 BACH H&SS, 1973 MLS, March 31, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Phyllis Love Mayo, 1970 BACH AGR, Feb. 3, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Patrick Richard Mooney, 1972 BACH ENGR, Feb. 20, 2016, New Orleans, La. Marshall “Marty” Mulé, 1971 BACH MCOM, March 12, 2016, Covington, La. Robert Parker, 1979 BACH H&SS, Jan. 20, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Thomas William Schindler, Jr., 1970 BACH BADM, March 2016, Wilson, La. Kevin P. Torres, 1978 JD, 1986 MPA, March 7, 2016, Zachary, La.
1980s Karl Erich Krousel, 1986 BACH H&SS, 1989 JD, Jan. 29, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Margaret Heyman May, 1980 MAST HS&E, March 12, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Donald Womack Staples, Jr., 1980 BACH BUS, March 31, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. René J. Tullier, 1984 BACH ENGR, March 14, 2016, Norwalk, Conn.
1990s Phillip Joseph Roy, 1996 BACH ENGR, March 19, 2016, Baton Rouge, La. Jack V. Story, 1995 BACH M&DA, March 25, 2016, Denham Springs, La. Tamara Lynn Willis, 1995 BACH HSS, 1997 MAST HS&E, Jan. 28, 2016, Greenwell Springs, La.
2000s Chris Holeman, 2006 BACH BUS, Feb. 5, 2016, Baton Rouge, La
2010s
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Paul Louis Abel II Professor Emeritus of Music Jan. 12, 2016 Baton Rouge, La. Harold Barrett “Barry” Dellinger Patrick F. Taylor Chair of Chemistry and LSU Superfund Research Center Director March 9, 2016 Baton Rouge, La. Edward J. Steimel Retired College of Engineering Director of Development April 9, 2016 Baton Rouge, La.
LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
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Profile
Tiger Nation
Todd Murry: Doctor, Friend By Ed Cullen
“If someone asks what kind of doctor he is, he says,'Both kinds.'”
78 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
Last September under a big Austin sky, Dr. Todd Murry, forty-seven, a Las Vegas pathologist and comic book and phonograph record collector, went to dinner with a friend he hadn’t seen in almost twenty-five years, her husband, and her parents. No one talked about the day-long surgery to start shortly after sunrise to remove a brain tumor and most of the friend’s right frontal lobe. Instead, the dinner table talk ran to word play and goofy stuff, the way Murry and close friends communicate best. Murry (1990 BACH SCI, 1994 PHD MED, 1996 MD) had flown from Las Vegas that afternoon and driven a rental car to his friend’s house. Images of the friend’s brain glowed on a laptop screen in the dining room. Murry had arranged with the friend’s surgeon to see the scans. He’d helped pick the surgeon. After an early evening, Murry drove to his hotel, slept a few hours, and was at the hospital before sunrise. Not a member of the surgical team, Murry, nonetheless, was shown tissue samples minutes after they were removed and prepared for inspection. Over the next nine hours, Murry followed the course of the operation, giving the family more updates than they’d have gotten otherwise. When the surgeon came out after eight hours, it was to tell the family that he thought he Dr. Todd Murry, M.D., Ph.D. could safely get another three percent of the tumor, bringing removal to about 98 percent. As the family exchanged looks, Murry, seated next to the surgeon, was nodding “do it” to his friend’s husband seated opposite. Back into the operating room the surgeon went for almost another hour. In critical care recovery, Murry and the husband were on the other side of the bed when the parents walked in. Their groggy daughter fixed them with an almost steady gaze to say, “Obama is the president; it’s 2015, in case you were wondering.” Tracy LeGros, head of hyperbaric medicine at LSU Medical Center in New Orleans, likes the story. It’s the Todd Murry she’s known since the early 1990s. As a senior graduate student, LeGros was Murry’s mentor in the physiology lab at LSU Health Sciences Center on Perdido Street. The lab attracted many bright, energetic young men and women, LeGros said. “None, however, were quite like Todd Murry. He was an M.D./ Ph.D. candidate, and he was luminous. He was young and wet behind the ears, but there was just something about him that made you feel he was very special.” Very special is something Murry tries hard not to seem. He uses his physics degree only “in arguments on the Internet.” If someone asks what kind of doctor he is, he says, “Both kinds.” He wrote his dissertation on “Ischemic Pre-Conditioning and Myocardial Metabolism in Isolated Perfused Rat Hearts.” It’s a crummy ice breaker at cocktail parties, but it got him into medical school, and that led to his becoming a pathologist. If that’s hard to follow, don’t ask Murry why he goes to Comic Con International in San Diego or how he came to collect “B” sides of vinyl records and why he gave it up. Short answer: He loves collecting things: comic books, phonograph records, coins, doubloons. As a child, he’d get his mother to take him to doubloon swaps at the
