Fall 2004

Bettty and William 'Peanut' Lowry

For Betty and William 'Peanut' Lowry, there are few memories more precious than their college years at SLI. “Most of the good things that have happened to me are a direct result of graduating from SLI,” Peanut said. It’s that sense of appreciation that inspired the Lowrys to join the UL Lafayette Alumni Association and to volunteer to help the organization with its community events. “Although we have always supported UL Lafayette athletics, we have now gotten to an age when old memories of all our college days are important,” Betty said.

The former Mary Elizabeth Jeanmard, Betty was a member of the Red Jackets, a campus spirit group, at SLI. Along with other former members, she helped organize the first Red Jacket Reunion earlier this year and assembled a database of names of more than 200 members who were Red Jackets between 1938 and 1959. “It is always fun to renew old friendships and to meet people you missed knowing the first time around,” she said. “The Red Jacket Reunion stirred up a lot of memories of halftime shows with balloons and pom-poms.” Betty graduated from SLI in 1954 with a degree in chemistry. Fifty years later, she didn’t let the golden anniversary of her graduation go unnoticed. This spring she made dozens of phone calls to former classmates, encouraging them to attend a Golden Anniversary Reunion she helped plan. Like his wife, Peanut finds himself urging others to support the University and the Alumni Association. His mantra: “Don’t miss the opportunity to keep up with your classmates while promoting UL.”

For several years, he was president of the S-Club (now the Ragin’ Cajun Lettermen Club). The organization includes past and present athletes who have lettered in their particular sport. It holds an annual induction ceremony into its Hall of Fame. As S-Club president, Peanut was responsible for coordinating the group’s participation in Homecoming, an event which gave him the chance to “see old friends and renew friendships” from his time at SLI. He graduated from the University in 1952 with a degree in business administration. For the past 23 years, the couple have operated Kwik Kopy Printing. As members of Lafayette’s business community, Betty said it makes good sense to actively support the university. “By supporting UL Lafayette through its Alumni Association, you are lending your support to Lafayette’s economy,” she said. “Not enough of us realize what the University means to Lafayette.”