Distinguished Service Award

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Every Picture Tells a Story

Photographer Honored for Colorful, Emotional Photographs

Photo caption: A usually talkative Tommy LaVergne is at a
loss for words as he is surprised with the Distinguished
Service Award. Assisting with the presentation,
foreground, from left, are Kathryn Costello, vice
president for University Advancement, Pat Kambhu, division
administrator for Advancement Services, and Jeff Cox,
director of Publications. Photo by Jeff Fitlow.

By Michael Cinelli
Rice News Staff

Tommy LaVergne practices his storytelling frequently.

Much like an approaching Texas tornado, there are
warning signs as LaVergne prepares to spin his latest
yarn. His eyes sparkle. He smiles slightly. Then the words
begin to flow. His audience listens intently, waiting for
a punch line or two, which always punctuate the stories he
tells.

He can talk about camping out in Lovett Hall waiting
for ghosts to appear, or how he obeyed federal agents’
orders not to peek through his Wiess College blinds at
dignitaries visiting campus for the Economic Summit in
July 1990.

His storytelling gift, however, reaches beyond lunch
hour conversations when he picks up a camera.

LaVergne has captured the spirit of Rice and its
people for nine years in colorful and emotional
photographs that grace the pages of Sallyport, the
university’s alumni magazine, and in black-and-white
images of campus events that appear frequently in Rice
News.

For his accomplishments at Rice, which include
numerous CASE awards, and for his ability to put anyone at
ease in front of or away from his camera lenses, LaVergne
received the university’s Distinguished Service Award in
June.

“Tommy is a real asset to the publications
department,” said Jeff Cox, Publications Office director.”He makes our jobs easier with the quality images he
consistently produces. He justly deserves this
recognition.”

Uncharacteristically, LaVergne was at a loss for words
when he received the service award during a surprise
reception in the third floor conference room of Allen
Center.

By the end of the day, however, he was back to being”just plain old Tommy,” reluctant to trumpet his
contributions to campus life through his photography,
talking more about his Rice “family.”

“This has to be the premiere photography job in the
city,” LaVergne said. “The people here are incredible to
work with, and for me it’s like a big family. I have
friends in every department I feel I can confide in when I
need to talk about something.”

LaVergne graduated from Baytown’s Robert E. Lee High
School in 1980. After a few years at college, he arrived
at Houston’s Art Institute to perfect his photographic
skills.

His first “shoot” for Rice was the 1987 commencement
ceremony, although he was not an official university
employee at the time. Since then, he hasn’t missed a
graduation day. He has carried his cameras across campus,
around the country and overseas.

“It’s a challenging job,” LaVergne said. “I’m always
trying to make people feel at ease when I put the camera
in front of them. And now, after being on campus for a
while, I have to work at finding a new way to take a
picture. I come up on a spot where when I was first here I
would say, `this looks good.’

“Now the challenge is to make the same type of picture
interesting, appealing, and do it in a very short period
of time.”

LaVergne’s stories have taken on a familial theme
during the past few years. In addition to talking about
his latest exploits either on or off campus, the Sugar
Land resident now tells tales about his family: Mary Beth,
his wife, and their two children, Alec, 2, and Julia, who
is six months old.

“There is nothing like the feeling you get when you
hear your child call you `Daddy,'” LaVergne said. “It’s
the greatest feeling in the world.”

To nominate a Rice employee for the Distinguished
Service Award, contact Russell Barnes or Charlotte Langer
in Human Resources at extension 4070.