By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News
PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Three alumni of Louisiana College have been selected as this year’s honorees as Distinguished Alumni for 2024.
Richard Setliff, Class of 1973; Ray Baxter, Class of 1974; and Gene Steen, Class of 1979; will be presented with their honor during the 2024 Homecoming Festivities the week of Oct. 14-19.
RICHARD SETLIFF
Setliff, a native of Baton Rouge, retired in 2018 as the vice president of Mapp Construction, LLC. He is also a former vice president for Tudor Construction.
During his career, Setlif was awarded the Mapp Construction Lantern Award for outstanding contribution to the company’s values and leadership. Upon his retirement, this award was renamed to honor Setliff himself.
In addition to accolades in his career, Setliff was involved in the community. He spent time coaching youth sports and worked extensively doing disaster relief for floods and hurricanes. He also helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity.
Setliff and his wife, Beverly, have been married for more than 51 years. She is a 1976 graduate of Louisiana College.
RAY BAXTER
Baxter is the senior partner of Baxter Law Firm and has been a central figure in the central Arkansas legal community for more than 40 years.
Frank Ashley, the interim dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, who nominated Baxter, said “Ray has had a distinguished career serving others and is deserving of the honor of Distinguished Alumni.”
Born in 1952, Baxter grew up in Eudora, Arkansas. He graduated cum laude from LC in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in history and speech, with a minor in English.
After law school, Baxter practiced law for 42 years in Benton, Arkansas, where he always sought to serve his fellow residents. He served as Saline County juvenile judge from 1978 to 1982 and on the Benton City Council from 1995 to 1998. In addition, he was appointed by two governors to serve as Special Justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Baxter continues to practice law today with his son, J.R. Baxter.
GENE STEEN
Gene Steen, a native of Olla, graduated from Louisiana College in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in education. He was a stand-out in the classroom and on the baseball diamond for Coach Billy Allgood, according to friend and fellow 2017 Distinguished Alumnus L. Stephen Ortego.
“Gene has personally expressed to me the invaluable lessons he learned from Coach Allgood and so many of the iconic professors we were privileged to have known at LC,” Ortego wrote. “Lessons on the tremendous impact and influence teachers have on their students, that he used to shape the lives of his young students. He loves LC like no one else I know and has been a stellar ambassador for her these many decades.”
In his more than 30-year business career, Steen held management positions within Air Liquide America and the Lincoln Electric Company. Highlights include serving as vice president for all Louisiana and Mississippi sales operations.
Today, Steen is in his 11th year as an educator and coach at LaSalle Junior High School in Urania.
Steen is an active participant in the Wildcat Athletic Association, Tau Alpha Kappa and the LC/LCU Alumni Association. He has served on the Executive Alumni Committee as vice president and president, and he served as head of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the LC Alumni Association. In the mid-1990s, Steen served on the LC Board of Trustees and served on a task force responsible for adding women’s volleyball and softball to the varsity sports line-up.
He is married to Janis, who graduated from LC in 1977.
HOMECOMING LAGNIAPPE
The Distinguished Alumni will be honored during a brunch on the final day of Homecoming week, Oct. 19. Other activities include a tailgate, parade and football game against Texas College. For more information, visit the Homecoming website.
“Once again, Louisiana Christian University has chosen three outstanding individuals to be honored as Distinguished Alumni for this year’s Homecoming,” said Byron McGee, LCU director of development and alumni. “Ray, Richard and Gene have truly distinguished themselves in their fields of service and support of their Alma Mater. We look forward to honoring them and their families on October 19.”
