BATON ROUGE – William B. Lawton of Sulphur has been named to the LSU Athletic Hall of Distinction and will be inducted during halftime ceremonies of the LSU vs. Mississippi State men’s basketball game Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Membership in the LSU Tiger Hall of Distinction is limited to athletic boosters who distinguish themselves in the LSU community through support and loyalty to the University and exceptional contributions toward the success of the Tiger athletic program.
Lawton, President of the William B. Lawton Company and former Chairman of the Board of Calcasieu Marine National Bank, was the primary benefactor in the construction of a new squad room at Tiger Stadium.
“Bill Lawton, for many years, has been of tremendous service and has shown incredible support for LSU Athletics,” said LSU athletic director Joe Dean. “The squad room is just the latest and most significant of his contributions to our program.”
The Lawton Squad Room is the first meeting room of its type in the LSU athletic complex that can house the entire LSU football team. The room seats over 135 people and is equipped with state-of-the-art sound and video equipment.
Born in Lake Charles in 1927, Lawton was a 1944 graduate of Sulphur High School and served in the Navy during World War II.
In addition to his longtime support of LSU, Lawton has long been active in the Lake Charles community, supporting the Boys and Girls Villages, Campfire, Boys and Girls Scouts, the United Way of Southwest Louisiana, the American Heart Association, the Cancer Society, the Salvation Army, McNeese State University and Lake Charles area high schools.