VFW Hall in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. He quit chasing “B” sides, the songs on the other side of hit records, when CDs eclipsed vinyl and “the music business got less interesting.” He stayed with comic books because “there’s a sense of history and this weird buzz from retro, pseudo nostalgia. The idea is that you have nostalgia for an event you never knew.” Murry “thinks” he became LSU’s first M.D./Ph.D. candidate after a desperate pizza lunch with his mother in 1990. An administrative foul up meant he was going to have to wait a year to get into medical school at LSU. Carolyn Murry, who with her husband, Sylvester, had adopted Murry as a baby, listened with growing alarm. Murry ended up taking the MCAT and applying to medical schools. His applications were rejected for being too late. Classes were filled. At Godfather’s Pizza on Bullard Road, Murry told his mother he was looking on the bright side, a “B” side that had him buying a motorcycle and riding to Los Angeles where he’d get some kind of job. “She got so freaked out that she called LSU” to ask if there was any way her son could get into medical school, like now. LSU was launching an M.D./Ph.D. program and had zero qualified applicants. An applicant needed a certain score on the GRE. “It just so happened that the person in charge of the program was in the admissions office, a rare event, and overheard the conversation with my mother,” Murry said. Carolyn Murry read her son’s scores to the university official over the phone. “I ate pizza with my mother on a Friday. I was in med school on Wednesday, being oriented by a police officer who explained safety measures, such as how to gouge people’s eyes out and rupture their eardrums if I got attacked, to me.” The New Orleans cop told Murry not even to think about stopping at red lights at night. Murry had zagged instead of zigging into the graduate physics program. On Bullard Road, he made a mother-assisted zig away from his version of “Easy Rider.” One more zag v. zig lay in Murry’s career path: pathology. “That’s another zag,” he said. “I was interested in some kind of cardiovascular medicine, but I became aware of pathology as I rotated through the labs. I did the research and saw that pathology suited my personality. Some doctors get good vibes from seeing patients. I enjoyed it, but it was more exhausting for me. To be a top pathologist, you have to stick with academics.” His path to becoming a pathologist took him from LSU to Vanderbilt then to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a surgical pathology fellowship, and to Cornell for a dermatopathology fellowship. On the twelve-hour day of his friend’s brain surgery, Murry was there to represent his friend and her family. “The pathologist’s role in that kind of surgery,” he said, “is to ensure a diagnosis because there was no tissue diagnosis before surgery. There’s also an issue of margins,” Murry said. Before surgery, the size of the tumor suggested that it had been growing for twenty years and that it almost certainly was cancerous. Murry’s friend is expected to make a full recovery. So slow was the tumor’s development that other parts of her brain had taken over the functions of the frontal lobe. Murry flew home to Las Vegas, to his wife, Brandi Shellington, and the couple’s four children, who include an adopted child from China. “People ask me, ‘How do you live in Vegas?’” Murry said. They say, ‘What’s it like living inside a casino?’ That’s 5 percent of the city. Technically, we live in Henderson, population 150,000 to 200,000. There are two million people in greater metropolitan Las Vegas. You get away from the strip, and it’s very friendly. There’s a lot of xeriscaping, but there are a lot of lawns. UNLV has a vibrant art community around it, like a big commuter college.” “Fortunately, we never lost touch,” said Murry’s former lab mentor LeGros. “I still see him several times a year, as my work takes me to the City of Lost Wages often. He lives in Las Vegas, but his influence and kindness extend much further.” 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
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Scientist By Dave Wieczorek
Rolanda Wilkerson. Photo by Angelique Johnson Photography
“It’s all about how science comes to life for the person using the product.”
