The highly coveted U.S. Senator John G. Tower Distinguished Alumnus Award will be presented to J.J. Burdin, Jr. on Saturday Nov. 1 at 11:30 a.m. in front of the UL Lafayette Kappa Sigma Fraternity House on Glynn Abel Drive.
The John Tower Award, named after the revered Texas Senator, is presented annually to a non-volunteer alumni. The Award recognizes a Brother who brings great honor to Kappa Sigma Fraternity, whether it is through service to his community, outstanding career work, or other achievements.
Burdin bridges all three of these areas. This prestigious award is considered one of the highest honors an alumni can receive within the national fraternity.
J.J. Burdin Jr., 2006 Lafayette Civic Cup Honoree, is well known for his distinguished professional career as well as his generous humanitarian efforts. A current member of the UL Lafayette B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, Burdin is best remembered for his tenure as President & Chief Executive Officer of Lafayette General Medical Center.
While overseeing Lafayette General, Burdin was known for his many quiet acts of kindness, including flying an employee's child to Memphis for cancer treatments, coming to the aid of an employee who was involved in a car accident in the middle of the night and paying utility bills for staff members undergoing financial hardships.
J.J. Burdin is admired by so many in the community because he quietly and humbly goes about making a difference in the lives of others.
Burdin was a member of the UL Lafayette Epsilon Chi Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity from 1961-1965 and graduated from then USL in 1965 with a BS Degree in Biology/Chemistry. Dr. E. Joseph Savoie, current President of UL Lafayette, also a Kappa Sigma, was a past recipient of the U.S. Senator John G. Tower Distinguished Alumnus Award.
All Kappa Sigma Alumni as well as friends of Burdin are invited to attend this function.