Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           
    Date: 3/24/99
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple  1

Editors: Photo accompanies release
BANKER PHIL LIVINGSTON TO RECEIVE SLU GOLDEN AMBASSADOR AWARD
     HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University will present its prestigious Golden
Ambassador Award to retired Hammond bank president Phil K. Livingston, a long-term
Southeastern supporter and chair of the university's first major fund raising campaign.
     The Golden Ambassador Award, established by President Sally Clausen in 1996, honors
outstanding service, achievement and/or humanitarian efforts. It previously has been presented to
Sen. John Hainkel and Rep. John Alario.
     Clausen announced Livingston's selection March 23 at the College of Business's annual
James Livingston Memorial Lecture on Business Ethics, a lecture series named in honor of
Livingston's father. Livingston will receive the Golden Ambassador Award at Southeastern's
May 15 commencement ceremony.
     "Golden Ambassadors are selected based on extraordinary contributions to the success of
our university, community and our state," Clausen said. "In the 25 years that Mr. Livingston has
resided in Hammond, he has been one of Southeastern's finest and best friends."
     Clausen said Livingston was the unanimous choice to lead the university's Commitment
to Excellence capitol campaign. Under his leadership, the campaign, which kicked off in
February, already has obtained more than $6 million in gifts and pledges toward a base goal of
$6.75 million and the challenge goal of $10.75 million. Clausen said Livingston also played a
major role in obtaining the private donation that, along with matching state funding, will
establish the university's second endowed chair, the Leon Ford Family Endowed Chair in
Regional Studies. In addition, Livingston, along with Deposit Guaranty Bank and Sanderson
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GOLDEN AMBASSADOR AWARD   Add One
Farms, recently pledged $60,000 to establish the Phil K. Livingston Endowed Professorship in
Business. He also worked closely with Southeastern's College of Business to help achieve
prestigious American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation and has been a
frequent speaker at the annual "Business Week" program for business students.
     With the opening of the newly renovated College of Business building, now named
Garrett Hall, Livingston helped the college establish a "named giving program." Through his
efforts, the first two classrooms in the building were named the Citizens National Bank Room
and the Sanderson Farms Room.
     In addition to serving on the Development Foundation board for five years and chairing
the capitol campaign, Livingston also helped the university bring about the construction of a new
housing facility for university students. 
     Livingston has been a Hammond resident since 1973, when he was appointed executive
vice president of Citizens National Bank. The following year, he was promoted to chief
executive officer and subsequently became vice chairman, then chairman of the board of
directors. Following Citizens' merger with Deposit Guaranty Bank South Louisiana, Livingston
served as president. He retired after an outstanding career in banking in 1998.
     His civic contributions include service to organizations such as the Hammond Rotary
Club, the Hammond Chamber of Commerce, the Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation, the Boys
and Girls Club of Hammond and the Tangipahoa Area United Way.
                            - SLU -
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