Early Campuses
In post-Civil War days, the number of graduates was so small and so local that apparently there was little need for a formal organization of alumni. The Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy began its first session on January 2, 1860, with only 5 faculty members and 19 students. The outbreak of the Civil War closed the Seminary for nearly a year, and continued fighting forced a second closure that lasted for more than three years. Consequently, the University's first graduating class, consisting of eight Cadets, did not occur until 1869. That same year, the sole campus building burned, and the Seminary was moved to Baton Rouge to the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. On March 16, 1870, the name was changed to Louisiana State University, and thus students were now alumni of LSU. In 1877, as a result of the merger of LSU and Louisiana A&M College, students became alumni of Louisiana State University and A&M College. In 1886, the University relocated to the federal garrison grounds in downtown Baton Rouge where the state capitol now stands.

The Society of the Alumni
By the end of the nineteenth century, the school had been re-invigorated and many more students had passed through the gates, creating a need for a more formal way for graduates to stay in touch. This need was met on June 19, 1905, when the Society of the Alumni of LSU was incorporated under the leadership of Lewis S. Graham. The Society saw its primary mission as maintaining contact among graduates and former students and did so through a monthly periodical called The Alumnus, which first appeared in April 1905. Additionally, the group maintained alumni scholarships and awarded an alumni medal to the Cadet in the University who most distinguished himself in conduct and study. Beginning a long-honored tradition, the Society sponsored the first formal class reunion, hosting the Class of 1879-1880 for its 25th anniversary. Most importantly, the Society felt the need to demonstrate to alumni the paramount importance of their financial contributions if LSU was to continue to be a great university. They did so by raising funds to finish David F. Boyd Memorial Hall, which became the first home of the Society of the Alumni of LSU. Renamed Alumni Hall in its infancy, this building was the first structure to dominate the visitor's view upon arriving through the main entrance of the downtown campus. While Alumni Hall served as the central home for alumni, Ruffin G. Pleasant, E.L. Stephens, James F. Broussard and Lewis Gottlieb were among the alumni presidents who walked its halls. This first, true home of the alumni proved important enough to former Cadets that in 1934 it was lovingly reconstructed brick-by-brick on the new campus. Later renamed the Journalism Building, though not the first building erected on the current grounds, it is in spirit the oldest.

LSU Alumni Federation
By the time the current campus opened in 1924, the Society had already evolved into the LSU Alumni Federation, a name and organizational structure that held for seven decades and is still familiar to many alumni. The Alumni Federation's main objective was to encourage alumni memberships through contributions and to maintain contact with graduates through chapters worldwide, reunions and meetings. A new publication, The LSU Alumni News, was published to keep the 2,400 LSU alumni abreast of what was happening at home and with one another. As LSU's academic reputation improved, the number of alumni supporting the University increased. With the post-World War II boom in higher education and the massive growth and complexity of the nationally recognized LSU, a new home for the Federation was clearly needed by the mid-1950s. In November 1956, the University assigned the Old President's House to the Federation. Under the presidency of William H. LeBlanc, Jr., the Federation began renovations of its new home, which opened its doors to alumni in the fall of 1958. By that time, the Federation had grown to six full-time staff members, double the number just three years earlier. Irwin J. Becnel, Lucien Laborde, J. Huntington Odom, I. Kent Anderson and Elaine D. Abell were just some of the past presidents who presided over the Federation when it was housed on Highland Road. Also in the fall of 1958 during the presidency of F. P. Bordelon, what we recognize today as the Alumni Fund was established, even though an Alumni Fund had been in existence since the 1930s. The new objectives of the fund were to furnish and equip the new location, provide additional personnel to the Federation, complete financing of the T. Kelly McKnight Scholarship and to serve as a "pace setter." This began the Federation's annual fundraising drives that continue today. In early 1984, James H. Wharton, Chancellor emeritus, recognized the need to modernize the organization along the lines of those he had seen at other major universities, an alumni organization better able to create and nurture relationships between the University, its alumni and friends. Wharton charged Charlie W. Roberts with making his vision reality and named him to the top position as Vice Chancellor of the Division of University Relations and Development on April 1, 1984. By the time Roberts had been selected by Wharton to head the Federation in 1984, the Old President's House was falling into disrepair. Fortunately, Roberts knew the University owned the incomplete Alpha Phi sorority house on West Lakeshore Drive, and he was able to have this facility assigned to University Relations and Development. Exactly one year to the day that Roberts assumed leadership of the Federation, it moved into the new Alumni House. On July 1, 1985, as a result of an interpretation by the Louisiana Commission on Ethics for Public Employees, the Federation became its own, self-sufficient entity with more freedom and capabilities to aid the University.

