Green Wave Club Donor of the Game: Charlotte Travieso
Dec 4, 2020 | General
Green Wave Club Donor of the Game, Presented by Tabasco: Charlotte Travieso
Tulane University '64
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
"I grew up in New Orleans – born and raised. Many generations, many aunts, uncles, both of my sisters, many cousins, my mom (class of '34) all went to Tulane, so it's a long family history. I went to Tulane and graduated in '64. I was one of three women math majors, and I credit Tulane for giving me the opportunity to do that because women just didn't do that in those days. As a result, I had several different job offers when I graduated. I chose to go to Washington, D.C. and work for the National Security Agency - I was a spy for the NSA. From there, I went into a career in computer systems analysis and lived in Washington for 36 years. I married a man who was a field producer for NBC Nightly News, so that was a very exciting life. Unfortunately, he passed away very young, he had a heart attack in the studio a little over 30 years ago. I never thought I'd come back to New Orleans, but my father died, and my mother was getting older and we wanted to get her settled in a smaller place. I grew up right near Audubon Park. I was coming back here every month or so and Tulane needed an alumni director; I was semi-retired by then, so I said 'Okay, I'll do that job for five years.' So, I moved back in 2000 and worked in the Alumni House for five years. Then Katrina hit, and I thought, 'Well, I can't retire now.' It took us six years to get back into the Alumni House and we lived in various temporary offices in the city. We got back into the Alumni House in 2011 and dedicated it to Bea Field. And then I retired, finally, in 2012.
I loved Tulane and Tulane gave me the opportunity to spend my junior year abroad, it was a fabulous program that I heard about in high school. I thought, 'I'm going to do that, I'm going to go to Paris my junior year.' And I did. I went to Paris as a junior and that really gave me wanderlust and I think that's why I was so excited about moving to Washington after I graduated. I have been to all seven continents, 81 countries in the world and every state except one (North Dakota). But what that's done is given me a great appreciation for people and diversity, different cultures and ways of looking at the world. It really made me appreciate New Orleans, too. And what a fabulous city this is, with its architecture, music and food. The weirder you are in New Orleans, the more accepted you are. It's so true.
I had a friend in grade school who lived near the old Tulane Stadium on Willow Street and we used to go there for football games, I think because her older brother went there with his friends. We would pester him about what was going on in the games, and that's where I first saw football and learned about the sport. We loved that stadium and used to ride our bikes on the ramps. When I was in school at Newcomb, one of the things you had to do as a sorority pledge was dress in white and wear your green beanie and go to the football games. I had a leg up because I understood football because of my friend who lived near the stadium and had a big brother.
So, I moved back here, worked at the alumni office, retired in 2012, and about three years ago, moved to Lambeth House, which is a retirement community at the foot of Broadway. So, I'm still very close to the campus. I walk five miles a day, every day, and often, I will walk through the Tulane campus. I love that everybody is masking. I never see anybody on that campus without a mask and I think that's fabulous. I just feel the vibrancy and the energy there with the students and I love that."
What do you love most about the city of New Orleans?
"I really love the roots that I have here that go so deep. I'm still close friends with women I went to kindergarten with and that's extraordinary, I don't think a lot of people can lay claim to that. The city itself, I just love that there's always something going on – even with COVID-19. I went to a front porch concert the other night with a string quartet on Camp Street and it was so fun. We were all socially distanced, people having their cocktails. I love Carnival, I ride in Muses and am an original member of the Muses Krewe. This would have been my 21st parade, but of course we are all cancelled. We had a float meeting the other night though, we're keeping the spirit going. I love being part of that Krewe because we do so much throughout the year, and we do so many good things for people in the city and the children. We have a contest where the kids submit designs for our Muses cups every year, and we always have a feature student who wins the cup contest. We also raise money for different causes every year, so I just love it.
The architecture in the city is just amazing. When I have friends from out of town who visit, they can't get over the architecture. The Greek Revival, the modern, the shotgun, the Creole Cottages, the Italianate – just so many different styles. Even the Tulane campus now, with The Commons, that's just an extraordinary modern building. There you have it almost in the shadow of buildings like Gibson Hall. It's just an extraordinary city from so many points of view. I'm sorry that some people come here and all they see is the French Quarter and the tourist things, but I love it when people tell me, 'I got out of the Quarter and I rode the streetcar and I saw St. Charles Avenue.' Just yesterday, I had somebody in town tell me that she and her husband rode up and down St. Charles because they were in awe of the Christmas lights.
And, of course, the food, you can't get food like this anywhere. The coffee. The music, it's everywhere. I also sing in an interracial gospel choir, Shades of Praise, and, from 2003 to 2019, every year, we sang in the gospel tent at Jazz Fest. We sang all over the city. Because of that, I've been to places in the city that I never would have known about or gone to just because of the diversity in the choir. We not only have people from New Orleans, we have people from all over the world in our choir. They hear about us, they come to New Orleans to do a teaching gig for a couple of years, and then they join the choir. For some reason, we have a lot of people from France, several people from Germany.
The world just comes to you when you live here in New Orleans. So many people come here just to visit, for Mardi Gras, and then they never leave. We call them the never-lefts. Just lots of reasons to love New Orleans."
What did you enjoy most about your time as a student at Tulane?
"I lived at home, so I didn't have the dorm experience, but I did join a sorority that was not one that most of my high school friends who came to Newcomb had joined. I didn't want just a continuation of high school. So, I joined a sorority that had women from all over, so I made a whole bunch of different friends and I loved that part of it. I loved, as I talked about, JYA (junior year abroad) and I loved that you could study at your own pace, at least I had teachers that let you do that. I love, of course, that I was inspired by my advisor. Paul Conrad, I'll never forget that man. I could've majored in either French or Math and he encouraged me to major in Math so that I could get out in the world and work. And he was right. It was because of him, and because I had a high school teacher who pushed me in Math, because of those people who saw potential and helped students achieve it.
And of course, the beautiful campus. I was in school during a really amazing time. I was in school during the Civil Rights era. I was on campus the day that John F. Kennedy was shot. Those are things you just never forget. I'm very appreciative and very grateful, and also had a scholarship which really helped a lot."
Why do you choose to support Tulane Athletics?
"I think student-athletes are among the most incredible students in the world. I think to play a sport and to do it well, which requires so much time, is just inspiring. They work so hard. When you look at what some of our student-athletes have gone on to do, we have some extraordinary alumni who were student-athletes at Tulane. Bobby Brown, Ham Richardson, Roch Hontas, just some amazing athletes who have gone on to very distinguished careers. And, not only that, they're fine, decent, human beings. That's why I support those programs. Also, I think Tulane provides a lot of opportunity for women athletes, so I love to support them. I think Lisa Stockton is an incredible coach, 26 years doing it. For a while, I even mentored a Tulane women's basketball player after she graduated when Coach Stockton started a mentoring program years ago. That was really great. I'm still in touch with Tiffany Aidoo, she was a great basketball player for Tulane."
What is one thing you believe sets Tulane apart from other Division I institutions?
"I think the focus on the student part of student-athlete is big. I think for a while, athletics was not as big of a focus at Tulane, but then we built the football stadium. We've hired some great coaches and a really great athletic director, and I think we always look for decent people. Honest, decent people to run these programs. Not that other schools don't, but I think it just sets us apart. We have a spirit, and we have a fan-base that's extremely loyal, like a lot of other schools, but because we're small, you wouldn't expect to see so many loyal fans year after year. There's just an aura around Tulane Athletics that I just don't see existing in other places. It's not as though we're competing with other schools, it's more like we are here to play the game. Whatever that game may be. And we're here to play it as best as we can. I'm not saying that winning isn't important, because it is, but life goes on if you lose. The important thing is to get a really good education, which you're going to get at Tulane as a student-athlete."
What are you looking forward to most about Saturday's game against Memphis?
"I love that we've been able to play, that's been fabulous that we have been able to play and stay within all of the COVID-19 guidelines and protocols. And that we've been able to have some fans in the stadium. I love that we've been on ESPN three times, that just makes me so proud to see the Green and Blue out there, conducting ourselves in the way you would want to see us conduct ourselves. And, that we have this hot shot freshman quarterback. Who knew that this freshman, Michael Pratt, would be able to step up. Roll Wave!"
