Tulane Magazine Summer 2011

TUlane CITY STICKERS

THE MAGAZINE OF TULANE UNIVERSITY

New Orleans pulls in people to reinvent and rebuild the city

TODAY IOWA, TOMORROW THE WORLD

Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail—the early days

absinthe minded

Chris Buddy creates a film documentary on the ‘Green Fairy’

SUMMER 2011

Drop In. Do good.

Stay on.

SummerCover.FINAL.indd 2

8/1/11 3:34 PM

Brad Rosenheim

From the bottom up Floating in the warm, turquoise-blue water of the Little Colorado River, Brad Rosenheim, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, memorializes his unique perspective in this snapshot.

“The photo was taken with a disposable, waterproof film camera.

The quality surprised me; everyone gets lucky every once in a while,” says Rosenheim, an instructor in this year’s Grand Canyon Colloquium.

In its 36th year, the colloquium is offered to students every spring, culminating each May in the mother of all field trips: eight days down nearly 200 miles of the river—mostly the Colorado River (the Little Colorado is a tributary of its big brother)—that winds through the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

“Millions of people go to the Grand Canyon and stand on the rim, look down, then go jump back in their air-conditioned car and go have lunch,” says Ron Parsley, professor of geology and trip organizer. “We decided that a better way to do this was to get on a boat and spend a week looking at the canyon from the bottom up.”

Ever the geology professor, Rosenheim notes that the Caribbean-like blueness of the Little Colorado can be attributed to a mineral called travertine.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

1

P R E S I D E N T ’ S

L E T T E R

News fit to print

by Scott S. Cowen

L I N DY B U R N E T T

There’s an old adage that goes “no news is good news.” I remember a time a few years back when that adage seemed to express the general truth about New Orleans. Although there was an abundance of news about the city appearing in print, broadcast and digital media, not a lot of it was very good.

Six years ago when my senior staff and I escaped the city to regroup in Houston, the news, in fact, was abysmal: “New Orleans cowers as Katrina slams the coast;” “Hurricane hell in New Orleans. Fears that Katrina could wipe out city;” “Fear toll in thousands;” “New Orleans, jewel of the South, changes into toxic wasteland;” “Don’t rebuild New Orleans.”

These were actual headlines that appeared during that time.

And then, amid all the gloom-and-doom reports, this appeared: “A city built in mud and optimism: New Orleans made its mark on history long ago.” In the story, Robert Fulford of the National Post asked, “Who else but an optimist would live below sea level?” He then went on to write, “Rebuilding New Orleans will be a vast project but essential.

What would we do without the liveliest city of the continent?”

Mr. Fulford touched on three important principles about the recovery of New Orleans. No. 1 is the incredible spirit and resiliency of our citizens.

No. 2 is the recognition of the tremendous amount of work that was before us. And No. 3 is that failure to bring back the city was not an option.

As we brought Tulane’s campus back into working order and recalled our students for the 2006 spring semester, I watched the national

2

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

failure WAs not an option The good news keeps on coming in a city given up for dead six years ago.

headlines moderate a bit: “New Orleans survives on a song and a prayer,” “Slow, shuffling return of New Orleans culture,” and “Not the real New Orleans, but it will have to do.”

Over time, we saw more and more positive change in New Orleans, and that change was reflected in the stories written about the city.

By 2009, the New York Times was writing stories such as this: “Entrepreneurs leverage New Orleans’ charm to lure small businesses,” and in 2010 USA Today ran a story, “New Orleans gaining on blight; could be model for other cities.”

And now, in the last few months, the tenor of stories written about New Orleans is as positive as I’ve ever seen. In February, Forbes magazine, in a piece about which cities are the country’s best “brain magnets,” New Orleans ranked No. 1, based on a survey of where college-educated adults were moving. A month later, in another Forbes survey, New Orleans moved up 46 places to capture the No. 2 spot for best cities for jobs.

In May, Forbes ran a story titled “The Katrina Effect—Renaissance on the Mississippi.” Inside the story was the following: “Today, [New Orleans’] comeback story could serve as a model of regional recovery for other parts of the country—and even the world.”

In June, the Detroit Free Press ran a story that was headlined, “New start for Detroit’s worst schools.” In the body of the story I learned that the city of Detroit has plans to remake its public school district by modeling it on the Louisiana Recovery School District that was implemented after Katrina.

That same month, the Chicago Tribune ran a nice travel piece that expounded on the virtues of Frenchmen and Magazine streets.

After describing the amazing variety of venues one can find along these streets, the writer concludes with the following: “What both Frenchmen and Magazine streets have are lots of customers who are NOLA natives.

Visit either and you’ll feel like one, too.”

The story makes me smile because I feel that the writer got it right about the generous and inclusive disposition of our citizenry. (Read more about the current allure of New Orleans in “City Stickers,” on page 14.)

I think back to Mr. Fulford, who so soon after New Orleans had taken the hit from Katrina, wrote about the optimism of New Orleanians.

As much as anything else, it is the optimism and resiliency of this city that has energized our rebuilding. I am humbled to stand with my fellow New Orleanians as we continue to write this story in the days, months and years to come.

TUlane C O N T E N T S Brain Gain James Carville and Mary Matalin make New Orleans their home.

Carville is a professor of practice in political science at Tulane .

2 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Scott Cowen reports on the good news 6 NEWS Atchafalaya River runs a natural course • Coastal and river flooding, twin concerns • Tracking a high-water event • Green Dinwiddie Hall • Who dat? Lindy Boggs • “I wish this was a bakery” • Cleaning up groundwater contaminants • John Perdew tapped for National Academy of Sciences • Risky jobs • Is tungsten toxic? • Invention for safe births • Art by Sandy Chism

tate tullier

12 SPORTS Gabe Feldman, sports law • Saints football team trains on campus • Scull and bicycling teams

14 City Stickers New Orleans has never lacked for charm. These days people are finding all kinds of other reasons to stick by the city. By Ryan Rivet

20 Today, Iowa, Tomorrow, the World The odds are long but the road is fun for Newt Gingrich, G ’68, ’71—perhaps the only Tulane graduate ever to run for the office of president of the United States. By Tom Nugent

26 Absinthe Minded Fascinated by the mystique of absinthe, Chris Buddy, TC ’02, creates a film documentary about the liquor with a scandalous and romantic past. By Barbara Perry Bind

30 TULANIANS Jonathan McHugh • Jambalaya digitized • Alumni survey on the way • Joan Halifax • Anthony Jeselnik 32 WHERE Y'AT! Class notes 35 FAREWELL Tributes • Armand Bertin • Jessie Poesch 38 TULANE EMPOWERS Weatherhead Scholars • Hertz training facility • Homecoming class gifts • Campaign progress 40 NEW ORLEANS Angus Lind and a French Quarter getaway

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

3

pep band George Cole created this sketch of the Tulane Pep Band in 1961 when he was a member of the group.

y e a h,

y o u

COURAGE RECALLED I found the article “Walking the Walk” in the Spring issue bringing back many memories of that period.

After graduating in 1955 I attended seminary and then returned to New Orleans in 1958 to serve at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church until 1961. During that time the public schools of New Orleans were desegregated with the reaction that followed, so well described in this article.

It should be noted that not all white children left the schools. The daughter of a white Methodist pastor at a church on the downtown side continued to attend classes when other white children were withdrawn, passing through the same heckling that greeted those little girls. The minister’s home was picketed by similar groups, so much so that he had to move his family elsewhere. A group of clergy took turns driving him and his daughter to and from school.

I was on such an occasion when he asked to be driven by his home. We were met by the usual crowd, shouting and throwing rocks. One shattered the windshield on the front passenger side where I was sitting. No injuries were suffered, but it was a sickening experience to see such hatred openly displayed at young children of both races and at the same an encouraging one to see the courage of these little girls and their parents in the face of such adversity.

The Rev. A. Dean Calcote, A&S ’55 New Orleans DREYFOUS AND CIVIL RIGHTS I was moved by your article and pictures about the integration of New Orleans schools in 1960, and I write to add a note. One of the people involved in that event, a white participant aiding the black children was a Tulane alumnus, George A. Dreyfous [A&S ’14, L ’18] , who died in early 1961. Mr. Dreyfous (my stepfather) was at the time President of the Louisiana Civil Liberties Union, and had a long career of speaking out and acting on civil liberties issues.

I’m enclosing a copy of a piece that appeared in the Washington Post concerning the incident, which refers to Mr. Dreyfous. It is taken from a booklet about the life of George Dreyfous that I wrote, a copy of which is in the Tulane Library.

The Library has a collection of materials about his life, as well as about the lives of other members of his family, including his sister, Ruth Dreyfous [N ’23], also a noted activist. George Dreyfous was the inspiration for the George and Mathilde Dreyfous Lectures in Civil Rights at the Tulane Law School.

Thomas J. Schwab Holyoke, Mass.

4

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

w r i t e WHERE ARE THEY NOW? I really enjoyed the article “Walking the Walk” by Ryan Rivet and I found the story of Ruby Bridges, Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost, and Leona Tate and their place in New Orleans’ history of racial segregation fascinating.

However, the piece left me wondering: Where are they now? Any followup would be greatly appreciated.

