Gary M. Lavergne, a long time employee of UT Austin's Admissions Office retired from the University on March 31, 2019. On March 29th, friends, family, and colleagues gathered to honor Gary on his last day at work at the Alumni Center. Click here or on the image to see who was there to speak. It was a very special day for Gary and the University.

"First, we have Maurie McGinnis. As Provost, Maurie oversees the academic enterprise at UT. One of the most important roles Maurie plays is to conduct the orchestra that is the faculty and to bring a talented audience for all of the teaching and discovery they do here."

"David Furlow is a retired lawyer, an alum of UT Law, and serves as the Executive Editor of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Journal. Mr. Furlow is here representing the Society because over the years Gary has written and spoken at so many of thier society-sponsored events. He is also one of Gary's dear friends."

"Don Verett is the Assistant Chief of Police and Chief of Staff of the University of Texas Police Department. It isn't any surpirse that one of Gary's best friends is a police officer, especially since his daddy, Nolan Lavergne, was a Chief of Police himself in Church Point, Louisiana."

"Perhaps no one family struggled more to make UT a University of the First Class than Heman Marion Sweatt and his family. Without the tenacity and bravery of Heman Sweatt, our country and Texas might have stalled in its progress to equality much longer and the talent of generations that followed would have been lost. Gary chronicled this in his last book Before Brown: Heman Marion Sweatt, Thurgood Marshall and the Long Road to Justice. Here with us today are Hemella Sweatt, MD, a physician from Cincinnati and daughter of Heman Marion Sweatt; retired surgeon and nephew James Leonard Sweatt, MD from Dallas; and Heman Marion Sweatt, a Texas Ex and the great-nephew of Mr. Sweatt. The Sweatt family represented here exhibited the bravery and thirst for justice of Heman Sweatt when they supported the University during the Fisher case. It is always a real pleasure to welcome the Sweatt family back to our campus."

After the remarks were completed, Gary said a few words to thank all who were involved in the week-long celebrations of his retirement. They included UT colleagues Suzi Deem, Sarah Wehner, Rachelle Hernandez and Miguel Wasielewski. He also thanked the speakers for the evening: Carlos Martinez, Provost Maurie McGinnis, Dr. Richard Reddick, Assistant Chief Don Verett, David Furlow of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Neal Spelce, and Clarence Douglas. Gary paid a special tribute to Hemella, James and Heman Sweatt and spoke of the very special bond he has with that remarkable family. He also talked about his two best friends at UT Austin: Carlos Martinez and Leo Barnes.

The party ended with final words from Gary, who paid tribute to Dr. Bruce Walker, retired Vice Provost and Director of Admissions, who hired Gary in September of 2000. Afterwards, Gary said, "Yesterday, I tried to say this but I started to cry, so I will ask my son, Mark, to read a tribute to my girlfriend." Mark then read Gary's expression of love an devotion to his wife, Laura. The evening ended with Amy Stumbris Lavergne paying a heartfelt and touching tribute to Gary as a husband and father.