hurdling adversity - LA Tech Alumni

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Oct 15, 2010 - For more information contact Ryan Richard,. Director of Alumni ... She finished her Tech career in May as
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summer 2010

HURDLING ADVERSITY

2010 Honda Inspiration Award Winner Antoinette Cobb

HOMECOMING ’10

Football. Food. Friends. Fun!

QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE

It’s a new ballgame

TECH’S SEAL OF APPROVAL

‘Good Housekeeping’ chief Rosemary Ellis

Louisiana Tech University www.latech.edu

contents Alumni Association

Officers

Marsha Theis Jabour – President

Ricky Stubbs – Vice President

Jeff Parker – Treasurer

Lomax Napper – Past President

Jason Bullock – Member-at-Large

Daniel D. Reneau – Ex-Officio

2 From the 16th Floor Boldly Forward

Alumni association staff Corre Stegall – Vice President for University Advancement Ryan Richard – Director of Alumni Relations Jackie Kitchingham – Coordinator of Advancement Programs Barbara Swart – Administrative Coordinator

marketing and public relations Dave Guerin – Director Teddy Allen – Writer/Editor Mark Coleman – Designer Donny Crowe – Photographer Louisiana Tech Magazine is published semiannually by the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association. We welcome your letters: Louisiana Tech Magazine P.O. Box 3183 | Ruston LA 71272 www.latechalumni.org

After cancer surgery, honor graduate and track star Antoinette Cobb continues to run with purpose

3 Marbury Alumni Association Scholarships You might have already made a down payment on your child’s education

Board of directors Doyle Adams, Tim Brandon, Joe Brown, Sean Cangelosi, Lisa Porter Clark, Leigh Laird Cordill, Nathan Darby, Wendell Delaney, Gil Dowies, James Ginn, Ben Haley, Andrew Hicks, Larry Jackson, Bobby Jefcoat, Rex Jones, Rusty Mabry, Dave Matthiesen, Philip McCrary, Dawn Young McDaniel, Fred McGaha, Stacee Miller Priddy, Caroline Wilkerson Reaves, David Rentrop, Michele Stewart Robinson, Terry Snook, Michael Stephens, Julie Strong Talbot, Brandon Walpole

‘Maybe This Can Help Somebody’

A Word from the Alumni Director Summer is almost over, and soon the campus will be busy with the arrival of this year’s freshman class and the return of the current student body, all eagerly awaiting the opportunity to cheer on their Bulldogs at the first home game of the season against Navy on September 18. I hope you will make plans to be there too, and that before you enter the stadium, you’ll join the Alumni Association at the Argent Pavilion Tailgate Party; again this year, the tailgate food is free, thanks to our great sponsors. If you are unable to make it back to watch your Bulldogs in action, you can read the latest news about the team online at www.latechalumni.org or www.latechsports.com. During the season, you will have the opportunity to watch the Bulldogs play on ESPN2 on Tuesday, October 26, as they take on Boise State; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CST. Football will surely be a highlight of the fall, but also exciting are the numerous construction projects on campus that are being completed and new projects that will just be getting started. If you drive through the campus today, you’ll see construction of the Enterprise Campus underway, the final touches being put on the renovated Visual Arts building that will house the Center for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology (CEnIT), land being cleared for the new College of Business building, and an aggressive crew of builders working on the addition to the Lambright Intramural Center which includes new swimming pools and a state-of-the-art wellness center. Louisiana Tech continues to move forward, providing students with the facilities they need to succeed in all areas of their university experience. Much of Tech’s success can be attributed to faithful supporters like you and an administration that is dedicated to moving the University forward, regardless of the circumstances. Over the past year, Tech has faced some major hurdles, but alumni, friends, fans and parents have shown their commitment to the University and the administration by making gifts to the Foundation, being members of the Alumni Association, buying season tickets to their favorite sporting events and helping to recruit the best and brightest students. Thank you for your part in perpetuating the Tech Tradition of excellence! I hope that you enjoy the interesting stories in this edition of the magazine and that they make you proud to be associated with Louisiana Tech. Make sure to take note of the tailgate parties that the Alumni Association will host this fall (see a list on the back cover) and the numerous activities that will surround Homecoming ’10 weekend (see page 17 ) October 15 - 16. Thanks again for your support and loyalty!

8 Hall of Distinguished Alumni Rosemary Ellis

10 Connect To Tech Visit campus and your friends, anyplace, any time

14 Athletics » Achievements and awards » Net gains » A plateful of awards for T-Spoon » E-Rupp-Tion » An offensive baseball season » Waits leaves a record wake

16 Hitting A High Note U.S. Navy Band drum major Joe Brown found his rhythm at Tech

17 Homecoming 2010 October 15-16: The most anticipated weekend of the year

18 They’re Chirping Our Song Armstrong Cricket Farms Engineers A Winner

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Still Giving Us Some Kix Kix Brooks sings Tech’s praises

20 Tech’s Other ‘Spread Offense’ Young Alums share their talents and Tech’s reputation

22 News Around Campus 26 Foundation Spotlight 28 News About You

Ryan W. Richard

Marriages, Births and Deaths, formerly an insert, is now a part of the News About You section.

Quest for Excellence

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Student-athletes, fans have a new front door

Anna Lamkin

Kendall Guillot The Marbury Alumni Association Scholarships Don’t forget: You just might have helped pay for your child’s education – 25 years ago.

Daniel Dupuy

from the 16th floor Boldly Forward

During the past 18 months, Louisiana Tech University has once again proven that a great university is the product of great people. Using the power of shared vision, dedication, forethought and study, we’ve achieved more as a team than would ever have been possible as individuals. Withstanding a series of multi-million dollar budget cuts, we have not only survived because of this Tech Spirit of caring and devotion, but we have also renewed our commitment to our TECH 2020 mission and vision. We must captain our own ship. With that attitude, and with the clear and unwavering core mission and obligation of meeting the needs and expectations of the student body, the Tech family and campus community can overcome just about anything in the pursuit of our mission. Despite a dire budget situation that has caused and will continue to cause hard decisions to be made, never have I been more proud to be a part of Louisiana Tech. While I can’t predict the future, I can certainly sense morale, and it’s never been higher. Hard times have only cemented our resolve and demonstrated again that Tech’s culture of caring, of valuing our greatest asset – our people – will make the lining in any cloud a shining silver. With the success of both our students and our University in our hands, we move forward aggressively. We move forward with a freshman class ACT average score of 23.5, up a full point from five years ago. That’s huge. We move forward with the highest overall graduation rate and highest student-athlete four-year graduation rate of all public universities in the state that play football.

We move forward with more than 80 percent of our first-time full-time freshmen receiving TOPS. We move forward with the state’s best average in the time it takes to get a degree. We move forward having proven our No. 1 ranking should performance-based funding be implemented, and having proven that for every dollar the state spends on Louisiana Tech, it gets seven back. This issue of Tech Magazine illustrates other successes, including the privately funded Quest for Excellence and a new centerpiece for the College of Business. You’ll note in these pages the strides made by current students and alumni, young and old, who continue to carry the Tech banner with purpose and pride. It’s doubtful that there has ever been a more pivotal time in the history of the University. But equally true, there has never been a time when the culture of caring has been more evident. Tech doesn’t have to prove itself; Tech HAS proven itself. We’ll survive and prosper because of the Spirit of Tech, a spirit that makes itself evident in our care for one another and for this campus community. We will protect our people and prepare our students. We have a long track record as a foundation. Now we continue the mission. I join with Linda in telling you it has never been a bigger honor than it is now to serve alongside you.

Marbury Alumni Association Scholarships

Beverly Napper

Daniel D. Reneau ALL IN THE FAMILY: These are four of the 15 Louisiana Tech students who received the Marbury Alumni Association Scholarship this year: Clockwise from top left, Anna Lamkin, Interior Design, Ruston (parents Harrel,’80, and Janie, ‘83); Kendall Guillot, Nursing, West Monroe (parents Kenny, ‘88, and Michelle); Beverly Napper, Business, Ruston (parents Stan, ‘80, and Vicki); Daniel Dupuy, Management and Entrepreneurship, West Monroe (parents Stanley, ‘86, and Susan, ‘87).

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Ever since he was carried as a kid to Louisiana Tech ballgames with his parents from his hometown of West Monroe, Kendall Guillot knew he’d be a Bulldog. “My dad’s been really active in the alumni association, and my mom, even though she didn’t go to school here, told me she’d rather I go here,” Guillot said. “I love it. They make you feel like you’re a part of something here. I’ve never felt like I was lost in a big group.” What made his freshman year even better was the financial help he received from the Alumni Association, which provides 15 scholarships annually for children of alumni. The Association had given these scholarships as a way of honoring the legacies of Tech alumni and of encouraging them to send their children to Tech. The scholarships are named for the family of William and Virginia Marbury because of their intense dedication to Tech over a long period of time. Their generous gift made the addition to the Marbury Alumni Center possible, and the scholarships are a particularly appropriate way to continue both the Marburys’ legacy and the legacies of other Tech graduates.

• A $1,000 one-time scholarship given annually to 15 freshmen of Tech alumni. • Awarded through the Office of Admissions. • Any student who completes an application for admission and lists their parent(s) as being a graduate qualifies for consideration. • Usually given to incoming freshmen who haven’t received other scholarships. • Given to both in-state and out-of-state qualifiers. • For more information contact Ryan Richard, Director of Alumni Relations, at 318-255-7950.

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‘Maybe this can help somebody’ Determined and grateful after recovering from colon cancer, Louisiana Tech track champion and honor graduate Antoinette Cobb continues to run with purpose

When the doctor told her she had colon cancer, the teenaged girl from smalltown South Louisiana didn’t think about being anyone’s inspiration. She just wanted to know exactly what she had, what her chances were, and what she could do to make it back for her sophomore year on Louisiana Tech’s women’s track and field team. “All I wanted,” said Antoinette Cobb, “was to run fast again, and jump hurdles.” It’s a scary story, the journey of Cobb from college freshman athlete to stay-at-home sophomore. Chemo treatments. A deadly disease. Surgery. A loss of 35 pounds. But what she didn’t lose was her confidence, her faith, or her will and desire. To get better. To run again. “After the initial shock, taking stock of everything and dealing with being sick, I just prayed about it,” she said. “Then it was just getting through the treatments. The surgeon said it would be OK for me to run again. The oncologist said my energy might never be the same. But really, I never asked them about it. “Not going back,” she said, “was never an option.” From tiny Weyanoke near Zachary, Cobb tried out for the junior high basketball team. She didn’t make it. Some of her friends wandered over to the track. So did she. Whether she was fast or not, she had no idea. “I guess we can thank the middle school basketball coach for pushing me into track,” she said. “Really, the track coach didn’t think I was very fast either. A couple of years later, the high school coach had me go over the hurdles one day…” She’s done a lot of that since. She finished her Tech career in May as one of the most accomplished athletes in the school’s history. • This spring she ran the fastest 100 meter hurdles of any Western Athletic Conference female athlete since 1999. • She broke the school record twice and ran nine of the 10 fastest times on the team in the 100m hurdles. (continued)

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“I didn’t think about coming back to be successful academically and athletically to inspire anyone. But now, I’m happy and honored that I can share my story, even though it’s a bad experience. Hopefully, if someone’s going through a hard time, maybe this can help somebody.”- Antoinette Cobb

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Malcolm Butler, Associate Athletics Director, Media Relations “Antoinette not only epitomizes what a student-athlete should be, but she embodies what we as individuals should strive to be. What an incredible story hers is… a story filled with joy and pain and so many emotions that only she truly knows what she has experienced and overcome. And what makes her even more amazing is the fact she truly believes that she hasn’t accomplished anything out of the ordinary. Antoinette is a young lady who has beaten cancer, developed a reputation as one of the top sprinters in the nation and still found the strength, energy and time to be one of the University’s top students. I’d say that’s extraordinary in my book.” Gary Stanley, Head Coach “We thought she’d be a good runner, but we didn’t know she’d be this good. Of course, her battling the illness was just unbelievable. She’s just a class act, which anyone who meets her figures out pretty fast. She’s the best example of a model studentathlete that I’ve had in my 28 years at Louisiana Tech. Just a phenomenal person. Somebody you just want to be around. She’s really the epitome of what we’d want our program to resemble.” Charles Ryan, Assistant Coach “She never backed down from a challenge – practice, meets, alternative events. She’s a talented young woman athletically, but her mental toughness and work ethic far outdistance her talent.”

DOCTOR OF HURDLEOLOGY?: An honor graduate, Cobb might try running professionally before attending med school.

• She’s a five-time WAC champion and a leader on Tech teams that have dominated conference competition during her career. But those numbers didn’t seem possible the summer after Cobb’s freshman season. What she thought was food poisoning was a diagnosis of colon cancer. Ninety percent of such cases affect people more than 50 years old. Cobb was 19. “Never,” said head coach Gary Stanley, “had anything like that happened to me as a coach before. I was stunned.” When she phoned assistant coach Shawn Jackson to say she wasn’t coming back to school for her sophomore year, he thought it was “like one of those conversations we had when I was recruiting her; I thought she just wanted to concentrate on academics. Then she told me it was cancer. “I was trying to think of something to say, to think of anything to say, anything that might encourage her,” Jackson said. “But if you know her, it won’t surprise you that she was the one who basically started encouraging me. ‘It’s going to be OK,’ she said.” She came back to school in the spring, ran a little, began practicing fearlessly in the fall. “We were shocked when we learned she was sick,” Stanley said, “and we couldn’t believe it when she came back.” This spring, Cobb was ranked seventh in the nation and as high as 16th in the world in the 100 meter hurdles. She’d also overcome the third-deadliest form of cancer. Serious hurdles. In June in Los Angeles, she was honored by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards and the American Honda Corporation with the 22nd Annual Honda Inspiration Award in a ceremony on the UCLA campus. “I didn’t think about anything like this happening when I was going through being sick,” Cobb said. “I didn’t think about coming back to be successful academically and athletically to inspire anyone. But now, I’m happy and honored that I can share my story, even though it’s a bad experience. Hopefully, if someone’s going through a hard time, maybe this can help somebody.” A new assistant coach showed up shortly after Cobb returned for her redshirt sophomore year: Charles Ryan. He’d work with the hurdlers. He knew about her sickness. He knew she was majoring in biology, an honor student who wished to become a doctor. Jackson, his fellow assistant, recalls that first practice back between the two. Jackson was interested in checking on Cobb, just to see if she could survive. “Coach Ryan was putting her through some drills and he stopped and said to her, ‘You know, they tell me you’re smart, but the way you’re doing what I’m trying to get you to do here, you

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don’t seem that smart to me at all.’” Cobb stopped, walked over to Jackson and told him he could leave, that she’d be fine. “She knew then,” Jackson said, “that she had a coach who wouldn’t show favoritism or be oversensitive because she’d been sick. She knew she had someone who’d push her.” And Ryan did. He knew immediately that she took track more seriously than most other athletes. And after seeing her in some rhythm segments between hurdles, he knew she had the ability to be special, to do some things most athletes couldn’t do. That was during their first year together. “As a junior, she got hold of it,” Ryan said. “Halfway through her junior indoor season, she was beating people everyone else knew by name. That’s when her mentality changed. She got more aggressive. She never stopped at the wall; she pushed through the wall. And she allowed me to push her to the limit.” Her final WAC meet, the tournament championships at the Jim Mize Complex in Ruston, was stellar. But at the NCAA prelims in late May in North Carolina, she crashed a hurdle. Both hurdler and coach cried in the parking lot. “I told her,” Ryan said, “‘This cannot be your last race. If you can find it in you, you deserve to run at USA,’” – the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa in June. “I was ready to walk away,” Cobb said, “That last race was almost too much.” But as she’d done before, Cobb regrouped. She ran. And

against pros, she finished 12th and barely missed advancing to the semifinals. “A lot of people couldn’t have done that,” Ryan said. “I’m glad she did. It ended the way it should have, with her on her feet.” “I’m hardly ever happy with any of my races,” Cobb said, “but that one, I was excited. A low, and then a high.” She’s in graduate school now, deciding whether or not to take a try at running professionally or continue in school without a break. By fall, she’ll have decided. “A few weeks ago, I had things planned out,” she said. “But I don’t know. This is the most uncertain I’ve been in a while.” She’s run this race of uncertainty before. A friend and coach who’s watched her overcome every hurdle in the past three years has an idea of how this one will turn out. “The best thing about her situation is that she doesn’t have to turn pro; she has the option,” Ryan said. “Most people don’t. But she’s a phenomenal person. She’s the most determined person I’ve ever dealt with. “At the U.S. Championships, the 11 runners who beat her are supremely more talented than her, yet she was right there,” Ryan said. “She’s a product of her hard work and the fact that she’s the most mentally tough person I’ve ever met in my life. She won’t understand this fully, because we’ve had our athlete-coach battles, but she’s the easiest person I’ve ever had to coach. Every day is a joy to work with her. I love that girl to death.”

