Loving the university, for 40 years

By Claudette Olivier
claudette.olivier@eunicetoday.com

Anita Dupre found her jobs at Louisiana State University at Eunice so nice, she retired twice. 
“I figured I’d stay ‘til I dropped,” Dupre, secretary of the school’s athletic department, said, laughing. “Now it’s time to enjoy something different, like not having to wake up every morning.”
“I have been very proud to work here.” 
Dupre, of Richie, retired Friday. She is only the second person in the campus’s history to retire with 40 years of service. Prior to working in the athletic department, Dupre spent 33 years in the school’s financial aid department.
“I actually retired from the financial aid position and then came to work part time in the athletic department when the department was formed,” Dupre said.
Dupre could still recall her first day on the job on Aug. 19, 1974.
“It was the week of registration,” Dupre said. “It was so quiet, I didn’t even know it was going on. I started out just answering the phones, and now the programs and the school have gotten so big.” 
When Dupre joined the school’s staff, the campus consisted of three buildings and the utility plant. The student union was completed a few years before Dupre started.
“I wanted to come to school at LSUE, and I would have been in the school’s first graduating class,” Dupre said. “But I had no transportation to get to school from Iota, so I took a bus to the vo-tech in Crowley.”
After graduating from the vo-tech, Dupre went to work at a CPA’s office in Crowley.
“The work I did at the CPA’s office probably helped me get the job at LSUE,” Dupre added. 
In addition to her financial aid work, Dupre also helped the fledgling athletics department with requisitions.
“I was actually on the committee to decide whether are not we were going to form an athletic department,” Dupre said. “The athletic program was actually started as a recruiting tool, not just to attract students from other states but from other area high schools. We hoped that by attracting players, we could also attract their boyfriends, girlfriends and friends to attend school here.”
In the beginning, those who wanted to form an athletic department faced some opposition due to budget issues, but LSUE’s students approved adding an athletics fee to their tuition. Since then, students have remained in favor of athletics.
“We have gone back to the students two or three time to approve an increased fee, and they have approved it,” Dupre said. “We are one of the few schools in the state that does not get state funding for an athletic department, but you can’t tell that by the number of championships we are winning. We are always having fundraisers to help with expenses.”
“Without state funding, it will be difficult to add more sports. The lack of money hampers progress. I wonder what we could do if there were no limits, if we had more money.”
In the seven years she has worked in the athletic department, Dupre also sat on the committee to hire Jeff Willis, current athletic director and head baseball coach, and Willis considers her as close as kin.
“I can’t say enough of what she has meant to me and my family,” Willis said. “She has been like a mother and grandmother, not only to our athletes, but my own children as well.  She will always hold a special place in my heart because of who she is and what she stands for.” 
“What Anita has meant to this campus is unmeasurable,” he continued. “You don’t see that too many times in today’s age, that a person would spend 40 years of dedication and loyalty to one place. But if you know her, you would know why. Her character, integrity, and ability to make people smile sets her apart from a lot of people. You really cannot put into words what she has meant to this campus and myself.”
While Willis is happy Dupre is going to kick back and relax, he knows the campus is losing a highly valued worker.
“This campus has been extremely fortunate to have Ms. Dupre be a part of it,” Willis said. “I’ve never said this, but I believe this campus is losing someone that is irreplaceable.”
Dupre’s passion for her work grew from her own love of sports.
“I’ve always been a sports enthusiast,” she said. “I played every sport open to girls in school. My husband Philip and I coached Little League, and he even volunteers at LSUE. The kids call him Mr. Fee.” 
“I want LSUE’s athletic program to succeed. If you can see your children in front of you (playing a sport), you know they are not behind a building somewhere doing something bad. The kids can see the support they have in the crowd.”
In her seven years of requisitions, filing insurance claims, making travel arrangements and helping the  athletic director, Dupre has also enjoyed working with students and their parents.
“I am a people person,” she said. “That’s what I enjoy best, watching the kids grow up while they are here. A lot of kids still need to live at home and get guidance. They need to make new friends and be able to grow and leave here in two years more mature than when they started. They will be able to go forth and make better decisions.”
Some of Dupre’s favorite memories with the athletic department include the school’s first few baseball games, including one against a team from Japan.
“Seeing the enthusiasm of the kids selected to participate in baseball that first year was one of the best times,” she said. “The first-year team also played a team from Japan in Crowley. We all laughed because the other team could convey their signals out loud in their native language and we couldn’t understand them. The kids really enjoyed that game.”
 Even though most of Dupre’s memories at LSUE are fond ones, the secretary remembered times when she as well as the whole athletic department experienced heartaches far worse than losing a championship game.  
“Jon Sargent, who was going to be on the first baseball team, was killed in a car accident before the team had even started practicing,” Dupre said. “Brian Yeager, who was on our first championship team, fell while running and broke his neck. He had been drafted to play for the Colorado Rockies, but he chose to stay at school one more year. Another of our team members, Jeremy Triche, was a police officer, and he was killed in the line of duty.” 
“Things like this are hard on the coaches and on the team.” 
Dupre plans to share in the team’s future joys by continuing to volunteer at the game concession stands and department fundraisers. Should she cross her successor, Dupre will pass on some friendly advice. 
“Enjoy this because…. you have to love people and what you get back from them is so rewarding,” she said. “Each year at the athletic banquet, I thank the parents for letting me borrow their kids. I got so much out of this job.”