LSU Alumni Magazine Spring 2022

Spring 2022, Volume 98, Number 1

THE ALUMNI BOARDS

From the

PRESIDENT Pursuing New Levels of Greatness In the last issue, I detailed LSU’s renewed pursuit of greatness. Since then, we have made incredible strides toward building a stronger future for LSU. Throughout the year, I’m going to continue sharing our progress through the five areas of LSU’s research pentagon. In this issue, we’ll focus on agriculture.

“ . . . motivated to make LSU not just land-grant, but land-great.”

A century ago, University and state leaders looked to the nation’s leading agricultural programs to evaluate their quality and practices. As part of this exploration, they visited many campuses across the country. In doing so, they were able to take away two things: one, a vision for LSU’s infrastructure that made it the envy of many peer institutions at that time, and a renewed focus on agriculture, one of our state’s primary industries. Now, in 2022, we are replicating this tour, visiting exceptional agricultural programs joined by a wide array of constituents. We are motivated to make LSU not just land-grant, but land-great. Our learning will inform work with our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and legislators. And our aim is to support the state’s agricultural industry.

Agriculture is so much more than cows and tractors. It is precision farming, food security, drought- and flood-resistant crops, increased yield, and prevention of waste and loss. It is timber and livestock, but it is also animal models that lead to disease prevention. Simply put, it is biotechnology at its finest, and in order for Louisiana to remain competitive – for our own sake as well as the nation’s – we must be the best we can possibly be.

Consider this: the agriculture sector contributes nearly $26 billion to the Louisiana economy annually. And while that’s of vital importance, that’s just in one state. In the United States as a whole, agriculture and related industries contributed $1.1 trillion to the GDP in 2019. The United States is one of the leading agricultural producers in the world. And we are the top exporter of agricultural goods.

We commit to you, the LSU faithful, that through our efforts, your University will find innovative new ways to revitalize agriculture for LSU, for Louisiana, and for the world. Our commitment requires the support of loyal alumni like yourselves, and we are grateful to you for your dedication. New levels of greatness await.

Sincerely,

William F. Tate IV

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

1

Publisher LSU Alumni Association Gordon Monk President & CEO

Contents

Editor Jackie Bartkiewicz Marketing Manager Ally Richardson Marketing Assistant Emily Millet

10 Features 16 The Alumni Boards

Meet the members of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors and The Cook Hotel Board of Managers – Tigers who are dedicated to helping alumni and friends of the University succeed professionally, socially, and philanthropically; to engage with one another; and to commit to the advancement of the University and LSU Tiger Nation.

Art Director/Graphic Designer STUN Design & Interactive Kimberly Mackey Principal/Creative Director STUN Design & Interactive Chuck Sanchez Contributors Libby Haydel, Penelope Hoopes, Bud Johnson, Steve Neumann, Bill Pou, Presley Tyler

12

Photography Philip Cancilleri, LSU Sports Information, Brit Huckabay/ National Senior Games, Jonathan Mailhes, Emily Millet, Del Moon/National Senior Games, Eddy Perez/LSU Communications & University Relations, Ally Richardson, Katherine Seghers/LSU Communications & University Relations, Harrison Valentine/LSU Athletics Communication Printing Baton Rouge Printing

31

BOARD OF DIRECTORS David Braddock, Chair Dallas, Texas Kathryn “Kathy” Fives, Chair-Elect Baton Rouge, La.

In Each Issue 1

From the LSU President

4

LSUAA President’s Message

6

LSU Alumni Association News

Bart B. Schmolke, Past Chair Alexandria, La.

38

28 Around Campus 34 Locker Room 54 Tiger Nation

67

Jack A. Andonie, Director Emeritus Metairie, La. Leo C. Hamilton, Baton Rouge, La. J. Ofori Agboka, Carnation, Wash.

Lauren Olinde Hughes, Houston, Texas Mark Kent Anderson, Jr., Monroe, La. R. Scott Jenkins, New Orleans, La. Michael B. Bethea, Madisonville, La. Matthew K. “Matt” Juneau, Baton Rouge, La. Karen Brack, San Diego, Calif.

Michael Kantrow, Jr., New York, N.Y. Cassandra M. Chandler, Hillsboro, N.C. Brandon Landry , Baton Rouge, La. Corey Foster, Lake Charles, La. Jady H. Regard,, Lafayette, La. G. Archer Frierson, III, Shreveport, La. Rori P. Smith, Baton Rouge, La. Mario J. Garner, Spring, Texas James G. “Jimmy” Gosslee, Shreveport, 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. The LSU Alumni Association is not liable for any loss that might be incurred by a purchaser responding to an advertisement in this magazine.

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

On the Cover The LSUAA Board of Directors and The Cook Hotel Board of Managers.

2 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

© 2022 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686 Letters to the editor are encouraged. LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE reserves the right to edit all materials accepted for publication.

Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the Association, or LSU.

TEXAS AGGIES GIFT

TEXAS TIGERS

C

ristin Hickman Ledbetter and her husband, Stan, both Texas A&M graduates, made a $100,000 gift in honor of Cristin’s parents, Rich and Carla Ekvall Hickman, to fund the Richard and Carla Ekvall Hickman Endowed Scholarship. The fund will provide scholarships for two students – a student from Texas or Pennsylvania majoring in business and a student from Texas majoring in education.

Growing up in the Hickman home, we bled purple and gold. My parents had LSU football season tickets, and I distinctly remember picking up my father from work on Friday afternoons each fall to drive from Dallas to Baton Rouge to attend Saturday’s football game in Tiger Stadium. We tailgated with my parents’ college friends and their kids before each game and always stopped by to see Mike the Tiger. I loved hearing my parents and their friends reminisce about their college days, especially about how my father, a basketball player, and my mother, a Chi Omega, were set up on a date by my godparents. Those are among my most cherished childhood memories.

That changed in the spring of 1991, when I broke the news to my parents that I decided to attend Texas A&M University. My dad’s reaction – “Well, I guess I‘ll have to cancel my LSU season tickets now.” It wasn’t pretty. Though my decision to forge my path in College Station wasn’t popular, my parents supported my endeavors – doing many of the same things they did in college, including meeting my husband. I still loved traveling to Baton Rouge for football games (though I now wore maroon); to visit my godparents; and to give my husband, friends, and now our children, a grand tour of the campus and, of course, visit Mike the Tiger.

While considering ways to make the biggest impact with our giving, my husband suggested an LSU endowed scholarship in my parents’ name.

Though we are Aggies, we understand the value of a quality education and recognize that without LSU and all the opportunities it provided my parents, we would not be a family today. It is our hope that in honoring my parents and their legacy, many future LSU students will be provided those same wonderful opportunities.

– CRISTIN HICKMAN LEDBETTER

The LSU Alumni Association is most grateful for the Ledbetters’ generous gift honoring their family and the LSU tradition of giving.

THEIR LEGACY WILL LIVE ON FOREVER AT LSU.

Contact: Amy Parrino at 225-578-3835 or amy@lsualumni.org for information on how to leave your legacy.

Rich Hickman, Carla Hickman, Cristin Hickman Ledbetter, and Stan Ledbetter.

RICHARD HICKMAN, a native of West Aliquippa, Pa., earned a four-year basketball scholarship to play for Coach Press Maravich and had the honor of playing with “Pistol Pete” Maravich. He was selected to the All-SEC Freshman team, and in his senior year won the LSU Basketball Academic Award and was awarded the Tiger Fan Club of Atlanta’s “Most Exciting” player for 1969-1970 season. He was inducted into the Aliquippa Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. He was a member of Kappa Sigma and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through LSU Army ROTC. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1970 and an MBA in 1972.

CARLA HICKMAN, a native of Dayton, Texas, served as house manager and recruitment chair for Chi Omega at LSU and is active with Chi Omega alumnae in Dallas and Collin County, Texas. She did her student teaching at University High School and began her teaching career at McKinley Junior High School while supporting herself and her husband as they pursued their master’s degrees.

Carla never questioned her decision to attend LSU and will be a “Texas Tiger” forever. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education in 1970 and 1972, respectively.

The Hickmans were married in May 1970 and have three daughters and sonsin-law and seven grandchildren, called The Adorables. They are both retired – Richard after forty-plus years in the banking industry, and Carla after thirtyseven year in public education. They now spend their time traveling to visit their children and attend their grandchildren’s sports events and extracurricular activities. And, proudly wearing their purple and gold, follow LSU sports.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

3

President and CEO

MESSAGE

Board Members, Alumni, Friends – Thanks for Your Support As loyal members and friends of the LSU Alumni Association, you know our primary purpose is to “engage alumni and friends; help them thrive professionally, socially, and philanthropically; and ultimately strengthen their bonds to and support of LSU and each other.” The men and women who serve on the LSUAA Board of Directors and The Cook Hotel Board of Managers help us do that by providing leadership, vision, and support for the programs and services we offer Tigers everywhere.

“. . . providing leadership, vision, and support for the programs and services we offer Tigers everywhere.”

The brief profiles of board members in this issue’s cover story include their personal thoughts about working with and through the Association for the University. We know you join us in extending heartfelt thanks to each of them, who put countless hours – on campus and in their respective hometowns – supporting LSU alumni, faculty, and students.

Though still taking precautions, we are, fortunately, somewhat back to normal.

Groups large and small are booking meetings and social activities at the alumni center and the hotel, and we are once again hosting our annual events. The Chapter Leadership Workshop took place in early February and the Hall of Distinction induction gala is set for April 1. Also scheduled is the spring Ring Ceremony, which the Association sponsors in partnership with the offices of Division of Student Affairs and Finance & Administration.

For LSU Tigers, spring means passing a good time at chapter crawfish boils.

Most of the boils were canceled last year due to the pandemic, but chapters across the country are gathering once again to enjoy mudbugs, cold brew, and friendship while generating funds for chapter activities and scholarships. Be sure to share information about your event – attendance, pounds boiled, dollars raised, and photos – with us to highlight in the summer and fall issues of the magazine.

“Thank You” to those who have paid your annual membership dues or made contributions to chapters and/or the Association. Your generosity helps us provide valuable services to current and future alumni and support the University through scholarships, professorships, and faculty awards. We couldn’t do it without you!

All the best to you and yours in 2022. Stay in touch, keep reading, and if you’re in Baton Rouge, stop by for a visit.

Forever LSU!

Gordon Monk President/CEO LSU Alumni Association AlumniLSU lsualumniassociation

4 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

5

LSU Alumni Association

NEWS

Chapter Events Giving Back – Tigers in chapters across the country give back to their alma mater by supporting scholarships awarded by the LSU Alumni Association to deserving students.

A.P. Tureaud Milestone recipient Antavion Moore.

Freshman Receives Milestone Award – Antavion Moore, of Ringgold,

La., a freshman studying biological engineering, was named the 2021 recipient of the A.P. Tureaud Milestone Award. He is the first young person from Louisiana elected by the National 4-H Council's Board of Trustees to serve on the National 4-H Young Alumni Advisory Committee and the first Ron Brown Scholar to attend LSU. The Tureaud Milestone Award is presented each year during the LSU Black Scholars Program to a student or students with first-time achievements at LSU. The A.P. Tureaud Chapter of the LSU Alumni Association presented the award since 1992 in cooperation with the LSU Black Faculty and Staff Caucus.

Central Florida Alumni Chapter members, from left, Chris Gearity, Curtis Ward, Paul West, and Debi West, presented a check to LSU Alumni Association President Gordon Monk, far right, to support the chapter’s scholarship fund.

6 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Association officers on hand to accept a scholarship donation from Southern California (SoCal) Chapter President Charles Favors, center, were, from left, Tracy Jones, Sally Stiel, Amy Parrino, Gordon Monk, Rachel Rhodes, and Joe Carvalhido.

Presenting a check to support the Greater Baton Rouge Alumni Chapter’s scholarship fund were, from left, Jim and Laura Parr, Leo Hamilton, J.P. Chaize, Jeff Mohr, Rhonda Perdue, LSU Alumni Association President Gordon Monk, D-D Breaux, and Luke Laborde.

LSU 2022 Hall of Distinction

D-D Breaux Named Alumna of the Year

D-D Breaux

Jordan Davis Photo: Glenn Francis

D-D Breaux, retired LSU gymnastics head coach, was named the 2022 LSU Alumna of the Year, and country music artist Jordan Davis, is the 2022 Young Alumnus of the Year.

Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2018 and the iHeart Radio Music Award for Best New Country Artist, and was nominated in 2019 for an Academy of Country Music (ACM) award in the New Male Artist of the Year category.

He is currently nominated for his collaboration with Luke Bryan on the song, “Buy Dirt,” for the Musical Event of the Year CMA (Country Music Association) award. His album Home State pays tribute to Louisiana.

Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental management systems in 2007.

“The LSU Alumni Association annually recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves and the university through their careers, their personal and civic accomplishments, their volunteer activities and their loyalty to their alma mater,” said Gordon Monk, association president and CEO. “These individuals have excelled in all of these areas and exemplify the essence of a true Tiger.”

The first LSU Alumnus of the Year award was conferred in 1966; the Young Alumnus of the Year Award was established in 1999 to recognize alumni who have attained professional prominence early in their careers.

Including the 2022 inductees, the LSU Alumni Association has recognized 324 individuals representing a cross-section of LSU graduates.

They will be inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction on Friday, April 1, along with Cate Heroman, a veteran educator, administrator, advocate, consultant, coach, author, and Knock Knock Children’s Museum volunteer; Gil Rew, a dentist in private practice in Mansfield, La.; and Ivory Toldson, professor of counseling psychology at Howard University and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education.

Breaux, the longest tenured coach of any sport in SEC history, built the LSU program into a national powerhouse during her forty-three seasons. As the “Dean of Coaches,” she represented the university at the highest level in the gym and in the community, dedicating her life to LSU and the more than 200 gymnasts she coached over the years.

She was named SEC Coach of the Year on nine occasions and NCAA Central Regional Coach of the Year nine times.

Breaux earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1976 and a master’s degree in physical education in 1978.

Davis, a songwriter and performer, has won multiple awards including

Cate Heroman

Gil Rew

Ivory Toldson

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

7

LSU Alumni Association News

2021 Annual Meeting

Braddock, Fives Named to Top Posts

Past LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors chairs, from left, Jeff Mohr, Beverly Shea, Leo Hamilton, Dr. Louis Minsky, Jerry Shea, and Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite.

David Braddock and Kathy Fives were named chair and chair-elect, respectively, of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting and Past Presidents & Chairs Luncheon in November. They will serve oneyear terms, which began on Jan. 1.

Association President Gordon Monk presented certificates recognizing the dedicated service and outstanding leadership of board members, from top, Beverly Shea, Bart Schmolke, and Van Whitfield.