80 LSU Alumni Magazine | Summer 2016
When Rolanda Wilkerson (2003 PHD SCI) was barely old enough to have memorized her multiplication tables, the term “beauty scientist” would have been unfamiliar to her. Even so, she must have had an inkling about her future life’s work.
“Ever since I was little, when I had dolls like Kid Sister, Barbies, and my Cabbage Patch named Collette, I would do their hair and apply makeup mixing colors,” Wilkerson said. “I used to experiment with makeup on my friends too. They were my guinea pigs.” As she grew up her youthful passion wasn’t always appreciated by everyone in her family. “I was interested in beauty and dressing up, always doing my hair, doing my makeup, always taking too long in the morning when my younger brothers wanted to get into the bathroom,” she said, laughing. By the time she entered fourth grade Wilkerson was just as passionate about science. She won prizes at science fairs for explaining the operation of the telegraph and how the lungs breathe. After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Southern University and her doctorate from LSU, her childhood dreams turned into reality. “I wanted to merge my love of beauty and my love of science, and as a result I became a beauty scientist,” she said. Wilkerson joined Procter & Gamble in 2003 and is now a principal scientist who has worked on brands such as Olay, Secret, Venus, Clairol, Head & Shoulders, and Pantene. She collaborates with dermatologists, clinicians, and other P&G beauty scientists in researching and reporting on skin and hair science and technologies that have applications for consumer products. She also designs and executes consumer studies and preclinical trials. “I never envisioned myself leaving Baton Rouge,” said the thirty-eight-yearold Wilkerson, who grew up in Baker. “I applied for schools outside the state but always knew I would go to Southern for undergrad and to LSU for graduate school. When the opportunity came up for me to go to Cincinnati and P&G, my mom said, ‘You’d be crazy not to take it.’”
As a elementary student, along with science, Wilkerson discovered she had a gift for public speaking. Part of her job at P&G is talking with non-scientist colleagues and consumers about the science behind beauty aids. “People want to understand what makes the ingredients work, why the product works for me, the consumer, why this product is different from another product on the shelf and how it is better,” Wilkerson says. “It’s all about how science comes to life for the person using the product.” Her enthusiasm for research and what its results can lead to was partly inspired, she said, by Robert M. Strongin, the former Phillip and Foymae Kelso West Distinguished Professor at LSU now on the faculty at Portland State University. “Dr. Strongin was my Ph.D. adviser and led my graduate research group. He always challenged us with his motto, ‘Everything works.’ Now, as I explore uncharted territories with that motto in mind I am bound to discover something new or unexpected.” When it comes to beauty, the desire to maintain or augment it, there always seems to be something new and unexpected arriving on the shelves. “If you care about your body, if you care about how you feel and how you look over time, the only way to be proactive is to use beauty-care products that have strong science behind them,” said Wilkerson, who is married with two boys, ages four and two. Does being a proactive beauty scientist mean discovering the holy grail of antiagers – the Fountain of Youth? “You hear people talk about the Fountain of Youth,” Wilkerson said, finding the mythical notion slightly amusing. “If we ever get there it would put out of business every single consumer-products company. We know we’re all going to age, that there’s a natural progression. Unless there’s some sort of biological change, there’s no such thing as the Fountain of Youth. But most women and men want to look and feel younger, so the consumer said, ‘Whatever product will keep me looking and feeling younger is what I need.’” Dave Wieczorek is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago.
Periodicals POSTAGE PAID Postal Permit USPS 14120 Louisiana State University and A&M College 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Published on May 31, 2016
Summer 2016, Volume 92, Number 2
Meet the 2016 LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction inductees and find out how “LSU Research Works” to solve some of the state’s bigges...
Summer 2016, Volume 92, Number 2
Published on May 31, 2016
Meet the 2016 LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction inductees and find out how “LSU Research Works” to solve some of the state’s bigges...