found the answer, kind of. env variable is LD_LIBRARY_PATH. in csh it's:
setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH /misc/coneyisland/ut2004
patches/ut2004.3323/System/:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
--
TimSpeltz is an object {
Color = Sr. Technical Director, FX
Xform = Blue Sky Studios
Phone = 914.259.6331
}