Southeastern Alumni Association honors distinguished graduates from academic colleges
Monday, September 25, 2017
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni Association will honor a distinguished
alumnus from each of the university’s five colleges at its annual Alumni Awards Evening
scheduled Oct. 6 as part of Homecoming Week festivities.
This year’s honorees are A.J. Bodker, College of Education; Barbara Forrest,
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Eugene R. London Jr., College of
Science and Technology; Monica Nijoka, College of Nursing and Health Sciences; and
Robert Yarborough, College of Business.
Executive Director of Alumni Relations Michelle Biggs said the award recognizes
graduates with unique accomplishments on a national or international level who continue
to utilize their degree from Southeastern to the fullest. A limited number of tickets
for the 7 p.m. event are available by calling the Alumni Association at 1-800-SLU-ALUM.
More information about this and other Southeastern Homecoming Week activities can
be found online at www.southeastern.edu/homecoming.
Bodker is a 1952 graduate with a degree in elementary education. A lifelong citizen
of Ponchatoula, Bodker was a teacher and principal at Ponchatoula High School for
more than 35 years. After his retirement, he became a supervisor of student teachers.
Bodker has served on the North Oaks Health System’s Board of Commissioners for 12
years and now volunteers his time on the newly established North Oaks Foundation Board.
A 1974 graduate with a degree in English and a current professor of philosophy
at Southeastern, Forrest is the co-author with Paul R. Gross of “Creationism’s Trojan
Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design,” which details the political and religious
aims of the intelligent design creationist movement. She has authored and co-authored
numerous articles in both academic and popular publications. In 2005, Forrest served
as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the first legal case involving intelligent
design, which resulted in a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs. She is a recipient
of Southeastern’s President Award for Excellence in Research, one of the university’s
highest honors for faculty and staff.
A 1984 graduate with a degree in computer science, London serves as the president
of Systems Integration / Modeling & Simulation, Inc., and is a resident of Tullahoma,
Tenn. His leadership placed SIM&S on the path toward $50 million in annual receipts.
London has been recognized as Tullahoma Citizen of the Year, is the recipient of the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Citizen Award, and the city of Lucedale, Miss., awarded him
the Key to the City for his efforts in Mississippi during the post-Katrina rebuild.
An avid supporter of youth advancing their education, he is committed to providing
mentoring and intern opportunities for students interested in STEM centric fields.
He also rewards academic achievement through his investment in a scholarship honoring
his mother, the Doris A London Memorial Scholarship.
Njoka, chief nursing officer of Baton Rouge General Hospital, is a 1977 graduate
of Southeastern with a degree in nursing. Previously she served as chief nursing officer
at the NeuroMedical Center in Baton Rouge. She has been honored by the Louisiana State
Nursing Association (LSNA) as Nurse Administrator of the Year and as a Woman of Achievement
by the Zonta Club. During her time at Baton Rouge General, she led the hospital to
three consecutive LSNA Hospital of the Year awards.
CEO and co-owner of Manda Fine Meats, Yarborough is a 1974 Southeastern graduate
with a degree in marketing. He is the president of the Louisiana Grocers Manufacturers
Representatives Association, serves on the board of directors for Business First Bank,
and has served on the boards of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and Greater Baton
Rouge Boys and Girls Club. He was named Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2017 by
“Baton Rouge Business Report” and received the “Mama Marion” Award from the Baton
Rouge Epicurean Society for service to the Baton Rouge community.
