Kirkman, William Harrison.  Dr. Kirkman was a pioneer physician of the Calcasieu area.  A native of Kirkmansville, Kentucky, Kirkman was a soldier in the Mexican War at the age of 16, after which he studied medicine in New Orleans.  Kirkman came to Lake Charles in 1858 and his practice covered the entire Calcasieu Parish area.  Kirkman was one of the first trained physicians in the area and was able to do true operations, rather than simple amputations.  Kirkman was one of the three men appointed to draft the size of the timbers and to make preliminary plans when Lake Charles considered building a new courthouse in 1872.  Kirkman served as a State Senator a few years later and was president of the first Board of Health of Lake Charles.  Kirkman's early land purchases include the sulphur mines and the Ged Oilfield.  Lake Charles named Kirkman Street in his honor and McNeese named Kirkman Hall after him.

Knapp, Seaman Asahel (1833-1911).  Knapp was born in Schroon Lake, New York in 1833.  Knapp became a teacher after graduating from Union College in 1856.  Knapp later moved to Iowa and worked as a farmer, a Methodist clergyman, and superintendent of the state school for the blind.  Knapp founded the Western State Journal and Farmer in Cedar Rapids in 1872.  Knapp was co-founder of the Iowa Improved Stock Breeders’ Association.  In 1902, Knapp was a teacher at the Iowa State Agricultural College when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture appointed him as a special agent for the promotion of agriculture in the South.  The promotion of rice caused rice growing to become a profitable business locally and in other areas of the country.  Knapp also founded the Grange and 4-H clubs.  Knapp died in Washington D.C. in 1911.  McNeese named Knapp Memorial Fountain (in front of Gayle Hall) in his honor.

MSU Encyclopedia Index

LaBelles.  The LaBelle is the campus beauty of McNeese.  During the late 1940s, the Student Government asked various celebrities to pick the McNeese "Beauty." The Student Government would send the celebrity photographs of the candidates to choose from. The yearbook staff sponsored the Miss McNeese Pageant, an evening gown competition with a panel of judges from the community.  In the early 1950s, the yearbook staff changed the name of the competition to "LaBelle."  Eventually, the Student Government Association took over the responsibility of selecting LaBelle.  In the spring of 1975, the SGA moved to affiliate LaBelle with the Miss Louisiana/Miss America Pageant system.  After the 1997 pageant, SGA dropped the event from campus due to discriminatory concerns and better utilization of funds. The title of "Miss McNeese LaBelle" became known as the "Spring Court Queen." The former LaBelles:

Lake Charles Junior College [see also Name changes].  The first name of McNeese State University. The school was created as a result of cooperation between the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the Southwest Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association, and the federal government through the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration. Louisiana House Bill No. 313 established "a Junior College division of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College to be located in the Parish of Calcasieu near Lake Charles, Louisiana." Governor Richard Leche signed Act No. 267 creating Lake Charles Junior College on July 6, 1938. To satisfy each of the entities involved in founding the school, LSU built three buildings to start the campus. Kaufman Hall housed classrooms and administration offices, the Arena (now called Ward Memorial Arena) hosted rodeo events, and the Auditorium (now called Bulber Auditorium) provided performance space. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury donated 86 acres of land for the campus, an area located on an extension of Ryan Street that was previously the parish's Poor Farm - home to local indigents and the mentally ill. The opening session of the college began on September 11, 1939 with 140 students and 13 faculty members. Student fees were $12.50 per semester. Newspaper clippings regarding building dedications:

American Press A [January 18, 1940]
American Press B [January 18, 1940]
Contraband A  [February 23, 1940]
Contraband B  [March 15, 1940]
American Press C [March 29, 1940]
Contraband C [April 19, 1940]

Lang, Colonel Larry H. A native of El Paso, Texas, Lang began his career in music as a trombonist, attending New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where he earned his Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Performance degrees in 1980. He went on to complete a Master of Science degree in Music Education at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, where he was the student Director of the Marching Band and Jazz Ensemble II. In 1982, he accepted a faculty appointment at UNH.

