QUICK READ Page 2
VOICES Page 3
Calendar Girl Pageant
set for March 12
Sports Page 4
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Alum pushes for
hotel, change
VOL. 87, No. 21
Championship team returns
Bonjour la
France
KASSANDRA MERRITT
The Gramblinite
“Parlez-vous Francais?” is
what one mass communication
graduate student will probably
be asked a lot this summer.
Stephanie Lindsey, 26, has
been awarded a $4,000 scholarship to travel to Normandy,
France in June to film her experience traveling to World
War II areas.
“I’m very excited!” said
Lindsey, a native of Stockton,
California. “I’m a little bit nervous.”
It all happened because of
a conversation she had with
Nathan Huegen, a New Orleans World War II Museum
Educational Travel Director,
who came to Grambling State
to do a presentation last year.
“…I saw one black girl in
the presentation,” said Lindsey. “And I’m like ‘something
is wrong here … why are there
not more African-Americans
involved in this?’ ”
After the presentation she
told Huegen, “With as much
racial tension and craziness going on in America right now,
this could be, if done right, an
opportunity for African-Americans to really know what place
they have in American history.”
The trip will cost almost
$4,000, according to Lindsey.
“That’s a lot of money,” she
said.
At this point, Lindsey, who
is also a children’s book author,
said that she was trying to think
of a proposal for a fundraising
idea.
She already knew how she
would use this experience to
benefit the museum and black
colleges.
She just needed the funds.
In January of this year, a
friend of hers called her and
told her that Brian McGowan,
a Grambling history professor,
was looking for her.
McGowan is good friends
with Huegen.
McGowan told her that
Huegen wanted her to e-mail
him about a scholarship. In the
e-mail, Huegen told her to put
together a proposal because
she had some good ideas from
the conversation they previously had.
LINDSEY
“He didn’t say anything
about the scholarship,” said
Lindsey. “He just said put together a proposal of what you
want to accomplish on the
trip.”
Lindsey said that she wants
to use the trip for a promotional tool for the museum
and an educational tool for
HBCUs.
“I sent in a proposal and a
month went by,” said Lindsey.
She eventually got an email saying that she had been
awarded the E.J. Ourso Normandy Scholarship.
Although, she hadn’t initially filled out an application for
the scholarship, in that e-mail it
was requested that she should
complete an application, but
did not have to fill out any payment information because she
had been granted $4,000 for
the scholarship.
This trip is primarily for
history majors, but with Lindsey being a mass communication major, a position was
made for her.
“They call it embedded
journalists,” said Lindsey.
“…I’m documenting the
whole trip.”
Lindsey will be working
closely with two French students to get the history of the
area.
She will be interviewing
all the students, faculty at the
museum, the tour guides, and
anyone else she or the other
students may run into.
After all of her work is
done in France, she will present her documentary to the
board of the E.J. Ourso Normandy Scholarship.
Furthermore, she will travel
to speak at different HBCUs
to promote the program.
GLENN LEWIS/The Yearbook
Members of the 1975-’76 team includ (from l-r): Joe Jones; Larry Wright; Willie Simmons; Terry Sykes; Herbert Collins; another
team member; Larry Wilson; Theodis Johnson; and Obadiah Simmons Jr., GSU interim athletic director.
Unity brings 1975-’76 team to GSU
BRANDON LAGARDE
GSU Sports Media
Unity brings championship team back to Grambling.
The Grambling State University fans were treated to a
blast from the past when the
1975-1976 Men’s basketball
team was honored Saturday
night before the men’s game.
The 1975-1976 was the last
basketball team to win a
championship.
The university held a
celebration brunch, a tour of
the GSU campus, a special
visit with former assistant
coach Howard Willis and a
halftime gift presentation.
Several of the former players
were interviewed by the GSU
Sports Radio Network and
the local media.
Current coach Shawn
Walker said “I thought it
was awesome to get to meet
a team that accomplished
at Grambling. They had a
chance to talk to the players before the game and it’s
always great to be supported
by the pioneers.”
Amongst the pioneers
that spoke with the team was
former 1976 First round draft
and NBA Champion Larry
Wright. Wright was the 14
overall pick for the Washington Bullets. Wright also
coached the Tigers during
1990-1992 and 1999-2008.
He is also the father of Lance
Wright the pastor for the GMen football team.
While at Grambling
Wright was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Freshman of the year. He was
also a two-time All-SWAC
selection for the remainder of
his career, first team NCAA
Small College All-America.
Wright led the university
to the 1976 SWAC Tournament Championship. In
1975-76 he was named SWAC
Player of the year, he declared
for the draft he was a junior.
He is still one of the most
decorated players in school
history.
“We talked to the guys
in the dressing room,” said
Wright.
“There’s nothing more to
my dear heart than Grambling State University. When
I came out of high school I
could have gone anywhere in
the nation, but I chose Gram-
bling State University and 40
ridiculous 52.6 percent from
years later if I had to do it all
the field and an astonishing
again I’ll do it the same way,”
70. 6 percent from the field.
he said.
“It was a great deal being
“I choose Grambling
back on campus with all the
because my high school
old guys,” said Sykes. “Some
coach went to Grambling and we haven’t ͕