Published October 22, 2014
A man of quiet reserve and great esteem, Dr. Carlos Fandal, a Slidell native, left
an indelible mark on everyone he met at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He
arrived at the then Northeast Louisiana State College campus in 1966 and spent 43
as a professor, dean, mentor and friend to those in the ULM family.
Fandal passed away at the age of 76 on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in West Monroe, surrounded
by his wife and children.
Under the guidance of former President Dr. George T. Walker, Fandal was urged to start
the foreign language department in 1967. In a 2009 interview, Fandal said, “This was
a challenging assignment because the new department had no operating budget. Everything
needed had to be begged, borrowed, or rescued from the surplus truck.”
Fandal succeeded in creating the department which now thrives in teaching languages
from all over the world including, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Latin. Fandal also
started the ULM chapter of the foreign language student group, Phi Tau Gamma.
In 1993, Fandal became the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and in 2002, Fandal
helped lead the merger of two colleges into what became the College of Arts and Sciences.
He served as dean for 13 total years before returning to the classroom to teach foreign
languages, where his passion for learning was born.
In 2009, Fandal remarked on one of the university’s greatest strengths. “…Campus was
a growing college remarkable for the friendly nature of students, faculty, and staff.
There was a strong family atmosphere.”
That feeling was not lost on Fandal. He brought that same warmth and kindness into
his interactions with the university community. Dr. Charles Holloway, professor of
world languages at ULM, said Fandal’s love for the humanities was evident from the
start.
“I first met Dr. Fandal when I was seventeen,” said Holloway. “He was the head of
the Department of Foreign Languages at the time, and I was taking my first Spanish
course at the university level. I subsequently took a Latin course with him and was
impressed by his profound knowledge of Latin, French, and Spanish.”
“My first impression of him was that he was very personable and approachable,” Holloway
continued. “When he left the Department of Foreign Languages to become the dean, this
impression remained the same. He was a very gracious and generous person who was always
available to faculty students alike. In the course of a career which spanned more
than four decades, Dr. Fandal’s steadfast support of the humanities, and in particular
of language study, as well as the importance he placed on excellence in teaching had
a lasting impact on many people at here at ULM and far beyond.”
During his years at ULM, Fandal was a driving force in French language education throughout
the state of Louisiana. The French government recognized his contributions to the
study of French and the Francophone culture by knighting him as a Chevalier dans l’Ordre
des Palmes Académiques in 1977, and later as an Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques
in 1987.
He helped to found the Louisiana Foreign Language Association and served on the committee,
which developed the Council on the Development of French in Louisiana. He was instrumental
in establishing the program for recruiting elementary and middle school teachers in
Quebec, Belgium, and France to teach in Louisiana.
Dr. Ruth Smith, director of the School of Humanities, met Fandal in 1975.
“He was honest and passionate about teaching,” she said. “His greatest asset was his
intellectual curiosity compounded with compassion, which made him very open to different
points of view and an excellent administrator who respected his colleagues. This quality
led to his willingness to collaborate with and learn from everyone.”
Smith says that Fandal’s love for language kept him in the classroom, even after he
became an administrator.
“When he left the dean's office, he taught Spanish to the kids at the Child Development
Center,” she said. His enthusiasm and fun in sharing were amazing and infectious,
as well as his dedication to learning both as an administrator and teacher who leads
by example and who respects the academy and its history.”
The Child Development Center was just one of many community resources to be touched
by Fandal’s generosity. Area schools and education systems also received the benefit
of Fandal’s attention and expertise. He was a member of the Head Start Policy Council
and a board member of the Ouachita Multi-Purpose Community Action Program, served
on the St. Frederick High School Board, and was a founding member of the Board of
Directors of the Christ the King Student Center. He worked side by side with his wife,
Doris, in the Komen Foundation, and was the chairman of the Race for the Cure in 2004
and 2005.
Fandal earned a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Louisiana State University. In 2011,
he was named Professor and Dean Emeritus at ULM.
As legacies go, Fandal will leave a strong and lasting mark on the university. Mary
Blanche Wortham, an instructor of Spanish, met Fandal in 2001. She remembers his calm
demeanor, grace, and significant impact. “He was a faithful servant and scholar to
this university, and he loved this institution,” she said. “He was part of creating
the Department of World Languages and gave it a public face to the academic community,
Monroe and the State of Louisiana. Most importantly, he was a teacher and loved teaching
the languages and cultures that he mastered. He was all about respecting the boundaries
of the institution and encouraged faculty and colleagues to collaborate for the sake
of the university, faculty and students.”
Fandal will be remembered as a kind and gentle man who loved the intricacies of language,
long walks on the bayou, and feeding the hummingbirds. Colombian novelist Gabriel
Garcia Marquez once said, “A true friend is the one who holds your hand and touches
your heart.” Fandal was indeed, a true friend to all.