Tulane University '64
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
"I grew up in New Orleans – born and raised. Many generations, many aunts, uncles, both of my sisters, many cousins, my mom (class of '34) all went to Tulane, so it's a long family history. I went to Tulane and graduated in '64. I was one of three women math majors, and I credit Tulane for giving me the opportunity to do that because women just didn't do that in those days. As a result, I had several different job offers when I graduated. I chose to go to Washington, D.C. and work for the National Security Agency - I was a spy for the NSA. From there, I went into a career in computer systems analysis and lived in Washington for 36 years. I married a man who was a field producer for NBC Nightly News, so that was a very exciting life. Unfortunately, he passed away very young, he had a heart attack in the studio a little over 30 years ago. I never thought I'd come back to New Orleans, but my father died, and my mother was getting older and we wanted to get her settled in a smaller place. I grew up right near Audubon Park. I was coming back here every month or so and Tulane needed an alumni director; I was semi-retired by then, so I said 'Okay, I'll do that job for five years.' So, I moved back in 2000 and worked in the Alumni House for five years. Then Katrina hit, and I thought, 'Well, I can't retire now.' It took us six years to get back into the Alumni House and we lived in various temporary offices in the city. We got back into the Alumni House in 2011 and dedicated it to Bea Field. And then I retired, finally, in 2012.
I loved Tulane and Tulane gave me the opportunity to spend my junior year abroad, it was a fabulous program that I heard about in high school. I thought, 'I'm going to do that, I'm going to go to Paris my junior year.' And I did. I went to Paris as a junior and that really gave me wanderlust and I think that's why I was so excited about moving to Washington after I graduated. I have been to all seven continents, 81 countries in the world and every state except one (North Dakota). But what that's done is given me a great appreciation for people and diversity, different cultures and ways of looking at the world. It really made me appreciate New Orleans, too. And what a fabulous city this is, with its architecture, music and food. The weirder you are in New Orleans, the more accepted you are. It's so true.
I had a friend in grade school who lived near the old Tulane Stadium on Willow Street and we used to go there for football games, I think because her older brother went there with his friends. We would pester him about what was going on in the games, and that's where I first saw football and learned about the sport. We loved that stadium and used to ride our bikes on the ramps. When I was in school at Newcomb, one of the things you had to do as a sorority pledge was dress in white and wear your green beanie and go to the football games. I had a leg up because I understood football because of my friend who lived near the stadium and had a big brother.
So, I moved back here, worked at the alumni office, retired in 2012, and about three years ago, moved to Lambeth House, which is a retirement community at the foot of Broadway. So, I'm still very close to the campus. I walk five miles a day, every day, and often, I will walk through the Tulane campus. I love that everybody is masking. I never see anybody on that campus without a mask and I think that's fabulous. I just feel the vibrancy and the energy there with the students and I love that."
What do you love most about the city of New Orleans?
"I really love the roots that I have here that go so deep. I'm still close friends with women I went to kindergarten with and that's extraordinary, I don't think a lot of people can lay claim to that. The city itself, I just love that there's always something going on – even with COVID-19. I went to a front porch concert the other night with a string quartet on Camp Street and it was so fun. We were all socially distanced, people having their cocktails. I love Carnival, I ride in Muses and am an original member of the Muses Krewe. This would have been my 21st parade, but of course we are all cancelled. We had a float meeting the other night though, we're keeping the spirit going. I love being part of that Krewe because we do so much throughout the year, and we do so many good things for people in the city and the children. We have a contest where the kids submit designs for our Muses cups every year, and we always have a feature student who wins the cup contest. We also raise money for different causes every year, so I just love it.
The architecture in the city is just amazing. When I have friends from out of town who visit, they can't get over the architecture. The Greek Revival, the modern, the shotgun, the Creole Cottages, the Italianate – just so many different styles. Even the Tulane campus now, with The Commons, that's just an extraordinary modern building. There you have it almost in the shadow of buildings like Gibson Hall. It's just an extraordinary city from so many points of view. I'm sorry that some people come here and all they see is the French Quarter and the tourist things, but I love it when people tell me, 'I got out of the Quarter and I rode the streetcar and I saw St. Charles Avenue.' Just yesterday, I had somebody in town tell me that she and her husband rode up and down St. Charles because they were in awe of the Christmas lights.