8 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Braddock is chairman and CEO of Broad Oak Energy, LLC. He studied geology and business economics at LSU and earned a bachelor's degree in 1974. Fives, a business management consultant, owns the boutique management consulting firm Fives Management Solutions in Baton Rouge. She earned a bachelor’s degree in merchandising from LSU in 1987.

Bart Schmolke poses with “his chair,” the traditional gift presented to outgoing board chair.

Elected to the board for three-year terms were Jady Regard, Lafayette, La., representing District 3; Lauren Olinde Hughes, Houston, at-large; and Rori Smith, Baton Rouge, at-large.

“Leadership is critical to the success of any organization, and we are fortunate to welcome these outstanding, dedicated alumni to the board,” said Gordon Monk, association president and CEO. “The Association and the University will benefit immensely from their expertise.”

Ending terms on the board were Beverly Shea, 2012-2021; Van Whitfield 20162021; and Kevin Knobloch, 2016-2021.

“These individuals were an integral part of the organization for many years, and they played major roles in our success,” Monk said. “Their willingness to share their time, talents, and resources was invaluable.”

U S E YOU R LO U D E ST ROAR

Join Tiger Advocates Get involved now to protect LSU and higher education in Louisiana. We want LSU TIGER NATION – alumni, friends, fans, future alumni, faculty, and staff – to be well informed on legislation that might impact YOUR University.

Dr. Louis Minsky, far right, and his wife, Lori, second from left, presented Minsky MVP awards to business department employees, from left, Courtney Bloch, accountant; Trudi Schriber, business manager; and Landon Jordan, chief financial officer. Not pictured, Cade Reinninger, chief engineer at The Cook Hotel.

WHY SHOULD YOU BECOME A TIGER ADVOCATE: Help support the future of our state’s most gifted future alumni.

Keep vital research going to address our state’s most pressing problems.

Support University parish extension offices throughout the state that spread the wealth of LSU research.

Help LSU continue to produce alumni community leaders across the state.

WHAT DOES BECOMING A TIGER ADVOCATE MEAN?

2022 LSU Alumna of the Year and Association President Gordon Monk.

Ex-officio officers elected to serve one-year terms are LSU President William F. Tate IV; Monk; Landon Jordan, treasurer; and Claire McVea, secretary.

Highlighting the luncheon was the announcement of the 2022 LSU Alumna of the Year, D-D Breaux.

The retired LSU women’s gymnastics coach was the longest tenured coach of any sport in SEC history and built the LSU program into a national powerhouse during her forty-three seasons.

Several employees were recognized as Employees of the Year with the Minsky MVP Award, and two alumni chapters – the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter and the Central Florida Chapter – presented checks to support their scholarship funds (see page 6).

Photos: Ally Richardson

You will receive email notifications at critical times when your voice needs to be heard in the Louisiana Legislature.

With just a click or call, your legislators will know LSU TIGER NATION is closely monitoring legislative decisions that impact LSU. Your legislators represent YOU. Show them you are for LSU.

Signing up is easy & free and taking part requires a minimal investment of your time.

Show your Love for LSU by signing up at lsualumni.org/tiger-advocates

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

9

LSU Alumni Association News

Snapshots

Jackie and Del Moon

Ring Donation – The LSU ring

Trudi Schriber, Courtney Bloch, John Gauthier, Jamie LeJeune, and Amy Parrino sport – and sell – LSU apparel at Hollydays.

Photo: Emily Millet

Pop-Up Shopping – The LSU Alumni Association’s Shelton Gift Shop was one of more than a hundred merchants taking part in the pre-holiday pop-up market sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge at Raising Canes River Center.

display in the Lod Cook Alumni Center boasts another class ring, thanks to Del Moon (1975 BACH MCOM), who donated his ring to the collection.

Happy Birthday, Boss – Summoned to The Bar at The Cook Hotel to “check a water leak,” LSU Alumni Association President Gordon Monk found himself the center of attention as staffers and his wife, Debbie, surprised him with a birthday celebration.

10 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

From left, Emily Millet, marketing assistant; Renan Maldonado, maintenance engineer; Courtney Bloch, accountant; Ariel Anderson, maintenance engineer; Ally Richardson, marketing manager; Joe Carvalhido, vice president of advancement; and Von Iyengar, conference sales coordinator.

Longtime major donor Richard Hebert (1966 BACH ENGR), center, presented his 2021 donation to LSU Alumni Association vice presidents Amy Parrino and Tracy Jones at his home in LaPlace, La., in December 2021.

Wearing various shades of pink are, from left, Brittany Ernest, Brandli Greer, Ally Richardson, Gordon Monk, Rachel Rhodes, Sally Stiel, Claire McVea, Cooper Knecht, Karla Lemoine, Amy Parrino, and Courtney Bloch.

Welcome Aboard – The LSU Alumni Association welcomed new employees and observed Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the New Employee Luncheon in October.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

11

LSU Alumni Association News

Snapshots Traveling Tigers – LSU didn’t bring home a victory, but the some 200 fans traveling to Houston to cheer on the Tigers as they met the Kansas State Wildcats in the Texas Bowl enjoyed the outing “on the road,” including the Tiger Nation Tailgate at NRG Stadium before the game.

Photos: Sally Stiel

12 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

COAST TO COAST

CRAWFISH BOILS Coming soon to a city near you LSUALUMNI.ORG/COAST-TO-COAST

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

13

LSU Alumni Association News

Snapshots

Giving Back – Emily Millet, Brandli Roberts, Ally Richardson, Sally Stiel, Welcome, Coach – Debbie and Gordon Monk welcomed Coach Brian Kelly and his family to LSU on behalf of the LSU Alumni Association at a reception in the South Club of Tiger Stadium in December.

14 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

and Rachel Rhodes take time out for a photo with Baton Rouge Food Bank volunteer Donna Patterson, far right, after delivering dry and canned foods collected by the LSU Alumni Association and The Cook Hotel staff to the food bank.

A HOME FOR YOUR TIGER PRIDE.

A HUB FOR YOUR

CONNECTIONS.

GET SOCIAL WITH US! LIKE US. FOLLOW US. JOIN US.

LSU Alumni Association The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU Tiger Advocates

@AlumniLSU @TigerAdvocates

@LSUAlumniAssociation @CookHotelLSU

LSU Alumni Association

Help us keep #LSUTigerNation Trending!

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

15

THE ALUMNI BOARDS 16 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

ON THE LSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE DEDICATED TO HELPING ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY SUCCEED PROFESSIONALLY, SOCIALLY, AND PHILANTHROPICALLY; TO ENGAGE WITH ONE ANOTHER; AND TO COMMIT TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY AND LSU TIGER NATION.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

17

DAVID B. BRADDOCK C H A IR David Braddock founded Broad Oak Energy (BOE) in 2006 and served as chair and CEO. The company was recognized as No. 1 in the Inaugural LSU 100 – the fastest growing companies led by an LSU alumnus and No. 2 in the Dallas Business Journal as the 2010 fastest growing company in Dallas. BOE merged with Laredo Petroleum and filed an IPO in December of 2011. He cofounded Broad Oak Energy II in 2012 and served on the Board of Managers until it was sold. He continues to serve as chair and CEO of Broad Oak Energy. He and his wife, Sandi, have seven children and seventeen grandchildren with whom they share their time in Baton Rouge; Fredonia, Texas; and Lake Tahoe, Nev. Braddock earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from LSU in 1974.

Serving the LSU Alumni Association allows me to give back to our Louisiana State University by supporting our faculty and the students who will continue the traditions of LSU and be the future of our state. I have been associated with LSU for fifty-four years and have served closely for the past seven years. I find alumni activities and involvement deeply rewarding, especially as I watch my grandchildren arrive and excel and become Tigers “Fierce for the Future.”

KATHRYN “KATHY” FIVES CHAIR - ELECT Kathy Fives has served LSU as an alumna and ambassador, as well as a philanthropic catalyst through her career that includes many facets – retail, business management consulting, corporate buyer, and restaurateur.

Retired from consulting, she runs two restaurants in Baton Rouge and has holds a corporate position in the buying office of a regional fine jewelry company. She was a founding member and officer of the LSU Alumni Chapter in Las Vegas, was elected to the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2014, and is a founding member of the Tiger Fan Council, an advisory council to the LSU Athletics Department. In 2019, she was elected to The Cook Hotel Board of Managers, was named to the Dean’s Council for the College of Agriculture. Fives earned a bachelor's degree in merchandising from LSU in 1987.

My involvement with the LSU Alumni Association began in Las Vegas twenty years ago to help area students attend LSU. I believe every student should have the opportunity to earn a degree from LSU, so I founded the LSUAA Las Vegas Chapter to fund scholarships in support of that belief.

Over the years my commitment to LSU evolved from the chapter level to the national level. Serving on the boards of the Association and The Cook Hotel has afforded me the opportunity to continue this gratifying work on a broader scale. It is in giving that we realize gratitude and provide a chance for greatness in others. I am proud to be part of an association that supports these beliefs.

18 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

BART B. SCHMOLKE IM M E DIATE PA ST C H A IR Bart Schmolke, a thirty-eight year professional in the financial industry, is an independent financial advisor with Financial Solutions Group in Alexandria, La. He is a longtime member of the LSU Alumni Association and the Tiger Athletic Foundation. Schmolke earned a bachelor's degree in finance in 1978 and an MBA in 1980 from LSU. My love for LSU and the character and integrity of the board and staff are why I enjoy serving on the Board of Directors.

JEFFREY H. MOHR D ISTR ICT 1 Jeff Mohr is president of Lewis Mohr Real Estate and Insurance Agency in Baton Rouge and is an active member of the LSU Alumni Association and Tiger Athletic Foundation. He earned a bachelor's degree in management and administration from LSU in 1982 and a master's degree in insurance management from Boston University.

Working with the LSU Alumni Association has truly been a very rewarding experience. To help and support the University in its many endeavors is indeed special. The real joy for me has been the opportunity to work with the LSUAA staff and share their dedication and commitment to make our Alumni Association one of the best. They are a special group, and it has been one of the joys of my life to work with them!

BRANDON P. LANDRY D ISTR ICT 1 Brandon Landry founder, co-owner, and CEO of WalkOn’s, has been recognized for his entrepreneurial spirit

by Nation’s Restaurant News, Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Times, Headline News, and ESPN. He was named Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Restaurateur of the Year, Baton Rouge Young Businessperson of the Year, and Louisiana Marketer of the Year and was recognized as a Baton Rouge Business Report 40 Under 40. Walk-On’s was named ESPN’s #1 Sports Bar in America 2012, and the concept has earned “best new restaurant” and “best sports bar” honors in every city in which it has opened.

A four-year letterman in basketball, he is a member of the L Club and Tiger Athletic Foundation and in 2017 was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction as Young Alumnus of the Year. Landry earned a bachelor’s degree in management from LSU in 2001.

I grew up at LSU . . . I went to LSU . . . I played for LSU . . . I cheer for LSU . . . I am Forever LSU!

R. SCOTT JENKINS DISTRIC T 2 Scott Jenkins, a partner at Jones Walker LLP in New Orleans, is the leader of the Maritime Practice Group and co-leader of the Maritime Industry Sector. He is active both civically and socially in the New Orleans/Northshore areas. Jenkins and wife, Helen Schmidt Jenkins, have three children – Scott, Sara, and Mary Grace. He earned a bachelor’s of arts degree from LSU in 1991 and a juris doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans College School of Law in 1994.

I enjoy working with the Association in support of the University by providing a voice on behalf of other alumni on issues that affect the University, its students, and alumni.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

19

THE LSUAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JADY H. REGARD D ISTR ICT 3 Jady Regard is owner, president, and CNO (Chief Nut Officer) of Cane River Pecan Company, a gourmet pecan retailer specializing in business gifts. He is also the founder of Little Band Man Company, a miniature toy collectible business, and Slice of Lime Publishing, a children’s book publishing company. He has written and published six children’s books. The owner of the Bourbe Lake Hunting Club, he serves as the “Lead Alligator Guide” for its nationally known wild alligator hunting and outfitting service. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from LSU in 1992.

I cherished my time as a student at LSU. But more than that, I have had an impactful thirty-plus year relationship with LSU since my graduation. LSU is much more than a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. LSU has become a part of me and how I think of myself as a true and dedicated Louisianian. I know, without LSU, I would not be the man or father that I am today. LSU has been the glue that connects my strong Louisiana values with a sincere commitment to Louisiana culture. LSU continues to keep me connected to a Louisiana that I love.

COREY G. FOSTER DISTRIC T 4 Dr. Corey Foster, of Lake Charles, La., a senior partner at Imperial Health Cardiovascular Specialists, is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and interventional cardiology. He earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from LSU in 2001 and an MD from the LSU School of Medicine-New Orleans in 2006.

I give because I know LSU has the power to change lives. I hope my small contributions make it easier for the next generation to attend and enjoy LSU. Moreover I hope it ensures that LSU continues to invest in vital research, student scholarships, the arts and sciences. – What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pine

JAMES D. “JIMMY” GOSSLEE DISTRIC T 5 Jimmy Gosslee, of Shreveport, La., grew his real estate brokerage, then Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Associates, to a level at which it earned a place in the LSU 100: Fastest Growing Tiger Businesses for two consecutive years. Under his leadership, the firm, now Coldwell Banker Gosslee, has been the No. 1 real estate company in Northwest Louisiana for twenty-nine consecutive years. He is active with the Committee of 100, Junior Achievement (Laureate), Chamber of Commerce Economic Development (Chair), Louisiana Real Estate Commission (Chair), Schumpert Medical Center Foundation (Chair), Kappa Sigma Gamma Chapter Grand Master and alumnus. Gosselee and his wife, Dianne, have three grown children and nine grandchildren.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in general business from LSU. Being involved with LSU since I walked on campus as a freshman in 1967 has rewarded me so much that serving on this board allows me to not only pay it back but actively work toward keeping our alumni and students strong, committed, and engaged for the future.

20 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

MARK KENT ANDERSON, JR. DISTRIC T 6 Mark Kent Anderson, Jr., of Monroe, La., is executive vice president of sales and marketing at Mid South Extrusion, a family-owned plastic manufacturing company. Actively involved in the community, he serves on the board of directors of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Northeast Louisiana and is a member of the LSU Alumni Association Young Alumni Advisory Council and the Plastics Industry Association Future Leaders in Plastics. He earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from LSU in 2014.

LSU is part of my being. Tiger Nation is my family. The LSU Alumni Association is the “front door” to LSU, and my involvement allows me to serve my university by supporting students and faculty. Young alumni are my priority.

Engagement and growth with this demographic will ensure our continued success.

