Back in 1969, I was a journalism student at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. The teacher asked me to write a short history of SLU for the student newspaper. It turned out to be a rather lengthy history, so much so that the Hammond Vindicator Newspaper wanted to publish it in their community newspaper.
So, here it is, from 56 years ago, the history of Southeastern Louisiana College (at the time). Click on the images below to make the images and text larger.
Text from the above 1969 article follows:
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA COLLEGE
By Ronnie Barthet
The amount of money spent by Southeastern Louisiana College in its overall budgets have doubled since 1963 from $3.5 million to $7.8 million. Presently the college is recognized as one of Hammond's major industries.
From the school' s beginning, however, the road to recognition proved a constant struggle involving land, money, politics and public opinion.
For example, when Dr. R. Norval Garrett, dean of the division of applied sciences, cameto Southeastern in 1930 he asked someone where the campus was located. Not too many people could tell him.
The college gained recognition slowly; major recognition probably came with full membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on March 3, 1946. Hammond fully realized the school's financial influence on the community when in 1950 SLC President G. J. Tinsley prepared and distributed an income statistics sheet.
Since then Southeastern has continued to gain a favorable reputation in Louisiana and the South. In 1950 an anniversary program heralded the college's first 25 years. At the celebration were leading educators, congressmen and even the Vice President of the United States, Alben W. Barkley. In seven years Southeastern will be celebrating its golden anniversary.
First called the Hammond Junior College, the school was conceived in January, 1925, by the principal of Hammond High School, Linus Arthur Sims. Talk concerning junior colleges abounded in Louisiana at that time and the need for one near Hammond was apparent to several prominent citizens of the city.
While sitting at his breakfast table reading the "New Orleans Times-Picayune," Principal Sims came across an article written by State Superintendent of Education Tom H. Harris. The story dealt with the possibility of several junior colleges being established in Louisiana.
On his way to school that day, Sims met Oscar Donaldson, president of the Hammond Chamber of Commerce, and told him of his idea. Donaldson approved. The Chamber of Commerce contacted Superintendent Harris, who replied in favor of the proposal. At a meeting with the local school board, Harris said that he didn't see the need for another junior college, but, if the idea gained the public's support, the possibility of locating one in Hammond was good.
Once the news got out that a junior college might be built in the Florida parishes, other towns vied for the chance to have the campus in their area. Bogalusa became especially eagar, yet Tom Harris remained in favor of a Hammond location.
The Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education had to approve the junior college project and arrange for an election to be held to establish funds for the publicly-supported institution. Board members from the north end of the parish were against the idea, thus the election was voted down.
Since the three southern wards paid most of the taxes in the parish, supporters of the junior college asked the Tangipahoa School Board to allow the sixth, seventh and eighth wards to tax only themselves. This proposal brought about a bitter argument at the next board meeting in Amite, nearly ending in outraged tempers and flying fists.
But following a prayer by Dr. Lucius McGehee which calmed a few members, the board voted unanimously to approve the election. The southern end of the parish could tax itself to finance a junior college, the board agreed.
Opponents of the idea questioned the legality of the parish wards taxing themselves for a junior college. They enlisted the aid of the local district attorney who said the plan might not be legal. However, after consulting with State Attorney General Percy Saint, the junior college's supporters learned that, in his opinion, the wards could legally tax themselves.
During the 30 days required to advertise the election, Principal Sims traveled to almost every voting precinct, trying to increase interest in the junior college to spur a favorable vote. A poll conducted before the election showed that 85 per cent of the voters were in favor of the school.
The organizers of the school were so confident they hired a faculty of four with the understanding that their contracts would be void should the election fail. Composing the first faculty were Walter S. McKay, dean of education; Miss Dovie Evora Vickers, English teacher; Miss Marie del Norte Theriot, French teacher and J. P. Montgomery, psychology and education teacher. Later, Miss lone Duncan, was appointed to the faculty to instruct music and art.
Sims was designated as president of the school, now christened the Hammond Junior College. On July 7, 1925, the southern half of Tangipahoa Parish voted to levy a one-mill tax on property assessment to support the junior college. Eight out of ten voters approved the establishment of the institution. The State Board of Education later sanctioned the action.
The junior college opened on Sept. 14, 1925. Forty students enrolled, all freshmen and sophomores. Hammond Junior College was originally conceived as a two-year teacher training institution. Undergraduate work in the arts and sciences was also offered.
