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Patricia A. Threatt, Editor The McNeese State University Encyclopedia is a compendium of narrative and descriptive essays about persons, places, events, institutions, and ideas relating to the history of the University. The Encyclopedia is planned as a cumulative and ongoing research and writing project. Contributors to the Encyclopedia gathered information from several sources. Please contact the editor with submissions, errors, or broken links. Library Home Page | Archives Home Page | MSU Encyclopedia Index
Alma Mater. Kenneth L Gaburo composed McNeese's alma mater in 1950. We hail our Alma Mater, Alumni. The McNeese Alumni Association, founded in 1947 and incorporated in 1960, is composed of graduates as well as former students who express an interest in supporting the University. Those alumni who contribute to the annual fund are considered active members and are entitled to vote, hold office, and receive invitations to alumni events. The purpose of the organization is to stimulate and nurture alumni interest in McNeese State University and to promote a working relationship among alumni, faculty, students, and community. The association sponsors class reunions, chapter activities, recruiting programs, Distinguished Recognition Awards, Homecoming activities, annual phone-a-thon, Grad Fest, student scholarships, publication of The Roundup newsletter, and maintenance of the 30,000 plus alumni data records. The Alumni Association is housed in the William Gray Stream Alumni Center located at 600 E. McNeese Street and the web address is http://www.mcneesealumni.com. Alumni Association Presidents:
Ambassadors. Dr.
Don Lyons founded the McNeese Ambassadors during Jack
Doland's Presidency. The Ambassadors are a group of
approximately twenty students who serve as the official
hosts for the McNeese President. The Ambassadors wear gold
jackets and greet guests at parties and sporting events.
They also assist with graduation ceremonies.
Banners. Banners is the McNeese Arts and Humanities Program Series. In addition to its public events, Banners provides programs to K-12 school children at no cost. Banners also provides special opportunities for young artists in the community to interact with the national and international artists who come to Lake Charles to perform in the series. Click here for more information. Basic Studies, Division of. All first time freshmen at McNeese enter into the Division of Basic Studies. After completing 30 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of at least a “c,” students may enter one of McNeese’s six colleges.
Bel, Della Goos. McNeese named Bel Hall after Della Goos Bel, the daughter of Captain Daniel J. Goos, founder of the Calcasieu lumber industry, and the wife of John Albert Bel, a pioneer lumberman, industrialist, and civic leader. Many credit Mrs. Bel with bringing culture, refinement, and social graces to the frontier community known as "Charlie's Lake."
Big Lake Road. [see Ryan Street] Blair, A. Farnell. Blair's company constructed the McNeese Arena for the Lake Charles Junior College when it began in 1939. Blue Key Honor Society. Recognizes college students at senior institutions of higher education for balanced and all-around excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. See www.bluekey.org for more information.
Bookstore. McNeese’s own bookstore on campus helps provide books and other supplies to students and teachers. The Bookstore also carries a wide selection of McNeese memorabilia and clothing. Bookstore homepage. Bradford, William H. Bradford was born August 14, 1912 to Charles and Lency Bradford in Newton, Mississippi. He received his bachelor's degree from Mississippi Southern in Math and Science in 1936. He received his master's degree in 1939 from Louisiana State University and his doctorate from the University of Texas in 1953. He begin at McNeese as a math instructor in 1939.and later was head of the math and science dept from 1942 to 1950. From 1950 to 1957 he was Dean of Liberal Arts. He and his wife Edna Mae (Shaw) helped students set up the first alumni assoc. and opened their home to many of the first meetings. Bradford was instrumental in many changes during his tenure, including starting the Nursing Department, helping the school become a four-year institution, and in opening the door for the first black students to attend McNeese. In 1957 he was offered a position at Sandia Labs in Albuquerque, New Mexico to develop and design missile guidance systems. Bradford died February 7, 1981 from heart problems in Winnfield, Louisiana and is buried in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show [See Band].  Bulber,
Francis Gerard (1909-1992).