Neil B. Fineman, A&S ’90 Anaheim Hills, Calif.

Ruby Bridges has written a book about her experience and founded the Ruby Bridges Foundation: Empowering Children to Advance Social Justice and Racial Harmony. Leona Tate also is an activist who has worked in various capacities over the years at the St. Thomas project, at a health clinic and in the schools. She is now directing her efforts toward converting McDonough 19, the school she desegregated, into a community center and civil rights museum. Tessie Prevost works for the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. And Gail Etienne lives in Oklahoma City.

SAGA OF DESEGREGATION Enjoyed your article about the deseg of N.O. schools in 1960. Glad you got the Rockwell allusion [to the Norman Rockwell painting The Problem We All Live With]. …

Two things: 1. In 1954, UL [University of Louisiana at Lafayette], who, of course, adopted Tulane’s old name, became the first school in the country to desegregate after Brown v. Board of Education. Interesting piece of Louisiana history in the deseg saga.

2. Steinbeck’s classic Travels WithCharley ends in New Orleans at the time of “the Cheerleaders.”

Joseph N. Abraham, M ’86 Lafayette, La. BAND MEMORIES Great article on the brass band ensemble in the Spring 2011 edition of Tulane Magazine. It brought back some fond memories of the Tulane Pep Band, which I had the honor of leading for the ’60–’61 school year. Of course, we wore green and white striped jackets and straw sailor hats as opposed to the seersucker jackets and Tulane ball caps of the brass band ensemble. I found an old sketch that I had made showing three members of our group (see above). The trumpet player is Herman Rotsch (class of ’62), the clarinet player is Richard Peacock (class of ’61). Can’t remember who was playing trombone.

Thanks for the memories!

George Cole, A&S ’61 Monticello, Fla. FEEDBACK ON REDESIGN I recently received my copy of the redesigned and renamed Tulane quarterly

magazine. While I appreciate the attempt to more strongly reflect the magazine's connection to the university, I was dismayed by the redesign itself.

The “bold graphics, simple headlines and striking photographs” referenced

by Mary Ann Travis in the Letter from the Editor, are distracting, annoying, and insulting. More than that, such superficial changes significantly cheapen a magazine that I used to look forward to receiving in the mail. While flipping through its pages, I felt like I held in my hands a copy of something more akin to Seventeen than the magazine of a prestigious U.S. university.

John T. Gagnon, G ’07, L ’07 Baltimore GORGEOUS MAG I just received my copy of Tulane and am blown away! The new look is fabulous, not to mention the articles.

I used to serve as editor of another alumni magazine, and this is one of the very best I've seen.

Kudos to everyone who worked on it!

Joy Wagman Krohn, B ’99 Houston GREEN AND BLUE FAMILY I write this as a Tulane graduate, A&S ’58, husband of a Newcomb graduate, NC ’61, son of Tulane and Newcomb graduates, ’29 and ’27, son-in-law of a Newcomb graduate, NC ’26, and brother of a Tulane graduate, ’59, and as a member of the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame (football manager) 2001. And my great uncle taught engineering for more than thirty years.

I do not think many families are more Green and Blue.

But I write also as a former college administrator and college president, who has read and reads tens of college magazines a year, to say that the new format of the Tulane Magazine is not much of an improvement, indeed it may be a retrograde step as it mimics USA Today.

I hope that you will try again before too long. If this is a precursor to the end of the printed magazine, with e-news the total future, then no need to redesign again. But if the magazine is to continue, and there are lots of studies that say good magazines, including the UNC and Harvard ones, stay on coffee tables, then try again sometime.

Samuel R. Williamson Jr., A&S ’58 Sewanee, Tenn.

NO PROPER BURIAL I was stunned when I saw the “Tulanian” with a different name. I was shocked when there was no explanation for the name change. I was offended no eulogy or proper burial for the Tulanian name had taken place.

I can only find the name, “Tulane University” in two places in the

magazine and the print is minimized and the Tulane logo is no where to be found. I see that the magazine’s credits have been rearranged.

What I do see clearly is the lack of transparency. So what does it all mean?

Is there something in the wind? I feel a brain wash coming on.

Rudolf M. Flasdick, M ’52 Lancaster, Texas DEATH OF JOURNALISM With the Spring 2011 edition of “Tulane,” journalism on campus has reached a new low. As an avid reader of the publication, I have seen numerous changes over the years. However, I have never been so moved as to write back and express such a dislike for the new “revolution.” Oh sure, I can handle a “new look,” a “new name,” “bold graphics,” “simple headlines,” and “striking photographs.” But what happened to the writing? ...

Thomas J. Kern, A&S ’84, B ’86 Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

NEW ISSUE I thoroughly enjoyed reading the new Tulane magazine! The fresh look is cleaner and engaging. I particularly liked the renaming of Class Notes to Where Y’at? How appropriate to reflect the fun and quirky personality of the city we all love.

I’ve been impressed with Pentagram’s work in the past and they certainly contributed to keeping this publication as lively as its readers!

Great job!

Kathryn Spruill Roman, NC ’05, B ’07 Smyrna, Ga. KUDOS ON NEW LOOK Love the new look and feel of the alumni magazine. … Not sure the name change was necessary but it doesn’t rub my fur the wrong way.

All in all, very nicely done! Hats off all around!

Stacy Tyre Jennings, NC ’82 Savannah, Ga. EASY TO READ Thank you for the great looking magazine. It is much easier to read than before. Great work!

Zara Watkins, NC ’99 Ormond Beach, Fla.

Drop Us a Line E-mail us at tulanemag@tulane.edu or U.S. mail: Tulane, University Publications, 200 Broadway, Suite 219, New Orleans, LA 70118

Letter from The Editor

TUlane M

A

G

A

Z

I

N

E

Editor Mary Ann Travis

Art Director Melinda Whatley Viles Features Editor Nick Marinello “where y’at!” Editor Fran Simon

paula burch-celentano

Contributors Catherine Freshley, ’09 Alicia Duplessis Jasmin Angus Lind, A&S ’66 Arthur Nead Ryan Rivet, UC ’02 senior University Photographer Paula Burch-Celentano

water, water, everywhere

With its bayous, lakes, rivers and frontage to the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana brims with water. It’s everywhere you look.

Too much water in Louisiana is often a worry. But it is possible to view its abundance as an asset, not a liability.

Water is the state’s “defining resource,” says Mark Davis, director of the Institute for Water Resources Law and Policy at Tulane Law School. In the “News” on page 6, Davis addresses the two floods with which Louisiana is constantly dealing.

When the level of the Mississippi River reached epic proportions this spring, it was an awesome sight to see the roiling water lapping near the top of the levee at Audubon Park.

Fishermen (like the one pictured above) flocked to the river to catch jumping fish while other people fretted about the possibility of the river submerging the city.

But the river didn’t flood the cities of Louisiana this year. The complex levee and flood control system that is in place worked almost flawlessly.

Other states where water is scarce have their eye on the copious flow of water swiftly moving through Louisiana,

says Davis. “They notice all the wasted water, and say, ‘Send it to us.’”

In another year of droughts, states from Georgia to North Dakota to Nevada are making proposals to take water from the Mississippi River system. “We have to make sure that we’re not subsidizing their future with ours,” says Davis, “which is, quite frankly, what we did with oil. It’s what we did with timber.”

Louisiana is letting the Mississippi River fresh water run straight to the Gulf of Mexico. “We’re not treating it as the defining asset that it is,” says Davis. “If we don’t make plans for it, I can assure you, others will. ” Jeremy Jernegan, ceramic artist and art professor, is another Tulane faculty member who contemplates water. He sees that water represents a paradox for Louisiana.

“I think we continue to come to terms with the vulnerability in which we find ourselves here in south Louisiana, internalizing both fascination and fear of water,” he says.

So, it seems, Louisianans continue their uneasy relationship with water, both loving and fearing its immense power. Watching the river roll by.

—Mary Ann Travis

senior Production Coordinator Sharon Freeman Graphic Designer Tracey O’Donnell

President of the University Scott S. Cowen Vice President of University Communications Deborah L. Grant, PHTM ’86 Executive Director of Publications Carol J. Schlueter, B ’99 Tulane (USPS 017-145) is a quarterly magazine published by the Tulane Office of University Publications, 31 McAlister Drive, Drawer 1, New Orleans, LA 70118-5624. Periodical postage at New Orleans, LA 70113 and additional mailing offices. Send editorial correspondence to the above address or email tulanemag@tulane.edu.

Opinions expressed in Tulane are not necessarily those of Tulane representatives and do not necessarily reflect university policies. Material may be reprinted only with permission.

Tulane University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Tulane, Tulane Office of University Publications, 31 McAlister Drive, Drawer 1, New Orleans, LA 70118-5624. summer 2011/Vol. 83, No. 1­­­­

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

5

RIVER IN REAL-TIME The Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy at Tulane launched a website allowing residents in areas affected by Atchafalaya River flooding to post real-time information about how the disaster affected their communities. News, text messages, cell-phone photos, short videos and voice messages were submitted to http://lafloodmap.

