LSU Alumni Association Blog

Are you or someone you know a descendant or relative of the men listed below? If so, we would like to hear from you. These men were former LSU students and alumni who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I and are honored in the Memorial Oak Grove on campus. The grove is being reimagined as a prominent place of remembrance and on Nov. 11, the 100^th anniversary of the end of the war, a rededication ceremony will be held. The general public is invited to attend.  Details of the ceremony will be forthcoming. 

“I tell you it felt good walking across this campus tonight,” said Kelly Kissel, retired Associated Press Arkansas news editor and now metro editor of The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. Kissel earned bachelor’s degree in journalism from LSU in 1984.

Kissel was talking about the short walk from the University’s Visitor Center parking lot to The Chimes Restaurant one weekday night in late June. He had been in the metro editor’s chair at The Advocate two days. 

The LSU Distinguished Faculty Awards Presentation 2018 was held on May 2 at Lod Cook Alumni Center.

LSU Alumni Association was proud to present 19 faculty members with awards this year. These financial awards are made possible by the generous donations of our alumni, fans, and friends. These contributions enhance the ability to recruit and retain the many excellent faculty members that call LSU home.

Dr. Billy Cannon passed away on Sunday, May 20, 2018. He was 80.

Cannon was recognized by the LSU Alumni Association as Alumnus of the Year in 2010. We all know of his gridiron achievements, and we thought Tiger Nation would be interested in knowing the rest of the story.

When most people think of a crawfish boil, they likely conjure up images of several fold-out tables in a backyard with twenty to thirty of their closest friends. In San Diego, they've decided to take this typical gathering and turn it into a massive festival. Over the last thirty years, the LSU Alumni of San Diego Chapter has managed to grow this annual event into one of the largest crawfish boils in the world. With over 4,000 purple and gold fanatics taking over the practice field at Qualcomm Stadium, this festival has become the place to be during the Memorial Day weekend. While there is nothing like a good party, this celebration has a worthy cause. The funds raised from the crawfish boil are used to award 2 scholarships per year for local San Diego students planning to attend LSU. Additionally, 2 Professorships/Year are awarded to distinguished LSU Faculty Members.

The Southern California LSU Alumni Chapter is a thriving group of Tiger alums now living large and lovin’ life on the west coast. Sure, there is some culture shock when an LSU graduate ventures into the wild, wild west. At first glance, the differences between south Louisiana and southern California are many. But the members of the Southern California LSU Alumni Chapter embrace change while hanging on to their Tiger roots.

This Saturday a horse named Lone Sailor, owned by the Benson family, will compete in “America’s Greatest Race,” the Kentucky Derby. Lone Sailor is a special horse up against some pretty tough odds this weekend – 50-1. Although the competition is tough it wouldn’t be the first time a horse with these odds won the derby. Mine That Bird and Giacomo won the race in 2009 and 2005, respectively.

But let me introduce you to the man behind the horse – a passionate trainer who doesn’t put much bearing on the odds. Rather, he puts his faith in his thoroughbred and believes he has what it takes to take the derby this year. That man is Tom Amoss, and he happens to be an LSU Tiger.

Amoss, a proud LSU alumnus and loyal supporter of his alma mater, has a storied 30+-year career in thoroughbred training.

The dry climate of Sin City is a far cry from the thick humidity of the Louisiana bayous. While the altitude and temperatures may be different, there is one thing Las Vegas and Louisiana have in common – the love for a good party.

If you have a connection to Louisiana or Las Vegas, the Sin City Tigers Crawfish Boil is Christmas, Mardi Gras, and Saturday Night in Death Valley all rolled into one. This year is a special one for the Las Vegas LSU Alumni Chapter as they are celebrating 15 years of hosting their crawfish boil. In honor of this monumental occasion, we have created 15 reasons for you to attend this year’s Sin City Tigers Crawfish Boil this Saturday under the canopy at the Freemont Street Experience.