Louisiana Tech Track and Field 2009-2010 Highlights

Track - Indoor:

• Indoor women’s team captured the 2010 WAC title, fifth in last six years. • Set team record with 175 points at the WAC championship meet (fifth most in WAC history). • Men’s and women’s team combined for 56 all-conference performers at Indoor Championships. • Men’s and women’s teams combined for 17 WAC champions. • Quanisha Sales was named the WAC Indoor Freshman of the Year. • Albert Fullwood was named the WAC Male Performer of the Year. • Men’s distance medley team set a new school record.

Track and Field – Outdoor:

• Antoinette Cobb set a new school record in the 60m hurdles and recorded the seventh-fastest 60m hurdles time in the WAC this season. • Cobb ran the state’s fastest time in the 100m hurdles with a school record mark of 13.07 set at the WAC Outdoor Championships in Ruston as she won her fifth conference title of her career. Cobb’s WAC title in the 100m hurdles, as well as her top three finishes in the 100m and 200m dashes, helped propel the Lady Techsters to their sixth consecutive WAC outdoor title. • Women’s team won the WAC with a program-record 194 points. The Lady Techsters dominated in the sprints and relays to continue one of the most dominant streaks in the history of the Western Athletic Conference. • Fullwood, a senior, named the WAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning all four races he competed in: the 200m and 400m dashes along with the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Fullwood’s title in the 400m dash is his fourth in as many years - a race he has never lost at the conference championships. • Bulldogs finished third in the WAC with 118 points, the fourth consecutive year the Tech men have finished third. • Cobb named the WAC Track Athlete of the Week on five separate occasions and won the award three weeks in a row. She is the first WAC student-athlete to receive the accolade three weeks in a row since the WAC began keeping record of the award winners in 2000. • The outdoor men’s sprint medley relay team set a new school record of 3:20.85 (Fullwood, Mike Coleman, Demonte Willis, Alwayne Green) • Posted 26 athletes on the all-Louisiana track and field teams. • Gary Stanley earned his 20th Coach of the Year title; named women’s WAC coach of the year during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

albert fullwood

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Tell us about your visit “back home” to Ruston. My visit was great—it was wonderful to connect with some old friends, see some former professors and be back in Ruston. I had not been on campus in a few years, and there were several changes: The rebuilding of Hale Hall, for instance. When it was in its condemned state, I had an art studio there as a junior and senior graphic design major!

Degrees: Journalism and graphic design ’83 Current Position: Editor-In-Chief, Good Housekeeping magazine since 2006; oversees content of the 25 million-circulation magazine, its highly-trafficked Web site, and the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, responsible for the Good Housekeeping Seal.

Were you nervous at all on The Big Day? I was excited and honored to be a part of commencement. But nervous? No. I do a fair amount of public speaking these days, so butterflies-in-the-stomach are generally a thing of the past for me. Did you see yourself, in 1983, as a future Tower Medallion honoree? How does this honor make you feel? I had no expectation that I would ever receive an award such as this. I’m very honored, a little surprised and extremely humbled.

Family: James G. “Jim” Anderson, photography ’82; Lucy (6) Resides: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Talk a little about your home and high school and your interests then, hobby-wise and academically. Journalism was always a big part of my life, growing up in Fordyce, Arkansas. I started a “newspaper” in fifth grade that I sweet-talked the principal’s secretary into mimeographing for me. I was on both my high school yearbook and newspaper staffs, and I always loved English classes. And most of all, I always loved magazines—I was making clip files before I could read, pulling pages that I liked out of magazines and putting them in a file to keep.

Prior to Good Housekeeping: Senior vice president and editorial director of Prevention magazine; consultant to Real Simple and the AOL Web Properties division; Web site director and executive editor of Expedia Travels; executive editor of Time Inc. Interactive and Time Inc. New Media; help positions at Working Woman, Self and Travel & Leisure magazines.

You knew you wanted to be an editor or something like that in the field when… I took my first journalism class: Newswriting 101. I had been studying graphic design for a couple of years, and while I loved design, I knew from almost the first day of class that THIS was my real calling. Sallie Rose Hollis, my professor, was terrific, and made the reality of a career in journalism come alive for me. Wiley Hilburn’s classes helped to cement those feelings.

From Tech professor emeritus Wiley Hilburn: “She was not only a good student but a nice person to be around. On the college newspaper, she was like the captain of the team. She was very bright and creative. She was an excellent feature writer, and we are so proud of her.”

Rosemary Ellis Hall of Distinguished Alumni The Tower Medallion Award signifies membership in the Hall and is awarded to Tech alums who have distinguished themselves by exceptional achievement, community service and humanitarian activities.

One of the most accomplished journalists ever to train in the noun-and-verb-infested nooks and crannies of Keeny Hall, Rosemary Ellis was inducted into Louisiana Tech’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni during spring commencement exercises Saturday, May 22, in the Thomas Assembly Center. Her alma mater made her work overtime: Ellis also served as commencement speaker. She still made time to answer some questions about Newswriting 101, her fifth-grade newspaper, and an ongoing battle for closet space.

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What sort of general advice can you offer to today’s students who have big dreams? Basically, I believe in finding your true passion, thinking big...and then being prepared and even happy to do all the scut work it inevitably takes to make that dream happen. The big rewards come, but they are built on the back of being willing to do whatever it takes—whether that’s volunteering to take on the work that no one else wants to do or practicing whatever you’re doing until you are really, really good at it. Your magazine’s mission is “to offer smart advice and inspiration for creating a happier, more beautiful life for the reader and her family.” How does the magazine help your family’s mission? I AM the Good Housekeeping

reader: I live in a leafy neighborhood close to the Brooklyn Bridge with Jim, our 6-year-old daughter Lucy and our one-eyed cat Bica. I wish I had more closet space and more time to myself, but beyond that, it’s a very happy life. I’m incredibly fortunate. Most Good Housekeeping readers feel the same way—that life is happy, but often chaotic as you try to juggle having a home, being a parent, sustaining a marriage, doing good work in your career and adding on whatever community and/or religious activities you take on. The job of the magazine is to help readers navigate all that—that’s why the opening department of the magazine is called Good (enough) Housekeeping. Compare being editor of The Tech Talk to being editor of Good Housekeeping! Is everything ‘relative’? Well, first things first: I wasn’t ever the editor of The Tech Talk! But I was on staff and eventually wrote a column, which I loved doing. When I was in college, I regularly stayed up all night to finish projects; now I get up at 5 or 5:15 every morning to tackle work. The schedule is different, but the commitment is the same. Finally, can you give your fellow alums a brief sketch/ outline of your professional life during the past 25 years. I moved to NYC just after graduation and got a job at McCall’s magazine as an editorial assistant (aka secretary), and was subsequently promoted to assistant editor and then associate editor there. Then I moved to Travel & Leisure as an associate editor, and was eventually promoted to senior editor. From there, I went to Self as articles editor, and then to Working Woman as executive editor. After that, I took a break from magazines and went to Time, Inc. (the mega-publisher who publishes Sports Illustrated, In Style, Time, Money, People, and a number of other magazines) to work in their digital group; this was the early days of the web. By the time I left, I was running all of the Time, Inc. websites on a day-to-day basis—it was a great job, and I learned a lot. After that, I went to a magazine/ website start-up called Expedia Travels, where I was executive editor of the magazine and director of the website. After that, I consulted on web projects for a couple of years, and then became editor-inchief and editorial director at Prevention magazine. And after that, to Good Housekeeping. Whew!

SWEET!: Rosemary Ellis celebrates Good Housekeeping’s125 years with Ace of Cakes star, Duff Goldman.

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onnect to Tech It’s easier than ever to visit the Louisiana Tech campus and get University news. No matter where you are, you are connected. Here’s how:

latechalumni.org – Tech’s redesigned Division of University Advancement website!

This welcoming new-look site gives you easy access to the most up-to-date information about the Alumni Association, the Louisiana Tech Athletic Club (LTAC) and the University Foundation and the latest University and athletics news headlines from both campus and athletics. You can also update your information in the News About You section. New job? Recent marriage? Maybe a baby? We love to hear what our alumni are up to. This section is just for you. Under the Connect tab, sign up for electronic newsletters (the enews, a monthly email newsletter, or the Tech Update, a daily email) and search for old college friends.

The new site is also secure for online gifts. Designate your gift to the area of your choice – whether it’s the college you graduated from, the general University Fund or athletics through LTAC. It’s your call! Click the Events tab for complete details of all events hosted by the Division; you can even make your reservation online!

Facebook.com/latechalumni – Tech’s Facebook page

2010 BULLDOg FOOTBALL www.latechsports.com ORDER YOUR FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS

ONLINE TODAY!

Don’t miss out on using this social networking tool to help us help Tech as we share a common purpose and plan: a love for our University and a commitment to help Tech grow, not only bigger but stronger. “Like” our page – you’ll love it.

latechalumni.org/printdirectory

Find out more at this site about Louisiana Tech University Alumni Today, the first publication ever to feature listings along with photos and essays submitted by alumni. Harris Connect, producer of more than 4,000 directories for a variety of universities, colleges, high schools and membership associations in the United States and Canada, is working with the University to produce what will be the most current and complete reference of graduates who wish to participate in the project. Learn more online, watch the mail for your postcard, and respond by Oct. 1. Directories will be available for purchase in January. NOW you’re more connected than ever!

09.18 NAVY

09.25 SOUTHERN MISS

10.09 UTAH STATE

10.16 IDAHO

11.06 FRESNO STATE

12.04 NEVADA

Contact the LA Tech Ticket Office at 318.257.3631, or e-mail at [email protected]. LA Tech Ticket Office • PO Box 3046 • Ruston, LA 71272

Time Out For Tech Saturday, Sept. 25 or Dec. 4

Don’t miss your chance to see what Louisiana Tech is all about. Experience all the components of college life: Academics Activities - Athletics. This program is designed to give you and your family a chance to visit the campus and academic departments and even take in a football game during the day.

For more information, call or visit us online: 318.257.3036 or 1.800.LATECH1 www.latech.edu/admissions/toft

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Quest for

Dan Reneau, President “The top research universities in the nation are complemented by outstanding athletics programs. As one of the region’s premier research institutions, Louisiana Tech recognizes the value of providing superior facilities and resources to future Tech studentathletes so that they have every opportunity to perform at the highest levels of intercollegiate competition. Quest for Excellence is a watershed event in the history of our athletics program and, through the private contributions of our friends and supporters, will put our University shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most progressive and respected programs in the nation.”

Excellence

Bruce Van De Velde, Athletics Director “This project addresses many of the needs of our student-athletes, enhances recruiting and provides a source of pride for our alumni and fans. It enhances the academic and athletic quality for every sport, generates revenue and addresses many of the equity goals outlined in our Tech 2020 strategic plan. Our vision is a quest for excellence and a desire, focus and commitment to be an institution that values academic and athletic excellence. This campaign will establish a foundation for our future as the premier research and athletic institution in northern Louisiana.” Steve Davison, Project Chair of the Quest for Excellence Leadership team “As a former Louisiana Tech student-athlete and proud alum, I have been excited to see the progress that we’ve made since we joined the Western Athletic Conference almost a decade ago. However, we need to continue our growth both on and off the playing fields. This facility will elevate our University and athletics program to the next level. It’s imperative that our fans and alumni help make this a reality. Our institution is on the cusp of becoming what every Tech fan has dreamed about. This facility is just the next step.” Terry Bradshaw, Hall of Fame Quarterback, Leadership Team member and former Tech great “When this is complete, we’ll be more attractive to the blue-chip athlete and it will enable us to attract more in-state recruits than ever before. This is huge for Louisiana Tech and will make all of our alumni proud.”

Louisiana Tech athletics will soon have a new front door. Through it, Tech student-athletes and dedicated fans will walk into a proud new chapter in the University’s rich tradition.

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It’s a new ballgame. With a new player. A really big player. Like, 90,000 square-feet-plus big. The Campaign for Louisiana Tech Athletics kicked off this summer with a driven and determined vision: a multipurpose athletic training facility of more than 90,000 square feet located at the south end of Joe Aillet Stadium, an impressing and inviting physical manifestation of the University’s and community’s commitment to the success of Tech athletics. It comes with a cost: $20 million in private contributions. But it comes with an impressive payoff: a facility that serves every arm of Tech athletics, increases the quality of life in the community, and becomes one of the finest multipurpose buildings on any non-BCS campus. And, the Campaign comes at a crucial time, not just for Tech but for all of college athletics, especially football. With the game’s landscape changing, with conferences unstable and economics tight, programs are at a crucial crossroads. Some will act and move ahead; some will stand pat and fall behind. Tech’s unprecedented and still developing Campaign is a call to commitment and a money-where-your-heart-is statement to both

athletics and academics. The cost of not moving forward? Imagine playing basketball in the 21st century in Memorial Gym or football pre-Aillet Stadium. Instead, Tech is looking at a facility that will draw not only athletes, coaches and fans, but also exposure and revenue. Metaphorically, fans and freshmen will step into the future when they step into this architectural mix of tradition and tomorrow. In reality, they’ll step into a gem that will hold, among other things, the following: • More than 6,600 square feet of sports medicine and rehabilitation space; • More than 9,000 square feet of strength and conditioning space; • More than 4,000 square feet of academic achievement space, including study halls and tutoring rooms; • More than 8,000 square feet of seating in club, lounge and luxury box seating for events; • Team offices and select locker rooms and meeting space for football, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, golf, bowling, and track and field; and,

• A two-story stadium lobby featuring Tech Legends displays and memorabilia. Informally operating for several months, the Campaign seeks to generate the funding by the summer of 2012. Depending on funds raised and athletic program needs, physical construction could begin at any time. Private leadership gifts totaling more than $9 million have been raised. These initial leadership gifts have come from Dr. Guthrie Jarrell, Rick Shirley, Terry Bradshaw and members of the Davison family, including James, Todd, Steve and Jim. The Leadership Team has already identified a number of other donors who have vowed to make pledges to the project. The global design firm Populous, which has created Yankee Stadium, Busch Stadium, PETCO Park and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, among other facilities both in the professional and collegiate worlds, is developing the master plan. For more information, visit www.populous.com. To view more conceptual art of the Tech Athletic Facility and to support the Campaign through an investment gift, visit the Tech Athletics website, www.latechsports.com.

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E-Rupp-Tion: Bulldogs double-up on wins again

Athletic Department achievements and awards

They struggled in a balanced Western Athletic Conference, but Tech’s basketball Bulldogs won their most games in 25 years, finishing 24-11 and fourth in the WAC at 9-7. It was the second straight season that Tech improved by nine wins over the previous seasons. Head coach Kerry Rupp was named Louisiana Coach of the Year as Tech, for the first time in 19 seasons, received votes in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Bulldogs were 17-2 in mid-January and, again for the first time since the 1984-85 season, had a 10-game win streak.

• Won the NCAA Pack-the-House Challenge for the WAC for the third straight year, one of only two schools in the country to win it three straight years. • Won the 2010 Turnkey PRISM Award, given to the college that best exemplifies development in the four categories of Marketing/Branding, Fan Development, Community Relations and Customer/Client Service.

NBA comes calling

• Dave Nitz named the Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Nitz also broadcast his 2,000th LA Tech event during the year. • Louisiana Tech ranked No. 1 in the state among Football Bowl Subdivision public institutions in the most recent four-year student-athlete graduation rate average, according to the Federal Graduation Rate Report. • Launched redesigned athletics website in October, latechsports.com • Ranked No. 3 in the Excellence in Management Cup, which recognizes the most efficient athletic departments in the country. This awards athletic departments that win the most conference and national championships, while at the same time have the lowest expenses.

Young Net Gains

Vivian ten Dolle was the only freshman in the Western Athletic Conference to compete in the No. 1 position for her team. The talented freshman was a solid 18-11 overall in singles, 13-9 in dual match play and 5-2 in tournament play, and she was named honorable mention on the Louisiana College women’s tennis team. The Lady Techsters earned the program’s first ever WAC match win this spring, topping San Jose State 5-2 on April 10. From the Netherlands, ten Dolle also earned second team All-WAC honors, the first Lady Techster tennis player to receive the recognition since 2002.