N EW S

louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries

Two Floods

RiverBank If there is a take-home message from the Great Flood of 2011, it is this: Nature needs space. That’s the contention of environmentalist and Tulane law professor Oliver Houck, who spent more than a decade working to ensure that nature was afforded its due space in the Atchafalaya Basin.

When the Army Corps of Engineers opened the bays of the Morganza Spillway in May, it diverted a portion of the swollen Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River Basin. While the diverted waters threatened some residences and commerce, the situation could have been far worse.

Houck first came to Louisiana in 1971 as an attorney for the National Wildlife Federation. At that time, “The corps was building a monster in the Atchafalaya,” says Houck. The corps had proposed a project to dig a deep channel along the center of the Atchafalaya River and build levees along its banks. But with Houck a key figure in the fight, sportsmen and environmental groups opposed the project in which the designated floodway, a flourishing swamp, would have been drained, dried up and destroyed to clear the way for development.

After a decade of wrangling, the corps was persuaded to abandon the channel project. The corps also obtained authority to purchase development rights across the basin. While landowners retain title to the land and oil, gas and timbers rights, they can’t develop the land. And, unlike the Mississippi River, the Atchafalaya River has been allowed to flow to its natural banks, free from the constraint of levees and maintaining its biological productivity.

“Rivers are not gutters,” says Houck. The Atchafalaya River arrangement provides a model for how humans can live alongside rivers, he says.

Setting development back by a couple of miles not only protects populated areas from flooding, but also creates extra storage capacity that can mitigate flooding downstream.—Nick Marinello

6

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

Pent-up Power As much as 114,000 cubic feet of water per second surges into the Atchafalaya River Basin when the Morganza Spillway is opened in May. The Atchafalaya, unlike the Mississippi, freely flows its natural course.

Levees and spillways designed to protect New Orleans from Mississippi River flooding worked as they were designed to work this spring during an extraordinary high-water event.

That’s good news in the short run. “But we have to keep in mind that we have one river and two floods,” says Mark Davis, director of the Institute for Water Resources Law and Policy at Tulane Law School.

The 20-foot-high levees held back the river with 3 feet to spare when the river crested at 17 feet in New Orleans. But it wasn’t the levees alone that kept water from inundating the city. It was the upriver diversion of the river into the Atchafalaya River Basin and Lake Pontchartrain through the Morganza and Bonnet Carre spillways, respectively.

River flooding is an occasional crisis and a fact of life in south Louisiana. It also is what naturally built the land of coastal Louisiana during the past 7,000 years. During times of high water, the river would leave its channel and spread out sediments, nutrients and fresh water, nourishing marshes and swamps.

But the extensive levee system constructed during the past hundred years to prevent flooding in populated areas has walled the river off from the coastal plain and contributed to the other flood—coastal flooding—confronting south Louisiana.

“Ironically, coastal flooding is caused substantially because of the absence of the river,” says Davis.

Coastal flooding—chronic and everyday— is worsening, exacerbated by sea-level rise associated with climate change. “Time is not our friend,” says Davis.

But something can be done. The coast can be restored using the natural cycles and rhythms of the river. Almost every year, the river is high. And rather than funneling sediment and fresh water out into the Gulf of Mexico, value can be extracted from the resources of the river. “We don’t have a drop of water or sediment to waste,” says Davis.

Through controlled flooding in low-lying areas and the use of mechanical devices such as pumps and dredges, land can be built.

“We’re the generation that has to make this commitment, or we’re the generation that loses,” says Davis.—Mary Ann Travis

paula burch-celentano

In That Number Dinwiddie Hall

Gone Green Dinwiddie Hall, constructed in 1923 and home to the Middle American Research Institute and Department of Anthropology, received a major overhaul in 2009–10. Because of the green methods used in its renovation, as well as its transformation into an energy-efficient facility, Dinwiddie Hall received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification—the first building of its type to receive this certification in Louisiana.

51% 14% of existing interior elements (doors and transoms, window frames and glass, plaster walls and hardwood flooring) were reused in the renovation.

more energy-efficient is Dinwiddie Hall than a typical new building of the same size and design.

94%

800 45,000 tons of construction waste were recycled. That’s 75 percent of total waste.

THE POLL DO YOU RECYCLE? We want to know! Let us know by emailing us at: tulanemag@tulane.edu. We’ll report on the results in the fall issue of Tulane.

of the building’s external shell was reused.

9

MILLION bucks

—that’s the cost of the renovation.

square feet were renovated in Dinwiddie Hall. Green-related renovations include recycling rooms on every floor, wrapped insulation, air-quality monitors in every room, a shower for faculty who commute by bike, low-water toilets, and daylight harvesting lights that automatically turn off when sufficient natural light enters the building.

THE results last issue we asked if you live in a big city, small town or rural area.

5 out of 7 of you said you live in a big city.

71.4% T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

7

courtesy tulane university archives

Who Dat ? The Press

LINDY BOGGS Before she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Corinne “Lindy” Claiborne Boggs was a member of the Hullabaloo staff as the Newcomb editor.

Joining her at the table in this 1935 yearbook photo are, among others, editor-in-chief T. Hale Boggs, who later became U.S. House majority leader, and assistant campus editor Howard K. Smith Jr., who became one of

8

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

the legendary CBS World War II correspondents known as “Murrow’s Boys” and later a news anchor for ABC. After graduation, Lindy married Hale Boggs, whose nickname was “senator,” when she was “nearly 21.” He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served 14 terms, representing the 2nd District of Louisiana, which includes New Orleans. After

Hale Boggs died in a plane crash in 1973, Lindy Boggs took his place. She was elected to a full term in 1974 and reelected seven times. She was the first woman ever to chair the Democratic National Convention— in fact, the first woman to be permanent chair of any national political convention.

President Bill Clinton appointed her ambassador to the Holy See at the Vatican in 1997,

a position she held until 2001.

In 2006, she received the Congressional Distinguished Service Award for her service to the U.S. House of Representatives.

While her first two children went into politics like their parents, Lindy Boggs’ youngest, Cokie Roberts, is an Emmy award-winning journalist (and a Tulane University honorary degree recipient in 2011).

—FRAN SIMON

academy award John Perdew, professor of physics, has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, a body of 2,000 distinguished scientists, advising the U.S. government on science policy. Perdew is a leader in the development of the density functional theory of atoms, molecules and solids, which is used to calculate fundamental properties of materials.

N EW S

candy change

Street Art

When public installation artist Candy Chang moved into New Orleans’ Marigny neighborhood in summer 2010, the number of vacant storefronts in the otherwise vibrant residential district surprised her. That incongruity was the inspiration for “I Wish This Was,” a project that Chang describes as “a kind of love child of urban planning and street art.”

As an artist, Chang says she’s passionate about redefining ways to use public space. “A robust public life includes accessible ways for residents to reach out and self-organize,” she says.

Chang is one of four awardees of this year’s Urban Innovation Challenge grants, administered by Tulane, sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, and supported by the School of Architecture’s Tulane City Center. Chang was selected from a pool of more than 200 applicants.

In the “I Wish This Was” project, Chang copied the format of the “Hello, my name is…” stickers that are ubiquitous at professional conferences. She distributed thousands of the stickers in November.

Easy to remove, the stickers began to turn up on the facades of abandoned and blighted properties around town as residents filled in the blanks to express their hopes and dreams for future development. Typical answers included “I wish this was … a grocery,” “a community garden,” “a butcher shop” and “a taco stand,” though Chang admits delight in offbeat answers such as “Heaven” and “Brad Pitt’s house.”

Chang has now developed the project into “Neighborland,” an online platform at http://neighborland.org/ that “‘helps residents voice their needs, share local knowledge and shape the commercial and physical development of their neighborhoods.” —N. M.

Water Bugs A new technique for cleaning up groundwater contaminants is being developed by a team of Tulane engineers led by Vijay John, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

The innovation is particularly suited to the remediation of chlorinated solvents, which are widely used in dry cleaning, the chemical industry and military installations. The polluting compounds sink deep into the ground and leach into groundwater, where they move as a contaminated plume.

The way the new technology works is that the contaminating chemicals in the water are soaked up with a powdery substance of biodegradable material, which includes iron, sugarcane and crustacean shells, a waste product.

The new technology is superior to earlier technology, says John, because “earlier technologies just inject materials at different places so they aren’t able to come into contact with much of the contaminants.”

The biodegradable material used by John and his colleagues “travels with the plume and is an engineered material that allows it to come into contact with the contaminant and continue breaking it down as it moves,” he says.

bread winner A takeoff on “My name is ...” peel-off badges gives neighbors a platform to express ideas about changing their community. The stickers are part of a project that combines performance art and community organizing by Urban Innovation Challenge fellow Candy Chang.

John is a consultant to the company NanoFex, founded to take the new technology—still in its testing stages—from the laboratory to the marketplace.

The Tulane Office of Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Development and the New Orleans BioInnovation Center are providing assistance to the fledgling company.

The company’s innovation earned a prize of $50,000 during the third annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week in March. The Greater New Orleans Foundation in partnership The Idea Village promoted and supported “Water Challenge 2011,” which NanoFex won.

