Herbert E. Longenecker

Herbert Eugene Longenecker (May 6, 1912 – September 18, 2010) was a biochemist who became an academic administrator at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Illinois Medical Center before becoming the eleventh president of Tulane University from 1960 to 1975.

Early life Longenecker was born in Lititz, Pennsylvania, to Abraham Sandoe and Mary Ellen Herr Longenecker. Both of his parents were educators and Mennonites who could trace their family roots back to the founding of Pennsylvania by William Penn. Abraham was the superintendent of the Lititz schools but he died in 1914 leaving Mary to support the family on her teacher's income. Herbert worked several jobs to support his family during his own education. He graduated high school in 1929 where he was a member of the football team and the band.

After high school, he attended Pennsylvania State University where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1933 and continued his studies, earning his doctoral degree in 1936. While in school, he became a member of Sigma Pi fraternity.

In 1936 Longenecker married Marjorie "Jane" Segar of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. A year later he would lead the Green Wave out of the conference to become an independent program. In 1966 he made Tulane Stadium available to the expansion NFL franchise that would be located in New Orleans. Longenecker was a member of the anti-communist organization the Information Council of the Americas (INCA).

1967 was a busy year for Longenecker. His family moved into a fifteen thousand square foot house that had been donated to the university for use as the president's home. The home at the corner of Audubon Place and St. Charles Avenue, would become a frequent protest site for anti-war activists who would often heckle Longenecker at ceremonies. He started the Longenecker Award, named for his wife, to recognize women for long-time contributions to the Tulane University.

In April 1975, Longenecker and Dean Joseph Gordon were on a Tulane stage with President Gerald Ford when Ford said that the Vietnam War was "finished as far as America is concerned." He was living in Birmingham at the time of his death where he was a member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent.