NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University will honor six alumni by inducting them into the University’s alumni hall of distinction, the Long Purple Line. The 2022 inductees are Tommy Chester and Lola Dunahoe of Natchitoches, Dr. Johnny Cox of Coushatta. Tynes Hildebrand of Shreveport, Gail Metoyer Jones of Natchez, and Carlos Treadway of London, England. The inductees will be honored at a luncheon on October 21 at 12 noon at the Natchitoches Events Center. Check in for the luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at https://nsulongpurpleline.eventbrite.com.
Chester earned a bachelors in wildlife management in 1967 and a masters in student personnel services in 1969. While at Northwestern, Tommy met his wife, the former Cynthia (Cindy) Thomas.
He served in the U.S. Air Force. Chester was a teacher in Red River and DeSoto parishes and director of Student Activities at Louisiana College and Louisiana Tech. He started a successful career with State Farm Insurance beginning in 1977 in Arcadia. As an agent, Chester has won numerous awards. Early in his career he was named a Travel Agent and was as an Honors Agent multiple times throughout his career. He has also been named as a Select Agent.
His community service includes serving as president of the Arcadia Jaycees and Arcadia Lions Club.
Chester joined the NSU Alumni Association Board of Directors in the 1980s, and later became vice-president, and president; serving in that role for 10 consecutive years. He holds the distinction as the longest serving president in Alumni Association history. He has also been a member of the NSU Athletic Association Board of Directors. Tommy and Cindy Chester established the Doris G. Chester Scholarship through the Gallaspy Family College of Education.
Chester initiated an award for NSU faculty which is now the Excellence in Teaching Award. The honor is presented to a faculty member from each academic college during the fall semester. He worked with the late President Dr. Randall Webb in the late 1990s to gain student support to fund construction of the Randall J. Webb Wellness and Recreation Center.
Cox has served as mayor of Coushatta since 2012 after serving on the town council. He earned a bachelor’s in industrial technology at NSU where he was Student Government Association president for two years and was the student representative of the Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities and SGA representative to the Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce. He was in the ROTC program where he received the ROTC Academic Achievement Award, the Exceptional Performance Award, a Certificate of Appreciation and a Certificate of Proficiency. He attended ROTC Advanced Camp, receiving an Advance Camp Completion Award and completed the U.S. Army Infantry Airborne Course.
His academic honors included membership in Blue Key National Honor Fraternity, the National Honorary Dean’s List, Presidential Academic Award, Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities and the Natchitoches Outstanding Community Work Award.
He later earned a master’s degree in biblical studies and a doctorate of ministry from the Institute for Teaching God’s Word and a doctorate of theology, a doctorate of divinity and a doctorate of philosophy from the Minnesota Graduate of Theology. Cox has been a pastor for more than 30 years.
Cox served in the U.S. Army and Louisiana Army National Guard. He was chief executive officer of Winnfield Funeral Home and Winnfield Holding Company. Cox was a sheriff’s deputy with the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office and vice president-chairman of the executive board of the Louisiana Youth Outreach Commission. The Louisiana Legislature passed a resolution in 2013 commending Cox for his work on behalf of the people of Red River Parish.
Dunahoe was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards to the Board of Supervisors for University of Louisiana System in 2016 and continues to serve on the management board which oversees Northwestern State and eight other state institutions. In that role, she served on the system search committee for the selection of three presidents of Northwestern State. Dunahoe served on the Onward Louisiana, Higher Education Transition Committee.
She was president of the Northwestern State University Foundation during Northwestern’s first capital campaign which began with a goal of $18.84 million and raised $32 million to enhance the institution. Dunahoe chaired the nomination and governance committee and was also secretary and vice president. She currently holds executive committee position of past president. In 2021, Dunahoe was honored with the Northwestern State University Distinguished Alumna Service Award.
Dunahoe is chair and chief executive officer of the Mary R. Gallaspy Charitable Trust #2, a multi-million dollar Trust consisting of real estate, oil and gas interests and other securities, managed for the purpose of awarding academic scholarships to Northwestern State students.
In her career, Dunahoe has been active in community service. She was president of the Prudhomme-Rouquier House Foundation during the time the organization received a $366,000 Save America’s Treasure’s Grant for the restoration of its 1790 property located in the Natchitoches Historic Landmark District. As a member of First Baptist Church of Natchitoches, she co-chaired the church’s $2.5 million restoration project.
