LSUS unveils plans
for signature landmark brick plaza
10/24/06

LSUS unveiled plans today for the Dr. Lacy and Edie Williams Circle of Excellence Plaza, the largest single privately funded capital project in the university’s 40-year history.

The Williamses are contributing $150,000 as the lead donors and underwriters of the brick plaza.

Conceptualized and designed by Shreveport’s Somdal Associates Landscape Architect Will Loe, the plaza is a highlight of the LSUS 40th Anniversary celebration and the centerpiece of the LSUS 2006-07 Annual Campaign, which is being spearheaded by the LSUS Alumni Association and the LSUS Foundation. Somdal Associates donated Loe’s time and the firm’s resources to LSUS as an in-kind contribution. And, because of the Williamses’ visionary underwriting of this project to establish a beautiful focal point on the LSUS campus, all other donor participation in the plaza campaign can be used to support university programs.

Edie Broyles Williams, a 1988 LSUS graduate with a Bachelor of General Studies degree, is a member of the LSUS Alumni Association Board of Directors, and Dr. Lacy Williams, who retired as a radiologist at Christus Schumpert Medical Center in 1998, is a member of the LSUS Foundation Board of Directors. The couple will be honored in mid-November by the Shreveport Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the 2006 Philanthropists of the Year.

LSUS has been a formidable mainstay in Shreveport-Bossier and its neighboring communities for many years. “Since its founding in 1967,” said Chancellor Vincent J. Marsala, who is a member of the original faculty, “this institution has been making an impact on our community, our region and the world. The Circle of Excellence Plaza gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and embrace the vision for LSUS we share with Edie and Lacy Williams as we celebrate our first 40 years.”

Marsala emphasized that participation in the campaign is not limited to LSUS graduates, but “is available to everyone who wants to demonstrate their support for LSUS and public higher education in the Ark-La-Tex.”

Those attending the news conference and reception announcing the plaza were treated to an up-close, large-scale look at Loe’s plaza design, along with photorealistic renderings of the structure.

“The new Circle of Excellence Plaza will serve as a permanent recognition to those who support LSUS,” Edie Williams said. “What an exciting way to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of this outstanding university. I am proud to say that I am an LSUS graduate.”

The plaza will be constructed adjacent to the east side of the circular drive that runs in front of the university’s Administration Building and Noel Memorial Library on the Youree Drive side of the campus. Situated between the crepe myrtle-lined sidewalks leading to the Mall, the plaza is designed to be a self-contained, low-maintenance signature landmark complete with benches, gardens, an automatic irrigation system and durable, high-efficiency lighting. Ground is expected to be broken in the spring of 2007, with the dedication of the plaza being a highlight of the 40th Anniversary celebration next fall.

Bricks in the Dr. Lacy and Edie Williams Circle of Excellence Plaza can be purchased for $100 each and may have three rows of engraving with as many as 16 characters and spaces per row. There are also sponsorship opportunities at the plaza’s “Gateway” entrances, the four gardens and the 12 benches.

“Participation in the Dr. Lacy and Edie Williams Circle of Excellence Plaza is an excellent way to leave a lasting legacy at LSUS,” Marsala emphasized, “or to honor someone who helped make your dreams come true.”

For more information, go to the LSUS Alumni Association’s secure Web site: www.lsusalumni.org/brick/, or contact the LSUS Alumni Office at 318-797-5190 or Alumni@LSUS.edu.

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Dr. Lacy and Edie Williams
lead donors for brick plaza

Dr. Lacy and Edie Williams are contributing $150,000 as the lead donors and underwriters of a signature landmark brick plaza on the campus of LSUS. The Dr. Lacy and Edie Williams Circle of Excellence Plaza is the single largest privately funded capital project undertaken in the university’s 40-year history.

Edie Broyles Williams, a 1988 LSUS graduate with a Bachelor of General Studies degree, is a member of the LSUS Alumni Association Board of Directors and Dr. Lacy Williams, who retired as a radiologist in 1998, is a member of the LSUS Foundation Board of Directors. The couple will be honored in mid-November by the Shreveport Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the 2006 Philanthropists of the Year.

Even though Lacy was born in Dallas, they both claim Longview, Texas, as their hometown, graduated from Longview High School, attended the University of Texas-Austin and currently reside on Lake Cherokee in Longview. They are also co-chairs of fundraising for the Sutton Children’s Medical Center.

Lacy received his medical degree from the UT Medical Branch-Galveston, where he graduated with honors and membership in Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He served in the U.S. Public Health Service and practiced medicine at Christus Schumpert Medical Center. He is a past member of the Shreveport Medical Society Board of Directors, past president of the Radiological Society of Louisiana, a past fellow and counselor of the American College of Radiology and a former member of the Southfield School Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Christus Schumpert Foundation, and is president of Will-Drill Resources of Shreveport.

Edie is a past president of Friends of Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, past president of the Rutherford House Board of Directors, served on St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral Vestry and as the Directress of the Altar Guild. She is also a past member of the executive committees of the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier and the Shreveport Symphony. She is currently vice president of the Regional Governing Board of Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, treasurer of the Shreveport Garden Study Club and a member of the Glen Retirement System Board of Directors.

Married in 1960, they have four children: Lacy Holmes Williams II, of Houston; Evelyn Ann Williams, of Austin; Claude Allen Williams, of Shreveport, and Claire Broyles Williams, of New York and Shreveport. They also have six grandchildren.

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LSUS Fast Facts

LSUS was established in 1967.

LSUS held its first session on September 21, 1967.

LSUS was made a four-year university in 1972.

LSUS held its first graduation ceremony in 1975.

LSUS Alumni Association was incorporated Dec. 9, 1977.

LSUS Foundation was incorporated Oct. 15, 1984.

LSUS has a current student population of 4,023.

LSUS offers degree programs through four academic colleges: Business Administration; Sciences; Education and Human Development, and Liberal Arts.

LSUS has 46 degree programs: 37 undergraduate and 9 graduate.

LSUS has one of the highest percentages in Louisiana of faculty with terminal degrees (78 percent).

LSUS has the one of the lowest student/teacher ratios (26:1) of any public university in Louisiana.

The LSUS Noel Memorial Library currently has more than 250,000 books, and provides access to more than 17,000 journals. It also houses the 200,000 volume James Smith Noel Collection of rare books.

The LSUS Noel Memorial Library Archives and Special Collection is the official archives for the Shreveport City Council, Red River Revel, Shreveport Little Theater, The ( Shreveport) Times photo “morgue” and Shreveport Journal photographic negatives. The archives also houses, among many others, the Grabill Studios and Menasco Studios photographic and negative collections.

LSUS has four varsity athletic teams: Baseball, Women’s and Men’s Basketball, and Women’s Soccer. They all compete in the NAIA-affiliated Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

LSUS is home to the first U.S. Olympic Committee-sponsored USA Weightlifting Development Center. USA Weightlifting is the sanctioning body for weightlifting on the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The LSUS weightlifting team (a “club” sport) is the current National Collegiate Champion. USA Weightlifting conducts the only intercollegiate weightlifting competition in the U.S.