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For T-Spoon, a plateful of awards In her first full season as LA Tech’s head coach, Teresa Weatherspoon led the program to its first NCAA Tournament since 2006 and earned a serious string of recognition, first for her short-term coaching accomplishments, then for her sterling playing career. The award trifecta began when the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named her the recipient of the 2010 Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award. Then in June, Weatherspoon was inducted into both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. The former Lady Techster point guard earned the Wade Trophy in 1988 as the nation’s top player and went on to have eight successful seasons in the WNBA with the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks. Not a bad career. And not a bad rookie season or offseason, either. The distinguished WBCA award honors a Division I coach who has led their team to a successful season during their first year at the helm. “One of the WBCA’s core values is to assist in the growth and development of young coaches,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “I look forward each season to watching first-time Division I head coaches take the reign of their programs and lead them to success. Teresa Weatherspoon has done just that this season, and we are proud to honor her and Louisiana Tech with this award.” LA Tech, 23-9, went an impressive 10-4 on the road this year, and of the nine losses this winter, four came by four points or less, including a four-point loss to Sweet 16 participant Mississippi State and a three-point loss to NCAA Tournament participant LSU. The Techsters earned a second place regular season WAC finish and the WAC Tournament Championship under Weatherspoon. “Under her leadership,” Tech Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde said, “our women’s basketball program is back on the national stage.” “This award is a team award,” Weatherspoon said. “Our success this year was due to the hard work and dedication of our entire coaching staff and our young ladies. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish this year, and look forward to what the future holds.” Weatherspoon has a career coaching record of 32-11 at LA Tech after taking over the program as interim head coach on February 9, 2009, and winning her first eight games. As a former Lady Techster, Weatherspoon led her team to four NCAA Tournaments, two NCAA Women’s Final Four appearances (1987, 1988) and the 1988 National Championship title.

Senior forward Magnum Rolle was selected with the 51st pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers and President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird moved up six slots in the second round to obtain the rights to the 51st pick, originally owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder. A March graduate with a bachelor’s in sociology, the 6-foot-11 Freeport, Bahamas native is the first Bulldog to be selected in the NBA Draft since Paul Millsap was taken by the Utah Jazz with the 47th pick in 2006. Rolle averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and a league-leading 2.1 blocks per game. Rolle made 33 starts last season, scored in double figures 24 times, recorded 11 double doubles, pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds on three separate occasions, and scored a career-high 29 points in a win over Houston. Rolle also became the 12th LA Tech player ever selected in the NBA Draft, joining Millsap, P.J. Brown (1992, New Jersey, 29th),

Baseball:

RecordSetters

Bulldog baseball was a big hit this spring, literally. The Bulldogs set single-season school records in runs, RBI, hits and doubles. Pitching staff injuries kept the ’Dogs from capitalizing during the hit-happy season; Tech finished 27-30 overall, 11-13 and fifth in the WAC. Tech ranked in the top 25 nationally in hits, batting average, scoring, runs, slugging percentage, doubles and homers. Devon Dageford and Mark Threlkeld were All-WAC first team; Academic All-American Clint Ewing, Joey Ford and Alex Williams were second team. Dageford was also first-team All State selection; the senior outfielder hit .373 with 17 homers, 56 RBI and a school-record 21 doubles.

Ron Ellis (1992, Phoenix, 49th), Randy White (1989, Dallas, 8th), Karl Malone (1985, Utah, 13th), Rennie Bailey (1984, Detroit), Willie Simmons (1985, Sacramento, 76th), Victor King (1979, Los Angeles Lakers, 39th), Mike McConathy (1977, Chicago, 79th), Mike Green (1973, Seattle, 4th) and Jackie Moreland (1960, Detroit, 4th).

Big Doings for Best Dunkin’ Dawg

magnum rolle

Tech great Karl Malone, director of basketball promotions and assistant strength and conditioning coach, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame August 13 in Springfield, Mass. Malone was a three-time (1982-85) Sporting News All-American while leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 1985. He ranks sixth all-time at LA Tech with 1,716 points in just three seasons. Recruited out of Summerfield, La., Malone became a two-time NBA MVP and 14-time NBA All-Star with the Utah Jazz and a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA.

The Waits Is Over The career of the most outstanding offensive player in Lady Techster softball history ended with the team’s two-and-out exit from the WAC Tournament in New Mexico. Senior Amberly Waits, shortstop on the AllLouisiana team for the third straight year, hit .412 this spring with 10 homers, 40 runs scored and 31 RBI. She is the program’s career leader in numerous offensive categories including batting average, hits, home runs, RBI, triples, total bases and slugging percentage. Junior pitcher Meghan Krieg (18-16), who totaled a LA Tech single-season record 260 strikeouts and pitched two-hitters against NCAA Tournament teams Arkansas, Auburn and Notre Dame, was honorable mention allstate, along with teammates Kylie Bassett and Meghan Knowles. Tech finished 26-21 for its third straight winning season, including a 13-4 mark at the Lady Techster Softball Complex.

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HOMECOMING 2010 The most anticipated weekend of the Louisiana Tech year falls in mid-October. Fall weather. Football. Food and friends. Sound like fun? It always is. It’s Homecoming ’10, Oct. 15 and 16 on the Tech campus, in Joe Aillet Stadium and around Ruston. Come early for Friday’s Alumni Awards luncheon and pep rally. While planned events include club reunions and class receptions, unrehearsed events are sure to spring up, as they do whenever familiar faces and places mix. Homecoming’s spotlight event kicks off at 3 p.m. on Saturday: Tech’s Bulldogs will meet Western Athletic Conference foe Idaho in Joe Aillet Stadium. First-year Tech head coach Sonny Dykes has stirred up plenty of preseason excitement; this special Saturday afternoon will be a perfect time for midseason support. By good fortune and persistence, Tech is fortunate to welcome to campus and to Howard Auditorium on the evening of the 16th the oldest continuously active professional musical organization in America. Founded in 1778 by an Act of Congress, “The President’s Own” Marching Band consists of some of the country’s most dedicated and talented musicians. How about that for a big finish!?

“Tech’s instructors imparted more than just knowledge; they taught me how to succeed.” - Joe Brown

Hitting a high note From high school band junkie to leader of one of the most prestigious service bands in the world, Joe Brown found his rhythm at Louisiana Tech. United States Navy Band drum major Joe Brown has a problem September 18. That’s the autumn Saturday when the football team representing his employer, the United States Navy, plays the football team of his alma mater, Louisiana Tech. Kickoff is 6 p.m. in Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston. Though based on the East Coast, the Mississippi native hopes to attend. “I guess I could show up in my Navy uniform with a Tech T-shirt on,” said Brown (music ’82), who played in Tech’s marching Band of Pride before joining the Navy, auditioning for its premier band, and rising through the ranks to drum major of what is technically a “special White House support unit.” Brown’s march to a leading position in his profession began in Ruston. He came to study the baritone horn and played trombone in the marching band and the basketball band, where he had courtside seats to a pair of Lady Techsters basketball national championships. “From the instructors to playing in all the ensembles, my experience at Tech was very positive and motivating,” he said. “The tools I gained while at Tech were more extensive than just professional knowledge. The attitude instilled in me and my classmates gave me the confidence to set high goals and work to achieve them. Tech’s instructors imparted more than just knowledge; they taught me how to succeed.” The U.S. Navy Band plays Full Honors Arrival ceremonies, presidential concerts, musical honors for military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and many other patriotic events, including national tours. “The most unexpected ‘perk’ of my job has been the sense of pride I feel every day just getting to serve my country while doing something I love,” he said. “I get to be part of many historical events, as well as lead a group of some of the most talented musicians in the world.”

‘Success breeds success’ Brown provided these updates on his college roommates: Donald Kitchens: Leader of award-winning school bands for more than 25 years in the Plano, Texas area. Marty Courtney: Formerly associate band director at the University of Memphis, now in his 22nd year as music educator and his seventh year as Director of Bands at Lewisville (Texas) High. Kenny Vise: Director of highly successful high school music program in Austin, Texas. Paul Hageman: Chair of the Music Department, Texas A&M-Kingsville. Brigadier General James J. Jones, the only one of Brown’s roommates who did not follow a musical career: Deputy Director of Operations, U.S. Central Command at MacDill AFB in Florida.” Brown: “All of my roommates have been a great inspiration to me…Tech provided an atmosphere of excellence that motivated many of us to succeed in our career fields. I was surrounded by other highly motivated students all the time… Tech instilled a drive in us that enabled each of us to reach our goals. All of our instructors were successful musicians and great instructors, and they gave us all a sense that we could do whatever we set our minds to do.”

Homecoming 2010 Schedule of Events Friday, October 15

Alumni Awards Luncheon • Louisiana Tech Student Center, noon • Presentations include Alumnus of the Year, Young Alumnus of the Year, and Distinguished Alumni of each of the Colleges Class of 1960 Reception • Ropp Center - 5 p.m. Pep Rally and Presentation of the Court • Thomas Assembly Center - 7 p.m. African American Network Reunion • Location to be announced - 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 16

Alumni and Friends Open House • Marbury Alumni Center - 9 a.m. to noon Admissions Office Open House • Hale Hall - 9 a.m. to noon African American Network Reunion Activities - throughout the day • Locations to be announced Bookstore Open House • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 14th Annual Golden Society Brunch • Louisiana Tech Student Center - 9: 30 a.m. • Honoring the Class of 1960 and prior years Alumni and Friends Barbecue Tailgate • Argent Pavilion - 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Idaho Vandals • Joe Aillet Stadium - 3 p.m. • To purchase tickets visit www.latechsports.com or call the Ticket Office at 318-257-3631 “The President’s Own” Marine Band Concert • Howard Auditorium - 7:30 p.m. • Tickets are required and can be obtained by contacting the Marbury Alumni Center at 318-255-7950. (Except for Saturday’s kickoff and Marine Band concert, and due to the probable addition of other events, all times are tentative. Check the Homecoming website – www.latechalumni.org/homecoming2010 – for up-to-the-minute information on Homecoming ’10!)

For more information on Joe Brown, visit www.latech.edu/techtriumphs

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Still Giving us Some

They’re chirping our song!

One of Louisiana Tech’s most accomplished and supportive alums, Kix Brooks is strumming his way down a new but still familiar highway.

Armstrong Cricket Farms engineers a winner. Business is always hopping around Armstrong Cricket Farms, as you might expect. Constant care of 70 million crickets will keep you on your toes. But Jack Armstrong (civil engineering ’74) is up to the task. In West Monroe, he runs the business his grandfather started as a fish bait service in 1947. Today the cricket game is a bit more diverse. And a lot more busy. “Louisiana Tech engineering teaches you to solve problems,” said Armstrong, who worked with an engineering firm for one year after graduation before getting into the industry his family began. “Tech teaches its engineers not to give up. We were taught to have safety factors for everything we designed, too. “With the cricket industry, you’re dealing with a live thing. You’ve got weather conditions, feed problems, any number of things. Tech taught me how to work situations out. Our professors stressed we couldn’t leave any stone unturned. It’s a lot of little things.” It’s 10 million little things a week at the West Monroe farm. That’s how many crickets are born each week – 10 million – and that’s how many crickets are shipped weekly to Canada, Europe, South Africa and every state in the Union except Hawaii. A cricket that starts the week in West Monroe might end the week as supper for a lizard in Johannesburg or for a bird in Montreal. “When I started, our business was 95 percent for fish bait,” he said. “Now it’s 95 percent animal food and 5 percent fish bait.” His brother Jimmy runs the tackle part of the ever-diversifying business. Their brother Jeff, a Tech business administration graduate in 1979, runs a smaller farm in Georgia – though 55 million crickets on the Georgia site is hardly small. “He knows how to run it,” Jack said, “and I know how to produce the product. Our big expertise is shipping these crickets to large distribution centers. When the

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business started changing, it lit a fire under me. Tech engineering and not forgetting how to work seven days a week solved the problem.” Weekly, Armstrong has crickets trucking to California or flying overnight to Canada. And in seven different sizes too, roughly 1,000 crickets per box. Figuring out how to ship five million small crickets on a truck across the country is different than figuring out how to ship two million big ones on an airplane to Europe, once you factor in air conditioning, food and other shipping conditions. “Everything’s got to be alive,” he said. “Shipping to Winnipeg, for instance, is a challenge in the wintertime. Anchorage isn’t real easy either.” The crickets are often shipped with tiny heat packs, the same heat packs Tech football players have put in their socks or held in their hands during on-the-road cold weather games. “When I found out those things might help, I let Tech know that I had the largest

stockpile of heat packs over here than they could find in a five-state area,” Armstrong said. “If I find out there’s something I can help with at Tech, I try to give them a call and get involved.” He’s quick to help like that. And Armstrong’s friends know who to call if they have a child considering Tech. “You can’t help but be impressed with Louisiana Tech,” Armstrong said. “The hands-on learning the professors gave us… the way they taught us how to study and look at things from every angle. Just look at how good the whole University is and where our focus is, how much research we’re drawing. I know I made the right choice in schools. You get a lot more there than you get at other schools where you might get lost. Whether it’s athletics or academics, none of us should miss a chance to talk about all the positive things and all the new things we have going on.” For more of our conversation with Jack Armstrong, go to latech.edu/techtriumphs.

KIX

He’s written hit songs for other artists, been part of the highest selling duo in country music history, is partner in a successful Tennessee vineyard and winery and is in his fourth year as host of the long-running syndicated radio program, “American Country Countdown.” But Kix Brooks (speech communications ’78) didn’t just fall out of an oil truck or off a hay bale and land in Nashville’s high cotton. Success took a lot of work and focus for the guy who sang lead on the 1995 hit “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” one of 23 No. 1’s for Brooks & Dunn. No need to miss him yet. Though Brooks and longtime teammate Ronnie Dunn are taking a break, neither has retired. “I don’t know who was the first to use the ‘R’ word, but Ronnie and I both continue to make music,” Brooks said. “We’re still the best of friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another CD down the road. But we’re two grown men who worked together for 20 years without a break. We never used the ‘retire’ word; we just said we need a break from this and people started burying us. We might not ever work together again. But we might. “Ronnie and I have been blessed with more success than we’d ever dreamed of,” Brooks said. “It was a partnership. Now, it’s refreshing to make music and not have to run it by anybody.” Besides his love for music, Brooks has a heart for helping. He’s on the board of a Nashville children’s hospital, the spokesperson for a Tennessee children’s home, and he’s involved in a project with other musicians to record songs written by children with chronic diseases for a to-be-released CD. Another constant: Brooks’ love for Louisiana Tech. The annual Bradshaw/Brooks Golf Tournament at Squire Creek Country Club is the most visible way, but not the only way, Brooks helps his University. “I want to thank everybody for their support; it’s always great, getting together at Squire Creek. Supporting Louisiana Tech is something we’ve all got to remember to keep doing,” he said. “The older I get, the more I appreciate my school and realize how much I love it, and that’s the truth.” It took him a few strums to find his rhythm. A year in Dallas at SMU taught him he “wasn’t cut out for it. It didn’t fit my lifestyle,” he said. “Tech did.” He lived with friends in a house off Cooktown Road, played music at Sundown West three nights a week and, through the patience and intuition of teachers, found confidence in the classroom. “He always committed 100 percent to anything he pursued: music, theatre, fun, friends, family… I always found it wonderful that regardless of any negativity around him, I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone,” said Katie Robinson, former director of Tech’s School of the Performing Arts. “He is humbled by his talents and good fortune.” He learned how to write music progressions, wrote and performed a three-act play, even left Tech one year to work on the pipeline in Alaska, an $800-a-week gig and a “no-brainer,” he said. “If you have focus, you’re not going to be afraid to work a year if you need to. I never had the intention of not going back to school. I wanted to buy a new guitar and a car and get back to school work.” He fully appreciated how much Tech had helped him when, his first time in a Nashville music studio, backup singers needed him to arrange vocals for a song he’d written. “It took a while, but I did it,” he said. “My teachers had patience and confidence in me; that helped give me confidence in myself.” “People don’t realize how competitive this business is,” he said. “A bull rider wrote me on Facebook and wanted to know how he could break into the songwriting business. I wrote back, ‘How do I break into the bull riding business?’ I’d guess the answer is you’ve gotta start riding bulls. Hang out at corrals. Every chance you get, you gotta get on a bull and get thrown down in the dirt.” For much more of our conversation with Kix (and for more about his Tech career from Dr. Robinson), go to latech.edu/techtriumphs

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Marion Lawrence Sewell, DVM occupation: Veterinarian degree: Animal science ’04 hometown: Duanesburg, NY resides in: Ruston age: 32 family: Husband Lt. Col. Rowdy Sewell, USMC (general studies ’89), daughter Rosemary (2)

Tech’s other ‘spread offense’ Louisiana Tech’s young alums continue to share both their talents and the good word about their University. A friend of dogs and ’Dawgs Her patients can be difficult to deal with, especially after she mends a complicated orthopedic injury. “Our pets,” said Ruston veterinarian Marion Sewell, “don’t understand the term ‘kennel rest.’” If they only knew how well trained their doctor was, they’d obey better. Sewell left Louisiana Tech with a degree from Tech’s College of Applied and Natural Sciences, a ticket to vet school and plenty of confidence. That makes her patients lucky dogs – and cats and birds and fish. “No question the curriculum got me prepared for vet school,” said Sewell, who began working at Ruston Animal Clinic after graduating from vet school in June of 2007. For the past 18 months, she’s owned the clinic. “Reese Hall and South Campus provided me with a lot more hands-on experience than I’d have gotten at LSU, and definitely more than at LSUA, where I’d transferred from,” she said. “There’s the working farm and the working dairy…If you want to be a part of Reese Hall and if you want experience, Dr. (William) Green and Dr. (Mark) Murphey will make sure you get it. They told me if I’d do what they told me to do, I’d make it.”