LSU Alumni Association
The transformation of the Federation to a private entity and its renaming as the LSU Alumni Association in 1987 were major defining moments in the organization's history. An immensely ambitious and daunting course had been charted for the organization and its 23 alumni chapters. During the previous 25 years, the organization had provided students and the University with over $8.2 million in support of scholarships, professorships and other donations through the Alumni Fund, but this generosity meant that the Association began its new life with only $28,000 dollars in endowments. The impetus required to make the Association's mission viable came quickly but at a tragic cost, the result in 1985 of an airplane crash which claimed the life of benefactor and friend of LSU, Noel E. "Butch" Baum, who bequeathed $1.2 million-and a new beginning-to the Association. Although expanding its chapter numbers from the base of its new home, the Association still did not have an adequate place to welcome alumni and friends. Any functions sponsored by the Association, for the most part, had to be held off-campus, obviously not the best way to host alumni and laud the accomplishments of the University. During the remainder of the 1980s, the Association began planning for a definitive home for LSU alumni. Charlie W. Roberts envisioned a home on campus where alumni could meet to remember their days at LSU.

Buildings and Expansion
The space problem was finally solved when H. Rouse Caffey, then-Chancellor of the LSU AgCenter, transferred to the Association the majestic eight acres of property currently controlled by the organization. Caffey's shared vision for the Association's continued success instantly provided the site necessary for the construction of the magnificent Lod Cook Alumni Center. Nestled against the University Lakes, the Lod Cook Alumni Center is named for 1950 and 1955 LSU graduate Lodwrick M. "Lod" Cook who made the lead gift for the building. Cook, the former chairman and CEO of ARCO, serves as a member of the Association's board of directors and is a long-time benefactor of the Alumni Association. May 20, 1994, proved to be one of the most glorious moments in the Association's history, the dedication of the Lod Cook Alumni Center. The stellar event included toasts from special guests Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush. The awe-inspiring gala included congratulatory letters from Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, a 21-gun salute and a spectacular fireworks display. Only the guest of honor and lead donor Lod Cook could have attracted such a distinguished group of well wishers. Beginning with Cook and the ARCO Foundation's lead gift of $1.2 million, the center was finally completed at a cost of $5.4 million dollars including all fixtures and furnishings. Constructed completely with private donations and restricted gifts, the Lod Cook Alumni Center was built by offering patrons the opportunity to name individual rooms in the facility and ultimately through funds generated by the TigerWalk, which allowed all alumni and friends an affordable opportunity to have their names inscribed on walkway tiles surrounding the building. Amazingly, the Lod Cook Alumni Center was built without utilizing any of the annual funds generated by the Association to provide for its sponsored scholarships and professorships. Everything associated with the center was raised above and beyond the Association's mission. The 36,000 square foot facility houses two banquet rooms, four meeting rooms and houses the offices of both the Association and the LSU Foundation. The second floor of the center also serves as an art gallery, housing works from such notable Louisiana artists as Robert Gordy and Elmer Morgan. Following in the footsteps of the American Legion, which had built the Campanile as a war memorial in 1921, the Association in 1998 showed its patriotism by completing the funding, construction and dedication of the LSU War Memorial located on the Parade Ground. With George H. W. Bush as the keynote speaker and an F-18 jet flyover, this monument was dedicated to the memory of LSU alumni, faculty, staff and students who lost their lives in the armed forces of the United States during all of America's mobilizations since World War I. This last Memorial Day, the name of an LSU graduate who lost his life in Iraq was added