Sean O'Keefe survives plane crash
by Rebekah Allen - Daily Report (excerpt)

Former LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin, have reportedly survived the crash of a private plane in Alaska. Family members told NBC News that O’Keefe suffered a broken pelvis and several other broken bones. The O’Keefes spent Monday night on a mountainside with several volunteers who discovered the wreckage and tended to the injured until rescuers arrived this morning. The private plane crashed Monday night near a remote fishing village, killing former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and four others, authorities say. O'Keefe became the CEO of EADS North America, an aerospace and defense services company, in November 2009 after presiding for a short stint over General Electric's aviation division in Washington. He served as LSU's seventh chancellor from 2005-08. From 2001-05 he served as a NASA administrator.

The LSU community has waited throughout Tuesday for news about O'Keefe. Michael Martin, who succeeded O'Keefe as chancellor, says he was "happy and relieved" to learn that O'Keefe and his son have survived. LSU football coach Les Miles opened Media Day with comments about the former chancellor. "My prayers … for all that were on the plane certainly (are) very sincere," Miles says. "We're hopeful Chancellor O'Keefe and his son are fine."

Some of O'Keefe's strongest allies were formed when he was fund-raising for the Forever LSU campaign. "We were all in prayer that he and his son would survive," says Jonathan Martin, CEO of Roy O. Martin, one of LSU's top donors. "I pray that the news is correct and that he and his son are well. We lift our prayers up to all of the people on that plane." Carol Calkins, a volunteer fundraiser for LSU's E.J. Ourso College of Business, says she has been in contact with other fundraisers all day who have been worried about O'Keefe. "I had goose bumps," says Calkins, who says she worked closely with O'Keefe. "I was very saddened to hear about Sen. Stevens, but I'm happy to hear about Sean. He has continued to work for LSU even after he left