J. AFORI AGBOKA AT- L AR G E Ofori Agboka, of Carnation, Wash., is vice president of People eXperience and Technology (PXT) for Global Operations at Amazon. Prior to joining Amazon, he served as executive director of human resources of global corporate staffs at General Motors. He was recognized by the NCAA for his life “After the Game,” was named an Automotive News 2016 Rising Star and a Michigan Chronicle 2018 Man of Excellence, and was recognized in Savoy Magazine’s 2018 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America. He serves on the Doug Williams Center for the Study of Race & Politics in Sports Advisory Board and the Puget Sound Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors. Agboka earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from LSU in 1998 and completed the GM Transformational Leadership Program from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

It is an honor to serve on the LSU Alumni Association board. It is an important and rewarding way to give back to the University that has given so much to me.”

MICHAEL B. BETHEA AT- L AR G E Michael Bethea, of Covington, La., chief executive officer of Offshore Technical Compliance, led its expansion from its original corrosion and erosion surveillance focus to a full-service offshore oil and gas regulatory compliance company. His background in executive management spans more than twenty-five years in both private and nonprofit sectors. Bethea earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1986.

I serve on the LSUAA board because it’s quite clear to me that my degree has become more valuable over the years as so many others have invested heavily in LSU. Those who have invested professionally, philanthropically, and academically have raised LSU to a level where we compete with elite public learning institutions nationally for research funding, the brightest students, and the best professors. It was time for me to give back to LSU and the Alumni Association, and its mission was the perfect place for me to contribute.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

21

THE LSUAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

KAREN G. BRACK AT- L AR G E Karen Brack, of San Diego, Calif., is an associate technical fellow in Airborne Electronic Hardware at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. She was recognized in the LSU College of Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2016 and currently serves on the College of Engineering Dean's Council and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Industry Advisory Board. She has been active in LSU alumni chapters since 1985 and she her husband, Bill, together support their alma maters, LSU and San Diego State University. She earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at LSU in 1984 and a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Irvine, in 1988.

Serving the LSU Alumni Association through the national board and chapters has connected me to a great diversity of people with a shared passion for the rich culture of Louisiana who together fervently promote the students, faculty, and programs of the University.

CASSANDRA MCWILLIAMS CHANDLER AT- L A RGE Cassandra “Cassi” Chandler, of Hillsborough, N.C., spent twenty-three years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She was appointed to the U.S. Senior Executive Service as the first black female special agent to be promoted to assistant director. After retiring, she joined Bank of America as an executive in compliance and regulatory relations. She is an instructor at the Pacific Coast Banking School; president and CEO of Vigeo Alliance; served on the NYPD Federal Monitorship team; and was an adjunct professor at PACE University. Among her awards are the Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive presented by President George W. Bush, the National Center for Women & Policing’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling award, and the Norfolk NAACP Trailblazer Award. Chandler earned dual bachelor degrees in journalism and English from LSU in 1979 and a JD from Loyola University Law School in 1984.

LSU is more than a college campus with a cadre of professors and students. It is family, a place where the professors and staff care about students, seek opportunities to assist them during unexpected emergencies, or help them find their first jobs. I serve LSU because it is a place where people care, a place that is more than an institution, a place that remains supportive to students and graduates as family. I am proud to serve LSU and when I return to the campus, it always feels like coming home.

G. ARCHER FRIERSON, III AT- L A RGE Archer Frierson, of Shreveport, La., is director of brokerage and leasing at Vintage Realty Company. He is licensed in Louisiana and Arkansas, is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), a member of the Commercial Investment Division of the Northwest Louisiana Association of Realtors, and a designated industrial specialist. Active in the Shreveport/Bossier community, he is a graduate of the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce Leadership Shreveport program and was named to the chamber’s Northwest Louisiana’s Top 40 Under 40. A graduate of the Council for a Better Louisiana’s Leadership Louisiana program, he is secretary-treasurer of the Louisiana CCIM Board of Directors and served as a Community Catalyst for the Community Foundation of Shreveport/Bossier City. Frierson earned a bachelor’s degree in business from LSU and an MBA from Centenary College.

Serving on the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors offers me the opportunity to give back to the University, which provided me with the fundamentals to lead a productive life.

22 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

MARIO J. GARNER AT- L AR G E Mario Garner is president of St. Luke's Hospital at The Vintage Houston. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of National Association of Health Services Executives and the Commission for the Accreditation of Health Management Education, serves on the board of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, and was chair of the 2021 Northwest Harris County Heart Walk-American Heart Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from LSU in 2002, a master’s degree in administration from Tulane University, and a doctor of education degree in administration and supervision from the University of Houston.

The Alumni Association affords me the opportunity to give back to our beloved alma mater through financial contributions, engagement of fellow alumni to strengthen our bonds and support of LSU, and influence the spirit of the board by ensuring the work we do is engaging Tiger Nation. Forever LSU!

FRANCES “LAUREN” OLINDE HUGHES LEO C. HAMILTON AT-L ARGE Leo Hamilton, a partner in the law firm Breazeale, Sachse and Wilson, Baton Rouge, is a charter member of the A.P. Tureaud Sr. Black Alumni Chapter, which was established in 1989. He served as the chapter’s first vice-president and president-elect and helped create its first endowed scholarship.

Hamilton earned a degree in general arts from LSU in 1973 and a JD from LSU Law School in 1977.

LSU prepared me for a successful life and career and allowed me to help pave the way for others. It was a privilege to be involved in the creation of the A.P. Tureaud Sr. Black Alumni Chapter, which has grown, thrived, and enjoyed tremendous success. I am honored to give back to my alma mater through service as a member of the LSU Alumni Association.

AT- L A RGE Lauren Hughes’ professional experience in banking and retail includes serving as executive secretary to the president human resources officer of First Community Bancshares; executive secretary to the president of Sunbelt National Bank of Houston; loan administrator at Tanglewood Corporation/ Williamstown Bank in Houston; and group sales manager at Goudchaux’s in Baton Rouge. She volunteers at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School and helped launch its yearbook, serving as photographer, designer, and editor for seven years. She is social chair of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and a legacy donor of The Cook Hotel. Hughes and her husband, Kevin, have one child, Matthew – a future fourthgeneration Tiger. The family resides in Houston. She earned a degree in merchandising from LSU in 1981.

All of my life I have bled purple and gold. LSU is figuratively and literally in my blood. I am thankful for the experiences and memories that my grandparents and parents provided and instilled in me – a Forever Love for LSU. It is a great honor to carry on my father’s legacy with LSUAA and The Cook Hotel.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

23

THE LSUAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MATTHEW K. JUNEAU AT- L A RGE Matthew K. Juneau, of Baton Rouge, retired from Albemarle Corporation in 2018 after a thirty-five year career, serving for his last three years as executive vice president of corporate strategy and investor relations. He was previously president of the global business unit for Albemarle’s Performance Chemicals Business and also served as global vice president of sales and services and regional managing director, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. In retirement, he consults in a variety of roles and is currently an advisor to Lithium Royalty Corporation and a member of the advisory board for the chemicals and materials arm of Arsenal Capital. Juneau also works with WPNT Communications, a Houston-based communications consulting group. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from LSU in 1982.

LSU has been an integral part of our family for over forty years. In total, my wife, Melissa, our four adult children, and I have earned collectively nine different degrees from LSU. Serving on the LSUAA board has given me an opportunity to give back in a small way to the University that has had a huge positive impact on our entire family.

MICHAEL J. KANTROW, JR. AT- L A RGE Michael Kantrow, of New York City, is founder, CEO, and managing partner of Makeable, the Innovation Company, recognized as an industry-leading organization working with companies to conceive, design, develop and transform products, brands, and businesses through the intersection of strategy, design and technology consulting, and implementation. He also cofounded Game Time Beverages. He is a leader, advocate, and supporter of the arts, serving as a governor and board member of the National Arts Club, an advisor to the Brooklyn Museum, and an advisor to a variety of emerging artists, including the Soho Renaissance Factory. Kantrow and his partner, Cristina Enriquez-Bocobo, have a son, ten-year-old Henri Enriquez-Kantrow, New York City's biggest and most devout LSU Tiger fan. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from LSU in 1990 and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Having grown up on campus at University High and as the recipient of an LSUAA President’s National Merit Scholarship, working with the Association allows me to give back and pay forward all of what LSU so generously gave to me – both practically and conceptually. Having made NYC my next home, for over thirty years now, it's also my ambition to help make Tiger Nation as fierce up here in the Big Apple and the Northeast as it is back down in my beloved Louisiana and forever hometown of Baton Rouge.

24 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

RORI P. SMITH AT- L AR G E A native of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, but with family roots in Baton Rouge, Rori earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from LSU. Her career includes serving as a White House appointee; news anchor with WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge; and currently as a corporate instructor for Delta Air Lines’ flight attendant safety and customer service delivery. She owns and operates the Louisiana-based company, Bunni Enterprises, a corporate training leader specializing in guiding and supporting Fortune 500 companies, local and national organizations, and nonprofits in coaching and motivating customer-facing frontline employees on how to deliver stellar customer service. Smith is actively involved with the LSU Alumni Association and was emcee for the annual Hall of Distinction Banquet in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.

My connections to LSU and the LSU Alumni Association are very personal to me.

As important as donations are, and they sure are, I wanted and needed to do more to get involved after moving back to Baton Rouge and the first stop was at the Alumni Association offices to find out how I could engage with them.

The moment I saw the alumni center and The Cook Hotel, I knew these were special places and where I belonged.

JACK A. ANDONIE DIRE C TO R E M E RITUS

Stan Williams, of Fort Worth, Texas, is director of sales for HeartFlow. He earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from LSU in 1986 and degree in pharmacology from the University of Mississippi in 1989.

A retired obstetrician/ gynecologist, Jack Andonie, of Metairie, La., graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a bachelor's degree in biology in 1958 and from the LSU School of Medicine in 1962. A former member of the LSU Board of Supervisors, he served as board chairman in 1988-1989. He has served as chairman of the LSU Alumni Association Board of Directors twice. The Jack and Priscilla Andonie Museum, located at the Lod Cook Alumni Center, boasts a unique collection of LSU sports memorabilia from iconic teams and athletes.

I serve the University through the LSU Alumni Association because it appears that many people don't re-engage with LSU once they graduate. I'd like to do my small part to connect with as many graduates and alums as possible, in order for them to reconnect with the University.

My decades-long connection to and involvement with LSU and the LSU Alumni Association have been most rewarding. It means a lot to me to give back to the institution that prepared me for life by supporting Association programs and activities that benefit faculty, students, alumni, and friends of Tiger Nation.

STANLEY L. “STAN” WILLIAMS AT-L ARGE

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

25

JAMES W. MOORE, III C H A IR James Moore is managing partner of Moore Family Investments. He was previously with InterMountain Management, one of the largest independent hotel management firms in the country, serving as general manager and regional director of operations of multiple hotels.

Active in community service in the Twin Cities of Monroe and West Monroe, La., he serves on the boards of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, North Louisiana Economic Partnership, University of Louisiana at Monroe Foundation, and United Way of NELA. Moore and his wife, Arabella, reside in Monroe, La., with their son Walter and daughter Vada Speed. He is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University and an LSU ABC, an Alumnus-by-Choice.

I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Board of Managers of The Cook Hotel for many years. LSU is so fortunate to have such a high-quality hotel on its campus. The staff at The Cook Hotel continues to deliver excellent customer service & accommodations to guests visiting the area.

CALVIN BRAXTON Calvin Braxton, an LSU ABC, an Alumnus-by-Choice, is president and chief executive officer of Braxton Land Company, president of Natchitoches Ford-Lincoln, and president of Winnfield Memorial Funeral Homes in Natchitoches and Winnfield, La. My commitment to the LSU Alumni Association and The Cook Hotel have been rock solid from the very beginning and I have been privileged to serve the organizations in many ways. Choosing to serve the hotel board is a very personal decision for me. The hotel provides a home away from home for alumni, parents, and students, academic and athletic recruits, and in general, guests looking for a unique experience not found anywhere else in the world.

KATHRYN “KATHY” FIVES S E E B OA RD O F DIRE C TO RS , PAGE 18 TOMMY MOREL Tommy Morel was a wide receiver at LSU from 1966-1968, the same year he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints and joined the NFL. When his professional sports career ended, he had multiple careers in hotel sales and marketing, brand design, musical adaptation, and jingle creation. As co-owner of Uptown Sound Productions, he is credited with helping to develop the original “Love that Chicken from Popeye's!” jingle. He currently serves as the owner of Morel Productions in New Orleans. Morel received a bachelor's degree in marketing from LSU in 1970.

With a background in both competitive sports and hotel marketing, I wanted to continue being part of a competitive winning team and getting involved with the LSU Alumni Association and The Cook Hotel was a great way to do just that. While on the surface it may seem like a group of “over fifty-somethings,” when you’re in meetings and events, it feels completely different. The energy level, knowledge, and enthusiasm are remarkable. Board meetings are like a coaches-only team meeting, the difference being each is a head coach with twenty-five to thirty years of experience in their respective fields, and it’s an incredible resource for the organization.

26 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

ANDI RUSHTON OUSTALET Andi Oustalet is the owner of Guided Endeavor, an events consultation company that focuses on organization, timelines, and exacting detail. She also works with Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser in fundraising and events and serves on the grants committee and events committee of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Board of Directors. She is actively involved with numerous other organizations, among them, Habitat for Humanity, the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, and the LSU Alumni Association. Oustalet spearheaded the committee responsible for the development and opening of The Bar in The Cook Hotel in 2020. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

I could not be more proud to be considered an ABC – Alumnus-by-Choice. LSU is an institution that I am so happy to be involved with, especially as a board member for The Cook Hotel.

STEPHEN M. “STEVE” TOPE Steve Tope has served as the administrator for the Charles McClendon Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships to children of former football players, since 2003. He was previously vice-president of Brazos Sportswear, an international company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tope earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio University in 1971 and is an LSU ABC, an Alumnus-byChoice. An avid golfer, he played for Purdue and Ohio universities.

The LSU Alumni Association continues to grow and prosper as it serves the University's alumni nationwide. As a small cog in this process, I am happy to work toward the betterment of the institution as we strive to find ways to interconnect the alumni while uniting them in supporting and furthering the goals and endeavors of our great university. A “walk-on alumnus,” I am excited to see the national acclaim LSU receives and deserves.

STANLEY L. “STAN” WILLIAMS S E E B OA RD O F DIRE C TO RS , PAGE 25 SAM J. FRIEDMAN CHAIR EMER ITUS Sam Friedman, of Natchitoches, La., is founder and CEO of Dimension Hospitality, a hotel management company that partners with the major brands including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt from coast to coast. As Board Member Emeritus, his knowledge and expertise have helped guide the Cook Hotel Board of Managers for many years, including consulting during both the original construction and the renovations of the property. Friedman served on the LSU Board of Supervisors from 1984-1990, serving one year as chair. He left the law profession in 1973 to start the hotel management firm. He splits his time between his homes in Natchitoches and Florida, and his favorite hobbies are fishing and watching LSU football. He received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from LSU in 1958 and a JD from the LSU Law School in 1961.