Hildebrand has had a seven-decade affiliation with NSU as a two-sport athlete, head basketball coach, athletics director, AD emeritus and an NCAA regional basketball officials advisor.
Hildeband earned a bachelors and masters degree from Northwestern. He was head men’s basketball coach from 1965-1980 and director of placement from 1980-1983. He returned to the athletic program as athletic director from 1983-1996.
As men’s basketball coach, he led the Demons to the NAIA Playoffs for four consecutive years and won back-to-back conference championships in 1973-74 and 1974-75. He assisted with the training camp of the 1972 United States Olympic Team at the invitation of legendary coach Henry Iba. Hildebrand led the basketball program into Division I, taking the team through its first four seasons at the highest level of competition.
While serving as athletic director, he helped guide the Demon athletic program into the Gulf Star Conference and later the Southland Conference. Hildebrand was selected to serve on numerous NCAA committees including the Division 1-AA football selection panel. One of Hildebrand’s trademarks as athletic director was using interns to supplement a small administrative staff. Among those who began their professional careers as interns for Hildebrand at NSU include Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey and Greg Burke, who succeeded Hildebrand as NSU’s athletic director and served in the position for 25 years.
Hildebrand was named Mr. Louisiana Basketball in 1981 and is a member of the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the N Club Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. The Southland Conference inducted him into its Hall of Honor in 1999.
Jones has long record of public service in education, non-profit organizations and law enforcement. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from NSU and a master’s in student personnel services. Jones worked 15 years at NSU initially as an admission counselor and recruiter and served as counselor with first the Louisiana Scholars College class. She moved into the position as director of TRIO: Student Support Services and Retention Coordinator, Freshman Connection and New Student Programs.
In 1998, Jones became chief professional officer of Boys and Girls Club of Natchitoches, obtaining more than $1 million in funding from local, state and regional agencies and foundations to establish and enhance programming for local youth and families. In 2000, she was named J. Richard Ullom Rookie of the Year for Professional Excellence by the Boys and Girls of America at the Regional Conference. She served on local, state and regional boards and committees.
In 2005, accepted a position with Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office as a grant writer and community outreach coordinator. That evolved into the establishment of a Community Services Division and Jones served as division chief. Over eight years the Division was successful in targeting the needs of youth and families through programs that helped the people of Natchitoches Parish.
Jones is a member of NSU Alumni Association, board member, emeritus, and has served on the Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, chaired the Children and Youth Planning Board, Organizing Member-Vice Regent for Daughters of the American Revolution, member of the St. Augustine Historical Society, and vice president of the Association for Preservation of Historic Natchitoches. She is married to Emery Jones, has a daughter Kristy and resides in Isle Brevelle on the family farm.
Treadway is chief executive officer of Ford Credit Europe. He has had a broad, global career with increasing responsibilities over the past 28 years. His assignments have provided experience in board management, strategy, business planning and analysis, policy and procedure development, pricing, marketing, brand management, forecasting, budgeting, quality and productivity control, securitization support and government relations. Treadway also has experience in regulatory oversight and management, operational, commercial and consumer risk management, supplier management, operational oversight and compliance, customer servicing/satisfaction/fair treatment, an ability to manage large teams, employee development/training and succession planning and IT acumen.
He originally moved to London as Ford Credit Europe executive director marketing and sales after serving as Ford Motor Credit Company’s vice president for North American Business Center Operations upon returning to the United States. Treadway spent nearly seven years in China as president of Ford Automotive Finance China, regional operations director, and business development manager for Ford Credit Asia Pacific. His career with Ford Motor Credit began as a customer service representative in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Treadway advanced through a number of roles within the branch, regional, central office and business center functions within Ford Credit in Florida, Texas, Michigan, and South Carolina before moving overseas.
An Alexandria native, Treadway earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from NSU in 1992 team and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in 2004. He was a 4-year letterman for the Demon football team, two-time All-Southland Conference tight-end and named one of the 13 honorary captains on the Demons all-century team in the 2007 centennial celebration as a tribute to his leadership and value to his teams. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Treadway served as director of the Demons Unlimited Foundation (DUF) and a member of the Executive Committee until October 2021. He was also a co-founder of the Northwestern State University Black Alumni Alliance that was established in 2009.
Caption
2022 Long Purple Line inductees, from left, Tommy Chester of Natchitoches, Dr. Johnny Cox of Coushatta. Lola Dunahoe of Natchitoches, Tynes Hildebrand of Shreveport, Gail Metoyer Jones of Natchez, and Carlos Treadway of London, England.
