Nicholls State University - La Pirogue Yearbook (Thibodaux, LA)

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Freshmen entering West Point arrive one month earlier than the rest of the academy. For them a one-month basic condition- ing period exists before they begin their appointments. However, the 174-year-old tradition of only men will be ended when 100 coeds enter West Point this fall. From Louisiana, two women will be among the first group, one an 18-year- old high school graduate from Baton Rouge. The other is an 18-year-old native of Schriever who will have already com- pleted a year at Nicholls. Phyllis Chauvin is a graduate of H. L. Bourgeois High School and the kind of girl West Point needs, according to Col. Robert Marshall, head of the military sci- ence department and a graduate of West Point. lt appeals to me as a challenge, Chauvin said, about her appointment, I thrive on competition and I have never turned down competition with others, she said. Twenty appointments are given to the 40 lersonaliIies1976 professors of military sciences at institu- tions with Army ROTC programs. Of the hundreds of applications sent in from all over the nation, Chauvin's qualifi- cations ranked her as one of the best. Earning a perfect 4.0 grade point aver- age while in school, she was selected outstanding female athlete as co-captain of the volleyball team. She also played shortstop on the soft- ball team and was a top-seeded tennis player. I always felt I couldn't do less than I was capable of doing, Chauvin said. During her year at Nicholls, she enrolled in the nursing curriculum, car- ried l8 hours of credit her first semester and joined the Army ROTC program. She also joined the Army Rappelling Team, the Drill Squad and Karate Club. It was Col. Marshall who planted the idea about applying to West Point, she said. West Point is looking for topflight peo- ple and Phyllis fits this in every way - in physical ability, athletics and character. I think it's a great thing for her and for Nicholls ROTC, he said. I a . otu.An- ,. JA. ..'-gli' Practicing on the rifle range, Phyllis Chauvin was one of two women from Louisiana appointed to the military academy at West Point for the Class of 1980. Chauvin plans to change her area of study to computer science since the academy is a math and science-oriented school. While the pressure and publicity haven't gotten to her yet, her arrival at the academy will be an event for Nicholls. Not much attention was paid from one semester to another as Herman Youngi went through Nicholls. It wasn't until the spring semester, pre- paring for graduation, that it was largely publicized. Since 1948, with all of Nicholls' gradu- ates and accomplishments, Herman Young became the student to graduate with a straight 'A' or perfect 4.0 grade point average. The manner in which Young, 36, a resi- dent of Houma, did it was also outstand- ing. A native of Jonesboro-Hodge, La., he finished four years of college in three, years, carrying 21-hour semesters andi enrolling in summer school. '

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A television set is the main connection most Americans have with the world and its events. Each day, commentators share the world's news with whoever is seated in front of their set, taking them to the scene. For the home viewer, many of the following stories unfolded on TV. The Secret Service stopped Squeaky From- me's .45, a bystander deflected Sara Jane Moore's bullet, but no one could stop the Pres- ident from ducking an exploding camera flash bulb. A Senate sub-committee's investigations into the operations of the CIA made some peo- ple think maybe the New York Times' Seymour Hearsch was right in his reporting on that agency. Three of the world's richest men died. Aris- totle Onassis to bronchial pneumonia, J. Paul Getty to age and recluse Howard Hughes to the strangest fate: malnutrition, Hughes' death also started another business enterprise: write your own Howard Hughes will. Teamster figure Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, while reputed mobsters Sam Oiancana and John Poselli were mysteriously killed after being linked to a CIA plot to kill Cuba's Fidel Castro. Patty Hearst was finally found in California, and found guilty of bank robbery. Her claims of physical and mental torture didn't convince the jury. An Annapolis graduate and peanut farmer, former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter grinned his way to the Democratic presidential nomina- tion. A Grits and Fritz ticket was drawn up with the selection of Sen. Walter Fritz lVlondale for his running mate. Meanwhile, the 0.0.P. had a choice between an incumbent who had never run in a national election and an ex-governorfmovie star. Ronald Peagan named his V-P choice in Sen. Ftichard Schweiker, sometimes called a liberal. Ford said he would wait. Politics continued in the 21st Olympic Games in Montreal as Taiwan walked out over what its name was and over 20 African nations left because a New Zealand rugby team was in South Africa. Charges ot blood doping, athletic facto- ries and detections replaced armed terrorism. A Washington secretary named Elizabeth Pay sent many congressmen under their desks with her stories of sex-related jobs. For someone who couldn't type, she pro- duced a book about her story, along with other financial ventures, thanks to Pep. Wayne Hays. The Louisiana Superdome opened to cere- mony, pomp, politicians, jazz and a S163 mil- lion bill. Arab interests were reported interested in a purchase. The choice was to be eaten by a shark or become sane from a mental hospital as Jaws and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest led a better than average year in films. For a nation's 200th birthday, total television programming marked the Bicentennial, as everyone found something to celebrate, For more, see pgs. 62-63. Even Israel had a break, as the Moslem- Christian war in nearby Lebannon occupied the united Arab world. The violence and broken truces put Northern lreland to shame. lt became known as the Legionnaires Dis- ease after over 25 persons at the Pennsylva- nia American Legion Convention died of it. Probable causesi viruses or toxins. While more than what is listed here passed on the television screen, the year contained its share of winners, losers, celebrations and trag- edy. All of this, and more was offered for free by the turning of a switch. Ei CLE QUE C' Connection to World Events 3

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mmm 1 Ci 6. aff 1111111111 Mi vw Young also provided for a wife and three children. Perseverance. . . l learned early how to take notes, howto get the meat of the lecture down on paper, he told reporter Jerry Hermann of the Houma Daily Courier when featured inthe paper. l'd go through the material five times to commit it to long term memory, I didn't do it just to make a 4.0, but also to improve myself, to learn some- thing, Young said. The three-year effort to learn some- thing began in October, 1971, when Young hurt his back in an oil field acci- dent. He went through a year of physical rehabilitation and decided to take up another pursuit: his education. Enrolling at Nichols in the spring semester of 1973, Young's imagination was fired when history professor, Dr. Alexander Simpson, told him no student had graduated with a 4.0 average in Nic- holls' history. He was nominated in 1974, 1975 and A strong student academically, Phyllis Chauvin graduated from H. L. Bourgeois High School with a 4,0 average. Her first semester at Nicholls she earned a3.6. 1976 to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Young also served as president of Phi Eta Sigma, the national freshman's hon- orary society and Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. For the past two years, he has been chairman of the Judicial Board of the Stu- dent Government Association. Off campus, Young is a member ofthe Rotaract Club, founder and former scout- master of Boy Scout Troop 400 of Houma and a 32nd degree Scottish Rite lvfason. After reaching a point most students would consider the high point of their life, Young isn't stopping. He applied and has been accepted to the Harvard School of Law where he will begin his studies this fall. I love politics and government, he said. There is no greater achievement than For his academic record, Herman Young is congrat- ulated by Kelly Nix, state superintendent of educa- tion, Dean Nolan LeCompte. college of liberal artsg and President Vernon Galliano. The first student to graduate with a perfect 4.0 aver- age, Herman Young was active in several organiza- tions, including Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Alpha Theta and the SGA. LT' ivritki to be a well-respected statesman, like a judge, he said. Young is optimistic other students will equal his accomplishments. l'll admire whoever does it again, he said. CEditor's note: When this article was written, the summer session had not fin- ished. When the session ended, Jane Morgan, a foreign language major, grad- uated with a 4.0 grade point average. A separate feature is included on pgs. 292- 293.5 C110 - Atl