I’ve been a member of the Association for a very long time, and it is my honor to continue to serve on The Cook Hotel’s Board of Managers. It was exhilarating to be part of the planning and implementation of the hotel, and here we are twenty years later after interior and exterior renovations with this unique property. I couldn’t be happier for the possibilities for growth and prosperity.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

27

Around

CAMPUS

Jinx Coleman Broussard, professor of mass communication, was named The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations 2021 Bruce K. Berger Educator Honoree.

The award recognizes individuals who are, or have been, full-time educators who have touched the lives and careers of countless students through mentoring.

Young H. Chun, a professor in the Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship and Information Systems, published a single-authored research paper in the Journal of the Operational Research Society, “Information Economics Approach to the Performance Evaluation of Error-Prone Internal Auditors,” named one of three runners-up for the journal’s Goodeve Medal awarded annually for the best paper published in the journal in the previous year.

Hartmut Kaiser, adjunct professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is working to improve flood preparedness and mitigation capabilities with the aid of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).

Keith Hall was named the Nesser Family Chair in Energy Law, the first faculty member to hold the chair at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Hall joined the faculty

28 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Noteworthy as an assistant professor in 2012, was promoted to associate professor in 2015, and appointed full professor and awarded tenure in 2018. He has served as director of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute since 2012 and in early 2020 was named director of the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center.

Angela Miller was named director of Academic Programs Abroad in the Office of International Programs. A champion for global learning and engagement, she has thirteen years of professional education abroad experience and a proven record of accomplishment in building and growing education abroad by increasing student opportunities. A champion for global learning and diversity, Miller has served on various diversity, equity, and inclusion committees and is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Kevin Ringelman, associate professor in the School of Renewable and Natural Resources, has been named recipient of the H. Dale Hall Ducks Unlimited Endowed Professorship in Wetlands and Waterfowl Conservation, named after LSU College of Agriculture alumnus and former director of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service under George W. Bush. Of the nine endowed waterfowl chairs/professorships in North America, this is the only one in the U.S. associated with Ducks Unlimited, Inc., widely recognized as a world leader in wetland and waterfowl conservation.

Graça Vicente, professor of chemistry and the Charles H. Barré Distinguished Professor, was named a Boyd Professor by the LSU Board of Supervisors in December.

The Boyd Professorship – the highest and most prestigious academic rank at LSU – is awarded to faculty who achieve national or international recognition for outstanding research, teaching, and achievements.

A team of College of Engineering and School of Education faculty received a six-year, nearly $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant for its project, “Preparing Resilient Individuals to Succeed in Engineering (PRISE): A Scholarship Program Focusing on the Retention and Success of Underprepared Students in Engineering at Louisiana State University.”

The project will fund forty-five scholarships over six years to full-time students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biological, civil, chemical, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, and petroleum engineering, as well as computer science. First-year students will receive four-year partial scholarships.

Poets & Quants, a provider of information on business programs around the world, ranked the Flores Online MBA Program twenty-fourth among its Best Online MBA Programs for 2022, thirteen spots higher than last year. The Flores Online MBA Program was also only one of Four SEC Schools included in the ranking and the only Louisiana-based program on the list.

TIGER TRIVIA

LSU is one of thirteen colleges and universities participating in the nineteenth cohort of the American Council on Education (ACE) Internationalization Lab, which is designed to provide customized guidance and insight to help institutions achieve their internationalization goals. A leader in higher education strategy, ACE has supported more than 170 colleges and universities in their pursuit of global engagement since 2002.

LSU’s Professional Sales Institute was recently elevated to full membership status in the University Sales Center Alliance (USCA). The institute officially met the rigorous requirements of full membership in the community of sales educators dedicated to advancing the sales profession through teaching, research, and outreach. Of the seventy schools that are members of USCA, only thirty-seven have reached full membership status.

1. Who wrote LSU’s Alma Mater?

David and Thomas Boyd Billy Cannon and Scooter Purvis

Harris Downey and Lloyd Funchess Huey Long and Castro Carazo

2. Who wrote Touchdown for LSU, Darling of LSU, and Tiger Rag? David and Thomas Boyd Harris Downey and Lloyd Funchess Billy Cannon and Huey Long and Castro Carazo Scooter Purvis 3. What stadium in New Orleans is named for a former LSU track and field coach?

Tad Gormley Stadium Caesers Superdome Yulman Stadium Wesley Barrow Stadium 4. According to the Student’s Hand Book for the 1924-1925 academic year, how many “evening engagements” were women students allowed to have?

As many as they wanted Two, but only on weekends None Three 5. When was the Museum of Natural Science established?

1860 1936 1960 1991 6. Who was the first dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (now the College of Humanities and Social Sciences)?

David Boyd Charles Coates James Nicholson Arthur Prescott 7. For what purpose was the Seminary (LSU after 1870) building used at the close of the Civil War? A Union Army hospital A military ordnance storage facility A prisoner of war camp An elementary school for the

children of nearby Pineville 8. How much was tuition when LSU opened in 1860?

Tuition was free $75 per year $60 per year $25 per year 9. How much was tuition for a resident undergraduate student in 1990?

Tuition was free $1,020 per semester $2,000 per semester $5,000 per semester 10.Which member of the 1958 national championship football team became an assistant coach and director of the LSU Union?

Billy Cannon Carl Maddox Bert Jones Don Purvis 11. When did Mike VII arrive on campus?

2017 1936 1958 D. 1976 12.What was the area that we now call the North Gate originally known as?

Tigerland Tiger Town The Big Easy The Bayou Tiger Trivia is compiled by Barry Cowan, assistant archivist, Hill Memorial Library.

Answers: 1:b; 2:d; 3:a; 4:d; 5:b; 6:c; 7:a; 8:c; 9:b; 10:d; 11:a; 12:b

A group of LSU finance students finished in the top two percent of worldwide competitors in Bloomberg’s 2021 Global Trading Challenge. With nearly 500 teams in the competition, Tiger Fund managers Maxime Besse, Baton Rouge; London Spivey, Denver; Matthew St Martin, LaPlace, La.; and Ryne Weiss, Fort Worth finished in tenth place worldwide and fifth place among teams from North America.

Instructor Tish O’Connor, served as the group’s advisor.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

29

Around Campus

In Focus Rucks Fellows Named Ten students in the E.J. Ourso College of Business Rucks Department of Management were named Rucks Fellows, thanks to a generous gift from William W. and Catherine M. Rucks.

Dallin Broussard

Kenli Conyers

Matthew Doyle

Elizabeth Frazer

Connor Landry

Francesca Manfucci

Luci McCumsey

Tiana Pham

Shea Poche

Megan Wortmann

The students, selected by faculty, represent the highest level of academic achievement among senior management majors in any of the department’s concentrations.

The 2021-2022 Rucks Fellows are Dallin Broussard of Port Arthur, Texas; Kenli Conyers of St. Amant, La.; Matthew Doyle of Hampton Falls, N.H.; Elizabeth Frazer of Lafayette, La.; Connor Landry of Lafayette, La.; Francesca Manfucci of Cagli, Italy; Luci McCumsey of Mandeville, La.; Tiana Pham of Baton Rouge, La.; Shea Poche of Paulina, La.; and Megan Wortmann of Metairie, La.

OOPS! Devin White was misidentified as Kevin White in a commencement photo in the Fall/ Winter 2021 issue. The magazine regrets the error.

30 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

12 Inducted into Military Hall of Honor

The Hall of Honor official party, from left, seated, W. Henson Moore, Joel Peters, Nancy Nagata Marks, Debbie Nagata Hensgens, Marian "Bootsie" Bogan-Bebeau, Charles Scudder, Mike Nagata, Dr. Jay Christopher, David Salley, and Joseph John Besselman, III; standing, U.S. Congressman Garrett Graves, Cadets of the Ole War Skule President Jake Netterville, and LSU President William F. Tate, IV. Photo: Eddy Perez, Communications & University Relations

The 2020 and 2021 LSU graduates were named to the Hall of Honor for LSU Distinguished Military Alumni were inducted during the 25th Annual LSU Salutes in November. LSU Salutes is co-sponsored by the University and Cadets of the Ole War Skule.

Inducted were the late James Durwood Bogan, lieutenant junior grade, U.S. Navy; the late James Perry Cole, colonel, U.S. Army; W. Henson Moore, of Baton Rouge, captain, U.S. Army; the late Joseph Yoshijero Nagata, staff sergeant, U.S. Army; the late William Wilson Peters, major, U.S. Army; Joseph John Besselman III, of Montgomery, Ala., lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army; Dr. James Warren “Jay” Christopher, of Mandeville, La., commander, U.S. Navy; and the late Willis Beals Scudder, retired colonel, U.S. Army.

The induction ceremony took place at the LSU War Memorial on the Parade Ground. Sixth District

Congressman Garret Graves joined President William F. Tate and Commandant Lt. Col. Lisa O’Neil on the reviewing team for the Pass in Review.

The inductees also were honored at the Commandant’s Luncheon in the LSU Student Union Ballroom and at the President’s Reception/LSU Salutes Dinner at the LSU Faculty Club. First District Congressman Steve Scalisi delivered the keynote address at the Commandant’s Luncheon, and U.S. Senator John Kennedy was guest speaker at the dinner.

The honorees were recognized during pre-game activities at the LSU-Arkansas game, and the Tiger Marching Band presented a “Patriotic Salute” during the half-time show.

Participating in LSU Salutes events were members of the LSU Corps of Cadets, which includes LSU Army and Air Force ROTC students and Southern University Navy ROTC, which consists of LSU and Southern students.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

31

Around Campus

Fall Commencement Sets Record

LSU ROARING 10 LSU annually identifies, recognizes, and celebrates the 100 fastest growing LSU graduate-owned or graduateled businesses in the world.

The LSU ROARING 10 list recognizes and celebrates the ten highest revenue generating businesses from those that apply for the LSU100.

The 2021 ROARING 10 are CHRISTUS Health-Louisiana & Southeast Texas, Alexandria, La.; Performance Contractors, Baton Rouge; HNTB Corporation, Kansas City, Mo.; Lipsey’s, Baton Rouge; The Newtron Group, LLC, Baton Rouge; ISC Constructors, LLC, Baton Rouge; Danos, Gray, La.; Audubon Engineering Company, LLC, Houston; B&G Food Enterprises, LLC, Morgan City, La.; and Provident Resources Group, Inc., Baton Rouge.

LSU recognized 1,971 graduates at the 306th commencement exercises, a new record for LSU’s fall graduation. In addition, the University awarded the most degrees to female, African American, Asian, and Hispanic students ever during a fall semester. LSU also saw the most degrees ever awarded to veteran students.

Twenty-five LSU employees were among those who received degrees this fall.

Photo: Seghers/LSU Communications & University Relations

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves was recognized for his outstanding support of American Legion programs.

Boyd-Ewing Post 58 members, from left, Fred Ragusa, John Imahara, Bob Barry, Don Remson, Charles Smith, Keith Burchfield, and Jim Michie.

Veterans Appreciation Day – Members of Boyd-Ewing Post 58 gathered

LSU Alumni Association President Gordon Monk, right, visits with U.S. Senator John Kennedy at the event.

32 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

at the Lod Cook Alumni Center in November to honor veterans. Guest speaker U.S. Congressman Garrett Graves was presented a certificate of appreciation recognizing his support of American Legion programs benefit veterans and their families and promote Americanism and patriotism.

Photos: Ally Richardson

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

33

Locker

ROOM

9 Named to Athletics Hall of Fame

The 2021 LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class , from left, Yvette Girouard, Lloyd Wills, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen, Bruce Reid, Lora Hinton, Peta-Gaye Dowdie, Billy Truax, Bill Bankhead. Not pictured: Armando Vega.

Photo: LSU Sports Information

Nine former student-athletes and coaches were inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame and recognized in Tiger Stadium during the LSUArkansas football game in November.

The 2021 induction class, chosen by the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Election Board, include LSU Assembly Center director, gymnastics coach, and international athletics executive Bill Bankhead; nineteen-time track and field AllAmerican Peta-Gaye Dowdie; Hall of Fame softball coach Yvette Girouard; LSU’s first African-American football player at LSU Lora Hinton; NCAA track and field champion Bruce Reid; gymnastics All-American Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen; All-American football tight end Billy Truax; Olympic men’s gymnastics coach Armando Vega; and track and field All-American Lloyd Wills, the first AfricanAmerican to compete in any sport at LSU. “LSU is known worldwide for its elite student-athletes and coaches, and this class represents the best of the best,” Athletics Director Scott Woodward said. “Their relentless pursuit of victory – in competition and in life – serves as inspiration to us all, and I am honored to welcome them into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame.”

Locker Room is compiled and edited by Bud Johnson, retired director of the Andonie Sports Museum and a former LSU Sports Information director. He is the author of The Perfect Season: LSU's Magic Year – 1958.

34 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Harrison Becomes Third Bowerman Winner JuVaughn Harrison became LSU’s third winner of The Bowerman in December at the Grande Lakes Resort.

The Bowerman is annually awarded annually to the best male and female collegiate track athlete at the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Convention.

Harrison won the award over Oregon’s Cole Hocker and Arizona State’s Turner Washington. He is LSU’s first male athlete to win The Bowerman and joins fellow LSU athletes Sha’Carri Richardson (2019) and Kimberlyn Duncan (2012) in storied company.

LSU’s three winners of The Bowerman, first awarded in 2009, are the second most of any collegiate program.

“I wouldn’t be where I would be without my support group,” Harrison said in his reception speech. “I want to thank my teammates, my coaches, the trainers, everyone who played a part in my season. Couldn’t have done it without them.

“I want to thank my mom and brother the most, though. They are my world.

I am who I am because of them. They are my motivation and keep me going.

Love you, mom and Ky’mani.”

Harrison had the greatest jumping season in collegiate history without a doubt. He did things that, quite literally, had never been seen before. He won

four NCAA titles, three SEC titles, went 14-2 in competitions, and set four LSU school records.

His four NCAA titles during the 2021 season came in the unprecedented long jump/high jump double – and he didn’t only pull off that double at the collegiate level either.

Although the voting process for The Bowerman only takes into account what happened during the collegiate season, Harrison also pulled off wins in the long jump/high jump double at the U.S. Olympic Trials against professionals to earn a berth to the Tokyo Olympics.

The native of Huntsville, Ala., turned pro shortly after his performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and he became the first man since Jim Thorpe in 1912 to represent Team USA in the high jump and long jump at the Olympics.

He won pretty much every award that existed this year as he claimed National Field Athlete of the Year and SEC Field Athlete of the Year honors indoors and outdoors.