Bulber joined the
John
McNeese Junior College faculty in the fall of 1940. Before
coming to McNeese, Bulber taught music at
Louisiana State
University. Bulber received the McNeese Alumni President’s Cup
in 1959. During Bulber's career at McNeese, he served as
Head of the
Music Department, the Dean of Fine Arts, and the
Academic Dean of the University. Bulber
started the
long-running tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah
at McNeese every December. In 1954, Bulber received the
McNeese Award for Cultural Leadership. He received the
Alumni President’s Cup in 1959. Upon his retirement in
1974, he was awarded Dean Emeritus. Bulber's academic
career began at the Sacred Heart High School in Biloxi,
Mississippi. He received his bachelor's and master's
degrees
from Louisiana State University. He did post-graduate work at
Northwestern
University in Chicago, Illinois and received his
doctorate in
Music Education from
Peabody College in Nashville,
Tennessee. Bulber founded the Lake Charles Civic
Symphony and the Lake Charles
Messiah Chorus. He taught at
Pearl River Junior College
before coming to McNeese. He died on June 24, 1992 at
the age of 83. In 1992, McNeese renamed the McNeese
Auditorium the Francis G. Bulber Auditorium.Burton, Alice Evelyn Smith. Mother of W.T. Burton. McNeese named Burton Hall, a dormitory, after Mrs. Burton.
Caldwell Brothers and Hart.
This company built the “college building” (now
Kaufman Hall)
and the McNeese Auditorium of Lake Charles Junior College in 1939.
Colleges. McNeese consists of six colleges: Business, Education, Engineering & Technology, Liberal Arts, Nursing, and Science. Collette, Ida King (1872-1956). Mrs. Collette was the wife of a Lake Charles pioneer and the daughter of Simpson Methodist Church's founder. Collette taught in the Calcasieu Parish school system. McNeese named Collette Hall, a dormitory, after Mrs. Collette. Collette was born in Schuyler, Nebraska on July 24, 1872. She moved to Lake Charles with her family in 1890 at the age of 17. That year she entered the old Congregational College which was located on the site of the present Lake Charles-Boston High School. Two years later, she began to teach, first at Oberlin, then in a lumber camp. She then taught at Central (Elementary) School and later Fourth Ward (Elementary School). Colors. Today, the official colors of McNeese are blue and gold. The original colors of John McNeese Junior College were red and gold. In 1943, the student body voted the colors to be purple and gold. The colors were changed to blue and gold in 1972. Contraband. The Contraband is McNeese's weekly student newspaper, named after Contraband Bayou which runs through campus. Click here for an image of the first Contraband. Contraband Editors:
Cowboys. Many factors influenced the naming of the McNeese sports teams "Cowboys." When McNeese was founded in 1939, it was through a joint effort between the Southwest Louisiana Cattleman's Association, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, and the Works Progress Administration. The Cattleman's Association wanted an arena, the Police Jury wanted a college to educate its citizens, and the WPA wanted an auditorium to stage performances. In the early days, cowboys figured prominently in the culture of McNeese. Rodeo was a major activity in the area. Some students rode their horses to campus. McNeese soon became known as the "Cow College" because cows roamed freely on the campus. In 1940, the basketball team (the only official sports team on campus at the time) chose "cowboys" as their team name from several choices, including Broncos, Bucs, and Eagles. Around this time, some members of the University community felt that McNeese should choose either "nautical" themes (like the yearbook, The Log, and the newspaper, The Contraband) or "cowboy" themes for the University's activities, but nothing ever came of that movement. In the late 1940s and 50s, sports fans began using the name "Cowpokes," which was soon shortened to "Pokes." See also Mascots.
Cowgirl Kickers.
The Cowgirl Kickers Dance line, formerly known as the Golden
Spurs, began in 1980. It consists of
25-27 highly talented dance members who meet strict criteria
for dance skills, academics, community service, and overall
representation of the team and McNeese. The Kickers perform
for football, basketball, volleyball, and many other
athletic games for McNeese. They also perform for community
events, such as Mardi Gras balls, charity events, community
celebrations, and visits to local schools. In the past, the
Kickers have received formal invitations from Nice, France;
Walt Disney Word; Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets
Basketball teams; the New Orleans' Saints football team, and
the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii.  Cusic, Wayne N.
