The public is invited to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Ray P. Authement at a drive-by memorial Friday at the ÐÓ°ÉרÇø.
Authement died Sunday, April 5. He became UL Lafayette president in 1974 and served for 34 years, making him the nationÐÓ°ÉרÇø™s longest-serving public university president at the time of his retirement in 2008.
The tribute will be on display from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Motorists should enter the circular driveway in front of Martin Hall, the ÐÓ°ÉרÇøÐÓ°ÉרÇø™s main administrative building, located at 104 E. ÐÓ°ÉרÇø Ave.
To maintain social distancing, the public should remain in their vehicles while viewing the tribute. A basket will be available for visitors to leave notes, cards and other small remembrances.
In lieu of flowers, the Authement family requests donations to the or to the . Checks to the Foundation can be mailed to P.O. Box 44290, Lafayette, LA 70504. They should be made payable to the UL Lafayette Foundation.
Read more about Dr. AuthementÐÓ°ÉרÇø™s life and legacy here.
See a memorial statement from Dr. Joseph Savoie, current UL Lafayette president, here.
La Louisiane, the magazine of the ÐÓ°ÉרÇø, extensively chronicled AuthementÐÓ°ÉרÇø™s career in its Fall 2007 issue.
Photo caption: Dr. Ray P. Authement greets fans at a Ragin' Cajuns athletics event prior to his retirement as ÐÓ°ÉרÇø president. (Photo credit: ÐÓ°ÉרÇø)