It’s a Wonderful, Endowed Life.

Friday night in the Student Center on the Northwestern State campus in Natchitoches,
I was lucky enough to be part of the remake of the Jimmy Stewart/Donna Reed classic “It’s A Wonderful Life.” The original is set at Christmastime; this remake was in summer. I was sweating like a hog with typhoid just walking from my car to inside.

But once there, all was well. About 300 people were chillin’. This was the Diggin’ Dougie Retirement Roast and Toast, a tip of the cap to Doug Ireland, the SID at NSU for the past 30 years, now retiring to dabble in this and that, to begin earnest Mermaid Research, and to continue his role as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association point man for the state’s athletics Hall of Fame.

People paid $30 bucks to get into this thing to eat bar-be-que and to listen to some friends roast Dougie. I was asked to help and was told the money raised would go toward a Dougie endowment.

My first thought: “When is the surgery?”

But it’s not that kind of endowment, come to find out. Instead, once the money raised gets to $10,000, there will be a scholarship in Doug’s name to help educate and coach-up the future Dougs of the world. Or the sort-of-Dougs. There will be just This One Doug. And what a great Doug he has been. And is.

All these people spent 30 bucks to spend a weekend evening with a guy. Think about that. The whole thing has a George Bailey-ish feel. And Doug deserved it. We’ll tell you more about him sometime but in the meanwhile, the night speaks for itself. What a fun time. And filled with my favorite sound: people laughing.

In the photo, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs/Senior Woman Administrator Dr. Haley Taitano (she studied at my alma mater Louisiana Tech in 2016–just sayin’!), Athletics Director Greg Burke and Doug E. Fresh hisseff hold up an oversized check for more than $6,000 big ones. We are climbing toward $10,000 and endowment. We’ll make it. And tomorrow’s students will realize their dreams because of it. If you want more info, call 318.357.6467.

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