LSU Alumni Association history

Due to Reconstruction, no more classes graduated until 1882, but alumni retained their ties to the school through those difficult times.

In 1886, the University relocated to the federal garrison grounds in downtown Baton Rouge where the state capitol now stands.

The Society saw its primary mission as maintaining contact among graduates and ex-students and did so through a monthly periodical called The Alumnus, which first appeared in April 1905.

In 1913, the Society of the Alumni became the LSU Alumni Federation.

On November 12, 1920, W.B. "Bill” Myrick was hired to run alumni affairs from a central office.

The Federation was re-chartered in 1958 as a 501(c)3 organization.

The goals of the Federation were reiterated in the September 1963 issue of Alumni News.

Quality education was supported through the new Alumni Professorships established in 1966.

Wharton charged Charlie W. Roberts, past president and CEO of the LSU Alumni Association, with making his vision a reality and named him to the newly created position of Vice Chancellor for University Relations, effective April 1, 1984.

In November 1985, after a raffle held by the Federation to raise money for faculty and staff salary increases, Ruth Loyd Miller, a member of the LSU System Board of Supervisors, charged the Federation as to the legality of the venture, and the Louisiana Board of Ethics opened hearings on the matter.

The commission published its findings on February 18, 1986, and as a result, on July 1, 1986, the Federation became totally private.

Another major change occurred in November 1987 when the Federation was renamed the LSU Alumni Association and continued as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose main objective was fundraising and maintaining contact with graduates and former students through chapters and reunions.

The magnificent Lod Cook Alumni Center, overlooking University Lake, was dedicated on May 20, 1994, one of the most glorious moments in the history of the LSU Alumni Association.

Everything associated with the center was raised above and beyond the Association’s mission, and by September 1, 1996, the total construction debt was paid.

In October 1998, with former President George H. Bush as keynote speaker looking on, this monument was dedicated to the memory of LSU alumni, faculty, staff, and students who made the ultimate sacrifice in the armed forces of the United States during all of America’s mobilizations since World War I.

Going above and beyond its first mission, the Association also generated private funding to construct the Jack & Priscilla Andonie Museum, which opened in May 2004.