A plaque hanging in the hall of the newly dedicated building reads “Those who knew him, remember him as a quiet man who gave so much, without asking for anything in return. Let we who follow in his legacy, strive to be more like him.”
The horticulture department Friday renamed the building after James F. Fontenot. The plaque at the Hill Farm teaching facility honors him.
“Smoke” Fontenot died in 1991 after a 50-year career in the department. Born in Grand Prairie, La., he arrived at the University in 1942 as an undergraduate.
His studies were interrupted during World War II, but after his service he returned to earn his bachelor’s degree of horticulture in 1948. He earned his master’s degree in 1949 and then went on to Michigan to earn his Ph.D. After graduation Fontenot returned to the University to become an assistant professor in the department.
Fontenot was a graduate student when Jake Schales was a freshman in 1949. They lived near each other at the Hill Farm as student workers.
“[Fontenot] had a problem of waking up so early every morning,” Schales said. “So I came by with coffee each morning and woke him up.”
Schales thinks Fontenot deserves a bigger building.
Carl, Dee Dee and Chuck Fontenot all had their first jobs at the Hill Farm. They said their father worked them in the experimental fields every summer, weeding and watering.
Carl Fontenot said the dedicated building is a well-deserved honor to his father. He said his father dedicated his whole life to the study of horticulture.
Former students of his still call their mother looking for their father, Dee Dee said.
Chuck Fontenot said he remembered the huge family the horticulture department formed among the faculty, their children and students.
A sage in the field of horticulture research, Fontenot focused studies on Irish potatoes leading him to crossbreed different varieties of potatoes. He developed the “Red LaSoda,” “LaBelle,” “LaChipper” and the “Fontenot,” which was released posthumously. Many of his varieties of potatoes still are used throughout the United States.
Bill Young was on the faculty in late 1950s. He remembered Fontenot as loving LSU and enjoying all he did with teaching and researching.
He also said Fontenot was a compassionate people person. Fontenot shaped the horticulture department office into what it is now — like a family.
“If he was still alive he’d be here teaching,” he said.
David Himelrick, the horticulture department head, never met Fontenot, but he had heard a lot about the charismatic man from fellow faculty members.
Himelrick said he heard Fontenot could not walk around campus without running into someone he knew. Eating with Fontenot was a challenge, as his friends would drop by the table to talk while he was eating.
Fontenot’s friends and family enjoyed a jambalaya lunch with members of the horticulture department to celebrate the dedication.