August 2004

Alumni News

Calling All Alums—First Ever Semi-Annual Alumni Association Meeting!

The Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to extend a personal invitation to all alumni to a special gathering on October 1 & 2, 2004 . Your Alumni Association is working hard to strengthen the Centenary Connection for the sake of its valued alumni, the current students and the faculty of the College. Alumni Association President Chat Reed, '64 had this to say, “I am proud to have been asked to represent you this year. We have a dynamic board and a variety of new alumni programs to share with you. Please join me and the other members of the board for a weekend filled with Centenary pride, friendship, school spirit, fun, and progress. An exciting and interesting program has been planned. In addition, there will be a number of athletic events, social opportunities, and entertainment taking place throughout the weekend. On Saturday afternoon I will conduct our Semi-annual Board Meeting. This is your chance to reconnect with Centenary and to participate in the adoption of our new mission statement and alumni association charter. Out-of-towners, I encourage you to come back to Centenary for the weekend. Locals, please join me in welcoming them back.”

Be on the look out for the invitation/brochure, which will be mailed soon.

Alumni Needed to Help with Student Recruitment

September through November is recruiting season. Recruiters from Centenary's Office of Admissions go to as many college fairs as possible, however, they cannot make all of them. Two events may occur on the same night, or two cities may hold their events so close date-wise that staff are unable to get to them. This is where alumni could be a big help. Following are places, times and dates of important college fairs, for which we could use your help. Please email if you would like to volunteer:

  • Baton Rouge
    • September 14 @ 7 pm – 8:30 pm—Parkview Baptist High School
    • September 15 @ 1 pm – 3 pm—LSU (East Baton Rouge Parish)
    • September 15 @ 6 pm – 8 pm—St. Joseph's Academy
    • September 21 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm—Livingston (Denham Springs)
      (There will be a staff representative at these fairs, but if an alum wants to help—great!)
  • Atlanta, GA
    • September 20 @ 9 am – 11:30 am—The Lovett School (with David Henington)
    • September 20 @ 1:15 pm – 4 pm – The Westminster Schools (with David Henington)
  • New Orleans
    • Monday, October 11 @ 7 pm – 8:30 pm—Vanderbilt High School (Houma)
    • Tuesday, October 12 @ 6 pm – 8 pm—The Civic Center (hosted by St. Bernard High)
    • Wednesday, October 13 @ 8:30 am – 10:30 am—Hahnville High School
    • Monday, October 18 @ 11 am – 12:30 pm—St. Charles Catholic High School
    • Monday, October 18 @ 7 pm – 8 pm—Riverside Academy
    • Tuesday, October 19 @ 7 pm – 9 pm—Central Lafourche High School
    • Wednesday, October 20 @ 8 am – 11 am—The Castine Center at Pelican Park in Mandeville
    • Sunday, October 24 @ 7 pm – 9 pm—Jesuit High School
    • Monday, October 25 @ 6 pm – 9 pm—Grace King High School
    • Tuesday, October 26 @ 6 pm – 9 pm—Archdiocese of New Orleans @ Ponchartrain Center
    • Wednesday, October 27 @ 10:30 am – 1 pm—Mount Carmel Academy
    • Wednesday, October 27 @ 6 pm – 8:30 pm—John Ehret High School
    • Thursday, October 28 @ 10:15 am – 1 pm—Brother Martin High School
    • Thursday, October 28 @ 7 pm – 9 pm—Benjamin Franklin High School
    • Friday, October 29 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm—McMain Magnet High School

It's Time for the Book Bazaar!

The 18th annual Centenary Book Bazaar — with thousands of used books, records, CDs, and tapes — will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 and 11, in the Gold Dome. Sale hours on Friday are 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year's sale should be the biggest and best ever with over 35,000 items for sale. Admission is free and prices start at 25 cents. If you would like to volunteer, please email Amy Giglio at or call her at 869-5136. We are expecting a huge crowd this year and appreciate your help! We need cashiers and floor workers for all shifts. Don't miss this sale! Tell your coworkers and neighbors! All proceeds from the Book Bazaar fund student projects at Centenary.

Calling All Greeks!

A NEW Greek Alumni Chapter is being formed to support the needs of current Greeks and Greek alumni. If you are a Greek alum interested in the preservation and continuation of the important traditions and progress of your fraternity or sorority at Centenary College, here's your chance to make a significant difference. E-mail to add your name, phone number and Greek affiliation to the roster of alumni who want to be contacted about the new chapter.

Class Notes Now Online

Here's an example of a recent alumni update: Jeffrey Broussard ‘04

Things are going great. I got accepted into a program called Emergent Infectious Disease with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a one-year fellowship program that will train me in all sorts of virology techniques. It's a top-notch program that I couldn't have been accepted into if not for my recommendations from my professors, "friends" and the credentials I have received from Centenary. This means a lot to me. Centenary means a lot to me—more than ever now that I have graduated. I would very much like to remain part of Centenary, even though I'm moving far away. My job has me going to Tampa for a year. Then I'm going to graduate school.