He won when it mattered most and only suffered two defeats all season long. He scored twenty points at the both the NCAA Indoor Championships and the NCAA Outdoor Championships as the LSU men’s squad captured its fifth outdoor national title in program history in June.

JuVaughn Harrison had the greatest jumping season in collegiate history.

Photo: LSU Sports Information

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

35

LSU Ranked No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball

Locker Room

Jay Johnson, coach.

Dan Fitzgerald, assistant baseball coach/recruiting coordinator.

LSU fans wouldn’t have it any other way. The Tigers are no strangers to the national spotlight, winning six national baseball championships.

They opened the 2022 season in the Top Ten, and the fan base is already talking Omaha.

Jason Kelly, pitching coach.

Marc Wanaka, assistant baseball coach.

Dylan Crews, CF.

Jacob Berry, DH.

Tre' Morgan, 1B.

Gavin Dugas, LF.

New coach Jay Johnson, who led Arizona to the Pac-10 title and a trip to the College World Series last season, has assembled an LSU team that is regarded as a championship contender, ranked No. 3 in the nation in the preseason by the newspaper Collegiate Baseball.

Johnson has four preseason All-Americas in the home dugout – outfielder Dylan Crews and infielder/DH Jacob Berry on the first team; first baseman Tre’ Morgan on the second team, and outfielder Gavin Dugas on the third team.

To further excite LSU fandom, Collegiate Baseball has chosen Berry as its 2022 National Player of the Year. Berry transferred to LSU from Arizona between seasons, following new coach Johnson to Baton Rouge. He hit .352 as a freshman at Arizona with seventeen home runs and seventy RBI. The switchinghitting transfer is expecting to bat third in the lineup and play third base/ designated hitter. Note to Collegiate Baseball: Thanks for the sendoff. But we still have to play the season.

Coach Johnson and his staff are optimistic about a roster of returning players, transfers and freshmen.The current roster includes nine position players who played leading roles for the Tigers last year. Crews was the 2021 Perfect Game National Freshman of the Year. Tre’ Morgan was the Freshman All-America first baseman. Outfielder Gavin Dugas was the SEC leader in RBI. Third baseman Cade Doughty, shortstop Jordan Thompson, designated hitter Cade Beloso, catcher Alex Milazzo, outfielder Gio DiGiacomo and outfielder/infielder Drew Bianco were prominent players for LSU a year ago.

Let’s check out the 2022 Tigers.

CATCHER Alex Milazzo (.135/0/7 RBI) has been the starting catcher for the past two seasons.

A reliable receiver capable of shutting down an opposing team’s running game with a strong and accurate arm, Milazzo has struggled at the plate, but is expected to continue to improve as a hitter under the tutelage of Johnson and Assistant Coach Mark Wanaka. The team leader started forty-seven games last season and played in fifty-two. Competition and support for Milazzo will come from Samford transfer power hitter Tyler McManus, whose bat should get him in the game behind the plate and at designated hitter, and letterman Hayden Travinski (.271/4 HR/13 RBI).

36 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

INFIELD First baseman Tre’ Morgan (.357/6 HR/42 RBI) was the Tigers’ No. 2 hitter as a freshman. Collegiate Baseball named him to the All-America Freshman first team, and he made the All-SEC freshman first team.

Cade Doughty (.308/13 HR/55 RBI), the team’s No. 3 hitter last season, played fifty-one games at third and seven games at second in 2021. One of LSU’s top all-around players, Cade has shown increased power at the plate. Jacob Berry (.352/17 HR/70 RBI) can play third, but several preseason All-America teams plugged him in at DH. That’s good enough for me. A Player of the Year pick in preseason, the transfer from Arizona will bat third in the lineup.

Jordan Thompson (.250/8HR/26 RBI) started sixty-one games as a freshman. He should improve his stat line as a sophomore.

Jack Merryfield, a talented transfer from LSU-E, is making a strong bid to start at second base.

In any other year, some of these backups would be starters. Brayden Jobert, a power-hitting transfer from Delgado Community College, can play first base and the outfield. Sophomore lettermen Collier Cranford and Will Safford offer experienced depth – Cranford started at short in 2020, and Safford has played three infield positions. Freshmen Luke Leto and Brennan Holt are proof that the infield pipeline continues to flow into Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS Ma’Khail Hilliard RHP

6’0”

150

Super Sr.

Ty Floyd

RHP

6’2”

194

So.

Will Hellmers

RHP

6’4”

203

So.

Javen Coleman

LHP

6’2”

173

So.

Riley Cooper

LHP

6’7”

264

So.

Devin Fontenot

RHP

6’1”

179

Super Sr.

Eric Reyzelman

RHP

6’2”

188

So.

Trent Vietmeier

RHP

6’3”

207

Super, Sr.

Michael Fowler

RHP

6’3”

185

So.

RELIEF PITCHERS

Garrett Edwards RHP

6’5”

195

So.

Jacob Hasty

LHP

6’2”

219

Jr.

Jason Bollman

RHP

6’2”

195

Jr.

Trey Shaffer

LHP

6’1”

180

Grad

Paul Gervase

RHP

6’8”

195

Jr.

Grant Taylor

RHP

6’3”

220

Fr.

RHP

5’11”

185

Fr.

RHP

6’0”

210

Fr.

OUTFIELD Samuel Dutton Two of the team’s top hitters, Dylan Crews (.362/18 HR/42 RBI) and Cale Lansville Gavin Dugas (.295/19 HR/66 RBI), will return at two of the outfield Grant Fontenot positions. They played the corners last season, but Crews is capable of Bryce Collins playing center. The remaining spot will produce the most competition Blake Money of the spring. Two veterans, grad Drew Bianco (.246/7 HR/21 RBI) and junior Gio DiGiacomo (.293/2 HR/16 RBI) have more playing time, but sophomore Brody Drost (.226/5 HR/14 RBI), and freshmen Josh Pearson and Josh Stevenson were prominent in the conversations during fall ball.

RHP

6’2”

175

Fr.

RHP

6’0”

180

So.

RHP

6’7”

261

So.

PITCHING Although there are four preseason All-America hitters on the LSU roster, the Tigers have reason to be positive about their pitching this season. Johnson hired cross-state rival – Jason Kelly from Arizona State – as his pitching coach. Kelly has a balanced blend of returning LSU staff members from last season, transfers, and freshmen to develop a solid staff for this spring.

Four returning right-handers from last season – Ty Floyd, Devin Fontenot, Ma’Khail Hilliard, and Will Helmers – give Kelly a sound base for starting pitching.

Transfers who could become solid additions as starters include hard-throwing sophomore right-hander Eric Reyzelman from San Francisco and lefty Riley Cooper of Arizona.

Returning staff members likely to be coming out of the bull-pen are righthanders Trent Vietmeier, Michael Fowler, Garrett Edwards, and Blake Money.

Left-handers returning from last season are Alex Brady, Jacob Hasty, and Javen Coleman.

Transfers strengthening the relief corps are right-handers Jason Bollman of Wabash Valley College, Bryce Collins of Arizona, and Paul Gervase of Pitt Community College, and left-hander Trey Shaffer of Southeastern Louisiana.

Freshmen right-handers Cale Lansville, Grant Fontenot, Samuel Dutton, and Grant Taylor are likely to work out of the bullpen.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

37

Locker Room

Maravich Magic

Pete Duplicates His LSU Experience; Jazz Fans Set NBA Attendance Record There was a sense of deja vu for pro basketball player Pete Maravich in 1974 when he was traded to New Orleans, a football town. It was similar to his LSU experience. His creative offensive game had built a huge basketball following for the Tigers. He did it again in the Crescent City.

Pete Maravich, a three-time All-American, led the nation in scoring for three straight seasons at LSU, but he was not just a shooter. His ball handling wizardry helped fill arenas wherever he played in the Southeastern Conference. His NCAA scoring records for a season – 44.5 points in 1969-70 and a career – 44.2 points in 1967-1978, 1968-1969 and 1969-1970 – still stand.

Photo: LSU Athletics

“A crowd of 26,511 came to the Superdome for a game with the Lakers and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Nov. 5, 1975.”

38 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

In the first two weeks of the 1975-1976 NBA season, Maravich was getting a familiar response from New Orleans fans. The team was playing well, so was Pete and Jazz fans were becoming more numerous. “This reminds me of what happened in Baton Rouge,” he told someone after a game one night at the Superdome.

He was referring to the attendance explosion at LSU and around the SEC. Pete’s Big Easy run was even better.

Bill Bertka, New Orleans’ general manager, and Coach Butch van Breda Kolff had unveiled an improved, crowd-pleasing product. The Jazz had a bit more depth. And a tad more firepower. The fan support, showing its appreciation, became a lot more rowdy.

Suddenly, New Orleans’ second year expansion team was playing like an established team. And winning. The Jazz got the attention of this football town and briefly, the entire pro basketball world. The Jazz was responding well to Maravich’s creativity with the ball. Scorers were plentiful in the NBA. However, few could create a shot for themselves as well as Pistol Pete, or find an open teammate with a bullet pass like No. 7.

At the end of the first two weeks of the season, New Orleans had the league’s best record at 6-1. The team was unbeaten in the Superdome and owned victories over two of the NBA’s old guard, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz-Knicks duel featured some of the best scoring guards in the sport – New York’s Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier, and Maravich. The Jazz won a double-overtime shootout with the Knicks, 125-114. Maravich led the way with 45 points. Monroe scored 36 points and Frazier had 27 in a fast-paced, crowd-pleasing game.

The city was still buzzing when the Los Angeles Lakers arrived the following week, and the Jazz grabbed national headlines again. This time New Orleans set an NBA attendance record. A crowd of 26,511 came to the Superdome for a game with the Lakers and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Nov. 5, 1975.

But there were complications. A storm, of seemingly biblical proportions, had drenched the city with an eight-inch rainfall, flooding the streets, slowing traffic so thoroughly that the game was delayed for thirty-minutes to accommodate a late arriving crowd. The game’s leading scorer – Maravich – needed a ride from a tow truck to get through the high water from his Metairie home. “It might have been 30,000 if we hadn’t had the greatest rain since Noah’s Ark,” Maravich told the States-Item’s Peter Finney after the New Orleans Jazz had surprised the Lakers, 113-110. “Can you imagine,” mused Maravich. “New Orleans basketball capital of the United States. At least for one night.”

The Jazz got 30 points and seven assists from Maravich that night. It was an amazing performance for Pete considering he had devoted three hours that afternoon to mopping up the flood waters in his garage.

Five more Jazz players – Otto Moore, Louie Nelson, Henry Bibby, Aaron James, and Nate Williams – scored in double figures. Moore and Nelson each scored 16. Nelson also contributed seven assists and he joined Maravich and Bibby in connecting from long range.

Jabbar, the 7-2 Laker super star, was four inches taller than Moore, the Jazz center. But Otto grabbed 15 rebounds and harassed Jabbar for most of the evening. The LA center, a five-time NBA MVP in the seventies, scored 25 points

and had 24 rebounds. Lucious Allen scored 28 and Don Freeman got 22 for Los Angeles. But Moore and the veteran Mel Counts pestered Jabbar into an an off night – an 11-for-28 shooting performance.

Maravich, Bibby, Nelson, and Ron Behagen drove to the basket in the first half, drawing four fouls on Jabbar by intermission. The Lakers’ legend played the entire second half, but was not effective down the stretch. A late Laker rally was put to rest by deadly shooting from James, Maravich, Bibby and Moore.

The time Pete spent fighting off the rising water in the afternoon took its toll on the Jazz scoring leader. He was disappointed with his 13-for-28 field goal shooting. “I was really drained,” Maravich told States-Item writer Ron Brocato. “I used energy that I could have used tonight.”

In his comments to the Finney, Maravich expressed his pleasure with the team’s recent performance. “I think the Jazz has given the city more excitement in the last two weeks than it’s had in the last ten years,” he said.

Van Breda Kolff was pleased with the fan support. “…we played hard and there is no question the fans helped us,” he said. “This is some town.”

There had never been a bigger NBA crowd than 20,234 before that night.

Counts, who played twelve years in the NBA, including two championship seasons with the Celtics, made this observation: “When you think of all the great Laker teams, the great Knick teams, all those great Celtic teams, and realize they never pulled in 26,000, it makes you stop and think (about) what happened here.”

The Jazz couldn’t maintain its fast start. Injuries limited Maravich to only 62 games of the 82 game schedule. Replacing a talent like Pete was an impossible task for an expansion team in its second season. New Orleans finished with a 38-44 record – a major achievement for an expansion franchise.

His best season in the NBA was 1976-1977. Maravich led the league in scoring with a 31.1 average and scored 68 points against the Knicks. At the time that was the most points ever scored by a guard in a single game. Only two players – Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor – ever scored more.

Maravich was a five-time NBA All-Star in ten pro seasons. He was selected to the All-Rookie team in 1970-1971, to the All-NBA first team in 1976 and 1977, and to the All-NBA second team in 1973 and 1978. Injuries to both knees in 1977-1978 forced Maravich to miss 32 games.

In his career, a healthy Maravich played with only one All-Star caliber forward, Truck Robinson in New Orleans. And because of Pete’s knee injuries, that wasn’t for a full season. With his quickness and athleticism limited by injury, his career was in decline. Management traded Robinson for draft choices and moved the team to Salt Lake City in 1979. Maravich’s last season in the league was his only experience with the 3-point shot. He made 10 of 15 attempts, a sizzling .667 percent.

As a collegian, he played before two significant rules changes were introduced to boost the game’s offensive production – the 3-point shot and the shot clock. Maravich would have benefited from both changes.

Research by Sam King, then The Advocate sports editor, projected Maravich would have averaged 57-points per game if the 3-point shot had been employed when he played at LSU. The shot clock placed a time limit on ball possession and increased the pace of the game, resulting in more scoring. Increasing the game’s tempo would have been an asset to Maravich. When he played at LSU many teams used a deliberate offense to limit Pete’s opportunities with the ball.

He was one of the youngest players ever admitted to the Naismith Hall of Fame. Hall of Famer John Havlicek said, “The best ball handler of all time was Pete Maravich.”

Although his NBA career was shortened by injuries, Pete Maravich scored a total of 15,948 points in 10 seasons. He is best remembered for scoring sixty-eight points for the the New Orleans Jazz against the New York Knicks on February 25, 1977, in the Superdome.

Photo: LSU Athletics

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

39

Brian Kelly Named Head Coach

Locker Room

By Michael Bonnette

LSU President William Tate, Coach Brian Kelly, and Athletics Director Scott Woodward.

Photo: Harrison Valentine/LSU Athletics Communication

“Brian Kelly is the epitome of a winner.”

