NATCHITOCHES – Daniel and Susan Williams Strange of Minden are assisting Northwestern State University students who need financial support by creating a scholarship through the NSU Foundation.
“Susan and I are grateful that we were awarded grants and scholarships to attend college and earn degrees,” Daniel Strange said. “Northwestern played a vital role in starting our life journey. We wanted to ‘pay back’ some of how we benefited while attending NSU by assisting others who could use some help attending college.”
Daniel Strange attended NSU from 1967-71 and graduated with a degree in social studies education and a minor in school health education.
“While at NSU I worked in the Iberville and St. Denis Dining Halls and served as a monitor in West Caspari with Ms. Elma Hinton as housing director,” he recalled. “In the fall of 1970, I was awarded a scholarship to run on NSU’s cross country and track teams. I was fortunate to run for Coach Jerry Dyes during his first year as NSU’s track and cross country coach. Running for NSU was a very rewarding experience. Ron Haworth was my running mentor. Another person who had a positive influence on me was a roommate, David Gates.”
Daniel met Susan, an education major, at a Howdy Dance at NSU during the summer of 1971.
“She attended NSU for four semesters until we married the following August. Dr. Violet Davion, professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, convinced me to pursue a master’s degree in School Health Education, which I did in 1972-73 at the University of Tennessee.”
He never used his education degree, instead pursuing a busy career in affordable housing. He served as the executive director of three agencies in Louisiana and Texas and served the housing association in several positions on the state, regional and national levels. He then joined a friend’s affordable housing consulting firm and later he and a friend started their own business, Housing Solutions Alliance.
After moving back from Tennessee, Susan Strange finished her degree and enjoyed teaching elementary students in Louisiana and Texas, serving in several positions at the schools where she taught. She later spent nine years marketing a medical plan for affordable housing agencies in 13 states.
The couple was active in the communities in which they lived. They served in many church positions, raised funds for a new YMCA in Texas and Dan served on several mission trips and was active in Rotary International. They moved to the Minden area in 2007.
“We have two children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren. We enjoy time with our family, especially our grandchildren,” he said. “We are actively involved in Lakeview Methodist Church in Minden and support the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Shreveport.”
Daniel is an avid brick collector and has amassed a collection of about 3,500 bricks that are housed in a custom brick barn behind his home.
“Brick collecting is my hobby. During my college years and shortly thereafter I worked as able laying bricks,” he said. “We are members of the International Brick Collectors Association (IBCA), traveling throughout the United States attending brick swaps. I also serve as treasurer of the IBCA.”
Appropriately, he purchased a special commemorative Northwestern State brick collected from the ruins of Caldwell Hall.
Caldwell Hall Brick
“My father was a brick mason and enabled me to learn the trade and work my way through two college degrees debt free,” he said.
His website is available at https://www.strangebricks.com/.
For information on establishing a scholarship through the NSU Foundation, visit https://northwesternstatealumni.com.