—Alicia Duplessis Jasmin

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

9

safesnip Medical student William Kethman and others have applied for a patent for SafeSnip, a disposable obstetric device that cuts, clamps and shields the umbilical cord from infection. It is designed for use in the developing world where infants are susceptible to infections resulting from unsanitary birth conditions.

N EW S

Dread Factor A psychological mechanism called the “dread factor” motivates workers in dangerous jobs to avoid deadly and harmful mistakes, says Michael Burke, the Lawrence Martin Professor in the A. B. Freeman School of Business.

When workers learn through highly interactive safety training about ominous job hazards and how vulnerable they are to injury and illness, they tend to act more cautiously and with prudence.

“Our findings clearly point to workers not appreciating or understanding threat (injury or illness) vulnerability prior to training,” says Burke. He is the lead author of “The Dread Factor: How Hazards and Safety Training Influence Learning and Performance,” an article published in the Journal of Applied Psychology by the American Psychological Association.

Burke and other researchers analyzed 113 safety-training studies that have been conducted since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act in 1971. The studies included a total sample of 24,694 workers in 16 countries.

Distance learning and electronic learning are less expensive than hands-on training—and may be the best route to go for workers in less hazardous jobs. But in order to prevent the enormous financial and human costs of disasters like mine explosions, it is cost effective for companies to invest in highly interactive safety training, says Burke.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, highly dangerous work includes farm work, mining, truck driving, bartending, nursing, pizza delivery, postal carrier work and emergency responding, among many other types of work.

“The list includes some obvious and some not so obvious types of work,” says Burke, “and has implications for the needed training for these types of jobs.” Among the dangers faced by workers are exposure to harmful substances and environments, transportation accidents, fires and explosions, and assaults and violent acts.

Examples of not necessarily dangerous jobs are shipyard work, carpentry, food service work, warehousing, and professional and technical jobs. —M.A.T.

10

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

Forewarned Workers in dangerous occupations like pizza delivery have a better safety record when they participate in hands-on, interactive safety training that warns them about hazards on the job.

Heavy Metal Tungsten is all around us.

Widely used in manufacturing and industry, tungsten wire has glowed in countless light bulbs, and tungsten carbide hardens the steel used for drill bits and cutting tools. Until recently this heavy, dense metal was considered non-toxic and environmentally friendly. But is it?

That’s what Tulane biogeochemist Karen Johannesson wants to know.

“For a long time, hunters could buy tungsten bullets and buckshot, and it has been used for fishing weights,” says Johannesson, a professor of earth and environmental sciences. “So there is metal out there that people thought was perfectly harmless and nonmobile, but it turns out that we are probably wrong on both counts—we don’t know anything about how tungsten behaves in the environment.”

Johannesson and a co-investigator Saugata Datta, assistant professor of geology at Kansas State University, have begun a pioneering study on tungsten, doing basic research on what allows tungsten to move through the environment and its potential impact on human health.

Tulane is slated to receive about $309,000 from the National Science Foundation for the three-year project.

Concerns about tungsten emerged when childhood leukemia clusters were identified in Western states including Nevada, Arizona and California. “They are all located near old tungsten mines or modern hard metal industry or tungsten processing centers,” says Johannesson.

High levels of tungsten were found in the blood of people living nearby, raising questions. Was this caused by particulate tungsten transported by air, or did they get it from their region’s groundwater, the source of drinking water?

Preliminary data indicates that when tungsten is metallic it is stable, but when exposed to atmosphere or water, it forms compounds that are mobile.

“We want to start to go out and test that,” says Johannesson. “We need to get some basic understanding of how tungsten cycles in the environment.” —Arthur Nead

Gallery Rumble, Sandy Chism EMBRACING CHANGE The pages of Sandy Chism’s sketchbook are more like those of a poet than those of a painter.

When Chism, an associate professor of painting and drawing in the Newcomb Art Department at Tulane, preps for a work of art, she prefers compiling a list of opposites rather than the typical sketches of shapes and figures.

“I try to include every opposite I can think of: light, dark, big, small, smooth, rough, finished, unfinished, sweet, violent, hopeful, gloomy, bright, dark, heavy, light,” says Chism. “Life

is very much in between those things. It’s rarely way over here or way over there.”

In paintings such as Rumble (pictured here)—an 80-by-90inch oil over acrylic four-panel painting—Chism has created a signature style.

Rumble appears to freeze a moment exuding the juxtapositions that Chism most enjoys.

Balls tumble rapidly and lines aggressively slice. The mood is “happy and exciting, but there is a storm brewing in the middle,” says Chism. “Everything is on the brink of change. It’s all

happening at the same time.”

Instances of change echo in all her paintings. Although she does not practice Buddhism, Chism holds strong beliefs grounded in that religion’s ideas about impermanence and change.

“As people, we are always frustrated with change. We want it, and it isn’t happening, or we don’t want it when it is happening,” says Chism. “I am attracted to the idea that embracing change is liberating because there is less fear.”

In Rumble, Chism revisits

her training as a figurative painter, but only tangentially and not without caution. Instead of emphasis on a single individual, Chism chooses to depict people in crowds or from a distance without meticulous details of facial features. Similarly, students in her advanced painting courses are often pushed to work faster than they feel comfortable doing.

This method, she says, allows students to push their limits and surprise themselves with what they can accomplish.

—alicia duplessis jasmin

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

11

Interview Gabe Feldman, Sports Law Director of Tulane Law School’s Sports Law Program, Gabe Feldman served as legal analyst for the NFL Network during the league’s protracted lockout.

How did you first become interested in sports law?

My interest in sports law stemmed from my desire to understand the structure and operation of sports leagues. I quickly realized that virtually every aspect of professional sports is shaped by some area of the law.

Did you play sports in your youth?

I played every sport I could growing up, none of them particularly well.

What’s your favorite sport?

I am a fan of all sports, but I follow college basketball and professional football most closely.

In your opinion, what are the most interesting jobs available to sports lawyers?

There are many interesting jobs available to sports lawyers—many people focus on general counsel positions with teams and leagues, but there are great opportunities for sports lawyers to work for sponsors and broadcast partners of sports leagues, athletics departments, as well as with international sports organizations like the United States Olympic Committee.

What’s the best thing about teaching law?

The opportunity to write and teach about my passion—the intersection of sports and the law.

—nick marinello

12

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

paula burch-celentano

What one thing do you think all fans should understand about the NFL lockout?

The NFL lockout and the NFL players’ attempt to block that lockout presented several very difficult questions at the intersection of antitrust and labor law. And the NBA lockout and subsequent labor battle will last much longer than the NFL battle.

SPIN CYCLE In May, the Tulane University Cycling Association won the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference Division II Championship.

S P ORT S

Who Dat

s a l ly a s h e r

Marie-Claire Serou, a sophomore, won first place and a gold medal in the women’s single scull event at the American Collegiate Rowing Association’s Championship Regatta.

In the competition, held at Lake Lanier, Ga., on May 28, Serou posted the winning time of 8:22.5 over the 2,000-meter course, almost 45 seconds ahead of the silver medalist from Vanderbilt University.

Serou is a math major who competes with the Tulane University Rowing Association under head coach Bob Jaugstetter, an Olympic silver medalist.

Jaugstetter acknowledged that his rower’s feat was more remarkable in that her single scull, the Who Dat, was a New Orleans Rowing Club boat that had survived both Hurricane Katrina and a tornado that hit the Tulane boathouse.

The Tulane group rows regularly on the Orleans Avenue Canal near New Orleans City Park.

bob Jaugstetter

SaintsAlive!

Laughing, smiling and joking with each other, about 40 members of the New Orleans Saints turned out at Tulane’s Westfeldt practice facility in early May to begin a program of light workouts. It was part of a plan the players put into place to practice and train during the NFL lockout.

“We all wanted a place to work out, and we all wanted to be together,” said quarterback Drew Brees. “If you want to be at a facility that you know can cater to everything you need and what you are used to, there are very few facilities like that, Tulane being the best in the area.”

Tulane athletics director Rick Dickson said Brees approached him in March inquiring about whether Tulane’s facilities could be made available to Saints’ players in the event of a lockout.

“We laid out the parameters and how we would go about it once we knew what their needs were and our ability to accommodate them,” said Dickson. “We do a measure of this when we provide practice facilities for bowl teams that come to New Orleans as well as Super Bowl participants. So we have a kind of template in place.”

The Saints wound up using Tulane’ facility for six weeks during the lockout. During that time the team organized several charity events, including two raffles in which the winners were invited to spend a day with the players on the practice field.—N.M.

Field notes New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees gathers his team together on the Tulane campus this summer.

During the NFL lockout, Saints players practiced and participated in light workouts at Green Wave athletics facilities for six weeks.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

13

14

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

14-19_CityStickers.FINAL.indd 14

8/1/11 3:33 PM

City

Stickers New

Orleans

has

never

lacked

for

charm.

These days, people are finding all kind s of ot h e r r e a s on s to s t i c k b y t h e c i t y .

by Ryan Rivet • Illustrations by Lindy Burnett

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

14-19_CityStickers.FINAL.indd 15

15

8/1/11 3:33 PM

New Orleans has always had a hold on certain people. The city

has long attracted people with a sweet song, making them unwilling or unfit to live anywhere else—the food, nightlife and pace of the Big Easy having too strong a pull to ever let them leave. In recent years, however, the city seems to have added a few new wrinkles to its allure.