Dr. Cusic was
a basketball coach and the second president of McNeese. He
was born in Griggsville, Illinois. He attended Girard
High School in Illinois where he was a two-year all-state
football halfback. He played football, basketball, and
baseball at Illinois College. His first school job
was a coach and science teacher at Minden High School in
Louisiana. Dr. Cusic moved from Minden to Kentucky
where he coached four championship basketball teams at
Stanford High School and top football teams at Lynch High
School. He came to McNeese in 1940 as an instructor in
Health and Physical Education and an athletic coach. He
later served as counselor to men, Director of the
Department
of Education, Director of
Athletics, and Dean of Men.
MSU Encyclopedia Index
Daboval, Jeanne. Dr. Daboval became Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost of McNeese in 2001. She began her career at McNeese in 1988 as a Graduate Assistant in the Burton College of Education. In the past, Daboval has served as an Instructor in the Management & Marketing Departments, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Planning, the Dean for Enrollment & Institutional Planning, and as an Assistant Professor in Office Systems.
Deacons, The. The Deacons Club consisted of a group of 19 male students and was organized in the spring of 1941. The purpose of the club was to further social activities on campus. The Deacons sponsored the first dance in honor of the first class to graduate from McNeese. Deans [see also Presidents]. From 1939 to 1950, the Dean was McNeese's highest ranking official. After 1950, the President presided over the university. Deans of McNeese:
 Devall,
Les. Devall was the head football coach from
1957 to 1965.
Doctorate Degrees. Mrs. Mary Landers, wife of Robert
Bruce Landers, Dean of the School of Education, received
McNeese's first doctorate degree in August, 1969. In 1982,
the Education Doctorate program ended. This was the only
time that McNeese offered a doctorate degree.
 Doland, Jack V.
Doland served as
the
McNeese football coach from 1970-1978 and had a record of
63-32-3. He was a native of Lake Arthur and played
football and basketball at McNeese Junior College from
1946-1947. He then went to
Tulane
University and played football
and baseball. After graduating, he played professional
baseball for two years, the first at Crowley, Louisiana,
then in the Tri-States and Hickory leagues in North
Carolina. He was head coach at DeQuincy and Sulphur High
Schools and won a state championship at Sulphur. He
was assistant coach under Charlie McClendon at
Louisiana State University before
becoming head coach at McNeese. He was instrumental in
McNeese’s admission into the
Southland Conference in 1972.
In 1977, he received a doctorate from Louisiana State University in Education
Administration. In the fall of 1979, he became president-elect of McNeese
while President Thomas Leary
was on sabbatical. On July 1, 1980, he officially became
President and served until 1987 when he retired to
successfully run for the
Louisiana State Senate. He
died in April 1991 after a long bout with cancer. McNeese
named its Athletic Complex
in his honor.
 Duhon,
Glenn. Glen Duhon was the head basketball coach from 1978
to 1987.
Foundation. The McNeese State University Foundation is a voluntary, non-profit organization of business and professional leaders. It was incorporated in 1965 to establish scholarships for McNeese students. The Foundation trust fund is valued in excess of $34,000,000 and annually awards over $1,000,000 in scholarships, faculty development awards and academic enhancements. Foundation homepage. Frasch, Herman (1852-1914). Frasch was born in 1852 in Gaildorf, Wuertemberg, Germany. In 1868, he became a citizen of the United States and began a practice in pharmacy. Frasch researched improvements in the refining of petroleum and its byproducts, the manufacturing of carbon for electric lighting, and the mining of gold and other metals. He came to Louisiana about 1890 and invented a method of sulfur mining and refining where many previous fruitless attempts had been made. He died on May 6, 1914. McNeese named Frasch Hall, the science building, after him.