Brian Kelly, who has more victories than any active coach in major college football, is LSU’s new head football coach. The most accomplished hire in program history, Kelly joins LSU – which has won national championships under each of its last three head coaches – with more than 280 career victories in his collegiate head coaching career, the most among active FBS coaches. He is one of only five active FBS (NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision) coaches who have guided their programs to multiple undefeated regular seasons since 2009, and he has led his teams to the College Football Playoffs in two of the last three seasons.

“Brian Kelly is the epitome of a winner,” Woodward said. “He has built and sustained success at every program he’s led, from multiple undefeated regular seasons and National Coach of the Year honors to national titles and College Football Playoff berths. His credentials and consistency speak for themselves.

“Most importantly, Coach Kelly’s players and programs exemplify excellence in all aspects of the student-athlete experience – in competition, in the classroom, and throughout the community – and he shares our values and vision for elevating our university and our state. We’re thrilled to welcome him and his family to Baton Rouge, and we are excited to work with him as we add to the championship legacy of LSU football.”

“I could not be more excited to join a program with the commitment to excellence, rich traditions, and unrivaled pride and passion of LSU Football,” Kelly said. “I am fully committed to recruiting, developing, and graduating elite student-athletes, winning championships, and working together with our administration to make Louisiana proud. Our potential is unlimited.”

In thirty-one years as a head coach, Kelly has amassed a record of 284-97-2, which ranks him first among all active FBS coaches in career victories, ahead of Alabama’s Nick Saban (272 wins) and North Carolina’s Mack Brown (265 wins).

Kelly has only had two teams finish below .500 during his 31-year collegiate career.

For the past twelve years, he has served as the head coach at Notre Dame.

He left South Bend as the Irish’s all-time winningest coach with 113 victories, moving ahead of legendary Knute Rockne for the top spot in 2021. His twelveyear mark at Notre Dame stands at 113-40, which includes a 54-9 mark over the past five seasons.

During his Notre Dame career, Kelly led the Irish to the 2012 BCS national title game as well as College Football Playoff appearances in 2018 and 2020. He was named National Coach of the Year by numerous outlets in 2012 and 2018. He’s the only coach to win the Home Depot Coach of the Year Award more than once, and he’s done it three times (2009, 2012, and 2018).

Prior to joining the Irish, Kelly transformed Cincinnati into a football powerhouse, winning Big East titles in 2008 and 2009. In three years at Cincinnati, the Bearcats won thirty-four games and appeared in the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl. In 2007, Kelly led Cincinnati to the school’s first-ever 10-win season with a 10-3 mark and a win in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. In his final season at Cincinnati, Kelly’s team posted a 12-0 mark and earned a berth to the Sugar Bowl.

A native of Everett, Mass., Kelly was a four-year letter winner at linebacker and two-time team captain at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. He graduated from Assumption in 1983 with a degree in political science.

Kelly and his wife, Paqui have three children – Patrick, Grace, and Kenzel. The Kellys are active in community outreach and have established the Kelly Cares Foundation which has donated nearly $5.8 million to support causes related to the fight against breast cancer since its founding in 2008.

Michael Bonnette is associate athletic director for communications.

40 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Dale Brown waves to fans and friends from Dale Brown Court.

Photo: Philip Cancilleri

From left, Collis Temple, Vonnie and Dale Brown. Photo: Jonathan Mailhes

Dale Brown Court – Until Dale Brown arrived in Tigertown, LSU had won only two games from the Kentucky Wildcats. It was fitting that on the night in January the Dale Brown Court in Pete Maravich Assembly Center was dedicated, the Tigers beat Kentucky. The coach’s signature appears on the hardwood floor.

What’s your favorite memory of the Coach Brown era?

Recognizing Seimone – Former LSU great Seimone Augustus, the most decorated player in the history of LSU women's basketball, was honored by Coach Kim Mulkey prior to the Lady Tigers game with No. 1-ranked South Carolina. Her jersey hangs next to Shaquille O’Neal’s in the rafters.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

41

LSU FALL 2021 GRADUATES CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES! On behalf of the LSU Alumni Association and proud LSU alumni across the country and around the globe, congratulations and welcome to Tiger Nation. You have earned it. You have met many challenges and overcome many hurdles, and we are proud of you and all that you have accomplished.

No matter where you live, the LSU spirit is there – and you'll find fellow alumni to support you in your new endeavors and show the world just how awesome LSU graduates are. Our more than 135 alumni chapters around the world provide connection and camaraderie, and we hope you’ll unite with your fellow alums to keep the Tiger spirit alive.

To take advantage of all we have to offer you, visit LSUAlumni.org/recentgrad.

Again, congratulations and Geaux Tigers!

Gordon Monk President & CEO

42 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

43

44 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

45

46 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

47

48 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

49

50 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

51

52 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

53

Tiger

NATION

1960s

Larry Gibbs (1969 BACH ENGR), retired CEO and president of Gibbs Construction, New Orleans, was named Brother Martin High School’s 2021 Alumnus of the Year. He was a member of the Cor Jesu Class of 1965 graduating class.

1970s

Clark Cole (1977 BACH MCOM) a partner with Armstrong Teasdale, St. Louis, received the 2021 Ben Ely, Jr. Defense Lawyer of the Year Award from the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers. He is a former president of the LSU Alumni St. Louis Chapter and received the Alumni Service Award in 1991. Cole has practiced law in Missouri and Illinois since 1980.

David R. Cassidy (1972 BACH H&SS, 1972 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Tax.

Murphy J. Foster, III (1979 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Employment & Labor.

DEGREES BACH

Bachelor’s Degree

MAST

Master’s Degree

PHD

Doctorate

SPEC

Specialist

DVM

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

JD

Juris Doctorate (LSU Law School)

LLM

Master of Laws

MD

Medical Doctor (LSU School of Medicine)

DDS

Doctor of Dental Science (LSU School of Dentistry)

COLLEGES/SCHOOLS AGR

Agriculture

A&D

Art & Design

C&E

Coast & Environment

H&SS

Humanities & Social Sciences

SCI

Science

BUS

Business

HS&E

Human Sciences & Education

ENGR

Engineering

M&DA

Music & Dramatic Arts

MCOM

Mass Communication

SCE

School of the Coast & Environment

SVM

School of Veterinary Medicine

SW

Social Work

54 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Eve B. Masinter (1979 BACH H&SS, 1982 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson in New Orleans, was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Employment & Labor.

Mike Rolfsen (1978 BACH SCI, 1982 MD-NO) was named the 2021 Golden Deeds Award recipient at the 80th Annual Golden Deeds Award Banquet for his efforts fighting the pandemic in Baton Rouge during its onset. He played a key role in crafting guidelines for emergency care, organized doctors across the community to plan for COVID-19 testing, and raised money from private donors to transport specimens to Shreveport, La., in the pandemic’s early stages in order to meet demand.

1980s

Richard Arsenault (1980 JD) was appointed to the Baylor Law School Litigation Management LLM National Advisory Panel. He was also selected as a 2021 Elite Lawyer of the South by The National Law Journal, chaired a seminar entitled “MDLs: Navigating the Landmines,” moderated an

ethics panel for the Malcolm Monroe CLE Program, and spoke at the Cambridge Forum on Mass Tort Litigation. He will also serve as a moderator for a Complex Litigation panel at the San Diego School of Law Symposium in March.

Jude C. Bursavich (1983 BACH H&SS, 1988 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Business Litigation.

Jenna Carpenter, (1986 MAST SCI, 1989 PHD SCI), is part of a team of four faculty who received the National Academy of Engineering Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education. The $500,000 prize, considered the Nobel Prize for Engineering Education, recognizes faculty “for creating an innovative education program that prepares students to become future engineering leaders who will address the NAE Grand Challenges of Engineering.”

Jill Knight Nalty (1987 BACH BUS) was promoted to New Orleans market president of Argent Trust Company, the flagship subsidiary of Argent Financial Group. She was previously business development officer at Argent and prior to that worked with Hibernia National Bank and First Commerce Corporation. She earned an MBA from the University of New Orleans. Nalty is active in numerous nonprofit and activist groups in the community, among them, Children’s Hospital, Ochsner Pediatrics, Junior Achievement, Audubon Institute, Baptist Community Ministries, CABL Leadership LA, Women of the Storm, Katrina Krewe, Girls on the Run, and Heart of Passion.

Todd Schexnayder (1981 BACH MCOM), retired chief of human resources officer at Fidelity Bank, was elected to the bank’s board of directors.

Schexnayder is a key player

in business, community, and philanthropic circles, serving on the National Board of Volunteers of America, the Board of the Baton Rouge Rotary Club, and the Advisory Council of College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

1990s

Marlon D. Henderson (1997 BACH SCI, 2001 DDS), a general dentist in Shreveport, La., was installed as president-elect of the National Dental Association (NDA) and will assume the presidency in 2023. He recently completed the American Dental Association 2021 Institute for Diversity in Leadership Program (IDL).

Henderson is a former resident of the Pelican State Dental Association, a former

member of the Louisiana Health Care Commission, and a former member of the LSU School of Dentistry Alumni Board of Directors. He was the recipient of the 2020 NDA President’s Award.

Scott N. Hensgens (1993 BACH H&SS), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Business Litigation.

Van R. Mayhall, Jr. (1991 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named to Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Business/Corporate.

Bob Roberts (1992 BACH BUS, 1997 BACH ENGR) joined Plexos Group, a Baton Rouge-based program delivery, business consulting, and information technology company, as chief operating officer in January.

Benton Toups (1997 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD), an attorney at Cranfill Sumner, Wilmington, N.C., was listed in the 2022 Business North Carolina Legal Elite in Business North Carolina, in the 2022 North Carolina Super Lawyers, and in the 2022 North Carolina Rising Stars.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

55

Tiger Nation

2000s

Joseph J. Cefalu, III (2009 BACH BUS, 2012 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Civil Litigation: Defense.

Druit Gremillion (2007 BACH H&SS, 2011, JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of General Litigation.

Alexandra C. Hains (2009 BACH AGR), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Employment & Labor.

Kayla Jacob (2026 MAST HS&E) joined Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, as an associate in the Labor & Employment practice group.

She was previously a human resource consultant and human resource consultant supervisor at Louisiana State Civil Service.

56 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Rachel Jeanfreau (2007 BACH H&SS), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson in New Orleans, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Employment & Labor.

Kyle Lawson (2008 BACH BUS) was named the owner of Garver, an employeeowned multi-disciplined engineering, planning, architectural, and environmental services firm. As chief financial officer, Lawson played an instrumental role in the company’s growth as it begins its second century of work. He holds an MBA from the University of New Orleans and was named to the New Orleans CityBusiness 2021 class of Money Makers, which “honors local professionals for financial achievements in their respective industries and their community impact.” Lawson resides in Madisonville, La., with his wife and two children.

Matthew M. McCluer (2008 BACH H&SS), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson in New Orleans, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Employment Litigation: Defense.

2010s

Danielle L. Borel (2011 BACH BUS, 2014 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Business Litigation.

Kelsey Clark (2012 BACH H&SS, 2015 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Class Action.

Catherine B. Moore (2015 JD), an attorney with Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Baton Rouge, was named a Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers in the area of Health Care.

Austin Stukins (2013 BACH A&D), director of business development at Push Digital, was named to the American Association of Political Consultants 2021 class of 40 Under 40. Stukins joined Push Digital in 2020. He was previously deputy coalition director for Donald J. Trump for President, executive director of the Missouri

AT T H E C O O K

Visit thecookhotel.com or call 225.578.3838 to set up a tour.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

57

Tiger Nation

Republican Party, digital and political director o f the Republican Party of Louisiana, and policy advisor to the Louisiana Attorney General. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps at the Pentagon and in Iraq.

Kholofelo Theledi (2018 PHD H&SS) received an International Fellowship from the American Association of University Women to pursue academic work and lead

innovative community projects to empower women and girls. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in rhetoric.

Jhacova “Jacova” Williams (2015 MAST BUS, 2018 PHD BUS), an associate economist at RAND Corporation, is an applied microeconomist focusing primarily on economic history and cultural economics.

Her work has examined Southern culture and the extent to which historical events

have impacted the political behavior and economic outcomes of Southern Black people. She has also investigated the role of structural racism in shaping racial economic disparities in labor markets.

Williams also earned degrees in applied mathematics and mathematics from the University of Maryland-College Park and Xavier University of Louisiana, respectively.

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.

58 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Tigers in Print

J.A. Adams (1994 BACH H&SS, 1997 MAST H&SS, 2000 PHD H&SS) Pillars of Salt (Atmosphere Press) Harvey Doucet, a reasonably good Catholic, would never have committed suicide. His son, Harvey Jr. – H – knows this, so after Doucet Drilling causes the collapse of a salt mine and thirteen deaths, H searches for clues to clear his estranged father’s name. H and his father’s bodyguard, Placide, encounter dangerous cliffhangers, as the pursuers become the pursued. On the way, H exposes greed, fraud, and corruption, leading all the way to the White House. The reader experiences H’s journey from his original bitterness, angst, and cynicism toward his life and his father, to a place of appreciation and understanding of his father’s integrity. Maybe H will also discover the inherent goodness in people, even when the world seems to be circling the drain.

Walt Larimore (1974 BACH SCI) At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse Growing up in the 1930s in Memphis, Tenn., Phil Larimore is the ultimate Boy Scout. His other great skill is riding horses. Phil does poorly in school, however, leading his parents send to him to a military academy. After Pearl Harbor, Phil realizes he is destined for war. Three weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he becomes the youngest candidate to ever graduate from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Ga. Landing on the Anzio beachhead in February 1944, he is put in charge of an Ammunition Pioneer Platoon in the 3rd Infantry Division.

Their job: deliver ammunition to the frontline foxholes, a dangerous assignment involving regular forays into No Man’s Land. As Phil fights his way up the Italian boot, into Southern France and across the Rhine River into Germany, he is caught up in

some of the most intense combat ever. But it’s what happens in the final stages of the war and his homecoming that makes Phil’s story special and heartwarming.

Arthur C. Price, III (2019 BACH H&SS) For the Man Who Walks Tall What does it take to become a king? This is the question Arthur Price has asked his whole life. Be prepared to embark on a journey to answer this question alongside the hopeful king. A modern day "King's Tale" with moments of defeat, victory, and great emotion.

A story defined by two words – Walk Tall. Common themes of the book are anxiety, depression, racism, positivity, and overcoming adversity itself.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

59

Tiger Nation

In Memoriam Kent Anderson (1949 BACH BUS), of Monroe, La., died on Dec. 12, 2021. While at LSU, Anderson made a name for himself as a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the men's leadership honorary, Omicron Delta Kappa. He said LSU was part of his being, and LSU was a recipient of Anderson's time and contributions. He established a family legacy at LSU that is unparalleled by serving on the boards of the LSU Foundation and the LSU Alumni Association, which he served as chair in 1975-76. His sons, Mark and Scott, followed in their father's footsteps with a dedication to the University. Both LSU graduates, Mark served as chair of the LSU Foundation, and Scott served as chair of the LSU Alumni Association. He was named LSU's Alumnus of the Year in 1991 and was inducted into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. He also served the University as a member of the prestigious LSU Board of Supervisors, representing District 5, and he was instrumental in the development of the Lod Cook Alumni Center and The Cook Hotel. Anderson was vice president of Olinkraft Inc. (now Graphic Packaging International Inc.) and vice chairman and director of First American Bank of Monroe (now Regions Bank). He and his sons own Mid South Extrusion manufacturing company.