Who would have thought that only six years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans would be prominently listed in national magazine articles surveying “Best Cities for Jobs,” or “Coolest City for Startups?”

Who could have predicted the great influx of young, talented people coming to New Orleans not just for the culture or the party, but also for myriad opportunities not available anywhere else in the country?

Some are coming to make a difference, some are coming to make money and some are coming to make a life and a home in what they consider a special place. Six years after the fact, it seems almost a cliché to say that great good has been born out of the great calamity of Hurricane Katrina, but no conversation about the rebirth of New Orleans can begin without talking about the city’s near-death experience.

“ It’s a chance to live in a great city and have a wonderful lifestyle and actually participate in an amazing experiment that can be of national and international significance.”

—Rick Aubry

Brain Gain “New Orleans is clearly a place that needs rebuilding and a place that people felt should be rebuilt,” says Lawrence Powell, professor of history and director of the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South at Tulane.

With the help of people streaming into the city to aid in the rebuilding, New Orleans is reinventing itself, says Powell, and that reinvention is resulting in a brain gain, as opposed to the brain drain lamented by New Orleanians for decades.

Powell, who has taught at Tulane for more than three decades, sees “a change in the zeitgeist” when he observes the current generation of young people who look beyond themselves to see what impact they can have on society. He points to that do-gooder instinct as an impetus for people to come to New Orleans—and once they are here, they’re often seduced by the city’s culture.

“New Orleans has always been a funky, quirky, fascinating place,” Powell says. “So that’s just lagniappe. You can feel like you’re contributing something, making a difference in the world and you can have fun doing it.”

Making a difference in the world is what Rick Aubry has spent most of his career doing. Earlier this year, Tulane’s first-ever assistant provost for civic engagement and social entrepreneurship moved to New Orleans from the San Francisco Bay area where he lectured at Stanford Graduate School of Business and helmed Rubicon National Social Innovations.

While still living in San Francisco, Aubry, like many other part-time pilgrims who came down to help the recovery, fell in love with the city and the idea that he could contribute something substantial to it.

“Over four years of coming down here for two weeks or so each spring, the magic, the gris-gris, all of the specialness started to seep deep into my bones,” Aubry says. “So not only did that spirit come through, but the opportunity to preserve that and to see a renaissance

16

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

14-19_CityStickers.FINAL.indd 16

8/1/11 3:33 PM

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

14-19_CityStickers.FINAL.indd 17

17

8/1/11 3:33 PM

of it became more compelling to me as an idea.”

While many relocating to New Orleans are motivated primarily by the city’s recovery, some are drawn here for reasons that have more to do with family—a concept that has not always been associated with the Big Easy.

The rhythm of voices This summer, Melissa Harris-Perry arrived at Tulane as a professor of political science and the founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South at the Newcomb College Institute.

Harris-Perry, who was a professor of political science at Princeton University before the move, says she didn’t move down to “fix anything,” but rather to be a part of a place she has grown to love. Her husband, James Perry, is a lifelong resident of New Orleans and ran for mayor in the 2010 election. The two had conducted a long-distance marriage since their wedding in 2010.

“I had a lot of reasons for coming down,” says Harris-Perry, who regularly appears as a commentator on MSNBC and other media venues.

“Certainly James is a large part of it, but in all honesty, once we didn’t win the election we could have gone wherever, including relocating to New Jersey. We really made a very conscious decision to be here.”

Part of the reason for that decision came from the fact that she recognized that New Orleans can offer her 9-year-old daughter, Parker, the intangible benefits of a unique culture and of “being from a place with an actual history” and one that is less socially and economically homogenous than her last neighborhood in Princeton, N.J. “When we stand on the street for those Mardi Gras parades, it’s a pretty democratic experience; all kinds of families are out there,” Harris-Perry says. “We eat in places from the big, fancy John Besh restaurants to the purple-painted wing shack down the street from our house.

We ride our bikes to Jazz Fest, so my kid was able to watch five days of Jazz Fest. There’s also just the rhythm of people’s voices when they speak. I wanted Parker to have a place that she was from that mattered.”

That culture and sense of place factored heavily in her decision, but so too did a more practical aspect of New Orleans.

“The story I tell people is that in Princeton, my property taxes, not my mortgage, but my taxes alone on a very modest house were $1,200 a month,” Harris-Perry says.

Living well is easier in New Orleans, she says, because family economics are adjusted to a more “livable scale.”

The economics do not escape Rick Aubry either.

“This is a relatively inexpensive place where people want to live,” Aubry says.

“Some bright-eyed college graduate can go to any city and be successful,” Sus says. “But how many can go to a city and possibly help turn it around from near destruction into one of America’s greatest cities? That draw is huge.”

“What a gift,” says Aubry, of the opportunities he sees in New Orleans.

“It’s a chance to live in a great city and have a wonderful lifestyle and actually participate in an amazing experiment that can be of national and international significance. How does a great American city reinvent itself?”

Culture matters If you strip away what makes the new New Orleans attractive to returning expats, newcomers or students who can’t bring themselves to leave, you are left with what has been making New Orleans a draw for generations—the people and the culture.

“Once you crack the code, the personality of the city is as infectious as oysters on the half shell and Mardi Gras,” Powell says. “It’s the way people interact and the sense of humor. You can see it when you talk with people in the checkout line at the grocery store. They know how to joke and laugh, that’s deep in the DNA here.”

While the culture and the uniqueness were, at one time, the main reason for people to visit the city, it’s now just a part of the whole, and Aubry believes that will serve to retain those who come to New Orleans to try it out.

“All of those things came together—wonderful city, love the music, great food, fascinating time in history, great opportunity, wonderful people—a place out of time and a place for the future.”

A huge draw Affordability is not the only draw. The local economy is strong when compared to other major cities, and in some areas it’s booming. The entrepreneurial sector has taken off since Katrina, due in large part to those who had to build everything from the ground up—including better ways to do business in New Orleans.

“After Katrina, the idea of this common adversity, as cheesy as it sounds, has legs,” says Neel Sus (E ’99), of the entrepreneurial community that is a byproduct of the storm. Since 2005, Sus started two technology firms, including Susco Solutions, a custom Web and software development company.

Sus is bullish on the New Orleans economy and says he sees the continuation of the trend of new companies sprouting up or moving to New Orleans due to proactive moves made at the state level. He points to tax credits for digital media companies as well as the Angel Investor Tax Credits program that make both the state and New Orleans an attractive option for business owners, which in turn means more jobs that draw young, educated people to the Crescent City.

Even those whose work does not directly benefit the social sector see the impact they’re having just by moving to town.

18

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

14-19_CityStickers.FINAL.indd 18

8/1/11 3:33 PM

In 2008, as New Orleans was just beginning to emerge from the shock and awe of Hurricane Katrina, it received a high-profile validation that it was indeed bouncing back and becoming a place to which people would want to relocate. That year, Mary Matalin and James Carville, the quintessential Washington, D.C., power couple, picked up stakes and made a very visible move to a neighborhood in uptown New Orleans.

Carville, a professor of practice in Tulane’s political science department, grew up 65 miles upriver. His grandmother was from New Orleans. When he talks about coming home, it’s with a religious zeal.

“The way I described it in the Washington Post was I’m like an old Jew and it was time to go back to Jerusalem. I’d been away long enough,” Carville says.

But relocating from the nation’s capital to a town barely on the mend must have been a difficult decision for a couple whose professional lives are so engaged with activities inside the Beltway.

“They thought we were having a collective midlife crisis, I guess,” Matalin says of the Washington reaction to their move. “I think they thought ‘there they go again,’ and ‘they’ll be back.’”

“The only way people leave Washington is in a pine box or handcuffs,” Carville adds with a mix of humor and candor that has become his trademark. “It’s unheard of. The Washington mentality is ‘why would anyone leave this?’”

It turns out the “why” was fairly simple. Both Matalin and Carville saw in New Orleans a place that needed passionate people who wanted to contribute to the recovery.

“If you’re in Washington and you do a fund-raiser, it’s a good thing, but you don’t have any sort of connection,” says Carville. “Here, if you raise money for something, you can see the result; you can see the faces of the people you’re helping.”

At the same time, the couple was more than happy to become more deeply immersed in the city’s amenities.

“I think what really prompted the move was I had always taken the culture for granted,” Carville says. “I used it at my convenience to go down and listen to the music, eat the food and take in all the beauty of the place. And it struck me after the engineering failure [of the city’s levees] that this thing could go the wrong way.”

Carville insists that he and his wife were not interested in “wearing a hair shirt” when they moved to New Orleans. They don’t see themselves as martyrs; quite the opposite.

“What I value is waking up in the morning to the sound of the streetcar, to the smells of whatever season it is, to the church bells,” Matalin says. “Even driving the kids to school is a quality-oflife thing. The daily stuff that would grind you down in other places lifts you up in New Orleans.”

For Carville, it goes beyond “quality of life.”

