2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 12
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
death of Sammie Wayne Cosper PhD, a veteran of the United States Navy and an
outstanding academician over a long career in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Sammie Wayne Cosper PhD passed away quietly on September 19,
2017, at the age of eighty-three; and
WHEREAS, Sammie Cosper was born on October 8, 1933, in Greggton, Texas, to
Sammie Hampton Cosper and Mable Byrd Potter; and
WHEREAS, the Cosper family lived in Ville Platte and Eunice through his youth and
upon graduating from Eunice High School in 1951, Dr. Cosper enlisted in the United States
Navy where he served as a submariner on the United States Ship Corporal; and
WHEREAS, following his discharge from the U.S. Navy, Sammie Cosper enrolled
in Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and he
earned a bachelor of science degree, the first in his family to graduate from college; and
WHEREAS, not content with an undergraduate degree, Dr. Cosper enrolled in
Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he earned his PhD in nuclear physics;
and
WHEREAS, Sammie Cosper continued his education with post-doctoral research at
the University of California at Berkeley, where he and his colleagues discovered four new
isotopes, a significant contribution to the body of knowledge of nuclear physics; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Sammie Cosper and his family returned to Lafayette, Louisiana, in
1967, where he began his post-doctoral academic career at his alma mater, at that point
known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana, where he held numerous academic and
administrative positions throughout his career; and
WHEREAS, at USL, Sammie Cosper served as the first dean of the newly created
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department of physics, dean of liberal arts, and vice president of academic affairs, and after
more than twenty years at his alma mater, he retired from the university in 1989; and
WHEREAS, in the course of his service as chief academic officer from 1973 through
1989, Dr. Cosper convened a committee of faculty and administrators to assess the school's
goals, which became a blueprint for Dr. Cosper and then president Ray Authement to lead
USL in becoming a nationally respected university, conducting groundbreaking research and
focusing on superior scholarship; and
WHEREAS, the committee settled on the goals of expanding the university's existing
computer science and nursing programs, strengthening its ties to the oil and gas industry,
making supporting the preservation of South Louisiana's Cajun and Creole cultures a
priority, and assuming a role in the restoration of Louisiana's coastline; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Cosper's academic career was not over when he retired from the
university, he served as Commissioner of Higher Education for the state of Louisiana from
1990 through 1994, being tapped for the position by then governor, Charles E. "Buddy"
Roemer, and he also was named as interim chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Cosper was active in civic and community affairs in Louisiana,
serving as a member of the board of directors of the Council for A Better Louisiana and as
a member of the education committee of the Louisiana Association for Business and
Industry; and
WHEREAS, Sammie Cosper belonged to community groups in Lafayette including
membership in the Krewe of Gabriel, the Krewe of Zeus, and the Krewe of Triton, reigning
as King Triton XXIV in 2003; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Cosper's first love was his family and he reveled in his devotion to
his wife of sixty-three years, Shirley Aguillard Cosper, and the couple lovingly raised three
daughters and enjoyed an active role in the lives of their daughters' families, including
grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, throughout his life, Sammie Wayne Cosper PhD preached the value of
education and learning by maintaining his passion for education, and he served as a tireless
advocate for the university that was his alma mater.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express its sincere condolences upon the death of United States Navy veteran,
revered Louisiana academician, and tireless advocate for education and the University of
Louisiana at Lafayette, Sammie Wayne Cosper PhD.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Shirley Aguillard Cosper, widow of Sammie Wayne Cosper.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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