Gates,
Keith Robert. Gates was born in Johnstown, Pa., on Sept.
29, 1948. His family moved in November 1952 to Lake Charles.
He spent his senior year of high school at North Carolina
School of the Arts, where he continued his college
education, later moving to New York, where he graduated with
a bachelor and masters of music from the Juilliard School.
Governor’s Program
for Gifted Children. In 1959
McNeese established the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) with
fifteen middle school students from throughout Southwest
Louisiana. The SEP began accepting students from other
sections of the state in 1962. In 1964, the SEP became the
Governor’s Program for Gifted Children (GPGC) when Governor
John McKeithen approved a petition for the state to provide
funds for its continued operation. Today, McNeese conducts
the program for six weeks each summer. The program accepts
approximately 30 children each summer through the Special
Education Department of McNeese.
GPGC Homepage.
MSU Encyclopedia Index
Handel’s Messiah. The Messiah is an oratorio composed by G.F. Handel telling the story of the life of Christ. On December 15, 1940, Dr. Francis Bulber directed the first performance of the Messiah in the McNeese Auditorium. In that performance, the choir was 85 members strong and the only accompaniment consisted of two pianos. This oratorio has been performed every December since 1940 to the present day. Today, the choir consists of up to 200 members and the accompaniment consists of a full orchestra consisting of violins, violas, cellos, basses, bassoons, trumpets, a tympani, and a harpsichord.
Hardtner, Juliet E.
Juliet Emily Hardtner was born in Alexandria, Louisiana on
June 12, 1918. She was the daughter of Henry E. Hardtner, a
lumberman known as the Father of Forestry in the South.
Juliet Hardtner attended Stephens College, the
University of
Oklahoma, and Gaucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.
Following graduation, she joined the U.S. Navy and became a
lieutenant. Stationed in New Orleans, her primary
responsibilities were in the area of personnel. Ms. Hardtner
was a member of W.A.V.E.S. (Women in the U.S. Navy Voluntary
Emergency Service) and remained active until the end of
World War II, when she moved to New York City. In 1990, Ms.
Hardtner moved to Lake Charles to be close to her family.
Juliet Hardtner left a $1.2 million gift to the McNeese
Foundation to establish two endowed chairs in Science and in
Arts and Humanities. In 1999, McNeese built
Juliet Hardtner
Hall to house the
College of Nursing and the
Department of
Mass Communication.
Homecoming Queens and Kings. Homecoming, which includes traditional festivities such as the parade, bonfire, & pep rally to support the football team, was originally called McNeese Day. In 1997, McNeese, in addition to naming a Homecoming Queen, began naming a Homecoming King. Former Homecoming Queens & Kings:
Hopkins, Dennis. Hopkins received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Baylor University, a master's degree from West Texas State University, and a doctorate (ABD) in Conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. Before directing the McNeese Band, he was the band director at Memorial High School in Houston, Texas. Hopkins' high school bands achieved many honors, such as Bands of America Regional Marching Champions and the Texas Music Educators Association’s State Honor Band of Texas. Since leaving McNeese, Hopkins has directed bands at University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and the University of Wyoming. He is currently the Administrative Supervisor of Fine Arts for the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. Hurricane Audrey. Hurricane Audrey hit Cameron, Louisiana during the evening of June 27, 1957 as a Category 4 storm. 390-500 people died from the storm. McNeese served as the headquarters for the National Guard and Red Cross relief efforts. For digital images from the McNeese Archives & Special Collections Department, please visit the LOUISiana Digital Library (search for "Hurricane Audrey"). Bibliography available at: http://library.