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

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Q in 2 , m E SfEDDiI19. UD and Olll One week after raising his hand and taking the oath ot office, State Superintendent of Education Kelly Nix stood behind the emblem of Nicholls State University. Education must be efficient, economical and produc- tive in order for our citizens to survive, he said. No degree of technical education will protect you from this changing world, he continued. Our schools must be supportive to this change and not merely look to past accomplishments and past methods of educationsf' The new superintendent addressed these and other comments to the graduates at the 20th annual May com- mencement exercises. Held in the Thibodaux Civic Center, a crowd of over 4,000 family, relatives and friends watched as 896 under- graduates and graduate students received their degrees. In 1957, Sen, A, O. Pappelet of Galliano sponsored a bill in the legislature to create a four-year college of the junior college at Nicholls. Each year since, the number of graduates has always increased. ln the final breakdown, the College of Business Admin- istration awarded 130 bachelor of science and 27 associ- ate of science degrees. The College of Education awarded 252 degrees. The College of Life Sciences awarded 106 bachelor of science and 134 associate ot science degrees. The College of Sciences awarded 38 bachelor of sci- ence and 14 associate of science degrees. The College of Liberal Arts awarded 60 bachelor of arts degrees. The Graduate School awarded 134 master's degrees. Of these students 147 were graduated with special hon- ors: 22 Summa Cum Laude Chighest honorsj, 26 Magna Cum Laude thigh honorsj and 84 Cum Laude Chonorsj. A list of the 100 students with the highest grade point average in the history of Nicholls saw 19 names replaced when present graduates finished higher. Another record to fall was the highest overall grade point average of a stu- dent. Herman Young, a pre-law major from Houma, com- pleted four years of undergraduate work maintaining a perfect 4.0 average. Young was honored for this achievement by President Galliano. Csee Personalities 1976 pg.40-41 .1 Ten undergraduates were selected to the university's Hall of Fame for their work and achievements during their time at Nicholls. 88 Graduation The last goodbye, Mac LeBlanc remembers the photographer as he prepares to line up in the Col- lege of Liberal Arts for his degree. Kelly Nix, state superintendent of education, deliv- ered the commencement address. Nix had been sworn in to office just one week earlier. Marcello lnducted from the 1976 class were Josephine Allen ot St. James, Cynthia Bush of Gretna, Patsy Champagne of Thibodaux, Charmaine Dutreix of Edgard, Kirk Granier of Luling, Henry Latont of Golden Meadow, John Perry of Zachery, Novella Smith of Kenner, John VVeimer of Thibo- daux and Herman Young of Houma. For the first year, a Graduate Hall of Fame was announced, instituted by President Galliano in coopera- tion with the Nicholls Graduate Council. Candidates for the honor were nominated by a member of the graduate faculty and received concurrence from two additional graduate faculty members. Eligibility for nomination was restricted to students who have had at least a five year period from the time they received their graduate degree to the time they were nom- inated forthe honor. The first five inductees were Myron Chauvin of Houma, Jessie Guidry of Larose, Anna Lee Miller of Thibodaux,

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i I i l Y - W--.sue-..4,suf. , l W, l ,- ,ljllg , Qi? 35 fi , 'Tll3'iS GTS :ri curls-fi V , 1 . -- ' L , T-Y'iE,gYfx , , -- iw ,--?3,.,, Q- f' 1 '3f'5.: i':-7' -' -. ,,-W1-r 'fW 4?1 '- Q- ' 1' f'M 'z: - ! ' '-3 55?-PQ-, Sis. f . , i ,Ms- ,,.,gs. . I, off to other places or home to prepare for the next night's football game. As Saturday dawned, the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox were prepar- ing to continue their bid for the World Series crown, and Big Red supporters were preparing to see if Nicholls could set a new record by winning five games in arow. Pre-game parties at fraternity houses and business places got people into the spirit for the game, which held several surprises for them. After the introduction of the 1975 Homecoming Queen and her court, another announcement was made. The Nicholls State Colonels, leading in the Gulf South Conference for the first time in four years of competition, were ranked ninth by the NCAA Division ll Small College Poll. At halftime the Nicholls Marching Band combined a medley of songs about differ- ent places and formation of surfers, trolly cars and boats in showing a professors adventures. The half-time show concluded with a salute to the number nine ranking of the Colonels. The Colonels came back in the second half to score twice and take a 23-1 O win over Northwestern Louisiana Demons. A Homecoming Dance was held in the Student Union Ballroom after the game with Stop lnc.'l The city of Thibodaux celebrated into the morning with the students and alumni of Nicholls. To round out the week, the campus theatrical group, the Nicholls Players, were presenting the last performance of Chere Belle, Chere Betef' The play, an original production by English professor Max Quertermous, was scheduled to go to Baton Rouge the next week for the American College Theater Festival. A standing room only crowd witnessed the last production locally, having a 15 minute delay when the electricity went off in the theater, For some, this break was the perfect time to close their eyes and rest after a full week. For the alumni, it was a chance to recall the progress of Nicholls in terms ot size, new buildings and programs since their graduation For the students, it was a week of res- pite before midterm exams. It was Homecoming for another year, with a lot on campus to celebrate. -gl-H Z A 9 JJ xxx --'XXX Q ff- N t erM'1'H li Aff 'G' it X Gayle Echols, a nursing iunior from New Orleans was crowned the 1975 Homecoming Oueen Fchols was also selected as the Creek Goddess Rirogue Queen and Ms Nicholls Homecoming '75 87

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Holding oft her hunger with a doughnut, cum laude graduate Elaine tv1cLester talks with Richard Thom- son and Brent Madere. Marcello Heidi Weishaupt of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Alma Zimmer- man of Thibodaux. For all the graduates assembled, it marked an end to the work and time they spent at Nicholls, All dressed in similar caps and gowns, the prospective graduates ranged from those in two-year programs, to the traditional four-year graduates, to some who returned after a twenty year absence to the area of higher educa- tion. After the waiting, lining up, the handshake and diploma, kissing, taking pictures and congratulations, time didn't end forthe graduates, but gave them one special moment. Other dignitaries with Nix were Vernon Galliano, university president, Donald Ayo, vice president and provost, G, G. Varvaro, vice president of student affairs,RevsF2opertlv1elancon and Rev. Harvey Chadwick who handled the invocation and bene- diction and Ron Landry, state representative. Graduation 89