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She has. Her daily dose of doctoring challenges might take the form of a heartworm problem, a pet-hit-by-car scenario or any number of chronic skin conditions. “The first dog I had as an adult got injured and I spent a lot of time at the veterinarian getting her well,” Sewell said. “I hadn’t realized how vast the field of vet medicine was until that point; it piqued my interest. “The challenging academics with hands-on mentoring, the kind of training and education that focuses on student involvement and interpersonal skills and development have been invaluable in my professional life,” she said. “I learned problem solving and time management because of the tasks assigned; I gained self-esteem too, knowing that if I could excel at Tech, I could be successful with hard work.” She’s a Tech football tailgater, and she employs pre-vet students at her business. She’s attended an awards banquet honoring students in the agricultural sciences department, spoken at meetings of Tech pre-vet students, and participated in mock interviews with students. “Anytime they call me, if I can go, I’ll go,” she said of her teachers’ requests. “’I think that’s one of the reasons I’m compelled to do it – because when I was a student, that was so helpful to me.”

A solid college history

Going to bat for Tech

Robert Lay migrated to Louisiana Tech from South Louisiana, then he migrated from one curriculum to another. It’s no wonder that his advice to incoming freshmen would be to “take classes outside your comfort zone.” “I started as a computer science major,” said Lay. “But after taking several English and history courses, I discovered a love for the humanities. Even if you keep the same major, you always learn something useful from classes outside your subject area. Knowing a little bit about science, art, economics and literature can open a lot of doors.” Lay’s switch to history puts him up to his elbows in historical preservation every day now as an archivist at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. Lay’s job includes preserving the records of the past (such as the records of Senator Dole’s career) and making them available for research. “Senator Dole’s collection constitutes more than 5,000 boxes of material, which translates into millions of sheets of paper, so there’s sometimes a lot of head-scratching and wondering what we’re looking at,” said Lay, who described working with Congressional collections as “extremely rewarding and fascinating. Since I’m handling the actual memos, letters (and other paperwork) generated by the Senator and his staff, I’m getting an insider’s look into how the Senate works, what the Senators think of each other, and what their actual feelings are on important issues.” A distinguished honors graduate, Lay felt comfortable at Tech when professors welcomed him into their offices during his freshman year to ask him what he wanted to do and where he wished to go in his career. “I needed a school where I could talk to someone who was where I wanted to be,” said Lay, who worked as a graduate assistant in Tech’s Department of Special Collections, Manuscripts and Archives in Prescott Memorial Library. “I’ve always felt either as prepared or more prepared than other archivists. The

A former Diamond Darling for the Louisiana Tech baseball team, Dallas attorney and Claiborne Parish native Jessica Hammons has found herself playing extra innings lately as a fullfledged grownup. “I definitely don’t get back to campus as often as I would like,” said Hammons, a Claiborne Academy grad. “I’ve been working full-time and have had two babies in the past two-and-a-half years, so unfortunately, neither of those lend themselves to making many

Robert A. Lay, Jr. Occupation: Archivist, Dole Institute degree: History ’04, master’s history ’06 hometown: Morgan City resides in: Lawrence, Kan. age: 28 family: Parents Robert and Anne Lay

faculty at Tech had as much a hand in preparing me as any of my coursework; my professors knew me and took the time to make sure I was on the right track…The exposure to principles of research and information that I gained at Tech have been indispensable to me as an archivist.” Since he’s in the information business, he’s not shy when the name of his alma mater comes up, either. “If they haven’t heard a lot about Louisiana Tech,” he said, “I make sure to inform them about it.”

Jessica Watson Hammons Occupation: Attorney degree: Accounting ’00 hometown: Homer resides in: Dallas age: 31 family: Husband Bud, daughters Samantha (2) and Sydney (7 months); yellow lab Kannon

trips back to Ruston. But I’m hopeful to get to come over for a football game this fall. It seems like Ruston has really taken off in the past few years, which is so wonderful to see!” Hammons transferred to Tech at the end of her freshman year and found the University had “a great small-town feel while still providing me with the educational basis to go on to law school and to begin a career in the legal world. Because our classes were smaller than at larger schools, I felt like I benefited from the personal relationships with my professors and with other students. “I work on a daily basis with graduates from Ivy League schools and other well-known colleges and universities,” she said, “and I always feel that my degree from Tech enables me to work side by side with all of these people.” She hears the Louisiana Tech name often in Dallas, especially in regard to Tech’s engineering and business colleges and, of course, she hears Tech mentioned a lot during football season. It’s a university, she said, that gave her a solid foundation and a wealth of confidence when she arrived in Dallas the summer after her final year of law school with only a summer clerkship, yet was working full-time by September. Her advice to Tech’s Young Alums of tomorrow: “Take your studies seriously, because grades are definitely important in helping you, especially when you’re starting out. Establishing a good work ethic early on will help you in your work life after college. Given that, remember that your time in college can be some of the best years of your life, so enjoy them!”

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news around campus

news around campus

Gilbert earns national recognition for advocacy of first-year students

Progress, on-campus construction continue with new home for College of Business A 42,000-square-foot state-ofthe-art building being constructed on the east edge of the campus will serve as the centerpiece of the business and entrepreneurship programs at Tech. The new College of Business building and other campus construction projects are a function of Tech 2020, Louisiana Tech’s longrange strategic plan and foundation for the future. “This facility is part of a larger plan to move our University forward and will serve as a beacon for the best and brightest students in our area,” said Tech President Dan Reneau. “We are providing educational opportunities unrivaled anywhere in north Louisiana.”

Top Dawgs make an impression – and money Cash and prizes of $15,500 were awarded to the top three finishers and for “spirit” and “best presentation” at the annual TOP DAWG Business Plan Competition. CC SynFuels (Cecil Garrick, senior accounting major, John Rollo, senior nanosystems engineering major, and David Veals, senior mechanical engineering major) won first place and $4,000 with a new system of chemical reactors which produce a synthetic diesel fuel. Second place and $2,000 was awarded to Veritas Imaging (Alan

THEY TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS: (left to right) For their big win, David Veals, Cecil Garrick and John Rollo receive a big check from Bulldog Entrepreneurs CEO and ’10 economics graduate Demetra Allen Brown.

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Students and faculty will have access to new classrooms, offices, computer labs, two auditoriums, meeting rooms, research centers and student support and career centers. Funding for the new facility comes from a $12.4 million capital outlay from the state as well as private contributions from some of the College’s most generous and active alums. These financial gifts and resources will afford the College opportunities for long-term growth and program development.

Katzenmeyer, junior environmental science major, and Casey Roper, junior finance major). Veritas develops custom imaging systems focusing on scanning, archiving, comparing and analyzing images. WebGrams (Gadhadar Reddy, master’s in molecular sciences and nanotechnology major, and Mohit Jain, master’s computer science major) won third place and $1,000 for a web portal allowing convenient access to Web 2.0 applications. In addition to the cash awards, the Louisiana Tech Enterprise Center sponsors incubator space valued at $4,500 for six months to the winning teams. Jones Walker recognized the team with the most entrepreneurial spirit through sponsorship of the $2,000 Jones Walker Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. This award went to Prodigy Powersports (junior mechanical engineering majors Roy Humphries II, John Dighton and Sierra Irwin) for an innovative electric four-wheeler. Veritas Imaging also won the $2,000 Ruston-Lincoln Parish Business Awards Best Presentation Award. Proceeds generated by the Ruston-Lincoln Parish Business Awards Breakfast, a collaborative event of the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and the Louisiana Tech College of Business, fund the award. Supporting sponsors for the TOP DAWG include the Louisiana Tech College of Business, Louisiana Tech College of Engineering and Science, the Louisiana Tech Student Activity Grant, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology (CEnIT), the Louisiana Tech Enterprise Center, and the Technology Business Development Center (TBDC). The TOP DAWG was established in 2002 and was organized by the student organization Bulldog Entrepreneurs, (formerly The Association of Business Engineering and Science Entrepreneurs, or ABESE). Bulldog Entrepreneurs promotes and cultivates an entrepreneurial culture on the Tech campus.

Guice honored with 2009 Robert E. Russ Award Dr. Leslie K. Guice, vice president for research and development at Louisiana Tech, received the 2009 Robert E. Russ Award from the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. The award is one of the most prestigious civic honors that can be presented to a citizen of Lincoln Parish. It was established to recognize those who have contributed to the civic, business or cultural advancement or development of the region in an outstanding manner. Guice has served on the faculty and administration at Tech since 1978 and has been the catalyst for many of Tech’s new entrepreneurial and innovation enterprises. Most recently, Guice led the planning and establishment of Tech’s new research park, Enterprise Campus, which will serve as a home for high-tech companies and government agencies looking to utilize the intellectual and research strengths of Louisiana Tech. Guice’s work has further led to development of cyber-related programs such as the Center for Secure Cyberspace and the Cyber Research Laboratory. These entities will both be housed in Tech Pointe, the first multi-tenant facility currently under construction at Enterprise Campus. Additionally, the partnership he has created with the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City has established Tech as a leader in cyber research and education.

Stacy Gilbert, director of co-curricular programs and disability services at Louisiana Tech University, has been recognized as an Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina. Gilbert was selected from a distinguished pool of candidates as one of ten educators nationally who have demonstrated exceptional work on behalf of first-year students and for the impact their efforts have on the students and culture of their institutions. Gilbert credits Dr. Linda Griffin, Tech’s dean of student development, and Dr. Norman Pumphrey, director of Tech’s Bulldog Achievement Resource Center, as well as Louisiana Tech’s rich history of programs aimed at helping the first-year student, for creating a solid foundation for the First-Year Experience program. Louisiana Tech’s First-Year Experience program was created to support and advance efforts to improve academic and co-curricular resources into and through the firstyear student’s higher education experience. It focuses primarily on giving the first-year student the resources and support needed to successfully transition to college.

Tech Named To Honor Roll Louisiana Tech is on the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for involvement in volunteerism, service-learning and civic engagement. Six projects were submitted through Tech’s Center for Academic and Professional Development (CAPD). The projects were led by faculty from the Colleges of Applied and Natural Sciences, Engineering and Science, and Liberal Arts. • Maternal Newborn Community Outreach Program – Nancy Darland and Tanya Sims, Nursing • Habitat for Humanity Home Construction – Kevin Stevens, Architecture • Earthquake Simulation Chamber – Mel Corley, Mechanical Engineering • Mentoring Boy Scouts for Aviation Badges – Gary Odom, Aviation • Sparta Conservation Project – Aaron Lusby and Gary Kennedy, Agricultural Sciences • Shaken Baby Syndrome Education – Tanya Sims and Donna Hood, Nursing “This is a great honor, and is clearly due to the efforts of the faculty whose projects were submitted as exemplary service-learning projects at Louisiana Tech,” said Dr. Rick Simmons, director of the CAPD. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities from around the nation for their impact on various social and civic issues. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic servicelearning courses.

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news around campus

Simmons publishes ‘Grand’ book Dr. Rick Simmons, the George K. Anding Endowed Professor of English and director of the Honors Program at Louisiana Tech, has published his third book, Hidden History of the Grand Strand. The book chronicles the often-overlooked aspects of the history of the coastal area of South Carolina from Georgetown to Little River, known as the Grand Strand, which includes Simmons’ home, Pawleys Island. The book looks at events spanning more than 500 years, from the lost Spanish flagship Capitana in 1526 to the German U-Boats that reportedly roamed the Intracoastal Waterway with the help of local collaborators during World War II. The book also examines little-known aspects of local history such as the now-vanished villages of La Grange and Lafayette; the great canal on North Island; the wrecks of the Freeda A Wyley, the USS Harvest Moon, and the City of Richmond; and the stories behind the legend of Old Gunn Church, the Ocean Forest Hotel, the U-Boat pens on the Waccamaw River, and Blackbeard’s lair on Drunken Jack Island. The book is available online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and other national book retailers. Hidden History of the Grand Strand follows his previous books Factory Lives: Four 19th-Century British Working-Class Autobiographies (Broadview Press, 2007) and Defending South Carolina’s Coast: The Civil War from Georgetown to Little River (The History Press, 2009).

news around campus

Executive MBA Program Expanding At a time when Louisiana universities are shrinking their programs, Louisiana Tech has one that is expanding. The College of Business started an Executive MBA program at the Technology Transfer Center in Shreveport in January 2009 with an inaugural class of 14 students. They will complete the last of four terms this fall and will graduate in November. A second program was started in Monroe in January of this year with 23 students. This program is held at CenturyLink’s headquarters in conjunction with the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s College of Business. “With the start-up success of the Shreveport program, we felt we had the opportunity to expand our presence to the Monroe market,” said James Lumpkin, Dean of the College of Business. “We found that there was considerable interest in executive business education in Monroe.” Added Sean Dwyer, Director of the EMBA programs, “Taken together, in less than two years the College of Business has added 37 full-time graduate students to Louisiana Tech’s enrollment, a significant achievement from an enrollment perspective. In addition, we now have a significant presence in the Monroe and Shreveport markets that we previously did not have. Both are programs for which Louisiana Tech alumni should be quite proud.” Louisiana Tech’s Executive MBA programs differ from its campusbased MBA program in two primary ways. First, enrollment is limited to those who have significant managerial and business experience. Secondly, classes are held on alternating weekends on Friday evenings and Saturdays. In addition, student interaction during classes is a large part of the learning experience, allowing the executives to share their insights and experience with their classmates. Applications are currently being accepted for the second cohort of students in Shreveport who will begin classes in January 2011. For more information, go to www.business.latech.edu/emba or contact Dwyer at [email protected] or (318) 257-3584.

Civil engineering students float to victory – in a concrete canoe Louisiana Tech placed first in the Deep South Conference of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) 2010 Concrete Canoe Competition this spring in New Orleans. The Concrete Canoe Competition requires each university to design, construct and race a canoe made mostly of concrete. Canoes were judged for technical design, innovative use of advanced materials, aesthetics, construction and performance. Since last fall, Tech’s students had been developing a special high-strength, low density concrete hull specifically for the event. They held several “cold practices” on local lakes over the winter to make sure they could achieve the best performance of the hull. Professor and faculty advisor Rob McKim said, “I have never worked with a better group of students. This is a team effort that requires leadership, technical skills and lots of hard work.” LSU’s team placed second; the University of Memphis was third.

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Marketing, business professor receives prestigious national award Dr. Barry J. Babin, chair of the department of marketing and analysis and the Max P. Watson professor of business at Louisiana Tech, received the prestigious Harold W. Berkman Service Award from the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS). This award was established in 2005 and is given to an individual for distinguished longtime service to the AMS and the marketing discipline. The award was created to honor Berkman, who is the founder of the AMS as well as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Babin is respected for his research in the area of consumer and employee interface within the exchange environment. He has co-authored several books and engages in consulting and teaching activities centered around consumer research approaches, creativity and problem solving.

Tech engineering and science students win big Louisiana Tech engineering and science students placed first in design, first in team spirit, second in urban car concept and 13th in the combustible fuels category this spring in the 2010 Shell Eco Marathon in Houston. Shell sponsors the annual event as a challenge to students to design and build the most fuel efficient vehicles possible. Tech entered three cars and competed against schools such as the University of Houston, Purdue, Penn State, NYU and universities from Italy and Canada. The students who participated in the project did so as volunteers, designing, building, painting and testing the cars on their own time, usually in the evenings after class and on weekends. This year, the Louisiana Tech team received some special recognition as Shell used its red urban design as the image for its worldwide poster. Dr. Heath Tims, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the Tech team’s faculty sponsor, also served on the event’s steering committee.