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/audrey.htm . Hurricane Rita. On Wednesday, September 21, 2005, Hurricane Rita churned in the Gulf of Mexico, a Category 5 storm. The National Weather Service forecasted landfall around the central or northern Texas coast. McNeese officials decided to close the University for the remainder of the week, fully expecting to resume classes the following Monday. Most students, staff, and faculty left campus that Wednesday afternoon looking forward to an unexpected holiday, thankful for the extra two days to study, grade papers, or just relax. Over the next two days, Rita changed course and struck the Texas-Louisiana border on Friday, September 23, 2005. Calcasieu and Cameron Parish officials called for a mandatory evacuation on September 22, 2005, which remained in effect until October 9, 2005. Before the hurricane hit, the McNeese Information Technology Department re-located its operations to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. This move enabled the Human Resources Department to distribute paychecks on time to displaced employees via Western Union. Moving the IT operations to Ruston also allowed McNeese administrators to provide regularly updated information to students and employees via the University’s webpage. In the days just after the storm, McNeese set up a base camp for 1500 first responders from all over the country who came to the aid of the University and the entire Southwest Louisiana community. FEMA also used the camp as its headquarters. The base camp offered housing tents, medical facilities, a dining area, laundry, and showers. Almost immediately, the McNeese Facilities Department began clearing debris from the campus and assessing damages. A Louisiana state policy requires that any state building without power for more than three days must undergo environmental testing. The McNeese campus, and most of the SWLA area, did not have electricity for approximately two weeks. Experts from the state Office of Risk Management conducted the environmental testing, which included architectural, mechanical, and engineering assessments. Due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina one month prior, state resources for performing environmental testing were stretched thin and the tests took longer than normal to complete. On October 27, 2005, McNeese re-opened for some classes, a full five weeks after closing for the storm. Web classes resumed immediately and traditional classes resumed on a rolling schedule, as state inspectors cleared buildings for occupation. Farrar Hall was the first building opened on October 26, 2005. Administrators struggled to re-arrange class schedules and prepare temporary classrooms in five modular buildings assembled on the Intramural Field. To accommodate the lost class time, administrators added additional time to individual class periods and extended the semester schedule by two weeks. Approximately 700 students withdrew from McNeese due to Hurricane Rita. By November 2, 2005, almost all classes had resumed. The older campus dormitories suffered major damage, with Burton Hall closed indefinitely. Students living in damaged dorms were excused from classes until they could move into newer dorm rooms or find other living arrangements. Some students and employees moved onto a U.S. Navy clipper ship docked at the Port of Lake Charles. The ship’s crew provided meals and the City of Lake Charles provided transportation to and from campus. Most dorms opened by November 11, 2005. McNeese completed the fall 2005 semester when Graduation was held on December 23, 2005. In the end, 67 facilities, nearly every building on the McNeese campus, suffered damages. While the repairs and remediation continue today, McNeese expects the total damage to buildings, roofs, equipment, and landscaping to cost at least $30 million. On December 15, 2005, Dr. Hebert accepted a $1.5 million grant from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Relief Fund, a foundation created by the former presidents to help the recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region from hurricane damage. The State Insurer and FEMA will provide additional funds. The spring 2006 semester began on January 18 with Burton dormitory, the Financial Aid office, the Recreation Center, Frazar Memorial Library, the Student Union, Gayle Hall, Frasch annex, Drew Hall, and Bulber Auditorium still closed. Bulber Auditorium, on the National Register of Historic Places, requires extensive repairs. Several of McNeese’s majestic oak trees suffered irrevocable damage and will necessitate replacement. To date, three buildings remain unusable. Due to the elevated cost of construction as a result of the storm, four previously-approved capital construction projects remain delayed (February 1, 2007).
"Jolie Blonde" [see also School Song]. "Jolie Blonde" (or "Joli Blon") is a popular Cajun waltz often referred to as the “Cajun National Anthem.” The song was made famous by Harry Choates in the late 1940s. The McNeese Band began playing the song in 1951 under Band Director Eddie See. In 1970, "Jolie Blonde" became the official school song.
Jordan, Buford. Jordan was born in Iota, Louisiana and graduated from McNeese in 1984. Jordan played tailback on the football team and broke many records in rushing. He went on to play for the New Orleans Breakers (now the Saints) from 1986 to 1992. Library Home Page | Archives Home Page | MSU Encyclopedia Index |
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