Published September 10, 2019
To watch the Facebook Live video from the naming of the William D. Hoover School of
Accounting, Financial and Information Services click here.
The University of Louisiana Monroe hosted family and friends of the late William D.
“Bill” Hoover at an event Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, announcing an endowment fund for
scholarships and faculty development and the naming of the William D. Hoover School
of Accounting, Financial and Information Services in the College of Business and Social
Sciences.
Hoover graduated from ULM in 1960 with a degree in accounting. He went on to become
a successful Northeast Louisiana CPA and businessman. Hoover was an advocate for education
and a long-time financial supporter of the university.
Photo:The family of William D. “Bill” Hoover was honored by the University of Louisiana
Monroe on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, for establishing an endowment fund and the naming
of the William D. Hoover School of Accounting, Financial and Information Services
in the College of Business and Social Sciences. Emerald McIntyre/ULM Photo Services
His wife of 62 years, Lois Pelanowsky Hoover, and their children and spouses, Gary
and Cindy Hoover, Richmond and Terri Hoover Odom, Scott and Gayle Hoover Frick, established
an endowment fund in Mr. Hoover’s name after his death at age 82 on Jan. 24, 2018.
“This is a significant occasion here at the university due to the generosity of the
Hoover Family,” said President Nick J. Bruno, who had fished and hunted with Hoover,
who was an avid outdoorsman.
It was Hoover’s “entrepreneurial spirit” that Bruno recalled.
“In Monroe and this area there are a number of individuals who had remarkable entrepreneurial
opportunities, and they took them and did extremely well,” Bruno said, referring to
Hoover and his partners forming Long Distance Savers, his work with Clarke Williams,
founder of CenturyLink, and his own accounting firm and business ventures,” Bruno
said.
“He had the kind of life and he did the kind of work that created enough value in
so many people’s lives that his memory could be forever memorialized here at ULM.
The school was so near and dear to his heart.”
Terri Hoover Odom
Speaking on behalf of the family
of William D. "Bill" Hoover
“Bill did a lot to advance this area economically and of course, his loyalty to this
university is evidenced today. I think this is a testament to Bill himself and the
Hoover Family,” Bruno said. “So many people have gotten their start at this great
university, and so many people are coming back to the university and contributing
to the future of this region by educating our students today.”
Dr. Ron Berry, Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences, spoke on the living
legacy the Hoover Family created to honor their patriarch.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Hoover’s legacy is going to have a significant
impact on the future,” Berry said.
“He invested in people, he believed in people. I can think of no one more appropriate
to name our school after. Thank you for allowing us to share in that legacy. It’s
going to make us very successful. It’s going to impact our community, it’s going to
impact our state. All because of who he was,” said Berry.
Daughter Terri Hoover Odom spoke on behalf of her family and introduced several friends
who shared their thoughts about Hoover. The speakers were John Luffey, Jr., Brian
Harrison and Ouachita Parish Police Jury member Kay Katz.
“If he were here, and he knew all this was going on, he absolutely would not have
it. Absolutely put his foot down,” said Odom. “He would also love it to pieces and
never tell you.”
“He had the kind of life and he did the kind of work that created enough value in
so many people’s lives that his memory could be forever memorialized here at ULM,”
Odom said. “The school was so near and dear to his heart.”
“This school, ULM, gave our Daddy education and opportunity but he had to pony up
the dedication, commitment and the drive. And he did, he worked hard,” she said.
Odom said many people in attendance made contributions to the endowment fund in her
father’s name.
“We just have the pleasure as a family, plus my uncle Chester (Hoover) and my cousin
Stephanie Hoover Porter, in contributing so that we can provide scholarships through
my Daddy’s memory and in his honor to so many people in the future,” she said.
Sept. 9 was Hoover’s birthday, which made the occasion even more meaningful to the
family.
“Today we feel like it marks the beginning of a legacy. A legacy of scholarships here
at ULM, that each one of them can be made in his memory and in his honor,” Odom said.
“Thank you so much.”
ULM Foundation Scholarships are funded by individuals, organizations and businesses
to assist students in pursuing degrees at the university. For more information on
how to apply for a scholarship or in establishing one, please visit https://ulm.academicworks.com/.