Jeff Benhard (Alumnus-byChoice) Jeff H. Benhard passed away on December 14, 2021, at his home in Palmetto, La. Benhard attended LSU then took over management of the family businesses interest in 1949, serving as president and CEO of Peoples Moss Gin Company, Benhard Grain, Inc., Palmetto Mercantile Company, and Palmetto Angus Farm.

Over the years, he served on numerous corporate boards and commissions including the Louisiana Angus Association, Pan American Life Insurance Company and Washington State Bank. He was a loyal LSU supporter, having served as the president of the LSU Foundation Board of Directors, and a benefactor of the Tiger Athletic Foundation and the LSU Alumni Association.

William Eugene “Bud” Davis died on Sept. 24, 2021, in Albuquerque, N.M. Davis served as chancellor from 1989-1997. During his tenure, LSU developed a unique partnership with Southern University, achieving an agreement that led to the end of a more than thirty-year court-ordered

1940s Ouida Marness Lester Bacot, 1948 BACH HS&E, Dec. 10, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Mark C. Carrigan, 1942 BACH ENGR, Aug. 10, 2021, San Antonio, Texas Alma Beth Clark, Director, Retired LSU School of Home Economics, 1944 BACH AGR, Dec. 28, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Alfred Newton Delahaye, 1949 BACH MCOM, 1951 MAST MCOM, Dec. 30, 2021, Thibodaux, La. Purvis Hebert, 1947 BACH BUS, Dec. 15, 2021, Gonzales, La Ruth Lussan Horn, 1941 BACH AGR, Nov. 17, 2021, Hahnville, La. Marie Louise Grace “Beebe” Joffrion, 1949 BACH H&SS, 1985 MAST H&SS, Dec. 11, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Lessie Audrey Harnisch Perry, 1948 BACH H&SS, Nov. 11, 2021 Lorraine Elizabeth Schertz Hughes, 1947 BACH SCI, Dec 20, 2021, Bogalusa, La. Celeste Rordam Spann, 1949 BACH AGR, Nov. 14, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Rita Bess Kleinpeter Stuart, 1943 BACH HS&E, Dec. 5, 2021, Pensacola, Fla. Dorothy Lawrence Stubbs, Jan. 1, 2022, 1943 BACH H&SS, Ferriday, La.

1950s Warren Bernard Braud, 1950 BACH, HS&E, 1953 MAST H&SE, Dec. 16, 2021, New Road, La.

60 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

consent decree, and the University made major strides in increasing inclusivity and diversity. He enjoyed a lifetime hobby of creating and painting historically accurate miniature lead toy soldiers, which he shared with the LSU Rural Life Museum, as well as museums across the country.

John Peter Laborde (1947 BACH H&SS, 1949 JD, 1995 HON) died on Oct. 21, 2021, in New Orleans. He entered LSU in 1940 at age sixteen, was named Cadet Colonel in ROTC in 1942, and in 1943 was called to active duty with the U.S. Army. He was awarded a Bronze Star and other campaign ribbons for exceptional service in support of combat operations, and he received an Honorable Discharge in 1946.

Cofounder of Tidewater, Inc., he was chairman and CEO for thirty-eight years and, upon his retirement, Tidewater established an academic chair at LSU in his name. Laborde's business accomplishments were legendary, as were his numerous honors and awards. He was named outstanding alumnus by the LSU Alumni Association and LSU Law Alumnus of the Year, and the Paul M. Hebert Law School, at which he endowed ten scholarships, named the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center in his honor.

Hugh Tucker Comish, Jr., 1957 BACH ENGR, Oct. 6, 2021, Starkville, Miss.

John Kay Cooper, attended 1949-1952, Jan.13, 2022, Baton Rouge, La. Robert E. Feldman, 1952 BACH H&SS, 1955 MD-NO, Nov. 25, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Ancy Jo Cruse Firnberg, 1957 BACH HS&E, 1976 MAST HS&E, July 20, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Mary Alice Fontenot, 1959 BACH HS&E, July 24, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Lester Joseph Gremillion, 1955 BACH ENGR, Dec. 13, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Aileen Thompson Griffin, 1953 MLS, Jan. 6, 2022, Baton Rouge, La. Barbara Richard Humphrey, 1956 MAST HS&E, Nov. 9, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Mary Virginia Stone Jones, 1955 MAST AGR, Nov. 21, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Melbourne Frederick Keegan, 1957 BACH BUS, Nov. 9, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Gloria Joy Comish Lee, 1951 BACH H&E, Oct. 4, 2021, Hammond, La. James Gilbert McMurry, Professor of Industrial & Technical Education, 1958 BACH AGR, Jan. 2, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. William Earl Noonan, Jr., 1950 MAST HS&E, Nov. 28, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Alva Borue “Al” O’Brien, 1954 BACH H&SS, Oct. 11, 2021, Ethel, La. Rose Marie Sotile Sheppard, 1958 BACH HS&E, Nov. 13, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Daniel Burk Sikes, 1954 BACH BUS. Nov. 17, 2021, New Orleans, La. David Brisbane Ulmer, Jr., 1953 BACH SCI, Dec. 16, 2021, Atlanta, Ga.

Leonard B. Wurthman, Jr., 1959 MAST H&SS, Sept. 30, 2021, New Orleans, La. Fletcher Robert “Bob” Young, Jr., 1951 BACH BUS, Nov. 13, 2021,Baton Rouge, La.

1960s Richard Darryl Alexander, 1967 BACH BUS, Nov. 13, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Robert MacPherson Casse, Jr., 1963 BACH H&SS, 1964 CERT SW, 1965 M SW) Marilyn Rodemacher Davis, 1960 BACH AGR, Dec. 22, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Anthony John Guyton Doherty, 1962 BACH BUS, Oct. 27, 2021, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Ray John Forrest, 1960 BACH ENGR, BACH ENGR, Dec. 14, 2021, Ventress, La. Charlotte Anne Champion Freeland, 1966 BACH MCOM, Oct. 26, 2021, Tampa, Fla. Allen Morris Fugler, Sr., 1961 BACH BUS, Nov. 12, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Brian Paul Gautreau, 1965 BACH ENGR, Oct. 30, 2021, St. Amant, La. David Kirk Groome, 1965 BACH H&SS, Oct. 25, 2021, New Orleans, La. Wayne Paul Hirschey, 1965 BACH H&SS, Oct. 1, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Catherine LaPlace Hurston, 1967 BACH HS&E, Nov. 9, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Paul H. “Topper” Jantz, 1968 BACH BUS, 1975 JD, Jan. 12, 2022, Baton Rouge, La. Ted Carol Lewis, 1964 BACH ENGR., Nov. 16, 2021, Kentwood, La. William Martineau “Bill” Marks, Jr., 1964 BACH BUS, Oct. 20, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Danny J. McConnell, 1973 BACH H&SS, Dec. 6, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Emily Jane Hanchey “EJ” McCune, 1966 BACH HS&E, Nov. 13, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Clarence Richardson, Jr., 1964 BACH AGR, Oct. 6, 2021, Denham Springs, La. Betty Ann Greenwood Robertson, 1960 BACH H&SS, 1966 CERT H&SS, Dec. 23, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Curtis Kaywald Stafford, Jr., 1965 BACH H&SS, 1968 JD, Dec. 30, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Patrick Lee Walsh, 1969 BACH ENGR, 1973 MAST ENGR, Dec. 8, 2021, Milam, Texas Cynthia Phillips Walters, 1966 BACH HS&E, Oct. 29, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Carney Clifton Watts, 1960 BACH BUS, Oct. 12, 2021, Central, La.

1970s Mark Cason Blanchard, 1979 BACH AGR, Oct. 20, 2021, Gonzales, La. Winona Marionneaux Boudreaux, 1971 MAST HS&E, 1977 CERT HS&E Jan. 9, 2022, Plaquemine, La. Kelly Barnes Calkins, 1976 BACH HS&E, Dec. 10, 2021, Little Rock, Ark. Anthony Vincent “Vince” Fresina, 1971 BACH ENGR, Oct. 9, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Lucille T. Caldwell “Tweetie” Atkins Guidry, 1973 BACH H&SS, Nov. 10, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Thomas Kennedy Henry, 1976 CERT HS&E, Nov. 26, 2021, Baton Rouge, La.

LeOra Mae “Snooks” Lipe Professor of Physical Education, Associate Dean College of Education Nov. 7, 2021 Rock Hill, S.C.

Norimoto Murai Professor AgCenter Biotechnology Laboratory Nov. 20, 2021 Baton Rouge, La.

Robert Hugh Hines, Jr., 1971 BACH H&SS, MD-NO, Jan. 3, 2022, Mill Valley, Calif.

Susan Elizabeth Lehtonen Icaza, 1970 BACH H&SS, Oct. 5, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Ronald Bruce Kennedy, 1974 MAST A&D, Dec. 9, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Reginald James McIntyre, 1970 JD, Sept. 29, 2021, Hammond, La. Mary Madeline Hebert McLean, 1972 BACH H&SS, 1976 JD, Baton Rouge, La. Gregory Michael Naquin, Dec. 5, 2021, 1970 BACH BUS, 1971 MAST BUS, Oct. 31, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Sandra Patrick, 1970 MAST SCI, Oct. 25, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Virginia Miriam Seibert Scott, 1974 BACH H&SS, Oct. 4, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Albert Allen “Skipper” Stevens, Jr., 1971 BACH BUS, Oct. 22, 2021, Charlotte, N.C. Ann Dudrow Terhes, 1979 BACH HS&E, Nov. 24, 2021, Chestertown, Md.

1980s Susan Marie LaFleur Beyer, 1980 MAST HS&E, Oct. 30, 2021, Holland, Ohio Liz Golson Combs, 1982 BACH MCOM, Nov. 6, 2021, New Orleans, La. Robert Paul Geissier, Jan. 10, 2022, 1989 BACH ENGR, Baton Rouge, La. Nicole Marie Guerin, 1985 BACH H&SS, 1992 JD, October 2021, Prairieville, La. Robert Howard Harrison, Jr., 1984 BACH H&SS, 1987 JD, Oct. 28, 2021, Watson, La. Mia Crovetto James, 1986 BACH H&SS, Oct. 12, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Philip A. “Phil” Tweedy, Jr., 1988 BACH ENGR, Sept. 19, 2021, Baton Rouge, La.

1990s John L. Daniel, Jr., 1997 BACH BUS, 1978 BACH BUS, Oct. 18, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Guion Hugh Kleinpeter, 1998 BACH H&SS, Aug. 27, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Armand Dikran Melikyan, 1994 BACH ENGR, Nov. 29, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. William Thomas Barham Moss, 1991 BACH ENGR, Oct. 10, 2021, Houston, Texas Gina Noto Tharp, 1995 BACH MCOM, Jan. 10, 2022, Baton Rouge, La. Shannon Lea Triche, 1995 BACH H&SS, Oct. 25, 20121, Baton Rouge, La. Lisa Thomason-Tucker, 1992 BACH H&SS, Oct. 31, 2021, Baton Rouge, La.

2000s Katherine Buster Cook, 2005 BACH H&SS, Oct. 19, 2021, Baton Rouge, La. Jill Prattini-Klooster, 2002 BACH MCOM, Dec. 7, 2021, Tampa, Fla. Robert McIntire Richey, 2003 BACH H&SS, Oct. 15, 2021, Simpsonville, S.C.

2010s J. Travis Campbell, 2016 BACH H&SS, Jan. 8, 2022, Minden, La. Byron Curtis “Bop” Smith, 2010 BACH HS&E, Oct. 10, 2021, Baton Rouge, La.

Richard Alan Nelson Professor of Mass Communication and LSU Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Dec. 9, 2021 Baton Rouge, La.

Christopher Coston Theis Professor Emeritus School of Architecture September 5, 2021 Kansas City, Mo.

A memorial gift to the LSU Alumni Association in the name of a family member, friend, or classmate is a caring way to pay tribute to a person’s life and accomplishments. To make a gift or for more information, call 225.578.3838 or 1.888.746.4578.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

61

PROFILE

LSU Alumnus Wins 2022 BEYA Award

Tiger Nation

By Libby Haydel

2022 BEYA Award winner Stephen Williams.

“...my team protected two NASA astronauts from the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic...”

As a young boy, Stephen Williams (2000 BACH ENGR) knew he wanted to “not only fix broken things, but make them even better.” Little did he know that this curiosity would turn into a successful engineering career that exceeded his expectations. From coordinating the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the International Space Station to teaching young students the importance of STEM here on Earth, Williams’ work and passion for engineering are out of this world.

Williams entered LSU in 1995 and majored in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering. “I didn’t really know what engineering was as a kid, but my older brother went to LSU in 1991 and majored in chemical engineering,” Williams said. “It was during this time that I was exposed to engineering and developed some insight into the different disciplines.”

After graduating, he went to work for Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in New Orleans as lead logistics engineer, then as logistics support manager for the Integrated Logistics Support. He earned his master’s in engineering management from the University of New Orleans while working for Northrop Grumman.

His next venture connected him to NASA, a dream he had as a child. “My interview with Lockheed Martin happened to be at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which was like a dream come true,” Williams said. “When I first arrived, I was in the Crew Health Care Systems group, which designed equipment for astronauts to exercise with while in space, as well as provided medicine and life support items like defibrillators. Many people forget about the healthcare of an astronaut.”

After six years, Williams moved on to Leidos Corporation in Houston, serving as cargo mission lead for NASA’s Cargo Mission Contract (CMC) and leading the cargo processing team to resupply the ISS with an average of 3.5 tons of NASA cargo per vehicle for SpaceX missions. He was named the international operations, export, and logistics lead for CMC in 2019. Williams has successfully shipped more than 100 metric tons of cargo to launch sites both domestically and internationally. He actively supported approximately 100 NASA vehicle launches and more than thirty landing missions, including programs the Space Shuttle, ATV, HTV, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX. Little did he know he would also be instrumental in supporting measures to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to key NASA astronauts and personnel who were serving in Russia. “Our team faced substantial logistical and diplomatic challenges to acquire the vaccine in the earliest weeks of its accessibility, efficiently transport the vaccine vials within the stringent temperature and environmental constraints, and successfully expedite the delivery to maximize the shelf life of the vaccine. As a result of this effort, my team protected two NASA astronauts from the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, safeguarded the mission readiness of the entire crew, and assured the health of numerous individuals in Russia who were supporting an upcoming mission to the ISS.” In September, Chief Astronaut Reid Wiseman recognized Williams’ efforts and awarded him NASA’s prestigious Space Flight Awareness Team Award for demonstrating exemplary teamwork in support of NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program.

