Under Stately Oaks: A Pictorial History of Lsu

In a blend of photographs and text, Under Stately Oaks showcases over 150 years of Louisiana State University's past, following the evolution of the tiny Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana, founded near Pineville in 1853, into a university of well over 30,000 students for the twenty-first century. Thomas F. Ruffin has written an affectionate history of LSU, but it is also an honest one. The notorious scandals of 1939, the university's desegregation struggles, and free-speech alley confrontations during the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, as well as the football team's 2003 national championship and the university's pivotal role in relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina - all are chronicled here.

Thomas F. Ruffin (LSU '47) is a retired vice president of Smith Barney, Inc., and the author of more than seventy-five articles, including an eight-part series on LSU's history for LSU Magazine. Jo Jackson and Mary J. Hebert each held the position of University Archivist at LSU. Sean O'Keefe is Chancellor of Louisiana State University.