Human Ecology professor authors one of 2009’s best ‘workfamily’ research articles Dr. Tammy Harpel, associate professor and graduate program coordinator for family and child studies at Louisiana Tech, was recognized by the Center for Families at Purdue University and the Boston College Center for Work and Family for authoring one of the 20 best “work-family” research articles of 2009. As part of the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research competition, Harpel’s article was selected from a pool of more than 2,000 papers published in 75 of the world’s leading English-language scholarly journals. The award aims to raise awareness of excellent work-family research, foster debate about standards of excellence and identify studies deemed as the “best of the best” on which to base future research. “Dr. Harpel’s accomplishment further exemplifies the high quality of research being produced at Louisiana Tech,” said Amy Yates, director of Tech’s School of Human Ecology. “To have a faculty member’s work recognized in the top 1 percent of scholarly family research speaks to the high caliber of faculty we have here in the School of Human Ecology as well as to the excellence of the Family and Child Studies Program.” The School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University was the first of its kind in the state and only the third in the south to offer programs in the human ecology disciplines.

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foundation Donors of the Louisiana Tech University Foundation offer private gifts for a pure and public cause: to support the educational mission of the University. For information on how to be a part of the Foundation’s distinguished history, call 1-800-738-7950.

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A substantial gift from the Estates of A.W. (Addison Walter) and Screven Thompson to Louisiana Tech University recently funded two $1 million chairs. The gift from the estates totaled $1.2 million and was matched with $800,000 from the Louisiana Education Quality Support Fund, established by the State of Louisiana, to create two chairs – one benefiting the College of Business and one benefiting the College of Liberal Arts. The $1 million chair in the College of Business will benefit the Department of Finance and will be named in memory of Virginia Spinks Thompson, mother of A.W. The $1 million chair in the School of Literature and Language, College of Liberal Arts, was created in memory of Screven’s mother, Eunice Coon Williamson, who was a member of the Tech faculty and taught both English and Latin. The chairs enhance Louisiana Tech’s attractiveness in recruiting and retaining top faculty. The recipients of each chair will be expected to demonstrate excellence in teaching, scholarly productivity, service effectiveness and collegiality. A.W. and Screven Thompson A.W. and Screven Thompson were longtime residents of the Ruston community. A.W. graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 1936 with a bachelor’s degree in business. Following graduation, A.W. Thompson served in the United States Army, and upon his return to Ruston he began his lifelong career as a banking professional. A.W. Thompson began his banking career at First National Bank in Ruston and, in 1975, became president of Ruston Building and Loan until his retirement in 1992. He continued as Director Emeritus at the Bank of Ruston until his death in July of 2009. Screven Thompson was married to A.W. for 73 years and supported him in his career while participating in a number of civic and community organizations. The Thompsons were longtime members of Trinity United Methodist Church.

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Lagniappe Ladies Make First Grant Awards The Lagniappe Ladies, Louisiana Tech’s ladies-only giving society, has made its first grant awards totaling $34,500. Forty-four grant applications were made; these eight were funded: 1. Prescott Memorial Library, $5,000: Funding for liberal arts book collection. 2. Louisiana Tech Chapter of the National Student SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association, $5,000: Funds to renovate the Speech and Hearing Center. 3. Tech Choral Society, $3,500: Funds to purchase new risers for the Louisiana Tech Choirs. 4. Louisiana Tech School of Architecture, $5,000: Funds will be used to repair broken tools or buy new tools to use while building the Habitat for Humanity house. 5. Faculty of the Scientific and Technical Presentations Class, English 363, in the School of Literature and Language, $1,000: Funds will be used to purchase classroom tools and resources to be used by the Scientific and Technical Presentations faculty to provide a more fully developed and useful learning environment for the students in these classes. 6. Louisiana Tech School of Forestry, $5,000: The funds will be used to construct a nature trail on the Louisiana Tech Arboretum located at the Tech Farm on South Campus. The construction of this trail is part of a larger Arboretum revitalization plan tasked with three major goals: to provide an outdoor laboratory for student instruction, environmental research, and community outreach. 7. Marie Bukowski/Yuri Lvov, School of Art/Engineering, $5,000: Marie Bukowski and Yuri Lvov will analyze hundreds of images of micro and nano objects with confocal fluorescent laser microscopy and electron microscopy produced at our Engineering Department. These images will include unique never before seen by human eye acts, such as nano-modification of viruses and microbes when researchers build on these natural objects shells and other new tools, remarkable images of drug nanocapsules fighting cancer

cells, wood microfibers modified with nano-engineering for better paper production, etc. Then, with these images, a body of artistic work will be created through inspiration to bring scientific phenomena to larger social groups. All these will enhance artistic vision, making Louisiana Tech’s visual art more unique, and will help promote Louisiana Tech’s engineering achievement for better public awareness of new nano and micro technology. 8. The College of Engineering and Science, $5,000: Funds will be used to refurbish a Steinway grand piano which was donated to the College for use in the Biomedical Engineering Building Rotunda. Lagniappe Ladies, formed in August 2009, is a giving circle, created for women who passionately support the mission and the vision of Louisiana Tech. This group of Tech alumnae and friends pool financial resources, then jointly decide how the resources are spent. In essence, the group awards grants to campus projects, programs and initiatives that it deems would make the most significant impact upon the University and the community. Total funding of a large project or program is not initially among the objectives of the Lagniappe Ladies; rather, this group seeks to find ways to make significant enhancements to existing projects, programs and organizations. True to their name, they want to be “something extra” that makes the difference between adequacy and excellence. Lagniappe Ladies has grown to nearly 40 members and is currently recruiting members. To become a member of the Lagniappe Ladies giving circle, one must donate a minimum annual gift of $1,000. The group solicits grant proposals from campus entities and programs and meets in the spring to award the grants it feels are most consequential to the University. By becoming a member now, you may participate in the awarding of grants in the spring. For more information about becoming a member of Lagniappe Ladies, contact Jennifer Riley or Corre Stegall at (318) 255-7950, or at [email protected] or [email protected].

College of Engineering and Science Receives Million Dollar Gift Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science recently received a generous gift of $1 million from Tim and Elaine Petrus (1976 graduates) and XTO Energy, Inc. of Fort Worth. The gift has a dual purpose and will create the Petrus Family Engineering Scholarship as well as fund the Petrus STEM Research Center to be housed in the University’s proposed Integrated Engineering and Science Education Building. Tim Petrus, executive vice-president of XTO Energy, made the gift in honor of his parents and his brothers and hopes it will encourage other Tech graduates to also support the University. Once funded and constructed, the Integrated Engineering and Science Building will serve the College of Engineering and Science, providing highly valuable space for the College. Bogard Hall, in service since 1941, is currently the College’s main building utilized for engineering and science classes and laboratories. State-of-the art classroom and laboratory space, especially for freshman and sophomore engineering classes, as well as new office space for faculty are planned for the new facility.

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From left to right: Jennifer Riley, Marie Bukowski, and Yuri Lvov

From left to right: Jennifer Riley, dean of Library Services Mike Dicarlo, and library staffer Lynell Buckley

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What’s new with you?

Do you have news to share in the News About You section? We want to share the stories of your accomplishments and milestones. Photos are always welcome, too. Submit your information for News About You online at www.latechalumni.org where you can then click on “News About You.”

LOUIS BONNETTE

Calling The Shots

Sr. Associate Athletics Director/Sports Information Director, McNeese State University Hometown: Pineville Current residence: Lake Charles Degree: Journalism, ’63 How I got to Tech: There were about five or six of us from Pineville High School who decided to go to Louisiana Tech; we all wanted to be engineers, [but] I think that of that group, only one made it through as an engineer. My best memories of Tech: My years at Tech were some of my best. I really enjoyed the time I was there. I met my wife Willene there; I made friends with a lot of great athletes and coaches; I just enjoyed going to school and taking part in all of the activities that the school provided. My advice for college freshmen today: My advice to college freshmen is that “you can do it.” Earning a college degree is not that difficult; it just takes commitment. The most exciting or gratifying part of sports writing: The event and then the athletes and the coaches who you work with. I have covered and written about some of the best in the nation. I really enjoy the interviewing, [the] putting together of and the writing of a story. During my 44 years at McNeese, I’m most proud of: I think just the fact that I have done my job to the best of my ability and have been recognized for it. Also, I am very proud of my sons who have followed in my profession; Michael is the [sports information director] at LSU, and Matthew is assistant SID at Northwestern State. My daughter Anne had all the training to be an SID, but she chose the nursing profession. How I chose my career: After I got out of engineering, I went into journalism because it was a field that I had been interested in. Our instructors were Kenneth Hewins and Pete Dosher. Pete was also the school’s sports information director. I learned a lot from Pete about covering sports, and when I graduated I joined the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise as a sports writer; about three years later I was offered the job at McNeese State University and have been here since.

1954 Jack B. Scoggins, mechanical engineering, was honored by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration with the rare Wright Brothers “Master Pilot” Award given to pilots with 50 or more years of flying experience. That experience includes teaching and certifying numerous others pilots on various models of planes, instruments, helicopters and gliders.

1956 L. Paul Teague, petroleum engineering, was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Hall of Fame in Denver. On his retirement from Texaco as regional vice president, he joined the board of Key Production Company, which is now Cimarex Energy Company, the largest oil and gas company headquartered in Colorado. Teague currently serves as Director of Cimarex Energy Company and Chairman of the

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Compensation and Governance Committee.

1957 Ronald ‘Ron’ Harrell, petroleum engineering, was elected as a Life Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. He is Chairman Emeritus and Advisor to the Board of Ryder Scott Co. in Houston.

1960 J. Sherwood White, chemical engineering, received the Volunteer Award from Molina Healthcare of Florida at its first Community Champions Awards dinner, held at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. He has been involved in numerous

organizations during his nearly 40 years of community service and volunteerism. His first volunteer position was teaching teens and coordinating the youth program at St. Petersburg First Baptist Church. As a board member for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, he recently led efforts to improve facilities at Beacon House, an emergency shelter for homeless men. He is currently a nominee for the Senior Hall of Fame for all of his community work.

1962 J. Frank Betts, accounting, was elected Chairman of the International Board of Directors of CPA Associates International, Inc. He is a founding and managing member of Eubank

& Betts, PLLC in Jackson, Miss. He is also director of Peer Review Services and assists many CPA firms in complying with standards in the quality of their audit and accounting practices. Henry Bert Crawley, physics, received the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Engineering and Science. These awards recognize individuals from each program or discipline of the college for their professional accomplishments in engineering and science, as well as for their outstanding service as ambassadors for Tech. Crawley is a professor of physics at Iowa State University.

1963 Bobby B. Lyle, mechanical engineering, has been elected to the Communities Foundation of Texas board of trustees. He will act as a steward for almost 900 charitable funds and exercise final authority over all foundation investments and charitable grants. He is chairman, president and CEO of Lyco Holdings, Inc. in Dallas.

1964 D. Wayne Parker, business administration, is the new University of Louisiana System Board vice chair. He was appointed to the board in 2003 and has served the past two years as parliamentarian.

J. Michael ‘Mike’ Pearson, civil engineering, was elected Secretary for the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation for 2010-11 at the May 8 meeting. He is CEO of Orion Marine Group in Houston.

1971 Michael Kern, chemical engineering, was elected to a three-year term as a Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. He is retired senior vice president of Huntsman Corp. in Houston. William ‘Bill’ Slack, electrical engineering, was elected to a threeyear term as a Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. He is president and owner of B&D Electrical Contractors and Slack Building, LLC in Longview, Texas.

1972 Martha “Cookie” Moore Greer, elementary education, has been named Tennessee’s 2010 National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. She is serving her 12th year as a principal in Kingsport City Schools and is principal at John Sevier Middle School in Kingsport.

Travis L. Taylor, forestry, was elected Secretary of the American Logging Council at the annual conference held in Flagstaff, Ariz., in September 2009. He will become president in three years. He has been logging for 42 years.

A. C. Hollins, Jr., construction technology, was elected President of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation for 2010-11 at the May 8 meeting. He is the Assistant General Manager and Director of Site Operations for National Security Technologies (manages the Nevada Test Site facilities) in Las Vegas.

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O.K. “Buddy” Davis, journalism, was named “Mr. Basketball 2010” by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches. The award goes to someone who has made a significant, longterm contribution to the game in the state and at any level. He is a sports writer for the Ruston Daily Leader. C. Shelby Patrick, medical technology, was named 2009-10 “Leader of the Year” by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. He teaches chemistry at Hirschi High School in Wichita Falls, Texas/

William “Tommy” Barr, civil engineering, has been hired by Hunt, Guillot & Associates, LLC as relationship manager for HGA Pipeline Division. He is a professional engineer with more than 30 years of experience in oil and gas project activities. Connie Elkins Bradford, elementary education (master’s curriculum and instruction 1998), was

Richard Oxner

Flying and Fighting Air Force Colonel, Commander 189th Mission Support Group Hometown: New Sarpy Currently reside in: Washington, D.C. Degree and year of graduation: Mechanical engineering, ’87 What brought me to Tech: Growing up in South Louisiana, it seemed that most everyone went to a college close to home - Southeastern, Nicholls, LSU, etc. I was a big LSU Tigers football fan but didn’t want to be just a number at a large university. I originally planned to go to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, but due to cost, my parents couldn’t afford to send me, so I turned my focus a little closer to home. After a little searching, I found Louisiana Tech; the university had a good engineering program, and it was just the right fit with about 10,000 students at the time I enrolled. How I chose my career: After graduating from Tech in 1987, I spent some time doing nuclear power work, but I grew up always wanting to be a part of the military. Through an odd series of events, I landed in the Arkansas Air National Guard. I didn’t know the ANG existed until 1990 after a friend of mine, also a Louisiana Tech grad, enlisted. I joined just before Desert Shield/Storm. He was soon discharged due to medical reasons, and I have been a part of it ever since. We joke that I am his only contribution to the Arkansas Air National Guard. The biggest challenge of being responsible for more than 420 Guardsmen: Keeping them trained and up to speed in our current environment. With the onslaught of technology, our systems, training requirements, regulations, instructions, etc, change with lightning speed and to keep someone up to date and current that you see only 39 days a year is really, really tough. We have some outstanding men and women who, as Guardsmen, struggle to balance a civilian job, families, school and the military and deploying for up to a year overseas. My advice to college freshmen today: I think I would have three things to tell them. 1) Become critical thinkers, 2) think for yourself, and 3) continue your education at every opportunity…When I say, “continue your education,” that doesn’t necessarily equal a higher degree. It means look, watch, read and listen to the world around you and develop a deeper understanding of what, why and how things occur. Seek to understand the root of the problems, not just the symptoms. My best memories of Tech: I probably shouldn’t put those in print.... but it is definitely the people I met and some of the things that we did together. I met people from all over the world and the United States and remain friends with several of those today, even though once again, we are scattered throughout the country. May I mention a specific weekend road trip to New Orleans? Probably shouldn’t..... recently appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities. She is also a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and is principal of Cedar Creek School in Ruston. Ronnie A. Sims, history, was inducted into Lamar University’s Educator Hall of Fame November 5, 2009. Inductees are Lamar University graduates who have distinguished themselves in education and teaching. He is the superintendent of the Lumberton Independent School District.

1974 Douglas E. Carnahan, Jr., civil engineering technology, has been elected to Merrick & Company’s board of directors. He has been with the firm for the past seven years and upon retiring in late 2009 was elected to the board to continue his contribution to the firm that is

headquartered in Aurora, Colo.

1975 William ‘Bill’ Brown, civil engineering, became past president of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation for 2010-11 at the May 8 meeting. He is vice president for engineering for Tidewater Inc. in Metairie. Steven ‘Steve’ Saucier, chemical engineering, was elected to a threeyear term as a Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. He is CEO of Robbins, LLC, Muscle Shoals, Ala.

1976 Suzanne Nolte Blackwelder, business education, has been reappointed to the Lincoln Parish Board of Election Supervisors by Governor Bobby Jindal. The Lincoln Parish Board of Election Supervisors, within the Parish Boards of Election Supervisors, monitors the preparation for and

the conduction of elections within Lincoln Parish. Timothy L. Petrus, petroleum engineering, was elected to a threeyear term as a Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. He is returning to the board, having previously served 2002-05. He will also serve on the Nominating Committee. Petrus is vice president of XTO Energy (recently acquired by ExxonMobil) in Fort Worth.

