University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni now have two ways to look at bricks inscribed with their names – and that recognize their connection to campus.
They can, as always, look for “their brick” on UL Lafayette’s Walk of Honor. The continually updated walkway features the names of more than 120,000 alumni who graduated between 1903 and 2019.
Replica brick pavers are now available, too, thanks to an effort being coordinated by the University’s Alumni Association. Walk of Honor Commemorative Bricks cost $90 with a University-branded stand, or $75 for the paver only. Graduates from any year are eligible to buy one; so, too, are family members or friends. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alumni Association.
“Our alumni are a part of the University, and the Walk of Honor symbolizes that. Since its creation in 1990, it has served to connect graduates to campus and remind them that they will always have a home here,” said John Claude Arceneaux, the Alumni Association’s interim executive director.
“The intent behind the replica bricks is the same – to serve as a physical reminder for our alumni that they are a part of the University and always will be,” he added.
The Walk of Honor begins near Martin Hall, and threads its way around campus, including through the Quadrangle, across Hebrard Boulevard, and along Boucher and McKinley streets.
A popular pastime among alums – including those who visit campus from out of town – is to scan the walkway for their brick. Current students also scour the Walk of Honor to find bricks of family members or friends.
Arceneaux envisions mounting replica brick pavers on office or home desks – or grouping them with family members who are also University alums – becoming an equally popular display of school spirit and pride.
The Alumni Association is collaborating with Awardmaster, a Lafayette company that will produce personalized replicas of the Walk of Honor bricks.
They will look very similar to bricks along the University’s Walk of Honor, with an exception.
Replica bricks will include the year an alum graduated beneath their name; bricks along the walkway, on the other hand, include only graduates’ names. Walk of Honor bricks are arranged in sections that are denoted by year, with graduates’ bricks arranged alphabetically by their last name.
Examples of replica bricks and information about how to buy them are available here.
Learn more about UL Lafayette’s Walk of Honor, and see a map.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette alumni now have two ways to view personalized bricks that include their name and recognize their connection to campus. Replica brick pavers – similar to the bricks along the University’s Walk of Honor – can now be purchased thanks to an Alumni Association initiative. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette