The Manship School Hall of Fame honors alumni who have achieved stellar accomplishments in their careers. From Pulitzer Prize winners to political analysts to writers to producers, the Hall of Fame includes some of the most accomplished journalists and communication experts of our time. Every spring, the school hosts a Hall of Fame gala to celebrate that year’s inductees and to recognize the winners of the school’s prestigious student awards.

2012 Inductees: Lou Major, Elayn Hunt Eicher and Jim Engster

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication will induct three honorees into the school’s Hall of Fame on Thursday, April 19. The 2012 inductees include Jim Engster, president/general manager of the Louisiana Radio Network (LRN); Lou Major, former publisher of the Bogalusa Daily News and retired president of Wick Communications; and the late Elayn Hunt Eicher, a noted corrections reform advocate. 

Jim Engster

Engster has served in various roles in the Baton Rouge news cycles since his graduation from LSU in 1981. Currently he is the president and general manager of the Louisiana Radio Network – the state’s largest network provider of radio news, sports and agricultural news – and the host of  “The Jim Engster Show,” a daily public affairs and news program heard on Baton Rouge public radio station WRKF-FM 89.3. 

Engster also has served as a political analyst for WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge for the past 10 years. In 2005, he reported from Israel for WAFB – the only local reporter to cover the Israeli pull-out of Gaza. Prior to owning LRN, he hosted “Louisiana Live,” a program which aired on dozens of stations across Louisiana from 1998 through 2003. His career also includes a three-year stint as general manager of WRKF-FM.

“[Jim’s] contributions to the Manship School and the Baton Rouge Community cannot be understated,” said Mike Danna, host of “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture” in his nomination letter. “His reporting has shown a commitment to fair and balanced news through a medium, radio, that has all but lost its local voice over the years.”

During his 30-year career, Engster has won dozens of awards for his reporting and public service work.

Lou Major

Lou Major began working with The Bogalusa Daily News and its parent organization, Wick Communications, after graduating from LSU in 1951. Throughout his 60-plus-year newspaper career, he has worked as a reporter, sports editor, news editor and publisher.  

As publisher, Major guided The Daily News through Bogalusa’s racial unrest in the late 1960s. Despite numerous attempts of intimidation from the Ku Klux Klan – including crosses burned at the newspaper office and on the front lawn of his home – he continued to cover the civil rights events of the period.

Major served as publisher of The Daily News until 1997, eventually becoming CEO and executive vice president and later president of Wick Communications. During his tenure as a company executive, the company grew to include nearly 30 community newspapers in 10 states.  Among newspapers owned by Wick Communications are The Bogalusa Daily News, the St. Tammany News of Covington, the Slidell Sentry, the LaPlace L’Observateur and The Daily Iberian. Major retired in 2001 and was named to the company’s board of directors, a position he continues to hold today.

Elayn Hunt Eicher

After receiving her bachelor’s in journalism in 1945, Elayn Hunt began working as a police and court reporter for the Baton Rouge “State Times.” The events she witnessed while covering the police beat inspired a career change, and in 1950, she received her bachelor’s degree in law from the LSU School of Law. She was one of only two women law students in the school at that time.  

She became one of the first women to practice criminal law in Louisiana, specializing in providing legal assistance to prisoners. Throughout her career, Hunt served as a guest lecturer for courses at LSU and the Baton Rouge police training academy; she also lectured at various places on drug abuse. She helped found the Genesis House, a Baton Rouge crisis intervention center where she served on the advisory staff, and served on numerous other committees in the Baton Rouge area.

In 1972, Gov. Edwin Edwards appointed Hunt as director of the Louisiana Corrections Department – the first woman in the state to hold that position and the second female director of corrections in the United States. Hunt implemented many penal reforms in the areas of prisoner rights, welfare and rehabilitation.

After Hunt died in 1976, the Elayn Hunt Memorial Scholarship Fund was established at the LSU School of Law and the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center at St. Gabriel was named in her honor.