1977 Gary Young, economics, has been selected to serve as interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Montana State University Billings. He has been dean of the College of Business since December 2006. Tony R. Young, psychology, has been appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. He is

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Carl G. Mayer

Where there’s a Goodwill, there’s a way Senior Vice President/COO of Goodwill Hometown: Bossier City Now resides in: Haughton Degree and year of graduation: Accounting, ’77 How I got to Tech: …it seemed preordained that I would go to Tech. I never gave other possibilities much thought. My father, the late William G. Mayer Sr., graduated from Tech in civil engineering in the late 1940s. He met my mother, the late Tommye Watson Mayer, while she was also attending Tech. Then my two older sisters, Carolyn Mayer Hunter and Jeanne Mayer Jerding, both got degrees at Tech, as did my older brother, William G. Mayer Jr. By the time I came along there was really no decision to be made! An average day on the job: Our Goodwill employs over 500 people in the northernmost 26 parishes in Louisiana and is part of a network of over 180 Goodwills throughout the world. There really is no average day here, and that’s one of the things I really love about my job. It is a place that presents endless opportunities for our employees, the clients we serve and for me personally. How Tech helped prepare me: In addition to the obvious great education I received at Tech, I learned about the importance and lifelong value of relationships. I was challenged to set my goals as high as possible: work hard, enjoy life and accomplish much. Advice to incoming freshmen: I would tell them a few things: 1) Take a deep breath, look around and absorb it all. Your college days will be some of your best memories, so make sure they are all great memories. 2) Never do anything you cannot be proud of – who knows, you may be running for President someday. 3) Don’t take yourself too seriously; no one else really does. And last but not least: 4) when you hit the real world, never consider yourself indispensable to your employer – you’re likely not. If I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s: There is little satisfaction in doing things the easy way. I’ll paraphrase JFK’s explanation for committing the U.S. to go to the moon: “We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” With that being said, I also know there is a difference in doing things easily and doing things efficiently. My favorite memories of Tech: My friends. I got to know better the folks that I had known prior to my days at Tech, and of course made many new lifelong friends. We even had an intramural team that actually won the Campus Championship in the Independent Division one year, which was pretty cool. We figured if you at least participated in every sport, did OK in some and won one or two that you could win the Championship, so that’s what we did. I even ran – and I use that term loosely - in the Cross County event once with a few other guys. a psychology professor at Louisiana Tech University.

1978 George Baldwin, petroleum engineering, was elected Treasurer of the Louisiana Tech Engineering Foundation at the May 8 meeting for 2010-11. He will also serve as Chairman of the Investment Committee He is president of Ensight III Energy in Shreveport. Sandy Price Johnson, mathematics, was elected to a second term as a Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting and will serve as a member of the Investment Committee. She is president and owner of Barrios Technology, Inc. in Houston. Michael D. Killgore, civil engineering, was recently named

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executive vice president, director of construction services for Primoris Services Corporation, one of the largest specialty contractors and engineering companies in the United States. He has more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, 20 years of which have been in a management capacity. Eugene L. Trammell, mechanical engineering, has joined the Service Assurance Business Unit of CA, Inc. as senior advisor, business unit operations in the South San Francisco facility. He will lead the customer relationship programs and organizational and cultural development.

1979 DeNeise Nettles Barlow, education, has been awarded the Southwest Regional Council for the National Recreation and Parks Association

Fellow Award. She is director of Recreational Service at the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home. Dave Nitz, journalism, has been named Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He is in his 35th year of broadcasting Bulldog basketball, football and baseball, and he recently called his 2,000th game at Tech. His time at Tech is the fourth-longest tenure of any current broadcaster at one school.

1980 Hilton Nicholson, electrical engineering, was elected Vice President of the Louisiana Tech

Engineering and Science Foundation for 2010-11; he will become President in 2011. He is CEO of SIXNET in Clifton Park, N.Y. Katherine Taken Smith, business administration (Doctor of Business Administration, 1986), was presented the Outstanding Educator Award by the Academy of Educational Leadership at its international conference in New Orleans. The award recognizes her innovative and creative teaching. She teaches global marketing, consumer behavior, retailing and marketing research at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School Marketing Department. Rae Lynn Woods Mitchell, English education (master’s English 1981), has been elected chair of the Marketing and Public Relations Council for the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) followings its national annual meeting in Philadelphia. She is director of communications and institutional advancement in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health.

1981 Frederick C. Berry, electrical engineering (master’s electrical engineering 1983, doctorate engineering 1988), has been appointed vice president of academics at Milwaukee School of Engineering. His areas of expertise are in circuits, power systems, control systems, signals and systems, and electrical engineering design. Walter “Rick” Holloway, pre-med, has been elected to the Ozark Medical Center’s board of directors. For the past 13 years, he has been in private practice focusing primarily on general urology at the Urology Center of West Plains, Mo. He also serves as chiefelect for the OMC medical staff.

1982 Teresa L. Buford, apparel and textile merchandising, has been selected by Stanford Who’s Who due to her dedicated work in the healthcare industry. She is a registered nurse for OMC Medical Hospital in Baton Rouge. Ancel ‘Monty’ Offutt, electrical engineering, was elected to a threeyear term as a Director of the

Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. He is an Associate Technical Fellow at Boeing Co. in Huntsville, Ala.

Suzanne Stinson

A Call to Order

Court Administrator/President of National Association for Court Management

Terri West Towns, math education (master’s special education 1991), has been appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to the Bayou Lake D’Arbonne Watershed District.

Hometown: Benton Now resides in: Benton Degree and year of graduation: Office administration ’81; general studies, business administration ’88; master’s, business administration ’92; master’s, industrial/oorganizational psychology ’94

1983 Jenna Price Carpenter, math, has been elected to the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America for the Louisiana-Mississippi Section. She is the associate dean for administration and strategic initiatives and the Wayne and Juanita Spinks professor of mathematics for the College of Engineering and Science.

1984 Keith D. Crump, civil engineering, was recently named group vice president for Cleco Power LLC, a subsidiary of Cleco Corporation. He has been with Cleco since 1989. In his new position, Crump continues to lead regulatory affairs, retail operations and resource planning and also assumes oversight of customer service and energy delivery.

1985 W. Bryan Chapman, geology (master’s finance 1986), has joined IBERIABANK as executive vice president and energy lending manager to start an energy-lending group. He is based in Houston and has more than 23 years of experience in energy lending. Donna “Dee” Day Cochran, math, has been appointed to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board. She is director of rehabilitation services at LSU Health Sciences CenterShreveport. She will represent physical therapists that have an unrestricted license to practice physical therapy. Robert R. Garner, chemical engineering, has been promoted both to vice president of operations and engineering for the Syrgis group and to general manager of Syrgis Performance Specialties. He joined Syrgis in January 2005 as the vice president of manufacturing for PChem, a Syrgis operating company, and was promoted to vice president of Manufacturing for the Syrgis global group in October 2007. He has 30 years of experience in production, maintenance, engineering, product/

Advice to incoming freshmen: Take advantage of every opportunity afforded you at school so that you won’t have regrets later in life. Favorite memories of Tech: I enjoyed being in the marching band and going to football games! How I got to Tech: I was the first of eight children in my family to attend college; six of my siblings are older than I am. Several of my high school teachers that I admired attended Tech, and I aspired to attend the same university. I met my soon-to-be Harper dorm roommate at an after-school job we worked together, and it seemed to be the logical move. I received a band scholarship and business scholarship, which in addition to my Louisiana National Guard tuition exemption helped pay my way through school. How Tech prepared me for my current position: At first, not knowing what I wanted to pursue, I only received my associate’s degree. I was fortunate to have landed a job as an official court reporter, a position I maintained for 15 years. Because I’m a “Type A” nerd, I continued my education, first receiving my bachelor’s degree, and then later two graduate degrees, all from Tech. Court systems across the country had grown to the extent that there was a need for court administration. Our court created the position in 1993, and because of my court experience and advanced degrees, the judges hired me to fill the position first as deputy court administrator, and then in 1996 as the court administrator; I’ve served there since. How I became NACM president: I had to be elected to serve on the board of directors for three years and then be elected to serve on the officer track, first as secretary treasurer, vice-president, president-elect and president. Because of an eight-year commitment (I must after this year serve as immediate past president), it requires considerable support from my judges, staff and family. If I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s: Actually I’ve learned several things, and I’m still learning. If I had to limit it to one, it’s to forgive and never burn bridges. You only hurt yourself by harboring negative feelings.

process development, process commercialization, contracts and transition management with various manufacturing companies. Elizabeth Williams Lambert-Saul, apparel and textile merchandising, has been hired as Vice President of Community Affairs for the Real Estate Council in Dallas. She has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate and commercial real estate finance and has been active in philanthropy and other real estate-related trade associations throughout her career. Patrick H. Yancey, petroleum engineering, has become a member of the Louisiana Bar Foundation. The foundation helps provide free legal services to people across Louisiana. He is a specialist in civil personal injury.

1987 Miro D. Lago, history, has been appointed general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Jackson, Miss. He has worked in the hotel industry for

20 years. Rodney A. Young, management information systems, has released his brand new Jazz CD titled, “Atlanta Chilled,” a collection of songs that reflect the life and emotions of the people of Atlanta. His first CD is titled “Deluxe Eden.”

1988 John S. Deaton, finance, has joined Patrice & Associates, one of the nation’s largest privately held search firms specializing in the hospitality industry, as Vice President of Operations. He will be responsible for the strategic development and management of the Patrice & Associates brand through the introduction of new products and client services as well as franchisee support.

Rodney A. Ray, land surveying technology, has written and produced a feature film “Flag of My Father” starring John Schneider and William Devane. He was also a 15-year Tech adjunct faculty member and started the Monroe-based film company R-Squared Productions in 2008. James P. Reburn, accounting, has been named interim dean of Samford University’s Brock School of Business. He has served as associate dean since 2005 and joined the Samford faculty in 1996, teaching primarily accounting and information systems.

1989 Denise Coolman Attaway, journalism (master’s English 2003), was recently hired as the assistant to the executive of the Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce. She has past experience in news reporting at several newspapers and radio stations. C. Greg Lott, finance, has been named president of Progressive Bank’s Shreveport-Bossier City market.

www.latech.edu | 31

n e w s a b o u t yo u 1990 Maribel Tuten Childress, elementary education (master’s elementary counseling 1993), has been named master principal by the state of Arkansas’ Board of Education. She completed three years of rigorous professional development plus additional performance evaluations from the Arkansas Leadership Academy. She is principal of Monitor Elementary School in Springdale.

1991 Bert Loe, accounting, was recently elected as the executive vice president for Standard Enterprises of Monroe.

1992 Anthony W. Galli, electrical engineering (master’s electrical engineering 1994), became vice president of Transmission and Technical Services at Clean Line Energy Partners, LLC, a company that focuses on developing long haul HVDC transmission to connect consumers to the very best wind resources in the country.

n e w s a b o u t yo u University. He and his wife, Jennifer, have a four-year-old son, Jack. Michelle McGinnis Storch, health and physical education, was named the 2009 Joan Orr Air Force Spouse of the Year. The award is given in recognition of the most outstanding Air Force spouse’s volunteer achievements. She was commended for her accomplishments in organizing charitable events, fund raising and helping other Air Force spouses.

1994 Amy Gatlin Adams, elementary education (master’s elementary counseling 1996), has been appointed as the elementary coordinator of Cedar Creek School in Ruston. She has taught at Cedar Creek School for 16 years.

1995 Ellen Turner, chemical engineering, was elected to a three-year term as a Director of the Louisiana Tech Engineering and Science Foundation at the May 8 meeting. She will also serve on the Awards & Recognition Committee. She is principal engineer, technical services rep for Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tenn.

1996

Thomas Marshall Hill, civil engineering, a 19-year veteran with the Louisiana Department of Transportation, has been named the new administrator for the agency’s Monroe District headquarters.

Louis C. Glover, chemistry, completed his doctorate in supervision, curriculum, and instruction-higher education at Texas A&M University-Commerce, in December 2009.

D. Layne Weeks, psychology, has been appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Red River Valley BIDCO, Inc., a provider of small and intermediate business development loans. He has more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance.

Joshua D. McDaniel, wildlife conservation, has been appointed senior regulatory specialist of C&C Technologies. His background includes service on the state technical advisory committee for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and certification as a Wetland Delineator.

1993 Chris Cook, journalism, has been promoted to Director of Communications at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Cook, the Red Raiders’ longtime sports information director, will oversee the media relations efforts of the university and act as the university’s spokesperson. He also will assist in the development and execution of a comprehensive communications strategy to align with the university’s newly adopted strategic plan. Cook was an assistant sports information director for five years at Saint Louis University from 1994-99 and spent the 1993-94 season as an intern at Western Kentucky

32 | Louisiana Tech Magazine

1998 Susan F. Sharp, business management and entrepreneurship, was selected as the “Teacher of the Year” for the high school level by the LaSalle Parish School Board. She teaches English Language Arts at the 10th grade level at Jena High School, a position she has held for the past five years of her seven years of teaching experience.

1999 David Christopher Daniel, political science, was recently elected to serve as vice president of The Stricker Foundation, an organization which seeks to improve long-term healthcare in the Metro-Jackson (Mississippi) area. He was also recently inducted with honorary membership into Phi Delta Phi, an international legal fraternity established in 1869

to promote a higher standard of professional ethics. Phi Delta Phi is among the oldest legal organizations in North America.

2001

recently passed the state professional engineering exam and is now a registered professional engineer. He is a project engineer for McClelland Consulting Engineers, Inc. of Little Rock.

Jane Short Watson, curriculum and instruction, was the first recipient of the First Lady’s Award given by Supriya Jindal, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s wife. The award is designed to recognize teachers who make a positive difference in the lives of children in Louisiana. She has 25 years of experience in education and currently is the literacy coach at Ruston Elementary School.

2006

2002

Kathleen Putsch-Permenter, civil engineering, has been awarded the Richard Van Trump Award by the Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. She is an engineer with Halff Associates in Fort Worth.

Jacob Brister, agricultural business, has been promoted to chief of the project management branch of the programs and project management division with the Army Corps of Engineers’ Vicksburg, Miss., district office. Matthew C. Vermillion, computer information systems (accounting 2004), has accepted the position of assistant controller with Martin Resource Management Corp. located in Kilgore, Texas. After working at KPMG for five years, he was promoted to audit manager and headed up the audit engagement team as the Lead In-Charge at CenturyTel, Inc. (now CenturyLink, Inc.).

2003 Timothy Paul Anderson, accounting, has been named partner at Cowart, Sargent & Webb, CPAs. His practice focuses on providing audit and accounting services to small businesses and governmental and non-profit organizations. Ann L. Skinner, English (master’s English 2005), has been hired by Send Word Now in technical sales and support initiatives for the United Kingdom and Europe. Send Word Now is the leading global provider of emergency notification services. She is a member of the Association of Contingency Planners and is an experienced emergency notification trainer, relationships manager and consultant, and has a strong technical background.

2005 Lauren Massingale Butler, finance, has been promoted to assistant vice president at Ouachita Independent Bank. John Doyle, civil engineering,

Ryan C. Collins, accounting, graduated from Officer Candidate School phase III training at North Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Wash. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army National Guard and will serve as a member of a designated unit in the Louisiana Army National Guard.

John Corey Whaley, English (master’s secondary education 2009), has had his debut novel purchased by Simon & Schuster. The novel will be released in May of 2011.

2008 Teresa Weatherspoon, general studies, has been selected as the 2010 Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association after leading the Lady Techsters to a 23-9 record and berth in the NCAA Tournament. This summer she was inducted into both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches.

2009 David Dark, geography, was recently promoted to plant manager with Hexion Specialty Chemical located in Alexandria. He and his wife, Shannon Sibley Dark, reside in Natchitoches with their three children. Matthew W. Pullin, electrical engineering, has joined Hunt, Guillot & Associates as an engineer to the Electrical and Instrumentation Department. D. Andy Smith, computer science, has joined Hunt, Guillot & Associates as an IT support technician.

2010 David James McGuirt, journalism, is a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America with the Louisiana Purchase Council in Alexandria.

wedded bliss

Baton Rouge

1978

2003

Joyce Mann Witte, secretarial science, and Kerry Whitefield Foster, July 10, 2009, Shreveport

Ronald Louis Landry, Jr., forestry, and Julia Katie Sanson, March 20, 2010, Monroe

1995

Paul Alexander Pharris, English (master’s speech 2005), and Lily Siphironia Jeane, March 13, 2010, Raleigh, N.C.