Forty-seven courses made up two curricula, both approved by the State Board of Education. Hammond High School facilities were used the first two years of the college's operation. Fees paid by students for the first year amounted to $17 for each 12-week period. The nearby Miller home provided dormitories for 12 girls for $20 a month.
At the end of the first year, six students graduated from the school. Miss May Addison of Hammond received the first diploma given by the College. Other graduates were Tom Foster from Shreveport, Dorothy Snell from Texas, and Gladys Torrence, Verdia Tycer and Mrs. J. B. Campbell, all from Hammond.
In the second year Montgomery took the place of McKay as dean of education and two more teachers joined the faculty: B. A. Tucker in mathematics and R. T. Pursley in science.
Enrollment for the second year totaled 70 with 15 in the graduating class.
Garfield Harris, the first custodial worker hired to care for the campus, came on Oct. 1, 1927. He remained with the school for 21 years and 9 months, mowing lawns, trimming shrubs and tending flower beds. For years he fostered a well-known campus landmark, the Friendship Oak.
Ninety-five students attended the junior college during its, third year. Some classes were housed by a converted barn. In 1928 floods ravaged the Hunter C. Leake residence in the northern section of Hammond. Thoroughly disgusted, he sold his 15-acre tract of land and home to the college for $18,000.
The upstairs of the Leake residence served as a girl's dormitory and the ground floor as the president's home. An old remodeled outbuilding became the college's administration building. Servants' quarters served as classrooms, laboratories and library.
Twenty students graduated the third year. Tension mounted concerning the state's support of the college, as Superintendent Harris had predicted, and area leaders placed the matter before the Louisiana Legislature in June, 1928. Harris, who had favored the junior college before, opposed the measure because the state was short of funds. The prospect of gaining state support appeared dim. Despite set-backs, the bill was introduced and passed unanimously.
Thus the Hammond Junior College became a state institution supported by state funds. At the same time, the name of the school became Southeastern Louisiana College.
When the state took control of the college, 100 students were enrolled, five teachers made up the faculty and the physical plant valued nearly $20,000. Included in the bill for state support, the right to expand to a four-year curricula was granted the college.
Appropriations for the school sometimes fell under the veto of Governor Long, who was promoting LSU as the state university and planning to close down several of the smaller junior colleges. Southeastern did, however, receive the needed money.
Later, the college needed more space, so another battle was fought in the legislature. The debate became so heated that Representative Tom McKneely offered to whip any member who voted against the appropriation bill. The bill passed.
With the state in financial turmoil, Southeastern had a hard time staying open. After a struggle of several months, the college did receive a sum of $10,000 from the Board of Liquidation of the State Debt.
Under the editorship of Carmen F. Palmer of Ponchatoula, Southeastern published the first yearbook entitled "Le Souvenir" in 1929. Linus A. Sims, still president of the institution, said in the annual that four years earlier the college had started on nothing but faith.
In 1930, a third year was added to the curricula. The state legislature, not forgetting Long' s idea of closing several of the junior colleges, received a proposal to make SLC part of the LSU system in the late 1930's.
Y. L. Fontenot, then president of Southeastern, thought that if the college became part of LSU, that would be the end. Matters looked dim. Eldridge Carroll, a popular Hammond resident, enlisted the aid of another Hammond citizen, O. P. Waldrop, and together they went to Baton Rouge to fight for the bill's defeat.
With the aid of the new governor, Richard W. Leche, they were able to have the bill withdrawn. Southeastern would be not be a part of Louisiana State University.
Governor Leche showed interest in the welfare of the Hammond institution and had championed the college's cases before. He had recommended a budget increase, remedied the building problem slightly and helped to build and name the campus football field, Strawberry Stadium.
The college continued to expand. Buildings were added. Enrollment increased. Routines became habits; habits became customs; customs became traditions. The presidents came and went. The list includes L. A. Sims, Y. L. Fontenot, J. Leon Clark, Gladney Jack Tinsley and Luther H. Dyson.
The college converted to a four-year curricula in 1937, and in May, 1939, the first baccalaureate degrees were conferred. Since then a total of 6,601 degrees have been given by Southeastern. Presently, the faculty and administration personnel number nearly 310.
Friendship Oak continues to grow, as does the Florida parishes' leading institution of higher learning, Southeastern Louisiana College.
End of 1969 Article