“Here in New Orleans we never speak about the quality of life, we only speak of the way of life because the way of life is our quality of life,” Carville says. “You can’t go to Hansen’s sno-ball stand in Eugene, Ore. You can’t go get the red beans and rice at Le Bon Temps on Monday anywhere else but here.”

The reality of raising their two daughters here and seeing them embrace and absorb the culture continues to reinforce that their decision to move the family from Washington, D.C., was the right choice.

“They are New Orleanians,” Matalin says of her daughters, Matty and Emma. “They can go all around the world and people know what that means. Having that sense of place that my husband always enjoyed coming from south Louisiana, they will now have that, which they wouldn’t have had growing up in Washington.”

The idea of being part of the rebirth of a great American city is a source of pride for them, and Carville believes the unique character of New Orleans will continue to attract people.

“Talented people want to be here,” Carville says. “I think it’s because they want something real. They take great comfort in being in a place where the culture, the people, the surroundings are real and have some meaning.”—R. R.

tate tullier

Living (way) outside the Beltway

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

14-19_CityStickers.FINAL.indd 19

19

8/1/11 3:33 PM

Today, Iowa, Tomorrow,

the World

T u l a n e maga z ine follows al u m N ewt G ingrich d u ring the early d ays of his q u i x otic q u est for the W hite H o u se .

by Tom Nugent

“He came not necessarily as a bomb thrower, but as a dreamer. He was sort of this Don Quixote.”

— Michigan Republican Congressman, the late Guy Vander Jagt, describing Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich WATERLOO, IOWA – The big double-doors at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center swing wide open, and the gung-ho presidential candidate comes charging into the crowded meeting room.

Waving and smiling, the round-faced man in the crisp blue blazer and the neatly pressed slacks quickly shakes a dozen hands, poses for a couple of rapid-fire photos and then strides confidently toward the microphone at the front of the hall.

“First of all, I want to thank you all for coming out!” booms Newt Gingrich (G ’68, ’71), who will be traveling to 17 different Iowa towns during this weeklong ramble through America’s corn-fed heartland.

“This is my first week as a [presidential] candidate,” sings the 67-yearold, “and this is the fourth time we’ve had larger crowds than expected.”

Loud applause and then a gleeful voice cuts loose at the back of the hall: “Go, Newt!”

Grinning happily, Gingrich sends the fan a “thumbs up.” And then a moment later he’s off and running, blasting away with one rhetorical salvo after the next as he works this crowd of about 100 supporters for all he’s worth.

“In 1994 [just before he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives], we created the “Contract With America,” and we kept our word.

“We balanced the federal budget for four straight years and we paid

20

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

off $405 billion in debt. We reformed welfare. I led that project and also chaired the committee to save Medicare. We cut taxes for the first time in 16 years … with the largest corporate-gains tax cut in history!

“As a result, unemployment went from 5.6 percent to under 4 percent. That was the key to how we balanced the budget. We controlled spending; we reformed entitlements. And people went from food stamps and Medicaid and unemployment … to earning a living, taking care of their families and paying taxes.”

More applause. The room is heating up now, and the once-upon-atime Tulane history student is beginning to hit his stride. “Look at the mess we’re in now,” thunders Newt. “Thirty-one percent of American houses are underwater. You have 9 percent unemployment, and if you count under-employment, it’s 15 percent.”

He pauses for a moment, allowing the suspense to build, then brings the hammer down: “President Obama is the most successful food stamp president in history!

“We have 47 million Americans on food stamps right now—one out of every six Americans. But I have a different approach, and I want to be a different kind of president. I want to be the most successful payKnight-errant check president in history!”

Former House Speaker And now they erupt.

Newt Gingrich basks Cheering, clapping, a few loud whistles in the light of national … camera flashes going off left and right. attention as he ramps up Go, Newt! Standing alone beneath a giant his campaign to become the Republican presired-white-and-blue banner—NEWT2012— dential nominee.

Gingrich sends them his huge, dazzling smile.

AP PHOTO/PATRICK SEMANSKY

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

21

22

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

ap photo/charlie neibergall

ap photo/charlie neibergall

ap photo/JOHN AMIS

ap photo/JOHN AMIS

And all at once you realize: This guy is having a hell of a lot of fun.

In spite of the problems his campaign has been facing of late and undeterred by the doom-and-gloom predictions from the pundits who say he can’t win, Newton Leroy Gingrich is riding high in the saddle on this morning in May. He’s having a blast on the campaign trail, and it shows in his exuberant body language and in his 10,000-kilowatt grin.

At this moment in heartland Waterloo, Gingrich is clearly on a roll.

A few minutes later, as finishes his speech and signs several books (he’s published 24), the Georgia Republican does what few presidential candidates ever do so early in a campaign.

Without missing a beat, he predicts the outcome of the 2012 presidential election.

“I think I’m gonna win,” he tells a reporter from Tulane magazine, when asked if he intends to stay in the race. “I think I’ll be the nominee, and I think I’ll beat Obama.”

Rambling Man Gingrich barnstorms through Iowa, stopping in 17 cities and towns during six days in May, predicting not only his party’s nomination, but a win in the 2012 presidential election.

A political odyssey That spirited campaign appearance in Waterloo took place in midMay 2011. Less than a month later, Gingrich’s entire campaign staff (including his veteran spokesperson and his national campaign manager) resigned en masse, claiming that Newt had refused to listen to their advice on what it would take to win the White House.

And Gingrich’s reaction?

Seemingly unfazed, in June he blithely announced that he would soldier on alone. Sounding relaxed and cheerful, he told an audience in California, “I will endure the challenges. I will carry the message of American renewal to every part of this great land, no matter what it takes.”

Two weeks later, during a speech to the Atlanta Press Club, he compared his campaign to that of Ronald Reagan’s successful 1980 bid. “The top 13 people of Ronald Reagan’s staff quit,” said the truculent Gingrich.

Regardless of whether or not he can win the White House in 2012, Newt Gingrich can surely lay claim to being the most interesting candidate on the campaign trail so far—especially to those conservative Republican voters who’ve always admired his fiercely independent, Don Quixote–like political style.

Written off by the national news media (an NBC News-Wall Street

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

23

Mountain climbing During a daylong swing through rural Iowa on Thursday, May 19th, Gingrich zooms from Waterloo to Marshalltown to Ames to Carroll to Atlantic. In public libraries and town meeting halls (and even in a couple of jam-packed roadside taverns), he joyfully sings the Gospel According to Newt—a litany of changes he says are necessary if the “American renewal” is to go forward. He makes sweeping recommendations at every stop.

And they love it. In town after town, the Iowa crowds are larger than expected and the vibes are upbeat and positive as Newt shakes their hands and signs their books and poses for photos with beaming, mostly older citizens who seem enthralled by his patriotic vision of America.

At the speech in Waterloo, a fired-up Republican realtor named Chuck Granger explains that he’d once climbed a mountain with Newt Gingrich—literally.

“We climbed up Camelback Mountain in Arizona together, back in 1999,” says Granger. “We were both part of a hiking tour that day.

And we got to the top, too. Newt was huffing and puffing, and so was I. But there was no quit in him; he just kept on trucking.”

Tom Nugent is a freelance writer who has worked at the Detroit Free Press, the Charlotte Observer and the Baltimore Sun.

24

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

ap photo/BILL HABER

Journal poll taken in mid-June showed him with 6 percent of the GOP vote), the tireless and relentless former 10-term Georgia Congressman (1979–99) appears steadfast in his belief that millions of American voters will soon awaken to the power of his ideas as well as his record as the maverick who almost single-handedly put together the successful “Republican Revolution” that brought the GOP back to power in the House during the Democratic presidency of President Bill Clinton.

That shocking turnaround occurred back in 1994, when the boyishlooking but hard-nosed legislative mastermind from Atlanta’s northern suburbs managed to convince the nation that his “Contract With America” would restore the glory days of the conservative Reagan era and lead the country back to the Promised Land of balanced budgets and a treasury surplus.

For Gingrich, who has often said that he came up with his initial vision of the Contract during a “3 a.m. visit to the Quarter” with several Tulane drinking buddies, the Republican Revolution was a launching pad for his own remarkable career as House Speaker—frequently described as the second-most powerful office in America.

During his 1994 triumph and his later years as speaker (1995– 99), Gingrich gained lasting fame as a legislative magician whose Capitol Hill wizardry was the equal of such deal-making legends as Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas and Everett Dirksen of Illinois. But Gingrich also was an accomplished historian who’d studied under the legendary Pierre-Henri Laurent at Tulane and who would go on to write book after book on the American Civil War, the American Revolution, healthcare issues, American exceptionalism and half a dozen other topics.

It was a remarkable political odyssey, to say the least. And yet the same intensity that had fueled Gingrich’s political career also seemed to get in his way at times. Encumbered by two divorces and a couple of self-admitted adulterous affairs (along with an ugly conflict-of-interest brouhaha that marred his final year on the Hill), Gingrich gave up his House seat in 1999 and sailed off to write books and help operate several foundations and think tanks devoted to the study of American politics.

The glittering political career was seemingly over.

But then, acting with characteristic bravado, Newt decided on a comeback, launching it in Iowa, scene of the first presidential primary.