Brent Lamar Downs, civil engineering, and Ashley Elaine McCoy, March 27, 2010, West Monroe

1999 Ashley Michelle McMahon, civil engineering, and Mike Kerns, Dec. 31, 2009, Lake Charles Allison Elizabeth Rushton, early childhood education, and Matthew Griffin, Feb.14, 2010, Magnolia, Ark.

2000 Margot Marion Bell, biology, and Richard Paul Eason, computer information systems 1999, Jan. 9, 2010, Shreveport

2001 Brian Daniel Atchley, civil engineering, and Delise Nicole Hart, Dec. 20, 2009, Shreveport Melissa Anne Campbell, marketing (master’s business administration 2003), and Alan Dawson, Jan. 16, 2010, Houston

2004 Ashley Denise Roach, marketing, and Shon Christopher Smith, Feb. 17, 2010, Ruston

Lindsey Erin Daniel, architecture, and Daniel Kyle Allen, business management and entrepreneurship 2008, May 8, 2010, Ruston

2005 David Matthew Abrams, architecture, and Angela Clare David, May 8, 2010, Shreveport Erin Page Bordelon, accounting (master’s business administration 2006), and Matthew Corey Cross, April 17, 2010, Alexandria John Patrick Crawford, chemical engineering, and Lauren Kelly Spano, April 24, 2010, Haughton

Justin Matthew Hicks, construction engineering technology, and Jessica Leigh Holmes, March 13, 2010, Bossier City

Jason Kyle Russell, business administration, and Sara Elizabeth Burling, Dec. 5, 2009, Bossier City

Joshua Paul Holstead, biology, and Kathryn Frances Haynie, May 15, 2010, West Monroe

David Adam Scott, business administration (master’s business administration 2002), and Jessica Lynne Martin, Oct. 3, 2009, Monterey Park, Calif.

Jennifer Dawn Larsen, family and child studies (master’s family and consumer sciences 2007), and Charles Ernest Hogan, computer information systems 2004 (master’s industrial/ organizational psychology 2007), April 10, 2010, Shreveport

Shayla Annette Simon, speech pathology, and James Carlton Ferguson, II, May 22, 2010, Broussard Christopher Blake Walker, health and physical education, and Amanda Nicole Taylor, Jan. 16, 2010, Minden Julie Marie Williams, marketing, and Trent Ratcliff Bondy, April 24, 2010,

Ashley Brooke Williams, marketing, and Timothy Lance Chance, finance 2002, Dec. 12, 2009, Benton

Angela Michelle Thompson, general studies, and Michael Buck Norton, Dec. 12, 2009, Shreveport

Anna Lee Mitchell, health and physical education/wellness, and Christian Andrew Cox, June 5, 2010, Rochester, Minn.

Maggie Lynn Cathey, nursing, and Jeremiah Alan Raab, June 5, 2010, Shreveport

Katherine Grace Sutton, English (master’s English 2007), and Stuart Lawson Murphy, general studies 2009, May 22, 2010, Ruston

2006

Melissa Erin Feduccia, marketing, and Rick Dale Hines, April 24, 2010, Deville

Andrea Adele Andries, architecture, and Alex Deshotels, Aug. 22, 2009, Baton Rouge

Jacqueline Elayne Stevens, general studies, and Brock Wesley Kitchingham, computer information systems 2006, May 1, 2010, Monroe

Jeremiah Christopher Sutton, kinesiology and health promotion, and Monica Ann Woolley, Feb. 27, 2010, Quitman

Jamie Ann Johnson, speech, and Tyler Cade McConathy, Dec. 27, 2009, Marion, Ark.

2002

Jennifer Michelle Quinnelly, speech, and Stephen G. Bell, biology, Dec. 19, 2009, Ruston

Sandi Deniece Locklear, mechanical engineering, and Jason Daniel Thomas, environmental science 2007, March 13, 2010, Erin Kathryn Loyd, interior design, and John Tsimis, May 22, 2010, Shreveport Angela Jill Pentecost, psychology (master’s counseling and guidance 2007), and Corey Wade May, sociology 2009, April 3, 2010, Ruston Krystal Ann Penuell, marketing, and Kevin Paul Duncan, June 5, 2010, Bossier City

Jessica Tara Burford, general studies, and Mark Aaron Pendleton, March 20, 2010, Stonewall

Thomas Kelly Irvin, industrial engineering, and Jaime Ainè LaBove, March 13, 2010, Shreveport Hillary Claire Peel, English, and Robert Aulds, Dec. 19, 2009, Chatham Mary Elizabeth Roberson, nursing, and Austin Garrett Jans, Feb.27, 2010, Sterlington Jennifer Lynn Sharp, biology, and Eric Ashley White, May 8, 2010, Shreveport Carolyn Renee Slack, preprofessional speech language pathology (master’s speech pathology 2008), and Lee Alymer Rainwater, forestry 2002, June 12, 2010, Shreveport Katie Vallery, accounting (master’s accounting 2007), and Caleb Loftin, May 1, 2010, Delhi

2007 Sarah Asfar, preprofessional speech language pathology (master’s speech pathology 2009), and Jeremy Carter, May 29, 2010, Ruston Aubri Jaye Brantly, general studies, and Bruce Duane Branch, Jr., June 5, 2010, Bossier City Amy Renee Cain, mechanical engineering (master’s engineereing 2009), and Justin Matthew Scalfano, Dec. 28, 2009, Bossier City Amelia Louise Crumpler, marketing, and Dustin Lynn Jenkins, April 24, 2010, Monroe

West Monroe Lindsey Amanda McMillon, nursing, and Alexander James Collins, general studies 2004, April 10, 2010, Minden Carrie Elizabeth Michael, biology, and Christian Evans Bubenzer, communication design 2009, May 1, 2010, Homer Susannah Ruth Sally, biology, and Joshua Paul Parks, forestry, March 13, 2010, West Monroe Katie Matilda Stephenson, English, and Matthew Thomas Steed, biology, March 12, 2010, Ruston Dana Michelle Taylor, business administration, and John Roy Brunson, Dec. 5, 2009, Bossier City Laura Ashley Walpole, merchandise and consumer studies, and Aaron Grey Worley, April 17, 2010, Ruston

2008 Lauren Nicole Barron, family and child studies, and Joshua Andrew Brian, forestry 2009, April 17, 2010, Shreveport Jace Joseph Benoit, biomedical engineering, and Jessica Lynn Savoie, April 10, 2010, Webster, Texas Clinton Jared Foster, electrical engineering technology, and Erin Marie Eppinette, May 8, 2010, West Monroe Kelly Lauren Garner, biology, and Arif Yurdagul, biology, May 8, 2010, Shreveport Katie Annette Garrett, elementary education, and Robert Alex Dempsey, mechanical engineering 2010, May 29, 2010, Haughton Angela Beth Gleason, biology, and Robert Charles Smith, May 15, 2010, Shreveport Lane Elizabeth Griffith, civil engineering, and Paul Forrest King, mechanical engineering 2008, April 17, 2010, Ruston Jacie Ann Johnson, nutrition and dietetics, and Joseph Clinton Davis, psychology, Dec. 12, 2009, Pasadena, Calif. Callie A. Killian, human resources management (master’s business administration 2009), and Travis Edward Taylor, business management and entrepreneurship 2006, March 13, 2010, Bossier City

Caleb Scott Duplissey, electrical engineering technology, and Megan Lynn Rentz, March 12, 2010, Monroe

Megan Elizabeth Krestensen, communication design, and James Richard McDavitt, electrical engineering technology 2009, Jan. 16, 2010, Calhoun

Marissa Racheè Gilley, speech, and Edward Brooks Greer, May 8, 2010,

Brent Allen May, environmental science, and Amanda Lea Joseph,

www.latech.edu | 33

n e w s a b o u t yo u March 13, 2010, West Monroe Amber Michelle Neal, preprofessional speech language pathology, and Jake Austin Linn, Dec. 12, 2009, Shreveport Valerie Taylor, kinesiology and health promotions, and Stewart Thompson, May 8, 2010, Shreveport Alaina Michelle Watson, biology, and Ryan S. Strain, electrical engineering technology, Jan. 16, 2010, Grand Prairie, Texas McKenzie Leigh Williams, biology, and Seth Jisc Holloway, biology 2007, June 5, 2010, New Orleans

2009 Kimberly Danielle Ashy, communication design, and Kyle Turner Swart, general studies, May 8, 2010, Ruston Elizabeth LeMoyne Christian, music, and Richard Paul Grisso, human resources management 2007, April 24, 2010, Ruston Jana Nicole Duncan, elementary education, and Michael Scott Davis, sociology, June 12, 2010, Ruston Megan S. Elliott, elementary education, and Dustin Kyle Kain, geography, Jan. 1, 2010, Birmingham, Ala. Linnea Marie Fayard (master’s general counseling), Teddy Allen, journalism (master’s English 1984), May 15, 2010, Ruston Nathan R. Hendricks, marketing, and Tina Louise Ardoin, March 6, 2010, Shreveport Laura Lee Johnston, English education, and Justin Blake Brown, Dec. 19, 2009, Calhoun Karren Lovelady, marketing, and Noah Bergeron, Nov. 28, 2009, Ruston Mary Anne Mellon, social studies, and David Garrison Hilton, secondary education, Dec. 12, 2009, Woodworth Samuel Clunan Paradise, mechanical engineering, and Jessica Dallas James, April 17, 2010, Bossier City Christopher Roy Reigelman, aviation management, and Katherine Laverne Fountain, May 1, 2010, Ruston Sarah J. Shadoin, family and child studies, and Joey Elawadi, March 27, 2010, Ruston

2010 Kristen Laine Cloud, early childhood education, and David James Poe, family and child studies 2007, March 13, 2010, Baton Rouge

34 | Louisiana Tech Magazine

n e w s a b o u t yo u Morgan Leann Dyer, civil engineering, and Michael Thomas Porter, June 5, 2010, Pineville

Jeremy Farrar Magee, forestry 2000, daughter, Avery Elizabeth, March 8, 2010, Ruston

Amanda Renee Farris, medical technology, and Coy Daniel Cockrell, sociology 2009, April 20, 2010, Haughton

2001

Reba Elizabeth McCoy, wildlife conservation, and Neil Douglas Redford, mechanical engineering, May 29, 2010, Castor Justin Cole Nabors, construction engineering technology, and Sarah Elizabeth Clements, May 29, 2010, Shreveport Meggie A. Price, psychology, and John M. Rowland, finance, March 27, 2010, Ruston

stork report 1993 Michelle McGinnis Storch, health and physical education, and Steven Joseph Storch, daughter, Marlee Rae, Aug. 13, 2009, Fayetteville, N.C.

1995 Lori Rich Spellman, elementary education, and Patrick Spellman, son, James Jackson, Sept. 9, 2009, Corinth, Texas

1997 Lana Jackson Bullock, sociology, and Jason Paul Bullock, animal biology 1999, son, Jackson Paul, Feb. 8, 2010, Ruston Meredith Musgrove Whitaker, early childhood education (master’s curriculum and instruction 2002), and Ron Whitaker, forestry 1996, daughter, Ella Katherine, May 12, 2010, Ruston

1998 Judson Golden Banks, marketing, and Gina Dressel Banks, son, Reid William, Dec. 11, 2009, Baton Rouge

Tia Johnson Crowley, sociology, and Wendell Martin Crowley, Jr., electrical engineering technology 2003, son, Wendell Martin, III, Nov. 10, 2009, New Orleans Stephanie Kearns Greer, general studies, and Thomas “Trey” Marbury Greer, architecture 1998, daughter, Lily Elissa, Feb. 18, 2010, Flint, Texas Bridget Stevens Hazel, general studies, and Chris Hazel, daughter, Madelyn Grace, April 7, 2010, Leesville Allyson Lanclos Vogt, history, and Benjamin Aaron Vogt, marketing, daughter, Annemarie Clair, May 23, 2010, Baton Rouge

2002 Cory Willis Dawsey, sociology, and Jennie McManus Dawsey, daughter, Eden Lane, Dec. 14, 2009, Ruston Brooke Lassiter Stoehr, business administration, and Scott Stoehr, daughter, Aubrey Ellen, March 25, 2010, Lubbock, Texas Kasie Burnum Woods, family infancy and early childhood education, and Jay Bradley Woods, forestry 2003, son, Bradley Martin, April 18, 2010, Ruston

2003 Elizabeth Ganey Cramer, elementary education (master’s curriculum and instruction 2005), and Shawn Cramer, daughter, Drew Elizabeth, May 21, 2009, Ruston Michael John Lenard, sociology, and Brandi Stanley Lenard, daughter, Brooks Ann, May 12, 2010, West Monroe

2000

Adam Michael McGuirt, business administration, and April St. Andre McGuirt, daughter, Emily Grace, April 8, 2010, Ruston

Stephen Kirk Blackwelder, mechanical engineering, and Elizabeth Rivera Garcia Blackwelder, daughter, Victoria Elizabeth, May 13, 2010, Keller, Texas

J’Nell Moentmann Sanderson, family and child studies, and Joshua Lynn Sanderson, secondary education 2004, daughter, Addison Joy, Dec. 2, 2009, Choudrant

Miranda Gemelli Gashel, psychology, and Eric James Gashel, marketing 2000 (computer information systems 2001), son, Camden Reece, April 14, 2010, Ruston

Lori Lutes Seacrist, kinesiology and health promotion, and Philip Seacrist, daughter, Shelby Grace, July 9, 2009, Dubach

Leah Young Madden, medical technology, and Wesley Madden, nursing 2006, daughter, Avangeline Grace, Dec. 20, 2009, Ruston

Johnathan Lamar Spillers, health and physical education (master’s curriculum and instruction 2007), and Tiffany Spillers, son, Cason Charles, June 24, 2009, West Monroe

Tara Decker Magee, preprofessional speech language pathology, and

2004

Valerie Gashel Costanza, nutrition and dietetics (master’s nutrition and dietetics 2005), and Samuel Thomas Costanza, industrial engineering 2003, daughter, Amelia Claire, April 13, 2010, Ruston Amber Obaze Ford, psychology, and Daryl Ford, forestry 2005, son, Darren Lee, May 4, 2010, Haynesville Garson Hood Woodard, family infancy and early childhood education, and Matthew Clayton Woodard, accounting 2003 (master’s accounting 2004), son Campbell Clayton, June 3, 2010, Ruston Elise Autin Sanchez, health information technology (photography 2006), and Truett Daniel Sanchez, civil engineering 2004, son, Roman Truett, Jan. 7, 2010, New Orleans Susan Strain Williams, biology education, and James Zachary Williams, history 2004, son, Bennett Hardy, March 8, 2010, Ruston

2005 Misty Cheek Falting, speech language hearing therapy (master’s speech pathology 2007), and Christopher Kyle Falting, secondary education 2006 (master’s curriculum and instruction 2008), daughter, Lilla Joy, Sept. 9, 2009, Bossier City Stacey McInerney Goss, industrial engineering, and Brian Goss, son, Evan Michael, Oct. 15, 2009, Bay City, Mich. Laura McMillian Kiletico, business administration, and Micah Joel Kiletico, civil engineering 2003, daughter, Olivia Louise, April 20, 2010, Sneads Ferry, N.C. Julia Styrsky Sutterfield, accounting, and Danny Sutterfield, son, Patrick Cullen, July 26, 2009, Westworth Village, Texas

2006 Leah James Gordon, finance, and Matthew Gordon, secondary education 2006, daughter, Graycen Leigh, May 19, 2009, West Monroe Amanda Lafitte Iles, animal science, and John Clint Iles, forestry 2006, daughter, Sydney Kaye, Feb. 22, 2010, Woodworth

2007 Carrifrances DiCarlo Alexander, biology (master’s secondary education 2009), and Michael Alexander, son, Luke Michael, Nov. 2, 2009, Ruston Karla Duty Doss, early childhood education, and Marshal Doss, daughter, Annaliese Marie, Feb. 1, 2010, Dubach Keri Kuhnell Murphy, speech, and

Jonathon Murphy, speech 2008, daughter, Molly Belle, Aug. 23, 2009, Dubach Natalie Mangum Moffit, secondary education, and Keith Moffit, biology 2008, son, Turner Davis, Aug. 16, 2009, Kansas City, Mo.

2009

Mary Lucille Fallin Dring, 89, education, Dec. 31, 2009, Simsboro Loette Malone McIntosh, 88, education (master’s education 1962), May 14, 2010, Bernice Sarah Alice Norris, 88, arts and sciences, March 5, 2010, El Dorado, Ark.

