More than 100 University of Louisiana at Lafayette students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and supporters recently honored the College of Business Administration’s namesake, B.I. Moody III. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the renaming of the college.
Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president, and Dr. Gwen Fontenot, interim dean of the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, gave welcomes before the unveiling of three bronze plaques that will be displayed permanently in the Moody Hall lobby.
The unveiling was followed by a presentation in an adjacent auditorium about the impact of Moody’s contributions to the University, which total over $8.2 million, including a Moody Match program that was implemented in 2006.
“We are elated to share in this celebration of Mr. Moody and his family’s legacy. Many students have asked about him, so this was not only a way to honor him but a great way for the students to learn about his life. The highlight of his night was meeting students who introduced themselves and expressed their gratitude for his support,” Fontenot said.
Moody, 91, is chairman of The Moody Company and of Louisiana State Newspapers Inc.
His college career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war ended, he graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. SLI is now known as UL Lafayette.
Moody became a founding partner in the CPA firm of Moody, Broussard, Poché & Guidry. He later became president and chief executive officer of Chart House Inc. in Lafayette and chairman of the board for First National Bank of Lafayette.
Moody has served on the boards of directors of many other companies, including First Commerce of New Orleans, Riviana Foods Inc., Celeron Oil Company Inc. and Quantum Restaurants.
Caption: Shown from left are businessman B.I. Moody III; John T. Landry, former director of Development at UL Lafayette; and John Blohm, vice president for Advancement at UL Lafayette.