The couple was honored during the 2008 Spring Gala, which also served as a fundraiser for the UL Alumni Association. Authement will retire as president at the end of the spring semester.

"I have the greatest esteem for Dr. Authement and his wife," said J.J. Burdin, a UL graduate and former CEO of Lafayette General Medical Center who now teaches at the university. "I think they will be remembered for their good grace and absolute devotion to this community and university."

Authement, a 1950 UL graduate, began teaching at the university in 1962 and was named president in 1974. The couple have been married for 56 years and have two daughters.

In addition to formally recognizing the couple, the gala also featured hundreds of items, ranging from concert tickets and trips to gift baskets and artwork, much of it donated by local businesses. The gala is one of the major annual fundraisers for the Alumni Association.

The university has been a part of Rose Hare’s life for decades, as all four of her children are UL graduates and her son Dan now serves as executive director of the Alumni Association.

"They’ve just done a lot, over and above what was expected of them," Hare said of the Authements. "I don’t know if there’s been a function that they didn’t participate in."

Hare’s daughter, Dovie Brady, said she thinks the couple will be remembered for generating community and statewide support for the university, leading to endowments, scholarships and nationwide recognition.

"They’ve worked so hard to promote both the university and Lafayette," Brady said. "We’ve certainly come a long way."

Click below for the Daily Advertiser photo gallery of the Alumni Association Gala

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DG&Date=20080315&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=803150818&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1