Congratulations to Jeffrey from the Office of Alumni Relations!

Jim Pagano ‘95 wins Broomfield Open

Pagano came storming back from behind to defeat Tim Brownlee 7-6 (7) in the set and cruised to a much easier win in the second set with a 6-1 victory at the Broomfield Swim and Tennis Club. Pagano, a 31-year-old Boulder resident who teaches juniors at the club and played collegiately at Centenary, has won three titles in his three visits to the Broomfield Open, but this is his first singles title. "I played a ton when I was a kid, but nowadays it is really tough on my body, so I can't do it all the time," Pagano said. "It is different hitting balls around and playing against someone trying to beat you. It can be a bit tough, but it is great coming out and playing again." Brownlee started off the match with some very strong serves that Pagano either could not easily return or not even hit at all. As the match wore on and Brownlee's serves weren't as strong, Pagano was able to force Brownlee to rely on other parts of his game. In the first game of the second set, Brownlee hit a behind-the-back lob, which drew some cheers from spectators, but it was Pagano who was tough when the match got tight. "He played some big points well and I didn't," Brownlee said. "He came through when he needed to and I had some chances, but I didn't pull it out." Pagano and Brownlee were just two of the 384 competitors in this year's Broomfield Open.

Other Centenary College News

New Director Hired for Theological Studies Center

Rev. Don Meeks has been hired as the Director of the Center for Theological Studies at Centenary College. Don is an elder in the United Methodist Church and comes to Shreveport from the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. The Center for Theological Studies has been established with a grant from the Louisiana Methodist Foundation and individuals to provide continuing education opportunities to clergy and laity and to work with seminaries to bring graduate theological studies to Louisiana through Centenary College.

Louisiana Film Festival at Centenary Seeking Entries from K-12 Students

Organizers of the Louisiana Film Festival - Student Division are seeking submissions from Kindergarten-12th grade students, with finalists' works to be showcased at a November film festival promoting the educational qualities of filmmaking. Sponsors of the event are the Louisiana Film Center, Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Centenary college, where the festival will be held Nov. 12 and 13. Read the press release HERE.

News from the Athletics Department

Centenary student-athlete Anja Schmidt has been chosen by the Mid-Continent Athletic Conference for the most prestigious individual honor given by the league — in recognition of performance in athletic competition and in the classroom. Schmidt and Justin Langan of Western Illinois University were selected by the conference's faculty athletic representatives as the female and male recipients of the 2003-04 Mid-Continent Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year designation.

Just a sophomore, Schmidt has enjoyed tremendous successes in her first two years as a tennis player and student at Centenary. As a freshman in 2002-03, Centenary's final season playing as an independent, Schmidt was named both the Independent Player and Newcomer of the Year, as well as a member of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana first team. She went a step better in 2003-04, earning Mid-Con Player of the Year honors with a 23-3 overall record, including a perfect 9-0 mark against league foes. A five-time Mid-Con Athlete of the Week honoree, she repeated as an All-Louisiana first team pick, and was ranked among the nation's “Top 100” by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

More Alumni News

Centenary Alumni Couples Meet Regularly for Dinner

Being a part of an Alumni Couples Dinner Club gives you the opportunity to socialize with Centenary Alumni in your hometown. A dinner club is formed by building a group of 6 couples who would like to get together regularly and who are willing to take turns hosting the dinner. Some clubs even provide a babysitter(s) to entertain the kids while the parents relax. The cost of the babysitter is split between the parents whose children come to the dinner. Most dinner clubs will meet once a month or every other month at a different house until everyone has had a chance to host. When hosting a dinner club, you simply provide food, drinks, and a place for everyone to eat and socialize.

"By meeting in these small, intimate groups you really get to know fellow alumni and will be amazed with their similarities to your own lifestyle. We talked about everything from babies to jobs and even about predictions for upcoming interest rates. We have

such a diverse group of people, yet we can really see how our background at Centenary has shaped our goals and the way we look at things. It will be exciting to hear about what each couple has experienced since the last time we met." - Leah Muslow '98

Starting a Centenary Couples Dinner Club is easy to do. Email .

Forward the newsletter to fellow alumni

Share the Centenary Connections alumni e-newsletter with your fellow alums. Just forward this e-mail to classmates who may not be receiving it, and remind them to stay in touch with Centenary by e-mailing to be added to the mailing list. For more information on all alumni activities visit the website at http://www.centenary.edu/alumni. If you are interested in contributing material to the newsletter, please e-mail .