And now he is back on the campaign trail and “absolutely determined” to show the voters why his staunchly conservative vision is what America needs most today.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

25

“If you are an absinthe enthusiast, you hear all kinds of crazy things,” says Chris Buddy, TC ’02 (pictured left). Over the last few years, Buddy, a filmmaker who geoff martin

studied in Tulane’s communication department, has heard a lot

Absinthe Minded

of things—crazy and otherwise—

A T ul ane alum explores the mys -

about that most mysterious and misunderstood liba-

tique of history’s most notorious

tion. This spring he put the finishing touches on the

d r in k in an inde p endent fi l m .

documentary Absinthe, which examines the history of a drink so notorious it was banned for a hundred years.

Not long after graduation, Buddy and his brother traveled to Europe, intent on learning the real story about “The Green Fairy.”

“We wanted to make the definitive film on the drink.

I think we did that,” he says.

The son of a French teacher, Buddy grew up in a family of Francophiles, all the while cultivating an interest in filmmaking as well as a taste for things that exist along the fringes of mainstream society. It is the confluence of these interests that brought Buddy from his hometown of Greenwich, Conn., to New Orleans, this most French and fringe of American cities.

“This movie would not have been made had I not gone to Tulane,” says Buddy. “New Orleans is such a great city, so rich in history. It’s amazing to think that Degas lived here and drank absinthe here and painted here.” [See sidebar about the history of absinthe in New Orleans on page 29.]

Buddy is currently working on a documentary about card counting, a method of beating the odds at the blackjack table by tracking the ratio of high cards to low cards. As with absinthe, the subject matter allows him to focus on a subculture that most people are unaware of.

“I would like to entertain people and inform them through documentaries,” he says.—Nick Marinello 26

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

Editor’s note: The following story first appeared in the Greenwich Citizen on March 30, 2011. It is reprinted here with permission.

by Barbara Perry Bind

“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second glass, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”

—Oscar Wilde, on absinthe Absinthe. It was the muse that inspired artists and writers from Degas to Van Gogh and from Faulkner to Hemingway. Now, its mystique has moved six Greenwich, Conn., friends to produce a film on the aniseflavored alcohol that has been blamed for everything from madness to murder to the decline of morality.

Chris Buddy, 1998 senior class president of Greenwich High School, directed the film, Absinthe, and his brother, Seth, produced the independent work, along with fellow Greenwich High School graduates.

The Citizen spoke with Chris about the allure of the drink known as “The Green Fairy,” its colorful past, and the journey he and crew took to produce the film.

Describe absinthe.

Absinthe is a powerful concoction of herbs and high-degree alcohol whose history and effects have long been shrouded in great mystery and intrigue.

What are the origins of absinthe? Where is its birthplace?

Absinthe evolved from herbal folk remedies originating in the late 1700s in a beautiful Alpine region on the Swiss-French border called the Val-de-Travers.

Amazingly, it arrived in Paris via North Africa. The French troops stationed in Algeria in the 1840s put the high-proof absinthe in their

Absinthe Ritual The classic way to prepare absinthe is to place a sugar cube onto a perforated spoon, which is suspended above a glass containing a measure of the absinthe. Iced water is then dripped onto the sugar cube, diluting the drink and tranforming the color of the absinthe from clear to opalescent green.

navid baraty/getty images

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

27

canteens as a fever preventative and to protect against diseases found in the polluted water of the region. The soldiers got a taste for it and continued to drink it when they returned to metropolitan France. Absinthe’s popularity quickly spread geographically—and to every strata of society.

Why have so many well-known artists been attracted to—and drink—it?

Absinthe was lauded as a muse by the great poets and painters of the late 19th century. Many artists at the time, from Verlaine to Van Gogh, felt that the effects of absinthe gave them an extra push into the creative realm.

What is it about absinthe that intrigued you enough to produce a film on it?

Our interest in absinthe began with the Impressionist artists. Absinthe is featured within the works of Manet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec and is heavily wrapped up in the mythology of Van Gogh. My brother Seth, producer of the film, had done some preliminary research on absinthe as a footnote to a master’s thesis in French literature, and I had obtained a bottle of bootlegged absinthe from Switzerland. The idea that this mysterious drink served as muse to some of the great artists in history and was now a banned substance had us hooked. What was absinthe?

Whatever happened to it? It quickly became apparent that absinthe’s history was rich and really, a wild ride, so we ran with the idea of creating the definitive documentary film on the subject.

What is the absinthe ritual?

The absinthe ritual has always been one of the things that makes the drink so intriguing. A dose of absinthe is placed in a heavy goblet, and a perforated spoon holding a sugar cube is placed across the top. Cold water is poured slowly over the sugar cube and into the absinthe below. The sugar cube dissolves and, as the water is added to the absinthe, it undergoes a transformation from a clear liquor to a milky, opalescent green.

Thus, the appellation “The Green Fairy.” It is a magical process and truly makes drinking absinthe a unique experience. The antique fountains, glasses and spoons that are part of the ritual are much sought after and collected objects of art.

Let’s talk about the filming process. You worked with a group of friends from Greenwich on the project. How did that enhance the filmmaking?

Working so closely with my brother and a great group of friends who I grew up with in Greenwich to create Absinthe was a ball. There’s a great shorthand that comes with working alongside people you know so well and, for me, it enhanced the filmmaking process. If, for instance, things got heated and someone were to snap at me while we are setting up a shot or working in the editing room—since we’ve known each other so long we can just move on. There never really has to be that five-minute apology conversation and explanation that grinds the creative process to a halt. We’re over it before it even happened. These ties we all have really streamlined the effort and put us all on the same page from the get-go.

What is the mystique behind absinthe?

Absinthe’s mystique can be explained by the arc of its popularity and decline. By the late 1800s it was a pop culture phenomenon.

Why was absinthe made illegal?

A curious partnership between the wine industry and the temperance movement waged a decade-long campaign, demonizing absinthe. It was banned in most countries and practically vanished overnight. The mystique comes from this contradictory reputation of its being something fantastic and something dangerous at the same time.

For a long time, absinthe seemed to be something that most people had heard of but no one really knew much about. With so much misinformation circulating for so long, the popular consensus was that you would go mad drinking absinthe, or cut off your ear. This only added to its legend.

One of the amazing things about absinthe was that, even after it was prohibited in most countries, they never stopped producing it illegally in the small valley in Switzerland where it was invented. This bootlegged absinthe kept the tradition alive for 100 years before the prohibition was lifted.

How did you go about filming?

We researched everything we could possibly find on absinthe for about six months and compiled lists of the locations we would need to film, along with modern day luminaries of the absinthe world we hoped to interview.

From there we basically jumped right in. Producer Kevin Conlon secured us the cameras and all of the equipment, and Seth and I booked a flight to Paris. We spent about two weeks traveling in a rental car throughout France and Switzerland, sleeping in an absinthe green tent on local farms along the way in order to save money. Our enthusiasm and the shoot-first, figure-out-the-movie-later way in which we produced the film seemed to open a lot of doors and allowed for us to get some amazing footage.

We showed up with a knowledge and great respect for the subject and obtained every single interview we had hoped for.

Bad Impression In this 1876 painting by Edgar Degas, L’Absinthe, the artist, who was known himself to be quite familiar with “The Green Fairy,” seems to be offering a lessthan-rosy picture of the drink that was the rage of Paris.

What were some major challenges you came across in making your film?

As with any independent film, money was the biggest challenge to completing the documentary, and we worked on no budget. I definitely put my enthusiasm well before any practical conversation of “Can this really be accomplished?” Luckily, I was partnered with a great group of equally enthusiastic people and, together, we found ways to get the film completed. We are all very proud of the final product, and I am thrilled to present this documentary as my first feature film.

peter willi

What was the best part of producing the film?

The journey we went on throughout France, Switzerland, New York and New Orleans to film this documentary was an amazing experience. Getting to sit down and talk with the authors, historians and distillers who make absinthe their lives was truly an honor. These individuals are excited about absinthe’s history and its current worldwide revival and that passion spilled over onto the screen.

28

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

For more information on the independent film, Absinthe, visit www.absinthefilm.com

getty images/superstock

Absinthe in New Orleans

Thanks—at least in part—to a blight that besieged French vineyards in the 1870s, absinthe became the most popular drink in Paris by the end of the 19th century. It’s not surprising that the drink’s popularity There Is crossed the ocean and found its way into the taverns of New Orleans, whose cultural links to the Old World A House…

Known as the Absinthe were still very strong.

Room during the No city in America can claim a stronger connection to “The Green Fairy” than New Orleans, and no liquor’s heyday in the establishment in the city has as durable historical ties to the drink than the Old Absinthe House, located late 19th century, the on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, where patrons could find the libation bottled under the names Old Absinthe House in of Green Opal and Milky Way. Luminaries such as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde and Theodore the French Quarter is Roosevelt all enjoyed a glass or two—or three—of absinthe at the landmark bar, which served the drink one of several locations in the traditional French style: dripping ice cold water from marble fountains onto a cube of sugar sus- in town where authenpended on perforated spoons over a glass of the sage-green intoxicant. tic absinthe is poured.

