Dr. Donald Trahan and Mrs. Shirley Trahan

‘Lamar gave me an outstanding foundation for my entire career. From an academic standpoint, Lamar was a springboard to the rest of my training that led to a lifelong career in neuropsychology…. the Setzer center had just opened in 1972. They had a cafeteria there called the Cardinal Nest. It was open for many years but for everybody it was a real hub of activity there and I was in line to get a hamburger one day and spied a really cute girl over there with long brown hair, brown eyes and cute little skirt on. I thought you know I’ll try to get a date with her and a friend of mine knew her and introduced us and you know after a couple of weeks I ask her out and surprisingly she said yes. Anyway, we started dating and 50 years later she’s still putting up with me’ — Donald Trahan.

‘There was 7 children in my family and I was next to the oldest and financially Lamar was the best place for me to go. A lot of my friends went there. I got a business degree, and I felt like I got a very good college education…. Well, of course, I met my future husband there… I got a job working in the Alumni office and it helped me pay for my education…. Well, I’m proud to say that one of my daughters went to Lamar, got a business degree as did her husband and you know they’re proud to be Lamar Cardinals just as much as we are. We have Lamar bumper stickers on our car and my license plate say Lamar University and you know we just feel like we got a good education and like I said I’m proud my daughter went there and got a degree…. Lamar’s been a critical part of the development of our family. Educationally and otherwise dating back to the time it was South Park Junior college when my mother, my uncle, and father first attended there. So, we have a long history.’ — Shirley Trahan.

‘Over three generations, Shirley and I together have had over 30 family members that have gone to Lamar. — Donald Trahan.

After finishing up at Lamar University, Donald and Shirley moved to Denton, Texas where Donald got his M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology. He was then commissioned as an Air Force officer. In the USAF he completed his Residency in Clinical Psychology and Post-doctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology. After 8 years in USAF, they moved back to Beaumont and Donald opened the Center for Behavioral Studies, which he owned and operated for another 34 years before retiring. Shirley was the office manager and neuropsychological technician. Donald has also taught classes at Lamar on and off over the years, as recently as the summer of 2022. This was extremely rewarding and has allowed Donald to pass on some of what he has learned to a new generation of students. Donald has also been very active in research, publishing or presenting over 100 professional papers and workshops in various national and international forums. Lamar was the starting place for all of this. Donald and Shirley married on June 29, 1974.