In 1983, Lang accepted the position of Assistant Director of Bands at McNeese where he directed the Symphonic Band, the 200-member "Cowboy" Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble II, and the McNeese Summer Music and Fine Arts Program.

In 1990, Lang entered the United States Air Force. On March 8, 2012, he was named the Director and Commander of the United States Air Force Band in Washington DC, the highest position a musician can hold in the Ari Force. Lang is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, the National Band Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and is active as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States. Colonel Lang's military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He was named the Air Force's Outstanding Band Officer in 1998 and 2003. For more information, see http://usafbandofliberty.com/commander.html .

Leary, Thomas Samuel.  Leary was the third president of McNeese.  Leary was born May 8, 1915 in Rochester, New York.  Leary received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in organic chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Leary received a doctorate in chemical engineering from Iowa State University.  Leary started his career at McNeese in 1961 as a professor of engineering.  Leary became the Head of Department of Engineering in the 1965-66 academic year.  Leary was also responsible for the design and layout of the laboratories at Chennault. 

Leche, Richard. (1898-1965). Leche was the Governor of Louisiana who signed the bill to establish Lake Charles Junior College. The bill was signed on July 6, 1938.

Lee, Wallace. Lee was a long-time supervisor of buildings and grounds at McNeese. He started out as an assistant to Robert Alexander.  He was appointed campus custodian by Dean Joseph Farrar in September 1939.  One of his first duties included “cattle-chasing,” where he, mounted on a tractor, would dissuade the cattle who freely roamed the campus from “going to college.”

Library.  [see Frazar, Lether E.]

Lester, Darrell. Lester was born in Lake Charles in 1941 and died in Lafayette in 2006. Lester is a member of the McNeese Hall of Fame and was named McNeese's Most Valuable Player in 1962 and in 1963. He played both fullback and linebacker. After graduating from McNeese, Lester played professionally with the Minnesota Vikings.

Library Directors

Log. The Log is the McNeese student yearbook first published in the Spring of 1940.  The students briefly discontinued the publication from 1941 to 1945 due to World War II. Log Editors:

Logo.  In 1997, the University of Wyoming disputed McNeese's use of the "Bucking Horse and Rider" logo.  McNeese had used some form of the logo since the early 1940s.  In 2001, McNeese debuted a new logo featuring a bucking horse and rider with its front legs up with a large yellow "M" superimposed.

Louisiana Maneuvers. John McNeese Junior College was engaged in military activity during the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941 when Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, who led the Sixth Army from New Guinea to Luzon, made the Auditorium his headquarters in preparation for war until it was discovered by the enemy. A temporary airstrip was marked off near the auditorium where intense activity took place and McNeese students witnessed army life for two weeks. A well-known participant of these maneuvers was Dwight D. Eisenhower who visited the campus and the Majestic Hotel in downtown Lake Charles.

Love, Kelly.  Love was the Director of the McNeese Band from 1968 to1973.  He was also known as "Brother Love" and he called the McNeese Band "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." Love studied the trombone with Frank Chrisafulli, Sr. and Tommy Shephard in Chicago.  He received his bachelor's and master's degree in Music from the University of Mississippi.  Love served as instructor of marching band courses at Vandercook School of Music in Chicago.

Lowery, Geraldine. During Lowery’s sophomore year at John McNeese Junior College, she enrolled in an airplane pilot training course. She was one of the only two women to do so. She completed the course by making her first solo flight from Lake Charles to Lafayette.

MSU Encyclopedia Index

Mascot.  The first mascot of McNeese was a palomino pony named "Mac" secured for the student body by the "Rally Ranglers". After Mac's demise, several other ponies took his place.  The basketball team chose the cowboy as the mascot in the mid 1940s due to the popularity of rodeos and that the McNeese campus was formerly a farm. In 1981, McNeese introduced its first “live” cowboy mascot.  Jeniffer Siebarth was introduced as “Cowboy” at the season home opener. In 1982, "Rowdy" was born.  The Rowdy costume consists of an over-sized, full-length cowboy with a large hat and exaggerated features.  The costume includes an ice-pack vest and fan in the top of the hat for ventilation. Rowdy was named after Clint Eastwood's character on the "Rawhide" television show.  According to legend, Rowdy was on a cattle drive out west when he stopped in Lake Charles and decided to stay. Rowdy likes to do back-flips, crowd-surf, an ride his trusty ice chest down the hill into the hole at football games.       

