Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum

In a state with quite a few, let's say "colorful" governors, Huey P. Long is right up there at the top.  I can still remember vividly being a small child and going on a field trip to the State Capitol and seeing a bullet hole in the wall from when Huey P. Long was assassinated.

THIS LINK gives some interesting information about the old governor.  Here are some of the more interesting ones:

As part of his state modernization program, Huey Long tripled the size of Louisiana State University (LSU), opening enrollment to all able poor students and building it into one of the finest universities in the South.

In 1928, LSU was a small-time country school that generated little interest or attention in the state. Labeled a “third-rate” institution by the Association of State Universities, the school had only 1800 students, 168 faculty members, and an annual operating budget of $800,000.

In 1930, Huey Long initiated a massive building program on campus to expand the physical plant and add departments. By 1936, LSU had the finest facilities in the South, a top-notch faculty of 394 professors, a new medical school, more than 6,000 students, and a winning football team. In only eight years, it had risen in size from 88th in the nation to 20th, and it was the 11th largest state university in the nation.

To generate excitement for LSU, Long’s first step was to quadruple the size of the marching band (from 28 to 125) and develop a first-rate football team. He became the state’s most prominent ‘Tiger fan’ – coaching plays, giving locker room pep talks and personally recruiting top talent for the team. LSU fever swept the state, as reduced tuition and need-based scholarships allowed students from all regions to flock to Baton Rouge to study.

The photo below shows the governor marching with the band!  If you click the link above, you can read an interesting story about what he did about a circus train and also how he got the entire student body to go to Nashville to cheer the Tigers on to victory against Vanderbilt University in 1934.

Image Credit

A few weeks ago I took Benjamin and a friend of his to an LSU football game.  It was Homecoming and the Tigers really stunk up the place, losing to a team that they shouldn't have lost to.  Many of the fans exited early, but we didn't.  On the bright side, the Golden Band from Tigerland put on the best performance on the field that night, complete with a marching Tiger...

The State of Louisiana with a star marking where Baton Rouge is...

And finally spelling out Louisiana in cursive.  (I thought they don't teach cursive anymore?)...

The band was the bright spot on the night, although I didn't see the current governor marching with the band!