NEWS

After losing both their parents just a few months apart, Louisiana Tech graduates Steve Fisher and Beth Fisher Dauzat wanted to honor their memory.

Through the Tech campus beautification endowment program, they were able to create the perfect legacy through the Memorial Garden Endowment option. A corporate matching gift helped further the endowment of the Tom and Nancy Fisher Memorial Garden, which is located in the flower beds that lie between the Lady of the Mist and Keeny Hall.

Louisiana native Tom Fisher grew up in Columbia, graduated from LSU with a Petroleum Engineering degree, and built a career in the Air Force. He and Nancy served each community they lived in, with Nancy holding leadership roles for several charitable organizations. In addition to volunteering, they donated to a multitude of organizations in their 62-year marriage.

Their commitment to serving others lives on through their children.

“We wanted to give back in a way that would honor everything they gave us and others,” Steve and Beth said. “Now, when we visit campus, we can feel their presence, remember and honor them with our children and their future children.

“Tech had so many excellent options to consider, and working with Devin [Ferguson, Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy and Engagement] was an absolute pleasure.”

A student of Tech President Dr. Les Guice, Steve earned his degree in Civil Engineering in 1984, and he played football at Tech. Steve and his wife, Kea, have two children, Kayla and Kristina.

Beth, who earned her degree in Business Administration in 1986, was on the 1984 Homecoming Court and played on the inaugural Lady Techster Volleyball team. She and her husband, Scott, have two children, Braden and Hannah. Hannah played soccer at Tech from 2013-14.

The Fisher connection to Tech extends to Tom’s brothers and grandchildren as well as through marriage. Beth’s in-laws are Drs. Sam and JoAnn Dauzat, who worked at Louisiana Tech in the College of Education.

“The Tom and Nancy Fisher Memorial Garden endowment directly connects our University’s vision of creating more pleasant walks for generations to come,” Ferguson said. “It provides for the ongoing care and maintenance of these beautiful spaces while representing a legacy of commitment, caring, and loyalty.”

The Tom and Nancy Fisher Memorial Garden dedication was held during Homecoming weekend.

To learn more about creating an endowment or other ways to give to Louisiana Tech University, contact Louisiana Tech University Foundation at 800.738.7950 or by email at info@latechalumni.org.