NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University will hold dedication ceremonies for two campus facilities recently named in honor of individuals who played important roles in the institution’s development and history.
The dedication of the Lucile M. Hendrick Room will be held on Tuesday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m. in Room 121 of the Friedman Student Union. The Seven Oaks Stage will be dedicated on Friday, April 23 at 1:30 p.m. on the Iberville Green.
Hendrick was assistant dean of women at Northwestern from 1959 until 1963 and was dean of women from 1963 until her retirement in 1974. A 1929 graduate of Louisiana State Normal, Hendrick was a charter member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority and remained active until her death. She received a master’s degree in personnel, guidance and administration from Northwestern State College.
Professionally, she served as vice president of Kappa Delta Pi, president and secretary/treasurer of the Louisiana Women Deans and Counselors and was founder and charter member of the NSU chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta.
During her tenure as a college administrator, she was named Outstanding Dean of Women for Louisiana, and was inducted into Byrd High School’s Hall of Fame. In 1998, she was named to Northwestern’s Long Purple Line, the highest honor bestowed on a Northwestern alumnus. She was also the recipient of the Nth Degree at Northwestern.
She was awarded citations from several NSU student organizations, including SGA, Purple Jackets and Panhellenic Council, who created the Lucile Mertz Hendrick Panhellenic Foundation Scholarship in her honor. Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority also created the Lucile Mertz Hendrick Outstanding Alumna Award in her honor.
Hendrick volunteered many hours to her community by serving in various capacities for numerous local non-profit organizations.
The stage on the Iberville Green will be named in honor of the first seven Black students to attend Northwestern State, Steve Jackson, June Coefield, Doris Ann Roque-Robinson, Hynes J. Baptiste, James Johnson, Johnnyne Britton-Paige and Pearl Jones-Burton.
The Seven Oaks Stage is on the site of the former Sabine Hall. Plans were developed over five years with input and support from the University Programming Council (formerly called the Student Activities Board), KNWD, the Student Government Association, Alumni and Development and the Student Union Life Concert Committee.
The stage is equipped with four anchor points which are load bearing in order to hang industrial and concert lighting. The venue is open to recognized student organizations as well as departments and is designed for concerts and a variety of campus events.
Planning began in 2014 when NSU was awarded $10,000 from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation following a Lunchtime Likes competition. Students voted to use the award as seed money to develop an outdoor venue for concerts and other performances and chose the location at Iberville Green, a wide plateau next to Iberville Dining Hall conveniently close to university residence halls.