And, of course, the food, you can't get food like this anywhere. The coffee. The music, it's everywhere. I also sing in an interracial gospel choir, Shades of Praise, and, from 2003 to 2019, every year, we sang in the gospel tent at Jazz Fest. We sang all over the city. Because of that, I've been to places in the city that I never would have known about or gone to just because of the diversity in the choir. We not only have people from New Orleans, we have people from all over the world in our choir. They hear about us, they come to New Orleans to do a teaching gig for a couple of years, and then they join the choir. For some reason, we have a lot of people from France, several people from Germany.
The world just comes to you when you live here in New Orleans. So many people come here just to visit, for Mardi Gras, and then they never leave. We call them the never-lefts. Just lots of reasons to love New Orleans."
What did you enjoy most about your time as a student at Tulane?
"I lived at home, so I didn't have the dorm experience, but I did join a sorority that was not one that most of my high school friends who came to Newcomb had joined. I didn't want just a continuation of high school. So, I joined a sorority that had women from all over, so I made a whole bunch of different friends and I loved that part of it. I loved, as I talked about, JYA (junior year abroad) and I loved that you could study at your own pace, at least I had teachers that let you do that. I love, of course, that I was inspired by my advisor. Paul Conrad, I'll never forget that man. I could've majored in either French or Math and he encouraged me to major in Math so that I could get out in the world and work. And he was right. It was because of him, and because I had a high school teacher who pushed me in Math, because of those people who saw potential and helped students achieve it.
And of course, the beautiful campus. I was in school during a really amazing time. I was in school during the Civil Rights era. I was on campus the day that John F. Kennedy was shot. Those are things you just never forget. I'm very appreciative and very grateful, and also had a scholarship which really helped a lot."
Why do you choose to support Tulane Athletics?
"I think student-athletes are among the most incredible students in the world. I think to play a sport and to do it well, which requires so much time, is just inspiring. They work so hard. When you look at what some of our student-athletes have gone on to do, we have some extraordinary alumni who were student-athletes at Tulane. Bobby Brown, Ham Richardson, Roch Hontas, just some amazing athletes who have gone on to very distinguished careers. And, not only that, they're fine, decent, human beings. That's why I support those programs. Also, I think Tulane provides a lot of opportunity for women athletes, so I love to support them. I think Lisa Stockton is an incredible coach, 26 years doing it. For a while, I even mentored a Tulane women's basketball player after she graduated when Coach Stockton started a mentoring program years ago. That was really great. I'm still in touch with Tiffany Aidoo, she was a great basketball player for Tulane."
What is one thing you believe sets Tulane apart from other Division I institutions?
"I think the focus on the student part of student-athlete is big. I think for a while, athletics was not as big of a focus at Tulane, but then we built the football stadium. We've hired some great coaches and a really great athletic director, and I think we always look for decent people. Honest, decent people to run these programs. Not that other schools don't, but I think it just sets us apart. We have a spirit, and we have a fan-base that's extremely loyal, like a lot of other schools, but because we're small, you wouldn't expect to see so many loyal fans year after year. There's just an aura around Tulane Athletics that I just don't see existing in other places. It's not as though we're competing with other schools, it's more like we are here to play the game. Whatever that game may be. And we're here to play it as best as we can. I'm not saying that winning isn't important, because it is, but life goes on if you lose. The important thing is to get a really good education, which you're going to get at Tulane as a student-athlete."
What are you looking forward to most about Saturday's game against Memphis?
"I love that we've been able to play, that's been fabulous that we have been able to play and stay within all of the COVID-19 guidelines and protocols. And that we've been able to have some fans in the stadium. I love that we've been on ESPN three times, that just makes me so proud to see the Green and Blue out there, conducting ourselves in the way you would want to see us conduct ourselves. And, that we have this hot shot freshman quarterback. Who knew that this freshman, Michael Pratt, would be able to step up. Roll Wave!"
To learn more or make a gift to the Green Wave Club, visit GreenWaveClub.com.
Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
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