The induction ceremony will also include the initiation of students into Kappa Tau Alpha, a national honor society designed to encourage and recognize outstanding scholarship and the only honor society in journalism and mass communication recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

Additional awards given during the evening will be the T.C. Shields Award for Outstanding Alumni Service, the Hugh Mercer Blain Award for Outstanding Student Service, the Errol Savoie Student Writing Award, the Charles Manship Outstanding Graduate Student Award, WBRZ Apprenticeship Award and senior awards for top male and top female.

Tickets are $50 per person and can be reserved or purchased by calling Sara Courtney at 225.578.2418 or e-mailing her at scourtney@lsu.edu. Seating is limited to 150, so reserve early. Ticket prices include dinner and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Cocktails will be served at a cash bar beginning at 6 p.m., with the dinner and ceremony beginning at 7 p.m.

We thank our generous sponsors for making this event possible: The Advocate, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, Franklin, Wick Communications, ExxonMobil, deGravelles & Associates, Unglesby & Marionneaux, Phoenix Consulting Group, Courson Nickel, LSU Alumni Association, Press Club of BR and many others.

Members of the Manship School Hall of Fame

Alphabetical
Cal Abraham, 1996
LeRoy Gibbs Adams, 1996
Smiley Anders, 2011
Marjorie Arbou, 2007
Laurie Smith Anderson, 2009
Jo Thompson Binder, 1986
Brett Blackledge, 2008
Hugh Mercer Blain, 2009
John Blanchard, 2006
James "Jim" Bourdier, 1976
Jinx Broussard, 1990
William Blake Brown, 1995
Gene Bylinsky, 1977
Russell Carollo, 2009
James Carville, 2010
Cassandra Chandler, 2002
Pat Cheramie, 1997
Tim Cook, 2011
Carl Corbin, 1996
Jacklyn Ducote, 2009
Jean Harvey Curet, 2001
Jesse Cutrer, 1996
Jay Dardenne, 2002
Margaret Dixon, 1975
Mike Dunne, 2008
Sue Lyles Eakin, 2001
Charles East, 1984
Kenneth Englade, 2010
James Featherston, 2001
Peter Finney, 2006
Wes Gallagher, 1975
William E. Giles, 1994
Rea Godbold, 1996
A.O. Goldsmith, 1975
Mark Grant, 2003
Juanita Greene, 2004
William Ivy Hair, 1996
Sam Hanna, 1993
Lee Herzberg Jr., 1984
John Hill, 2004
Walter Hitesman, 1975
Melvin "Kip" Holden, 2005
D. Jensen Holliday, 2005
Wanda Horn, 1998
Orene Muse Huckabay, 1989
Roland T. Huson, 1995
Edward Ray Jackson, 1988
Thomas Harris Jackson, 1985
Louis "Woody" Jenkins, 1990
Harry H. Kendall, 1982
John LaPlante, Jr, 2008
Linda Lightfoot, 2000
Jere Longman, 2005
Bill Lynch, 2005
John Maginnis, 2000
Charles P. Manship Jr., 1987
Charles P. Manship, Sr., 2010
Douglas L. Manship Sr., 1987
Paula G. Manship, 1997
Bruce McCoy, 1975
David McGuire, 1996
Andrea Clesi McMakin, 2011
John C. Merrill, 1975
Sig Mickelson, 1989
Harry J. Middleton, 1986
Sam Montague, 1996
Whitney Mundt, 1997
Marvin G. Osborn, 1975
Carolyn Bennett Patterson, 1981
Joe Planas, 1997
Nicholas H. Plasterer, 1976
Frank J. Price, 1975
Bryan Putman, 1989
William Brooks Read, 1998
Joseph A. Reaves III, 1993
Rex Reed, 1983
Oliver "Rick" Richard, , 2007
William Rivers, 1975
Bill Ross, 2004
Jim Russell, 1998
Thomas O. Ryder, 1987
Len Sanderson, 2007
Ben H. Scarpero, 1990
Francis Seghers, 2003
Charlotte Schexnayder, 1998
Stan Shlosman, 1996
Joseph N. Silverberg, 1988
Robert Bruce Smith, 1996
Joe Dorsey Smith, Jr., 2001
Mack Solomon, 1984
John Spain, 2008
Gerald C. Stone, 1988
Raymond D. Strother, 1985
Ken Uffman, 1999
Gus Weill, 1983
Richard H. Wiggins Sr., 1986
Marcus M. Wilkerson, 1985
Wirt Alfred Williams Jr., 1994
Coy Wilton Wynn, 1996