to the memorial's walls. As with other projects constructed recently by the Association, the LSU War Memorial was funded entirely by private donations, not from the Association's endowment dedicated to students, faculty and the University. With the dawning of a new century came another shining moment for the Association. For years, alumni returning to campus either had the option of staying at the aging Pleasant Hall, the LSU Faculty Chapter, a local hotel or with friends. This all changed in October 2001 with the opening of the Lod & Carole Cook Conference Center and Hotel, the only alumni association owned and operated hotel in the country. Just as he had for the Alumni Center, Cook made the lead gift to encourage others to commit to creating the 128-room facility, now considered one of the premier lodging choices for travelers visiting the Baton Rouge area. Together the conference center and hotel are highly sought after venues for meetings, conferences, weddings, receptions and other events. But like the Lod Cook Alumni Center, the hotel chiefly serves as a beacon for alumni returning to campus. Once again leading the way among alumni organizations, the Association also generated private funding to construct the Jack & Priscilla Andonie Museum in May 2004. The facility is named for Jack and Priscilla Andonie who, along with their children, gave their LSU sports memorabilia collection valued at over $721,000 dollars. Located next to the Lod Cook Alumni Center, the museum contains an impressive display of great moments in athletic history, and soon its initial exhibit-"Celebrating LSU Athletics-A Salute to All Those Who Have Brought Honor, Fame, and Glory to LSU"-will travel to the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport. Compared to its simple beginning, the LSU Alumni Association is a mammoth operation. With an endowment exceeding $8 million, the Association today sponsors over 250 prestigious scholarships and more than 30 professorships. On campus, the Association occupies an impressive eight-acre complex that includes the Lod Cook Alumni Center, the Lod & Carole Cook Conference Center and Hotel, the Jack & Priscilla Andonie Museum and soon-to-be constructed Sugar Woods Building, a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled storage facility. The Association's total assets equal over $32 million. Off-campus, the Association sponsors 110 alumni chapters throughout the United States that host local events year round.

The Alumni Association Today
LSU Alumni and friends have a rich legacy of providing support and leadership for a variety of projects. The tremendous growth of the Association over the past two decades is a monument to their generosity and to the vision and leadership of Charlie W. Roberts, Association President & CEO, and the members of the board of directors. The accomplishments of the Association can be directly traced to these loyal board members and generous donors. A dedicated staff of more than 30 oversees all aspects of the Association. All activities are the culmination of in-house collaboration and coordination. These include soliciting contributions for the Alumni Fund for scholarships and professorships and other special projects; publishing the LSU Alumni Magazine; maintaining relations with 110 chapters; inducting members into the LSU Alumni Association's Hall of Distinction, developing the Student Alumni Association, administering the Lod & Carole Cook Conference Center and Hotel; organizing alumni activities such as Homecoming events, Tiger Band Reunions, Golden Tigers Reunions, retired faculty events, Senior Ring Ceremonies, Senior Celebrations, Traveling Tigers, Touring Tigers and the Centennial Celebration culminating in tonight's gala. All of these have the same goal: to encourage and support continued participation of alumni with their alma mater. The LSU Alumni Association remains faithful to its original goals and mission: promoting the welfare of the University, maintaining contact and encouraging continued participation of alumni with their alma mater. Whether it is building a grand conference center and hotel or simply pulling on a purple and gold shirt for a chapter event, its 220,000 members will no doubt remain faithful to these goals for another century to come. For its part, the Association will keep the traditions and the legacy of loyalty and leadership that are Forever LSU.