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Mr. Jack & Patricia "Jack" Rousso
Home:
143 Club Drive
Fairhope, AL 36532
Work:
EXXON/MOBIL RETIRED
Home Phone: 251-928-8631
Work Phone: --
Fax: --
Email: jackj2@bellsouth.net
Memories provided by Jack Rousso on Sept. 3, 2010
Hello Bruce Turner and Ed Dugas
Please see attachment – my response to Bruce Turner’s excellent article re: Cypress Lake
Jack Rousso 1953-54
Hello Bruce Turner
I very much enjoyed your article – the story of Cypress Lake.
I entered SLI Summer 1953 to study engineering.
I was a typist in the Dupre’Library Catalog Department working for supervisor Norma Duran.
I graduated from a small Catholic school that did not have a lot of extra cirricula but typing was available and I entered college versed in English, mathematics and typing.
I went on to earn (2) engineering degrees at SMU Dallas and
achieved (3) patents in computers during my long career with ExxonMobil Corp.
Summer 1953 offered typical south Louisiana weather, hot and humid. The classroom windows were left open all hours. School was almost 8 hours each day with many hours study. So many professors were home and thankful from WW II that they were in office long hours to tutor us students in late afternoon.
Saturday evening dinner was often on the bank of the Lagoon (we called Cypess Lake) across from O.K. Allen Dining Hall. Speakers were connected to the fence on the nearby tennis court and we danced after dinner.
Wonderful memories of a wonderful college at a vulnerable time in our lives are precious memories this day.
Summer afternoons often included ice cream at Ms. Duran’s nearby home or on the lawn at President Fletcher’s home.
SLI was a caring teaching institute that truly earned university status. It was a valuable episode in my life
as a college student aspiring to become the engineer I did with so many accomplishments in corporate work.
Thank you for helping me relive the memories of a wonderful period in my life.
Jack Rousso, SLI 1953-54, LSU 1954-56,
SMU BSEE 1965, MSEM 1980.
Added Sept. 3, 2010 * * * * * * * * * *
Bruce’s article piqued my interest.
I forgot a wonderful lady to include so please add a footnote for me.
Band Director Robert Gilmore’s wonderful wife supervised us library typists whenever we worked in the
evening and Mrs Gilmore was a caring, mentoring lady who guided us Freshmen in so many character building ways.
I have more memory stories to write. Jack
* * * * * * * * * Added Sept. 3, 2010
Hello Ed and Bruce
I do recall a concrete surface of some kind near the “lagoon” where we danced – may have been a phys ed court of some kind.
I played at Girard Park on Sundays – and time to bragg – I still play today – heavy tennis at 75 years old. A sport of wonderful memories for me that I am healthy enough to still enjoy.
Others took my picture on court Aug 7, 2010 – my birthday. I have pictures of girls at Girard from our Sunday tennis outings. SLI was a wonderful life.
I have more stories that may be of interest – the Algebra professors who got credit for audit courses
of WWII veterans – I worked with one at Exxon – the SLI ROTC professor from my home town who survived Bataan and LSU printed his autobio – a relative. Jack
