Cubs 2019

The University Laboratory School Foundation Cubs Alumni Hall of Distinction and Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held Saturday, Aug. 17 at the LSU Faculty Club.

Honorees included Amy Groves Lowe ‘88, Burton LeBlanc ‘82, Ari Fisher ‘88 and John Daigle ‘66. Master of Ceremonies was 2015 ULS Hall of Distinction inductee Rani Whitfield ’87. LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Pre-college Division Senior Director of Development Mila Sexton and ULS Interim Superintendent Amy Westbrook also provided remarks.

Practicing law since 1997, Amy Groves Lowe ’88 is a partner with Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips L.L.P. She has been selected by her peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in two areas: Education Law and Litigation – Insurance. In 2019, Lowe was recognized as the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Alumna of Distinction. She has also been honored as one of Baton Rouge Business Report’s “Top Forty Under 40” and is an alumnus of the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Baton Rouge. Lowe is an active community volunteer. She is a board member of the University Laboratory School Foundation and the former president of the ULS Cub Club parent association. She served as 2007-2008 president of the Junior League of Baton Rouge and was selected as Sustainer of the Year in 2019. She is a member of First United Methodist Church where she serves as a Sunday School teacher.

A shareholder and attorney with the law firm Baron Budd, Burton LeBlanc ‘82 has been recognized as one of America’s Top 100 attorneys and as one of the top 75 plaintiff ’s attorneys in the U.S. by the publication The American Lawyer. He has also held a spot on the list of Louisiana Super Lawyers for the past seven consecutive years. He has served as president of the American Association for Justice, the largest trial lawyer non-profit group in the United States, and has been a member of AAJ’s Executive Committee and the Board of Governors, where he has been awarded the Wiedemann Wysocki National Finance Council Award two separate times. LeBlanc is a frequent lecturer on the issues of environmental law, asbestos litigation, chemical exposure cases and access to the civil justice system. He has also been interviewed as part of numerous radio and television programs covering diverse issues ranging from racism and the environment to opioids, a topic for which he was featured in a 2018 production of CBS’s 60 Minutes. LeBlanc is a member of and holds office in numerous professional legal associations and is an active community leader having served on the ULS Foundation Board and as president of Cancer Services of Baton Rouge, one of the area’s largest non-profit organizations.

Ari Fisher ’88 serves as a senior instructor for the LSU School of Kinesiology. Fisher has coached basketball on the collegiate, high school and youth level beginning his career as the third assistant coach at LSU during the tenure of Dale Brown. In total, he was on staff at LSU Basketball for four seasons; two as a graduate assistant and two as a restricted earnings coach from 2003-06. From 1997-2008, Fisher served as head coach for UHS Boys’ Basketball and as co-athletic director from 2005-2007. During his coaching tenure, the Cubs’ record was 221 wins and 117 losses with an average of more than 20 wins per season. UHS Boys’ Basketball also earned two state championships under Fisher’s leadership and garnered national attention, with a 17th in the nation ranking for the 2004 season. Fisher was the 1998 LHSAA District 7-AA Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year, the 2004 Louisiana State Sportswriters Class AA Boys’ Basketball State Coach of the Year and the 2004 Louisiana Boys’ All-Star Game Head Coach. From 2008-2010, Fisher volunteered as a coach for Baton Rouge Community College and later as the eighth- grade coach at Our Lady of Mercy School in Baton Rouge. Fisher is a regular presenter at conferences, holds professional membership in numerous organizations and frequently lends his expertise as an editor and/or writer of scholarly and popular works regarding health, physical education and coaching. He is active in the Baton Rouge community having participated as a transition team member for Mayor Kip Holden in 2004- 2005 and as a citizen planner for the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor’s Office from 2008-2009. As a student at UHS, Fisher played basketball under the late Coach Gerald Furr.

Johnny Daigle ’66 is retired from USA Stadium in Millington, Tennessee, where he served as director of operations for more than 20 years and managed the training center for the USA National Baseball team, including many USA Olympic teams, from 1986-1996. As USA stadium director, Daigle also supervised the hosting of 18 foreign national teams for 50 series of games and 22 national baseball championships. His efforts led to an estimated financial impact of $3-5 million, providing for a successful bid to host the 1999 Conference USA Baseball Championship. As a student athlete at UHS, Daigle earned 10 varsity letters in basketball, football, track and field and baseball, receiving accolades in all sports, including 1st team All-State as a left-handed pitcher. He also played outfield and could hit 400. Daigle went on to play baseball at the collegiate level for Gulf Coast Junior College, now Gulf Coast State College, in Panama City, Florida. Daigle was later recruited to play at Southern Illinois University, compiling an outstanding 8-1 pitching record with an ERA of less than two per game during his two seasons. For his lifetime dedication to the sport of baseball, Daigle was inducted into the National Junior College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, received the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award in 2008 and the American Baseball Coaches Association Meritorious Service Award in 2005. Now retired, Daigle has served as a volunteer with youth tournaments throughout Tennessee, the American Legion and the ALS Foundation.

Lowe and LeBlanc were inducted into the Hall of Distinction, while Fisher and Daigle were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

The University Laboratory School Foundation inducts four outstanding alumni to the Athletic Hall of Fame and Hall of Distinction annually. Selected alumni exemplify great character and citizenship, maintain a high standard of excellence in their profession and high school record among other criteria found within the nomination form. Inductees are honored at the Cubs Celebration each August. University High School has a rich history with many outstanding alumni. We encourage our alumni family to nominate the best of the best and help us continue the tradition of recognizing U-High’s exceptional alumni. Nomination forms can be found by visiting uhigh.lsu.edu/Alumni/ Alumni-Events. Please complete the nomination form by 3:00 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2020. The ULS Foundation office can provide assistance with a biographical information form to support your nomination and utilize the U-High archives to gather information for you. Contact Megan Bourgeois at 225-578-3148 or e-mail mbourg@lsu.edu for assistance. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS