Tower ceremony revives spirit of LSU’s ‘Ole War Skule’

At a time when Louisiana State University’s national defense focus is shifting toward cybersecurity research and protections the United States can take against online enemies, LSU, state and American Legion officials reflected April 7 on a time long before any such threat was conceivable, back to the early days of the “Ole War Skule” and the 175-foot campus bell tower whose original purpose had, for most, faded from awareness.

“This university has always been a special place for the military,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, an Army veteran, told about 1,000 who gathered to rededicate Memorial Tower on campus and formally open the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum. “It’s been called Louisiana’s military school, or the ‘Ole War Skule,’ and that’s been true since its founding in 1860. And even today, LSU remains deeply rooted in the traditions of other great military schools, building off a foundation of strong academic emphasis and a rich military program.”

Rising up from that foundation is Memorial Tower, originally dedicated with remarks from then-National Commander John McQuigg on April 30, 1926, after American Legion posts across Louisiana raised most of the funds to build it in honor of their fallen World War I comrades. The tower and plaza at the center of campus have undergone a nearly $15 million bottom-to-top restoration, to strengthen the structure, improve accessibility and to install state-of-the-art museum wings on both sides of the rotunda to celebrate the university’s military history.

American Legion National Vice Commander Cory Bates was among the dignitaries who spoke at the rededication event on a breezy spring evening in Baton Rouge.

“LSU was home to one of The American Legion’s first campus posts,” Bates told the crowd of alumni, students, veterans, ROTC cadets, faculty, donors and builders.  “That post – No. 58 – made Memorial Tower its primary goal. Nearly a century later, Memorial Tower stands as a defining feature of this historic campus. Even more importantly, it is a defining tribute to Louisianans who went to fight in World War I and did not come home.”

Restored, updated and repositioned in the tower rotunda are bronze plaques engraved with the names of 1,705 Louisianans who died during the first world war. The American Legion was heavily involved in the gathering of the original names and getting state funding for the plaques in 1932.

Spearheading main aspects of the rebuild, which took about three years, was American Legion Post 58 member Randy Gurie, PhD, president of Cadets of the Ole War Skule, an association of LSU ROTC alumni. After three previous rededication ceremony plans were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was delighted to finally see Memorial Tower get its day in the spotlight.

Now, he says, LSU’s place as a military school can be better understood and appreciated. “It’s a real blessing because what we have communicated, not only to those here tonight, but to those who are going to read about it, hear about it, or see it on TV… is the rich, rich military history of LSU, that a lot of people don’t know about, even our alums. They need to know more, and I think they are going to want to know more.”

The outdoor ceremony was a multi-media extravaganza that fused music, theater, film, oration, a ribbon-cutting and more to usher in a new era of awareness about LSU. Included was a short documentary film that traveled back in time to the 1860 opening of Louisiana State Seminary and Military Academy in Pineville, La., when then-Col. William Tecumseh Sherman was first superintendent. Sherman, 1926 LSU President Thomas Boyd, his brother David, and the colorful Gov. Huey Long – who supported LSU and the project at the time – were portrayed by re-enactors during the program.

The film – “LSU in Uniform: The Long Purple Line” – hit on many key moments in the school’s military history, like the fire that burned down the original institution, the move to downtown Baton Rouge in 1869, deployments from the Civil War through the War on Terrorism, and the 1926 Memorial Tower dedication when LSU moved to its current location.

LSU President William F. Tate IV told the crowd that it’s important to “reach back in time and recapture the milestones in our history, culture and tradition and make them visible for future generations. Today, we have a special opportunity to celebrate both aims, as substantiated in the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum. This exciting moment marks the reopening of an iconic part of our campus, Memorial Tower, and an opportunity to honor LSU’s rich military history, heritage and legacy, today and for many years to come.”

Donations, significantly from the William A. Brookshire Foundation, and state funding paid for the restoration. Tate expressed gratitude to the late Brookshire, the LSU-educated engineering legend who was not a veteran but maintained deep appreciation for military service, according to his family, for the opportunities he received due to military sacrifices. The Military and Veteran Service Center on LSU’s campus he helped fund is named in his honor; he was an especially committed advocate of easing the transition from military to civilian life. “Dr. Brookshire’s generosity brought a long-held vision to life,” Tate said. “His legacy will live on for generations to come, and we are honored to have our military museum bear his name.”

American Legion Past Department of Louisiana Commander Byron P. Comeaux, one of many state and regional Legionnaires in attendance, said the restoration will have long-lasting effect. “It won’t just reawaken the students,” he said. “It’s going to reawaken the students, their parents, their grandparents and further back, because everybody has a part of it. And now, bring it forward. Things are being forgotten about because they have been there so long. You have students who come year after year for ceremonies, and they don’t look to see the importance of The American Legion or any other veterans service organization in this area. Now, they get to see it.”

“Memorial Tower is a shining example of The American Legion’s – and LSU’s – shared and sacred commitment to honor and remember the men and women who gave up all of their tomorrows so that we might have this day together,” Bates told the crowd.

Comeaux was pleased that The American Legion’s role in bringing Memorial Tower into existence was highlighted at the capacity event.  “It’s a great thing,” he said. “It’s amazing to know that the Legion was assisting the war college at that point. American Legion posts throughout the state came together, and they raised money and built the tower. A tower of that magnitude – at that time – just history in the making. Now, nearly 100 years later, we bring it forward and get to look at it again.”

 “I thought it was very good – much more than I expected,” American Legion National Executive Committee member Charles Aucoin said following the event. “I think this is something all of our members need to see.”

American Legion Department of Louisiana Adjutant Tony Betts is among the veterans the rededication aimed to reach, those who did not fully know the LSU military story. “It made me proud, so respectful… I didn’t realize LSU had such a place in military history,” he said after the ceremony. “I loved it.”

For Gov. Bel Edwards, the tower’s original purpose – as the Legion intended – is never to be forgotten. He told of his grandfather, who was an LSU football player later elected to the state Legislature, who left his office to fight in World War I. Unlike hundreds of others, he came home to resume his life and ultimately raise a family that included a grandson who is now governor.

“The more than 1,700 names on the rotunda walls of Memorial Tower reflect the live sacrifice and the true spirit of Louisiana’s loyal and dedicated citizens,” he said. “Those names, and the names of others in different conflicts, are really the reason why we are able to be here today, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

“Those 1,705 names on the wall – they didn’t come home and have children and grandchildren. That’s why their names are on the wall. That’s why it’s important. That’s why we have a Memorial Tower. May we never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”