July 23, 2001
LAROSE FAMILY CREATES MILLION-DOLLAR ENDOWED CHAIR AT NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY
THIBODAUX
- A $600,000 gift from the family of a South Lafourche entrepreneurwill
result in establishment of the John A. Brady Sr. Endowed Chair
in Computer Science at Nicholls State University, University
President Donald J. Ayo said this week.
The sons of John A. Brady Sr., John Jr. and Pat, have donated
funding which will be matched by $400,000 from the Louisiana
Board of Regents Quality Support Fund to create the perpetual
$1 million endowed chair.
As recognized leaders in the field of communications for decades,
the Bradys and their companies have contributed much to Nicholls
State University. SJI, Inc. is the parent company for several
communication service providers with clients across the Gulf
South. The family of companies began as the Lafourche Telephone
Company in 1945 by Irene Landry Brady and John Brady Sr., together
with Sylvester Landry. Their pioneering spirit and dedication
to quality communications lives on in the company named for
the original shareholders. SJI has grown into one of the most
important business entities in the state.
Today, the sons of two of the founders – John Jr., who serves as SJI’s president, and Pat Brady, who serves as the company’s chairman of the board – keep their parents’ commitment and vision on target in the new millennium. The subsidiary companies include Lafourche Telephone Company and MobileTel.
Speaking about her sons’ donation, Irene Brady said, “I
am so glad that the money is going to such a worthy school as
Nicholls State University. It gives me great pleasure to help
the school that helps this community so much.”
Ayo said, “The entire Nicholls State community owes a
debt of gratitude to the Brady family for this generous gift
that will strongly enhance one of the state’s first Computer
Science baccalaureate programs.”
Last year, the NSU Alumni Federation honored SJI, Inc. with
its prestigious Corporate Mark of Honor award to recognize the
company’s outstanding corporate citizenship and longtime
commitment to strengthening Nicholls State University.
Ayo said the Brady gift brings to six the number of endowed chairs at NSU since 1997, the highest number at any public, master’s-level institution in Louisiana. Nicholls State University was recently lauded for growing its endowment fastest in the University of Louisiana System.