Chronological

Margaret Dixon, 1975
Wes Gallagher, 1975
A.O. Goldsmith, 1975
Walter Hitesman, 1975
Bruce McCoy, 1975
John C. Merrill, 1975
Marvin G. Osborn, 1975
Frank J. Price, 1975
William Rivers, 1975
James "Jim" Bourdier, 1976
Nicholas H. Plasterer, 1976
Gene Bylinsky, 1977
Carolyn Bennett Patterson, 1981
Harry H. Kendall, 1982
Rex Reed, 1983
Gus Weill, 1983
Charles East, 1984
Lee Herzberg Jr., 1984
Mack Solomon, 1984
Thomas Harris Jackson, 1985
Raymond D. Strother, 1985
Marcus M. Wilkerson, 1985
Jo Thompson Binder, 1986
Harry J. Middleton, 1986
Richard H. Wiggins Sr., 1986
Charles P. Manship Jr., 1987
Douglas L. Manship Sr., 1987
Thomas O. Ryder, 1987
Edward Ray Jackson, 1988
Joseph N. Silverberg, 1988
Gerald C. Stone, 1988
Orene Muse Huckabay, 1989
Sig Mickelson, 1989
Bryan Putman, 1989
Jinx Broussard, 1990
Louis "Woody" Jenkins, 1990
Ben H. Scarpero, 1990
Sam Hanna, 1993
Joseph A. Reaves III, 1993
William E. Giles, 1994
Wirt Alfred Williams Jr., 1994
William Blake Brown, 1995
Roland T. Huson, 1995
Cal Abraham, 1996
LeRoy Gibbs Adams, 1996
Carl Corbin, 1996
Jesse Cutrer, 1996
Rea Godbold, 1996
William Ivy Hair, 1996
David McGuire, 1996
Sam Montague, 1996
Stan Shlosman, 1996
Robert Bruce Smith, 1996
Coy Wilton Wynn, 1996
Pat Cheramie, 1997
Paula G. Manship, 1997
Whitney Mundt, 1997
Joe Planas, 1997
Wanda Horn, 1998
William Brooks Read, 1998
Jim Russell, 1998
Charlotte Schexnayder, 1998
Ken Uffman, 1999
Linda Lightfoot, 2000
John Maginnis, 2000
Jean Harvey Curet, 2001
Sue Lyles Eakin, 2001
James Featherston, 2001
Joe Dorsey Smith, Jr., 2001
Cassandra Chandler, 2002
Jay Dardenne, 2002
Mark Grant, 2003
Francis Seghers, 2003
John Hill, 2004
Juanita Greene, 2004
Bill Ross, 2004
Bill Lynch, 2005
Jere Longman, 2005
Melvin "Kip" Holden, 2005
D. Jensen Holliday, 2005
John Blanchard, 2006
Peter Finney, 2006
Oliver "Rick" Richard, , 2007
Oscar G. Richard III, 2007
Len Sanderson, 2007
Marjorie Arbou, 2007
Brett Blackledge, 2008
Mike Dunne, 2008
John LaPlante, Jr, 2008
John Spain, 2008
Laurie Smith Anderson, 2009
Hugh Mercer Blain, 2009
Russell Carollo, 2009
Jacklyn Ducote, 2009
Charles P. Manship, Sr., 2010
Kenneth Englade, 2010
James Carville, 2010
Smiley Anders, 2011
Tim Cook, 2011
Andrea Clesi McMakin, 2011