McCann, John. McCann was the head football coach from 1983 to 1986.    

McNeese Ambassadors [see Ambassadors]

McNeese Auxiliary Corps (MACs). In the fall of 1942, Dean Cline helped the women students organize a program that  would involve them in the war activities and help meet the needs of the nation. Under the supervision of Major Sanford Brown, commander of the ROTC, and Professor Dolive Benoit, this program included the organization of a drill squad and special classes designed to give basic training for war jobs. The "MACS" was the official name given to the group in December, 1942 which originally represented Military training, Academic training, Cultural training, and Scientific training. The program also included participation in various school projects and community services.

McNeese, John (1843-1914).  John McNeese was born on July 4, 1843, in New York City, N.Y., to Scottish immigrant parents. His parents died of tuberculosis leaving young John an orphan at age 9. The most reliable sources say that he went to live with Dr. Nathaniel Stafford of Baltimore, Md., a foster father who placed a strong emphasis on education. At some point prior to the Civil War, Dr. Stafford sent John to live with Richard H. and Mary Ellen Wright of Bloomery, Md., a rural community in Caroline County on the Eastern Shore. Mary Ellen was Dr. Nathaniel Stafford’s granddaughter. McNeese joined the Union Army in 1861 at age 18. He was a member of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War where he fought in the battle of Gettysburg. Suffering from a case of tuberculosis, John moved to Texas in pursuit of a drier climate. He settled in Menard County and became successful at grazing cattle and operating a mercantile business.  He served as the district and county clerk from 1871 to 1873. Unfortunately, the Great Panic of 1873 brought financial ruin to McNeese and many others. In 1873, McNeese and five other cattlemen set out on a cattle drive to New Orleans via the Old Spanish Trail. The group made it to the Sabine River but the cattle were starving to death due to drought conditions. McNeese decided to cut his losses by selling his cattle and settling in Imperial Calcasieu (including Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Jefferson Davis parishes). McNeese boarded at the home of William Bilbo, an early settler in the present Oberlin area. He married Bilbo’s daughter, Susan, on his 33^rd birthday and they had nine children, two of whom died in infancy. McNeese supported himself as a “professor” of penmanship and music. Later he attended Tulane University and received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1887. He practiced law briefly, but his passion was education. McNeese became the first parish superintendent of Imperial Calcasieu, serving in this capacity from 1888 until his retirement in 1913. He was probably the first parish superintendent to devote his entire time to the work of his office, the first to attempt the transportation of children to consolidated schools, the first to attempt classroom supervision among rural schools, and the first to support the right of citizens of a local community to vote upon themselves taxes for the support of public schools. John McNeese died in 1914 at the age of 70, less than one year after his retirement. Lake Charles Junior College, founded in 1939, was renamed John McNeese Junior College in 1940 to honor the pioneer Southwest Louisiana educator. The name was changed in 1950 to McNeese State College and finally renamed McNeese State University in 1970. Consideration in the mid-1990s to change the name of McNeese State University to the University of Louisiana at Lake Charles never gained much momentum. McNeese State University is the only Louisiana state school named after an educator.  [Excerpts from A Chronicle, McNeese State University 1939-1987, by Joe Gray Taylor, and The Life and Services to Public Education of John McNeese by Theodore John Ratliff.]

John McNeese Junior College [see Name changes].

McNeese, Miss and Ms. McNeese [see LaBelles and Spring Court].

McNeese, Mr. The SGA established the Mr. McNeese title during the 1981-1982 school year. The title is in recognition of an outstanding male student and is announced with the recognition of an outstanding female student crowned as Ms. McNeese, both representative of Spring Court.

MSU Encyclopedia Index

Name changes.  McNeese names through the years:

Nash, W.B. The first registrar of Lake Charles Junior College. Before serving at the college, he was principal of Central School in Lake Charles.

