Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux to speak at annual Centenary Founders’ Day Convocation
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College’s annual Founders’ Day observance will be Thursday, February 9, at 11:10 a.m. in Brown Chapel. The Founders’ Day convocation celebrates the College’s nearly 200- year history as well as recent achievements by faculty and staff. Tom Arceneaux, elected as Shreveport’s 57th mayor in December 2022, will deliver the keynote address at the convocation.
The event will also be livestreamed at centenary.edu/live and available on the College’s Facebook page. Students can earn 100 Passport Points for attending the convocation.
A graduate of Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Arceneaux also earned a Juris Doctor from the LSU Law Center and has practiced law in Louisiana and Texas for more than 40 years. He was a member of the Shreveport City Council, representing District C, from 1982 through 1990, serving as council chairman from 1986 to 1987. His extensive civic involvement includes service with the Highland Restoration Association, Northwest Louisiana Legal Services, the Shreveport Little Theater, Holy Angels Residential Facility, AMIKids, the Rotary Club of Shreveport, Norwela Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the United Way of Northwest Louisiana, among other organizations. Arceneaux and his wife, Elizabeth, are advocates for the Highland neighborhood and live there in a home they restored together.
“We are honored to have Shreveport’s new mayor join us on Founders’ Day,” said Dr. Christopher L. Holoman, Centenary president. “I have had the pleasure of working with Tom in the past and look forward to continuing to do so in his new position. Centenary has been an important part of Shreveport since 1908 and we are excited about the role we play as Shreveport-Bossier’s College to help our neighborhood and city thrive.”
During the convocation, Holoman will announce service pins for faculty and staff along with two special annual awards, the President’s Excellence Award and the Outstanding Teacher Award.
Faculty and staff receiving service pins include:
40 Years
Christy Wrenn, Director of Library Services
35 Years
Don Hooper, Professor of Theatre
25 Years
Scott Merritt, Director of Information Technology & Risk Management
20 Years
Keeley Pratt, Financial Aid Assistant
15 Years
Sherry Heflin, Visual Identity & Publications Manager
Dr. David Hobson, Director of Choral Activities
Fred Landry, Vice President for Development
10 Years
Anne-Marie Bruner-Tracey, Assistant Dean of Global Engagement
Jeremy Johnson, Director of Digital Media
Dr. Rebecca Murphy, Associate Professor of Biology
Dr. Cory Wikan, Dean of the Hurley School of Music
The Founders’ Day Convocation is one of many activities taking place on campus on February 9 to mark the inaugural Centenary Giving Day, an online giving event that encourages donors to celebrate the College’s past while investing in its future. Other Giving Day events include a morning kickoff with coffee and donuts, a tailgate before the men’s basketball game, and alumni recognition and a chance to win a signed Harlem Globetrotters jersey from Centenary alumnus and current Globetrotter Travion Kirkendoll ’18. For more information about Centenary Giving Day, visit centenary.edu/givingday.