Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern breaks ground for hurricane memorial fountain

Contact: Constance woods

2/9/07

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(1) BREAKING GROUND FOR MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN – Southeastern Louisiana University officials, students and guests break ground for the memorial fountain that will commemorate members of the Southeastern family affected by the 2005 hurricanes. Wielding shovels, from left, are Major Richmond of Cobalt Construction, Inc., former SGA President Paul Donaldson; Jeffrey Smith of Holly and Smith Architects; Director of Facility Planning Ken Howe, Provost John Crain, Alumni Association President and former SGA President Gary Sandifer, SGA President Aron Walker, former Vice President for Student Affairs Patsy Causey, President Randy Moffett, University of Louisiana System board members Elsie Burkhalter and Andre Coudrain, Vice President for Administration and Finance Stephen Smith, SGA Capital Outlay Committee Chair Cassandra Boyd, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jim McHodgkins, and Vice President for Student Affairs Marvin Yates. 

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(2) FOUNTAIN COMMEMORATES HURRICANES – Southeastern Louisiana University’s memorial fountain, designed by Holly & Smith Architects of Hammond, is being built near the Presidential Plaza behind Fayard Hall.

     HAMMOND – With much fanfare, Southeastern broke ground last week for a new campus fountain that will commemorate the members of the Southeastern family affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
     President Randy Moffett called the project, which is being funded by the Student Government Association, "a wonderful addition to an already outstanding campus."

     “The fountain will be a wonderful symbol for our region and our university,” said Ken Howe, director of Southeastern Facility Planning. Howe said the $255,000 project, which was funded by the Student Government Association, is scheduled for completion in the next six months.

     Howe worked with a series of SGA presidents – former presidents Ashley McKee and Paul Donaldson and current president Aron Walker – and the SGA Capital Outlay Committee to make the long-planned fountain a reality.

     Located in the Presidential Plaza behind Fayard Hall, the stone and granite structure will reflect the Gulf of Mexico’s coastline with the names of the storms and all parishes and Mississippi counties that were deemed disaster areas, Howe said.

     The memorial fountain was designed by Holly & Smith Architects of Hammond and will be built by Cobalt Construction, Inc. of Slidell.

     “I am excited to see this project planned, funded, designed, and now finally the groundbreaking, while I’m still at Southeastern,” said Walker, a management major from New Orleans whose family was impacted by Katrina.

     Members of the Capital Outlay Committee were Ken Howe, Gina Drago, also of Facility Planning, and SGA members Paul Donaldson, Walker, Casandra Boyd, Ericka Johnson, Ashley McKee, and Katherine Kuntz.