Nunez, Harry. The first student military fatality, Ensign Harry Amos Nunez was killed on January 19, 1943 when his plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near Jekyll Island, Georgia. As a former student of McNeese, Nunez was a member of the football team, 4-H club, and drew sketches for the Contraband and the French Club paper. He majored in agriculture and was the only student from Cameron Parish. After two years at McNeese he attended S.L.I. Ensign Nunez was commissioned at Corpus Christi, Texas. Since Christmas Day of 1942, he had been stationed at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station.

MSU Encyclopedia Index

Oakley, William John. Oakley, a chemistry teacher, was part of the original faculty to begin at Lake Charles Junior College in 1939. He received the Alumni President’s Cup in 1970. After teaching chemistry, he went on to work as a purchasing agent and a property control officer. He retired from McNeese in 1973. Oakley received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Louisiana State University.  Before coming to McNeese, he was a graduate assistant at Louisiana State University.

MSU Encyclopedia Index

Parra, Leland.   Parra dedicated his efforts, despite great health problems, to the growth of the University.  McNeese named the Parra Ballroom (located in Holbrook Student Union) after him.  Parra was a native of Grand Chenier and moved to Lake Charles with his family in 1944.  He attended Central Elementary School, Lake Charles High School, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from McNeese in 1955.  He was President of the Young Men’s Business Club (YMBC), the Independent Agents of Calcasieu Parish, and the Calcasieu Insurance Exchange.  He also served as Treasurer of the Southwest Louisiana Health Service Agency.  He served as President of the McNeese Foundation and of the Cowboy Club as well as the McNeese Alumni Association.  He died on August 31, 1977 from kidney ailments.

Phalanx Fraternity. The Lake Charles Chapter of the national Y.M.C.A. fraternity, Phalanx, was originally chartered in 1941, but because of military service it became dispersed. The club was reorganized in September, 1945 and were active in getting a Student Center for McNeese. Pictured in the 1945 Log were ten members and the list of officers including Jodie White, Primus. Phalanx was formed to encourage high standards of Christian men and provide service to the community.

Pokes [see Cowboys].

Poor Farm Road [see Ryan Street].

Pre-history of McNeese [see Lake Charles Junior College].

Presidents [see also Deans].  From 1939 to 1950, the Dean was McNeese's highest ranking official.  After 1950, the President presided over the university. Presidents of McNeese:

MSU Encyclopedia Index

Ratcliff, Albert I. Ratcliff became the football coach at McNeese Junior College in 1946. He also coached the boxing team. During his term as football coach, the team gained admission to the Gulf States Conference and participated in four bowl games. He was promoted to Athletic Director in 1954. He won the Alumni President’s Cup in 1958. Ratcliff retired from McNeese in 1973. In 1981, he was inducted into the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame.

Reid, Richard. Reid is the Executive Vice President of the McNeese Foundation. He served as Library Director from 1980 to 1989.

Ring. The Official McNeese State University Ring is a proud and visible symbol of the connection that students feel toward their alma mater and embodies the McNeese experience. The symbols on the ring are the University seal, Bulber Auditorium, oak leaves, acorns, and a royal blue stone with “MSU” displayed on the top. While anticipating the earning of a degree, the ring is placed so that MSU on the top of the ring faces the student as a reminder of their goals. During the commencement ceremony, students participating in the Official MSU Ring Program will have the opportunity to turn the ring so that MSU faces outward informing the world of their academic accomplishment.

ROTC. The first official Reserve Officers Training Corps unit at McNeese began in the fall semester of 1942. Male students who participated in this were given military training both physically and in the classroom.  Former ROTC Commanders:

Roundup, The (newsletter). [See Alumni]

Rowdy.  See Mascots.
 

Ryan Street. McNeese is located on the southern part of Ryan Street once known as Poor Farm Road, Kent Corner Road, and Big Lake Road. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury owned an 86-acre tract of land in this area that was the Parish Poor Farm during the Depression. Since there was no longer a need for a poor farm in 1938, the Police Jury gave this land for a junior college.

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