Brendan J. Banks, general studies, and Jaalisa Banks, son, Braxton Robert, March 1, 2010, Grand Prairie, Texas

1944

in memoriam

Ray Edward Witter, 84, chemical engineering, Dec. 22, 2009, Pensacola, Fla.

1933 Madeline Haughton Teer, 97, home economics, Dec. 9, 2009, Delhi

1934 Margaret Burt Madden, 95, education, Feb. 22, 2010, Shreveport

1937 Sallie Daigre Perkins, 93, accounting, Dec. 10, 2009, Baton Rouge

1938 Peggy Price Ford, 92, education, April 23, 2010, West Monroe B. Frank Walker, 93, business, Jan. 12, 2010, Meadowlakes, Texas Robbie Auger Watson, 92, home economics, Jan. 19, 2010, Houston

1939 Vera Hood Gill, 91, English, Jan. 31, 2010, Castroville, Texas Comiel Holladay Kendall, 91, business, Dec. 17, 2009, Shreveport Joe E. Mitcham, Sr., 92, music, March 15, 2010, Ruston

1940 Chamblee H. McDonald, 95, mechanical/electrical engineering, April 27, 2010, Shreveport Yvonne Henry Oliver, 91, education, Jan. 11, 2010, North Augusta, S.C.

Joyce Hinkie Posey, 90, home economics, March 6, 2010, Downsville

1945 LaFaye Auger Keith, 84, office administration, April 2, 2010, Shreveport

1946

Suzanne Thurmon, 84, business, Jan. 19, 2010, Longview, Texas

1947

John Blanks Williams, 84, mechanical engineering, March 6, 2010, Bossier City

Margaret Deloach Clark, 94, education, Feb. 26, 2010, Ruston

Mable Hood Pitre, 81, business administration, April 14, 2010, Shreveport Allen Maurice Potier, 82, mechanical engineering, March 18, 2010, Orange, Texas Joann Weldon Sanders, 80, home economics education (master’s home economics education 1969), May 15, 2010, Bernice

Sherman C. Justus, Jr., 85, chemical engineering, April 9, 2010, Amite Elizabeth Chapman Lowe, 83, home economics, Jan. 15, 2010, Minden

1951

1948

Henry Everett Mitchell, 88, zoology, Feb. 18, 2010, Ruston Mary Margaret Hodge Sour, 81, sociology, Dec. 19, 2009, Shreveport

1949 Janice Garmany Bane, 82, business administration, Dec. 1, 2009, Houston John Dillard Edwards, 81, accounting, April 14, 2010, Monroe

Ousby Reives “Bobby” Cunningham, Jr., 79, business administration, April 6, 2010, Shreveport Edward Jackson Grigg, 84, forestry, Jan. 28, 2010, Winnfield

1954

Truis R. Young, 85, journalism, March 25, 2010, Arcadia

Ramona I. Wigley, 81, education, May 27, 2010, Shreveport

Charles Grady Cobb, 78, accounting, May 16, 2010, El Dorado, Ark.

Howard Hamilton Smith, 82, business administration, Feb. 26, 2010, Monroe

Charles M. Noble, Jr., 81, forestry, Feb. 3, 2010, Rayville

John W. Perritt, Sr., 90, health and physical education, March 1, 2010, Ruston

1953

Margaret Carter Plugge, 78, education, April 18, 2010, Granbury, Texas

Sarah Capps Griffin, 84, business administration, Jan. 14, 2010, North Syracuse, N.Y. Madge Davis King, 83, office administration, March 14, 2010, Houston

Betty Self Spivey, 79, medical technology, April 13, 2010, Bossier City

Betty Blaushild Smith, 80, office administration, Oct. 10, 2009, Hattiesburg, Miss.

John Kent Colvin, 81, education, March 20, 2010, Shreveport

James H. Matthews, 87, agricutural business, June 5, 2010, Homer

Samuel E. Dale, Jr., 88, agricultural science, May 25, 2010, Sicily Island

James L. McFarland, 84, business administration, April 8, 2010, Colleyville, Texas

Carolyn Green Doles, 84, education, Feb. 25, 2010, Ferriday

Arey Moss O’Neal, 89, business administration, June 10, 2010, Shreveport

Edwina Worsham Courtney, 88, education, May 29, 2010, DeRidder

Vernon Ross Lay, Jr., 84, business administration, March 19, 2010, Ruston

1950

1941

1942

Jarrell Francis Heard, 86, education, May 4, 2010, Minden

Frances Barnes Bullington, 82, elementary education, Dec. 18, 2009, Monroe

Jack Edwin Kelly, 83, forestry, Dec. 28, 2009, Homer

Thomas J. Wilson, 91, mechanical engineering, Jan. 4, 2010, Austin, Texas

Kenneth E. Griswold, 86, preprofessional social welfare (master’s education 1965), Dec. 13, 2009, West Monroe

Charlotte Thomas Alley, 78, education, Dec. 7, 2009, Cabot, Ark. Nell Moody Barnwell, 79, home economics, Dec. 20, 2009, Houston Gilbert Whitelaw Hills, Jr., 82, electrical engineering, May 2, 2010, Ruston

Jo Beth Taylor Bridges, 75, elementary education (master’s elementary education 1968), Feb.16, 2010, Downsville Robert Alex Laney, 77, English education, Dec. 29, 2009, Ruston Jeane Owen Welsh, 75, business education, Aug. 14, 2009, Cookeville, Tenn. William Carl Womack, 79, mechanical engineering (master’s mechanical engineering 1961), March 21, 2010, Lafayette, Colo.

1956 Lawrence Barbay, 75, accounting, Jan. 28, 2010, Austin, Texas Jo Ann Duck Hawkins, 75, home economics, April 10, 2010, Forest Hill Richard William McCoy, 79, education (master’s education 1971), Dec. 19, 2009, Dubach Charles R. McKaskle, 80, business, May 7, 2010, Hammond James Ray Thomas, 75, electrical engineering, May 11, 2010, Aledo, Texas Martha Ann Tucker, 75, home economics education, April 15, 2010, Austin, Texas

1957 Leonard Hamilton Martin, 80, life sciences, Jan. 6, 2010, Ruston

Betty Joyce Lambert, 80, business, March 1, 2010, Lewisville, Texas

Martha Wheatly Rose, 75, medical technology, March 17, 2010, Ruston

Elton A. Lamkin, 83, education, Dec. 8, 2009, Ruston

Shirley Craft Smathers, 74, education, Dec. 25, 2009, Tampa, Fla.

Ottis C. Morris, 86, life sciences, March 16, 2009 , Russellville, Ark.

1958

Luther E. Self, 82, plant science, Dec. 10, 2009, Oil City Charles William Simpson, 84, business administration, April 28, 2010, Ruston

Marjorie Johnston Clayton, 74, education, May 20, 2010, Haughton Claud Allen Ezell, Jr., 79, health and physical education, March 25, 2010, Winnsboro

www.latech.edu | 35

n e w s a b o u t yo u 1959 Charles Clem Barham, 76, pre-law, May 3, 2010, Shreveport Herbert Clayton Farmer, 75, health and physical education (master’s health and physcial education 1966), May 1, 2010, Choudrant Howard E. McGrew, 77, forestry, Dec. 7, 2009, Longview, Texas Roy Ussery Swayze, 73, medical technology, April 2, 2010, New Orleans Charles Edward Ward, 77, education (master’s business administration 1967), June 11, 2010, Bernice

Stay connected Julia Jones Cochran, 89, education, May 26, 2010, Shreveport Donald Ray Harrison, 64, civil engineering (master’s civil engineering 1973), Feb. 9, 2010, Monroe Peggy Williamson Haynes, 66, history, April 19, 2010, Ruston Gerard Patrick McGowan, 69, business, April 10, 2010, Mahwah, N.J. Joseph Mitchell Smith, 63, pre-med, March 24, 2010, Ruston

1969

1960

Joseph Larry Caulfield, 61, chemical engineering, Dec. 28, 2009, Plano, Texas

Richard A. Bennett, 72, finance, April 7, 2010, Shreveport

Lawrence A. Kahlden, Sr., 73, education, April 9, 2010, Shreveport

Randall Owen Dunagan, 73, math, Jan. 25, 2010, West Monroe

Mary Storey van Diest, 62, general studies (master’s English 1972), Feb. 2010, Ruston

Milo Edward Shearer, 71, math, March 12, 2010, Huntsville, Ala.

1961 Patsy Traylor McCracken, 69, elementary education (master’s education 1968), Dec. 13, 2009, Marion Lottie Tarver Wilkins, 84, education, April 16, 2010, Columbia

1962 Charles Howard Garris, 71, math, April 28, 2010, Conroe, Texas

1965 Carl Henry Giles, 67, math, April 16, 2010, Oden, Ark. Billy J. Morris, 69, geology, April 13, 2010, Rockwall, Texas

1966 Diane Farrar, 65, pre-professional social welfare (master’s elementary education 1974), Jan. 27, 2010, Farmerville Boyce Hensley, 78, health and physical education, March 17, 2010, Haughton

1967 Ernest William Bamburg, Jr., 65, social studies (master’s counseling and guidance 1971), Feb. 12, 2010, Winnfield James Herbert Gilbert, 70, forestry, March 21, 2010, Monroe Cynthia Cook Golmon, 64, education (master’s education 1972), April 22, 2010, Pineville

1968 Milburn John Baker, Jr., 65, chemical engineering, April 6, 2010, Houston

36 | Louisiana Tech Magazine

1970 Robert Edward Belville, Jr., 66, business administration, Dec. 29, 2009, Beaumont, Texas Joe William May, 62, life sciences, March 8, 2010, Columbia Kenneth Marvin Rascoe, 62, forestry, Feb. 4, 2010, Minden

1971 Allen Tevis Tinkham, 67, business administration, April 15, 2010, Houston Kenneth Ray Wreyford, 63, education, May 31, 2010, Springhill

1972

Warren Douglas Figueiredo, 58, French education, May 19, 2010, Baton Rouge John Allen Mullins, 60, education, Jan. 23, 2010, Beaumont, Texas Stephen Emmett Whiteman, 59, agricultural business, March 25, 2010, Ringgold

1974 Thomas Marshall Aiken, 57, chemical engineering, May 23, 2010, Houston Gerold Joseph Flotte, 58, wildlife conservation, Jan. 6, 2010, Slidell Faye Shelburne Keer, 82, counseling and guidance, June 5, 2010, San Antonio, Texas Alvin L. Roberts, 59, art, Dec. 30, 2009, Mesquite, Texas

1975 Buel Gene Taylor, Jr., 56, zoology (science education 1977, master’s science education 1978, civil engineering 1980), March 20, 2010, Gibsland

1976 James Gregory Caver, 54, English, June 9, 2010, Dubach Jeffery Scott Jackson, 57, business administration, Jan. 3, 2010, Belpre, Ohio

William Aylmer Rainwater, 62, animal science, April 8, 2010, Ruston Ernest Gene Richardson, 75, business administration, Dec. 14, 2009, Meridian, Miss. Norvin Lewis Wagner, 82, elementary education (master’s elementary education 1974), March 17, 2010, Bossier City

1973 Laverne Holland Best, 85, English, May 29, 2010, Arcadia

Joseph David Barrett, 50, agricultural business (master’s botany 1986), March 25, 2010, Bossier City

1986 Donald Francis L’Italien, 69, history, May 10, 2010, Bossier City

1987 Edward Juarez, business administration, May 25, 2010, Baytown, Texas

Suzanne Maljean Yeglic, 84, library science, Dec. 22, 2009, Bossier City

1978 Carolyn Morton Hill, 51, secretarial science, Sept. 19, 2009, Muleshoe, Texas

1979 Evelyn Hoard Brazell, 52, early childhood education, Dec. 22, 2009, Shreveport Gloria Owens Bryan, 78, special education, March 1, 2010, Shreveport George Donald Cook, III, 61, journalism, April 23, 2010, Charleston, W.V. Ruby Ashbrook McDonald, 80, special education, April 15, 2010, Bossier City

Marsha Theis Jabour (’73) Alumni Association President

1988 Mary Jane Pagan Dillard, 60, apparel and textile merchandise, Dec. 25, 2009, Keller, Texas Jerrilynn Ferrier Himes, 51, nursing, Feb. 18, 2010, Barksdale AFB Marjorie Meadors Miller, 48, psychology, Feb. 22, 2010, Grayson

1989 Roger Scott Stanley, 43, mechanical engineering (master’s mechanical engineering 1992, doctorate engineering 1997), March 30, 2010, Haughton

Mark Stephen Oliver, 41, general studies, May 2010, Bossier City

Treby White Staten, 87, elementary education, Feb. 2, 2010, Springhill

Roy Jirak, 62, geology, May 19, 2010, Staten Island, N.Y.

1982

1977

Raymond Van Forcier, 61, agricultural education, May 1, 2010, Keithville

“Louisiana Tech University is boldly moving forward with its mission to be a top public research University with a nationally competitive athletic program. Your membership in the Tech Alumni Association positively impacts activities and programs that are essential to the success of the University. Don’t miss this opportunity to show your support for the Tech Family with an investment in its future. A strong alumni association helps create an even stronger University. Join the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association today!”

Linda Kirkendoll Dotie, 51, business education, June 6, 2010, Shreveport

Michael Glenn Turner, 43, general studies, Dec. 26, 2009, Karnack, Texas

Susan Taylor Haley, 69, counseling and guidance, March 26, 2010, Ruston

Join the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association today

1980

Elizabeth Schulte Love, 85, nutrition and dietetics (master’s home economics 1977), April 13, 2010, West Monroe

Peter C. Evans, 62, political science, April 3, 2010, Mandeville

Mary Scott Hobdy, 84, English education, April 15, 2010, Grambling

Lawrence Curtis Peka, 69, sociology, April 17, 2010, Bossier City

1991

1994

thank you for your support. The Louisiana Tech Alumni Association salutes these Lifetime Members: Rodney & Nancy Alexander Darryl R. Asken Milton R. Ballard Brian T. Brumbaugh E. Elton Calhoun, Jr. Aaron & Caitlin Dablow

Don & Kelly DeSoto Nathan & Alicia Hendricks A.C. Hollins, Jr. Greg & Katie Kahmann Robert & Angela LaCaze Don L. Pepper

Kellie Dunbar Schmeeckle Ted R. Scurlock Sally Ann Swearingen Brad & Cheryl Taylor

These names have been added to the lifetime roster since the previous issue of the magazine.

Please cut along dotted line and send to the following address or join online at www.latechalumni.org/dues.

Alumni Information Update – mail to: Alumni Association | P.O. Box 3183 | Ruston LA 71272

Amanda Hamilton Burns, 40, animal science, Feb. 28, 2010, Grayson

________________________________________________________________________________________

Suzanne Kennedy Spies, 38, accounting, March 31, 2010, Houston

________________________________________________________________________________________

1995

________________________________________________________________________________________

Eric Agu Medvedev, 38, business administration, April 2, 2010, Haughton

1996 Reginald Wayne Page, Jr., 45, elementary education, Jan. 10, 2010, Mansfield, Texas

2002 Kyle William Douglas, 29, forestry, April 12, 2010, Waskom, Texas

2003 Kent Douglas Shilling, 40, professional aviation, Feb. 22, 2010, Springfield, Ky.

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Saturday, Sept. 18, 2-5 p.m. LA Tech vs. Navy (kickoff 6 p.m.) Saturday, Sept. 25, 2 - 5 p.m. LA Tech vs. Southern Miss (kickoff 6 p.m.) Saturday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. LA Tech vs. Utah State (kickoff 3 p.m.) Saturday, Oct. 16 - HOMECOMING, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. LA Tech vs. Idaho (kickoff 3 p.m.)

10 20

Tailgate

fun Alumni fellowshi Tech food football friends Louisiana

Tailgating at Louisiana Tech continues to grow each year. This year you are invited to participate in the Alumni Association’s FREE tailgates prior to each home game under the Argent Pavilion (located on Tailgate Alley adjacent to Joe Aillet Stadium). Come join in the fun and visit with other alumni and fans! We look forward to visiting with you at the Argent Pavilion!

Saturday, Nov. 6 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. LA Tech vs. Fresno State (kickoff 3 p.m.) Saturday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. LA Tech vs. Nevada (kickoff 2 p.m.)

Away Game Tailgates!

The Alumni Association will also sponsor tailgate events at the Port City Classic on Sept. 4 in Shreveport and at Texas A&M on Sept. 11. For complete details on these events call 800-738-7950 or visit www.latechalumni.org/tailgates.

Barnes & Noble College Bookstore at Louisiana Tech Bookstore www.latech.bncollege.com

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Catering for Louisiana Tech and for You! (318) 257-3213