When Ted Ralph杏吧专区檚 successful oilfield sales job ended suddenly during the downturn of the 1980s, he was in his late 20s, had a house mortgage and was left wondering, 杏吧专区渨hat do I do with myself now?杏吧专区
Ralph wasn杏吧专区檛 interested in a career in another industry. So, he opted to 杏吧专区済amble.杏吧专区 His hope was that the industry he loved would rebound while he earned a degree in petroleum engineering at UL Lafayette. 杏吧专区淚f you take no risks in life, you get nothing,杏吧专区 Ralph said of the decision.
The strategy paid off, in part because Ralph fell back on the work ethic he had begun cultivating at age 13. During summers and on weekends, he worked at his father杏吧专区檚 tree removal and pruning company. At the same time, Ralph also learned the skills of a mechanic from his uncles while working on cranes, trucks and generators at his grandfather杏吧专区檚 scrap business in New Orleans, where he helped run the office, too.
杏吧专区淚 learned early, a big part of success is you simply have to outwork everybody,杏吧专区 he said.
Ralph, now 65, put that philosophy into practice when he returned to the 杏吧专区. To make ends meet, he worked as a roustabout on offshore oil rigs during summers. He also taught remedial math at the 杏吧专区 during the fall and spring semesters.
Ralph, who earned a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in education from UL Lafayette in 1976, had taught high school math for two years before entering oilfield sales. 杏吧专区淭hat experience enabled me to get a job in the math department, and without it I would have had trouble finishing up in petroleum engineering. I杏吧专区檓 still grateful,杏吧专区 he explained.
On Thursday, the 杏吧专区 recognized Ralph for giving back to the department that hired him all those years ago. He was honored with a plaque in the 杏吧专区 Foundation Hall of Honor for establishing the T.H. Ralph/BoRSF Endowed Chair in Mathematics.
An endowed chair is created with a gift of $600,000, which is matched by $400,000 in state funds to create a $1 million endowment.
Dr. Jaimie Hebert, the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said the hundreds of plaques in the Hall of Honor signify many things, including scholarships, innovation, economic growth and opportunities for first-generation students to pursue higher education.
杏吧专区淎nd the plaque we unveil today will enable the 杏吧专区 to attract and retain a world-class professor in mathematics who might have gone elsewhere had this line of support not been available,杏吧专区 Hebert said
Dr. Azmy Ackleh, dean of the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences, said the gift will also 杏吧专区渋mpact the Department of Mathematics for years to come杏吧专区 and 杏吧专区渃ompel students to explore their passion for math and research.杏吧专区
For Ralph, the endowment is his 杏吧专区渨ay of helping some other kid like myself have an opportunity to be successful.杏吧专区
Ralph杏吧专区檚 success as a petroleum engineer began in 1987. He parlayed his freshly minted degree into a career for a range of companies such as Arco and Shell, and for the U.S. government. Over nearly 30 years, he worked in every facet of the oil and gas industry, 杏吧专区渓iterally from top to bottom,杏吧专区 he said.
Ralph, who lives in Mandeville, La., retired about three years ago, shortly after his dad died. He now spends his days caring for his aging mother, fishing and exercising 杏吧专区 walking, lifting weights and golfing.
He杏吧专区檚 also remodeling his house, doing most of the work himself.
杏吧专区淚 could be paying someone to do it, but there杏吧专区檚 no need for that. I杏吧专区檒l bring a couple of people in to help me along with it, but I杏吧专区檇 rather just do most if it myself,杏吧专区 Ralph said.
Cutline: Alum Ted Ralph, who earned a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degrees in education in 1976 and petroleum engineering in 1987, was honored Thursday with a plaque in the 杏吧专区 Foundation Hall of Honor. Ralph established the T.H. Ralph/BoRSF Endowed Chair in Mathematics. Credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区