He also received the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Modern-Day Technology Leader Outstanding Achievement Award presented to individuals who demonstrate all-around excellence, significant achievements, and outstanding performance in STEM in their respective area of expertise. “I’ve always wanted the opportunity to receive this award,” Williams said. “It’s my greatest achievement so far, along with my award from NASA.” Libby Haydel is a communications specialist in the College of Engineering.

62 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

PROFILE

Touching Lives, Meeting Needs Lisa Ward (1972 BACH HS&E) is one of the seven founding members of the Houston Children’s Charity, founded in 1996 to serve the needs of the community’s impoverished children who were not being provided for by an existing agency.

“We like to say that we try to find the children who fall through the cracks of the system,” Ward says. “It’s not your typical needs we are meeting, we’re not disease related; we’re just children related.”

The organization does anything a parent of a child asks, if the budget allows. There are programs such as “A Better Night’s Sleep” that provides beds to children who do not have one. “Chariots for Children” delivers wheelchair-accessible vans to children who are wheelchair bound and do not have transportation. During the past holiday season, its “Christmas Toy Distribution” provided toys for 20,000 children who were not assisted by another agency. Each program does a variety of things for special children, and the organization has touched the lives of more than 3.5 million children over twenty-five years.

Ward is no stranger to charitable acts of service. Growing up in rural Crowley, La., Ward watched her parents give back to their community constantly. “As a child I was taught by my mother and father about giving back. They were very, very generous people, and my mother just did little acts of kindness for people in our small community. I saw it growing up; it was something that was instilled in me,” she says.

Ward went from giving back to her hometown community to participating in philanthropic activities through her sorority, Kappa Delta. During her time

at LSU, the chapter’s philanthropy was the Baton Rouge School for the Blind.

She visited the school one Sunday each month with her sorority sisters and says it meant a lot to her to give back to her college town community.

In addition to her involvement in Kappa Delta activities, Ward served on the Panhellenic Council and was a member of the Student Government Association and Scotch Guard. “I was very, very active; I had my hands in a lot of things. I liked always being busy.”

“People skills” was among the many valuable things Ward learned at LSU. “I know that LSU prepared me for working with people,” she says.

Ward left her hometown of 17,000 residents to become one of 31,000 students enrolled at LSU. “I learned about people at LSU and how to work with people, how to do for people.

I learned about relationships with people at LSU because in my small community in Crowley I knew the same people all the time year after year. I went to school with the same group of people for twelve years; it never changed,” Ward says. “And when I was thrust into the community at LSU it was a huge eye opener. I met all kinds of people, I had to get along with all of them and work with all of them, go to class with all of them. I would say my true education at LSU came through the people.”

LSU provided Ward with the ability to work well with all kinds of people, which led her to excel in her career, but the passion in her heart to give back to her community has always been there.

Houston Children’s Charity takes private donations, and volunteers are always needed. For information, call 713-524-2878.

By Presley Tyler

Lisa Ward, a cofounder of Houston Children’s Charity.

“...we try to find the children who fall through the cracks of the system.”

Presley Tyler is a freshman majoring in journalism.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

63

PROFILE

Fitzpatrick Leads National Opioid Litigation

Tiger Nation

By Penelope Hoopes

Laura Fitzpatrick serves on the team in a jury trial against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

“It was a huge legal victory and set the precedent of success for future trials.”

When Laura Fitzpatrick (2006 BACH H&SS) graduated from LSU, little did she know that fifteen years later she would play an integral role on the legal teams that kick-started the ongoing legal trials to hold pharmaceutical makers, distributors, and pharmacies accountable for their roles in creating and perpetuating the opioid epidemic.

Fitzpatrick, a shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy in the Complex Litigation Department, is serving on the trial team representing Suffolk County in the first jury trial of its kind in the New York State litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors. The trial has already resulted in several multi-million dollar settlements that will fund desperately needed opioid abatement, treatment, and recovery programs at the community level. The opioid crisis is one of the worst public health crises in U.S. history, and trials like the one in New York State are massively

64 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

consequential for the country. She also serves on the trial team that most recently secured a verdict against three of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, as a jury found they substantially contributed to the crisis of opioid overdoses and deaths in two Ohio counties as part of the third bellwether trial in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation.

Fitzpatrick credits her experience with the LSU’s Kappa Delta sorority in supporting the organization Prevent Child Abuse America as a major milestone in her desire to fight for those who don’t have a voice. It opened her eyes to the trauma and suffering of children and families who have been the victims of abuse and the largely unmet need to provide children and their families with a path to healing and justice.

Fitzpatrick earned a juris doctorate from Tulane Law School in 2009.

She passed the Louisiana bar and stayed in Louisiana to work, first as a judicial extern to federal judge Carl J. Barbier in the Eastern District of Louisiana, then as a law clerk for federal judge Tucker L. Melancon in the Western District.

Fitzpatrick joined Simmons Hanly Conroy in 2013 and was promoted to shareholder in 2020. She became proficient in the areas of complex class action and multidistrict litigation and served on the firm’s prescription opiate multidistrict litigation trial team, helping secure $325 million in settlements for two Ohio counties. It was a huge legal victory and set the precedent of success for future trials, many of which are taking place today.

Penelope Hoopes is a junior account executive at Sunshine Sachs.

PROFILE

Saying Something All the Time While he was playing offensive tackle in the NFL for eight years, Joe Barksdale (2011 BACH H&SS) was also honing his skills as a musician, eventually releasing his first EP called Electric Soul in 2019. A few months after that, Barksdale decided to retire from football and move to Austin, Texas, with his wife, Brionna, and their two young daughters, to discover where his new art could take him.

“When it’s all said and done, my NFL career will be a footnote in my life,” Barksdale said. “I’m going to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But I don’t just want to be hot, I want to be the voice of a generation.”

Born and raised in the heart of MoTown, Barksdale attended LSU on a fullride football scholarship as a defensive lineman. He would go on to play in fifty-three games as a Tiger, starting in the final thirty-nine games of his career.

In 2011, he started his professional career as a third-round draft pick for the Oakland Raiders.

Yet despite Barksdale’s success at the game, he never felt quite at home on the field, or in the locker room. Barksdale believes he finally got at least a partial explanation for this disconnect when he was diagnosed with autism two years ago. “The autism thing really shocked me,” Barksdale said, “especially because it was such a late diagnosis in my life. But it answered a lot of questions.”

Barksdale said one of the main questions it answered was why he struggled to understand and connect with his teammates or coaches, and to see things from other people’s point of view generally.

But the impetus for Barksdale to leave football for good came in 2018 when he developed a mentor relationship with the late NBA player Kobe Bryant, who once spoke to Barksdale’s team about mentorship. Afterward, Barksdale reached out to Bryant, and the two began spending a lot of one-on-one time together. “I asked him why he retired,” Barksdale said, “and he said it got to the point where he was thinking more about the stuff he had going on off the court than on the court, and he’d be doing a disservice to his team and everybody else if he continued to play.”

That struck a chord with Barksdale, because music had become such an important part of his life during his time in the league. For him, music was more than just a fun, creative outlet, it was his way of making sense of his life experience, as well as a way of making himself understood by others.

Now, away from the confining chalk lines of the gridiron, Barksdale is free to explore the possibilities music presents for self-expression and connection. With two albums coming out in the spring of 2022 – a music album called Yours Truly, and a comedy special called Miss Daddy – Barksdale hopes his life journey can be helpful to others.

“All the artists I look up to are open with their lives,” Barksdale said. “They’re actually saying things with substance. I never want to be telling jokes just to tell jokes or singing just to sing. I want to be saying something all the time.”

And what is that Joe Barksdale wants to be saying? “I want to show people that it’s okay to be who they are, that there’s no such thing as normal,” Barksdale said. “As someone who has encountered a bunch of frustrations from simply being me, I’m here for those people.”

By Steve Neumann

Singer, songwriter, and pro football great Joe Barksdale.

“My name is Joe. I’m artistic, autistic, hilarious, mentally ill, and a human being above all else. ”

Steve Neumann is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. Check out his website: stephenneumann.com

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

65

Tiger Nation

Tigers Around the World

From left, Bennie Carroll, Vermon Dillon, and Troy Diels.

Hole- in-One – Barbara Stewart (1960 BACH HS&E) hit a hole-in-one at Ironwood Country Club using a 6 iron on a 100-yard hole. Stewart and her husband, Mike (1961 BACH BUS), are active in the LSU Phoenix Alumni Chapter.

Backyard Bash Competition – Vermon Dillon (1981 MAST H&SS), a member of the Wilmington, Ohio, Kiwanis Club, was on hand to help with trophy and awards presentations following the Clinton-Massie High School vs.

Wilmington High School football game. At the Kiwanis meeting the following week, he posed with athletic directors Bennie Carrol of Clinton-Massie and Troy Diels of Wilmington High, holding the club-sponsored Backyard Bash Trophy. Clinton-Massie has won the trophy eight years row.

LSU Ring Collection – The LSU Ring Collection, on display in the

Lod Cook Alumni Center, is a lasting tribute to donors and a reminder of their unique experiences as LSU Tigers. The popular exhibit includes class and commemorative rings dating from 1905 to 1989 and is viewed by thousands of visitors every year.

If you have a ring to donate – your own or that of a relative or friend – contact Cooper Knecht at 225-578-3838. Rings must be appraised by a professional/licensed jewelry appraiser.

66 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Hawkins Sets Historic 105+ Age Record Every time Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins (1938 BACH HS&E) steps onto a track to compete, the 105-year-old is the oldest woman in the world to do so.

Last November, she took it to another level. Running the 100-meter race at the Louisiana Senior Games in Hammond, La., she became the first U.S. athlete, and the first woman, to set a masters track World Record in the 105+ Age Division.

Hawkins has participated in Senior Games history since she was eighty and won several gold medals over the span of four biennial National Senior Games before she lost interest, saying at the time, “There wasn’t anyone left Julia Hawkins triumphs.

Photo: Brit Huckabay/National Senior Games my age to compete with!”

Turning 100 inspired her to take up running and set a record in the 100-meter race. Her focus now is to compete against herself for best time on the track and to be an ambassador for healthy, active aging in daily life.

Young fans pose with the champ.

Photo: Del Moon/National Senior Games

Looking Back – Laurin “Chamie”

Baum (1969 BACH BUS), of Fort Worth, Texas, shares a photo taken with Coach Charlie McClendon in June 1971 at Baumholder Army Base in Germany. Then-1st Lt. Baum visited McClendon during the coach’s tour with USAFE, a coaching clinic group working with Army and Air Force base football teams in Europe.

Cholly Mac and Chamie Baum

WHAT’S YOUR VOLUNTEER PASSION? Send a photo of yourself “in action” and tell Tigers Around the World how and why you share your time and talents with others.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

67

My Story of the Year(s)

Tiger Nation

By Bill Pou

Dan Verderlick, left, and Bill Pou.

It was Saturday afternoon in January 1980 – forty two years ago! I was a twenty-year- old LSU junior driving back to Baton Rouge for the spring semester.

With a U-Haul in tow, my car started smoking and died in front of a farm house in Cheneyville, La. Dan Vanderlick came out to try to help. After no luck, he took me into his home. His wife, Mary, had prepared dinner, and I sat with Dan, Mary, and their five young daughters at their dinner table for a home-cooked meal.

After dinner, Dan put my U-Haul on his truck and said “Let’s go.” He and a friend drove me and my belongings eighty-five miles to my Baton Rouge apartment. I thanked him many times and gave him all the cash I had in my wallet – $24.

Since Interstate I-49 was built, I’ve stopped in Cheneyville a couple of times over the years only to find no one home. Today, I decided was

the day. Upon hearing (incorrectly) fifteen minutes earlier that the man that helped me forty-two years ago had died two years before, I was disappointed but decided to go see his widow. When I saw a white truck in the driveway, I figured my chances were good that someone was there. I knocked on the door and Dan opened it. We didn’t know each other, but I asked him how long he had lived there. He said more than fifty years, so I asked him for a couple of minutes.

Just as he had forty-years before, he graciously invited me into his home. I sat and told him and Mary the story to see if they remembered. Not only did Dan, now eighty-eight years old, recall the story, he recalled more details than I did. After a nice visit, Mary chuckled and asked me what she served us for dinner that night. None of us remembered.

I’ll never forget that January evening in 1980. Now, you can add November 12, 2021.

Louisiana Legends Six noteworthy individuals will be honored as 2022 Louisiana Legends by Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Arthur Favre

Saundra Yancy McGuire

68 LSU Alumni Magazine | Spring 2022

Among them are Arthur Favre (1972 BACH ENGR), CEO and founder of Performance Contractors, philanthropist, and stalwart supporter of American Military Veterans; Saundra Yancy McGuire, retired assistant vice chancellor, professor emerita of chemistry, director emerita of the LSU Center for Academic Paul Mainieri Success, and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring; and Paul Mainieri, retired LSU head baseball coach, American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee (2014), 2× SEC Coach of the Year (2009, 2015), and coach of the 2009 NCAA Champions.

The gala will take place on Thursday, April 28, at the Old State Capitol.

SHOP

PURPLE & GOLD GEAR

FOR THE ENTIRE 2022 SEASON MARCH 18-20

APRIL 14-16

MAY 13-15

TEXAS A&M

ARKANSAS

OLE MISS

MARCH 25-27

APRIL 22-24

MAY 19-21

FLORIDA

MISSOURI

VANDERBILT

APRIL 1-3

APRIL 29 - MAY 1

MAY 24-29

AUBURN

GEORGIA

APRIL 8-10

MAY 6-8

MISSISSIPPI ST

ALABAMA

LSUALUMNI.ORG/GIFTSHOP

SEC TOURNAMENT HOME

HOOVER, ALA.

AWAY

or shop in the store in the lobby of The Cook Hotel • 3848 West Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Hours: M-F 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm • 225.383.0241 LSU Alumni Association members receive a 20% discount with code SPRING2022.

Periodicals POSTAGE PAID Postal Permit USPS 14120

Louisiana State University and A&M College 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808

TAKE THE HASSLE OUT OF TRAVEL.

Join us for the 2022 season! )

FSU (NOLA Sept. 4

AUBURN

Oct. 1

FLORIDA

Oct. 15

ARKANSAS

Nov. 12

TEXAS A&M Nov. 26

For information, please contact Brandli Greer at Brandli@lsualumni.org or visit www.lsualumni.org/traveling-tigers