Following a global mania, the United States banned absinthe in 1912. The ban was fueled by hysteria over “absinthism,” the perceived deleterious effect of the drink that was thought be caused by the chemical properties of wormwood (Artemisia Absinthum), one of the many herbal ingredients found in absinthe.

After the banning, products similar to absinthe, but without the offending wormwood, were produced all over the world. In New Orleans, the most popular substitute was Herbsaint, produced by locals J. M. Legendre and Reginald Parker. When the product was launched in the early 1930s, it was accompanied by the slogan: “Drink Herbsaint Wherever Absinthe Is Called For.” Herbsaint is still in production today and is a key ingredient in a number of cocktails, including the famous New Orleans original, the Sazerac.

After nearly 100 years, the American ban on absinthe was lifted in 2007, and that most notorious drink is once again being poured at the Old Absinthe House and other establishments around the city. —N.M.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

29

HOW SWEET Al (L ’47) and Dottie Segari Mouton (NC ’48) met while attending Tulane and married the year after Dottie graduated. Owners of Paw Paw’s Honey, they have been in the business of beekeeping and marketing pure, raw honey for eight years. The couple has nine children, 25 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

T U L A N I A N S

Jambalaya Me Oh My Oh!

Sabree Hill

digital archive Every Jambalaya ever published, like this one from 1938, is available online— and for free.

Jazz It Up Jonathan McHugh (A&S ’83) has spent nearly three decades in the music and film business. A film producer, music supervisor and record and film music executive, McHugh got his start as promotions director at WTUL, the student-run radio station on the Tulane campus—an experience, he says, that was more than instrumental in shaping his career path.

“Music is a huge part of my soul, and New Orleans gave that to me,” says McHugh. “To get off the plane at 17 years old and go see Professor Longhair when you’ve never seen anything like that in your life was awe-inspiring,” says the Staten Island native who earned a BA in history with a minor in political science.

He is senior vice president of film and TV at Island Def Jam Music Group in Los Angeles and formerly ran his own company, Song Stew Entertainment. He co-produced the Morgan Spurlock documentary Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never, and the 2012 release Christmas in Compton.

After Hurricane Katrina, McHugh and his wife, Karen, held several fund-raisers, including a party at their home with jazz pianist Henry Butler, through the Recording Academy (Grammy organization), of which McHugh is a member of the Television Committee.

McHugh has returned to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival every year since graduation to rendezvous with friends from Tulane. He rides in the Zulu parade at Mardi Gras, got married in New Orleans and, in November, McHugh will celebrate his 50th birthday at Tipitina’s music club, where he will promote the Tipitina’s Foundation charitable program, Instruments A Comin’.—Fran Simon

30

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

The Krewe John McHugh (A&S ’83), center, reunites with Tulane pals David Margulies (B ’81), left, and Rob Steinberg (A&S ’81) for Jazz Fest 2011.

University Archives at the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library on the Tulane uptown campus has digitized the complete run of the Jambalaya yearbooks and the T-Wave yearbooks of the Tulane School of Medicine— and they are available for free viewing and downloading.

All the editions, posted by year going back to the first Jambalaya published in 1896, are now available through the University Archives webpage for digital collections at tuarchives.tulane.edu/collections/digital.

University archivist Ann Smith Case says, “There is at least one for-profit company out there which is selling subscriptions to access the Jambalaya, but we’d like for people to know that digital Jambalayas are available for free.”—F.S.

Alumni Survey In the coming months the Tulane Alumni Association will be sending out a survey to alumni asking them to rate their college education and alumni experience.

“Our alumni are the heart of a tradition of excellence that makes Tulane one of the most highly regarded and selective independent research universities in the United States,” says Charlotte Travieso, director of the Office of Alumni Affairs and executive director of the Tulane Alumni Association. “Through the survey results, we hope to find ways to better communicate with alumni and develop programs that appeal to them.”

Travieso requests that alumni keep their contact information updated by completing a form at http://tulane.edu/alumni/stayconnected.cfm or by calling Will Burdette at 504-862-8383.

Dispatch Joan Halifax CARE OF THE DYING Joan Halifax (NC ’64) describes herself as the kind of person who “just does what is before her to do,” which helps somewhat when trying to grasp the extent of this Zen priest–Buddhist teacher–author–anthropologist’s accomplishments over the last half-century. But one still might wonder what drove Halifax to work on behalf of economic and racial justice, feminist causes, the environment, and care of the dying. For her, however, the inspiration couldn’t have been simpler.

“I didn’t set out with a plan,” she says. “If I see suffering, I address it.”

For the past 30 years, Halifax’s primary project has been end-of-life care, an undertaking she took on after witnessing her own grandmother’s suffering and death in a nursing home.

Halifax describes the dying as “a marginalized group,” and she is working on a global scale to improve the care they receive.

In the 1970s, Halifax began developing and teaching a curriculum for healthcare professionals that introduces a compassion- and mindfulness– based approach to end-oflife care. The curriculum, she says, “has a strong Buddhist perspective, but is secularized.”

Now, the curriculum is taught through The Project on Being With Dying, a training program she founded in 1994. In addition to teaching the curriculum around the world, Halifax is training clinicians to be able to teach the content.

“As medicine is being technologized,” Halifax says, “there is a countermovement going on to restore the human element.” Halifax is at the forefront of that movement. Her home base is the Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe, N.M. —CATHERINE FRESHLEY

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

31

GRAND SLAM T. Sellers Meric (A ’52) and his tennis partner, Raymond C. Breaux, won the gold medal in men’s doubles tennis at the National Olympic Summer Senior Games in June. A lifelong athlete, Meric has raced in countless sailing regattas and he is a gold-medal swimmer.

W H E R E

Y ’ A T !

1950s A new book by JOHN WINN (A&S ’51), For All Seasons, has been published. The book, based on “the seasons of our lives,” is a collection of prayers, proclamations, readings and responses.

Winn is a reverend and mentor emeritus of the Center for Pastoral Excellence of the United Methodist Church–Louisiana Conference.

The Economic Opportunity Authority for Savannah-Chatham County Area, Ga., named the new Head Start building in honor of AARON L. BUCHSBAUM (B ’52) for his “exemplary services” to the organization. Buchsbaum has spent much of his law career on civil rights issues and has led EOA’s legal team for more than 40 years.

CHARLOTTE SCHRADER (G ’59) was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the York County, Va., Board of Supervisors. Schrader has retired from teaching film at the college level and from her position as publications editor for the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker.

1960s JACK KUSHNER (A&S ’60) announces the publication of the second edition of his book, Preparing to Tack: When Physicians Change Careers.

Another book by Kushner, Courageous Judicial Decisions in Alabama, was published this year.

His fifth and sixth books, The Connecting Game and No Cure for the Dumbass, were released by Bob Thomas Books. He is a partner at Veron, Bice, Palermo & Wilson.

D. IRWIN MACKENROTH JR. (B ’84, L ’88) announces his marriage to Kelley Strain and the birth of their daughter, Amy Elizabeth, on Jan. 17, 2011. He is a vice president at Clovelly Oil Co.

CURTIS MANN (E ’74) retired from the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits after 40 years of service. Mann started as chief mechanical inspector and, 15 years later, was promoted to chief building official. He has also served on many boards and committees representing the city.

IVAN “FUNKBOY” BODLEY (A&S ’86), a bass player and musical director, has performed with 31 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees—a tally started during college, when he backed Bo Diddley in the French Quarter. In addition to appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Obama Inaugural Ball, Bodley has been on a number of popular talk shows. More information is available at www.Funkboy.net.

THOMAS M. LEE (E ’76) and a high school friend started Morale Entertainment Foundation, which takes Americans oversees to build morale for troops. The foundation has completed six tours to the Middle East and plans more. Lee works in the aerospace industry. For more information, go to www.moraleentertainment.org.

1980s CHIP DUNCAN (A&S ’80, L ’84) announces the formation of Duncan & Sevin, a New Orleans firm focusing on maritime law, transportation, insurance and litigation in federal and state court.

After losing 160 pounds and trying out for an open casting call, ERIC OLAES (E ’81) became one of 11 Time Warner Cable employees featured in the “I Am Time Warner Cable” campaign. Search “Eric I Am Time Warner Cable” on YouTube to see the commercial. Olaes works in tech support for the company.

The latest book by Indianapolis Business Journal travel columnist FRANK BASILE (B ’61), Traveling With Frank and Katrina, was published in June. In addition to being a writer, Basile also is a community volunteer, philanthropist and professional speaker. The Association of Fundraising Professionals and Indiana University have both recognized Basile for his philanthropy efforts.

KIM VAZ (NC ’81, G ’82) is associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University in New Orleans. Vaz, a New Orleans native, worked for more than 20 years at the University of South Florida. While there, she founded the Florida Consortium for Women and Gender Studies.

ANN GIRAITIS QUEEN (NC ’65) is enjoying retirement with her husband in St. Petersburg, Fla. After having worked and lived in Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years, they now enjoy working on community projects, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

JEFF WALKER (A&S ’82) is assistant dean for transnational programs and adjunct professor of law at Saint John’s University School of Law in Queens, N.Y. Walker previously was managing partner of BlueLaw International, which he founded in 2004.

WILLIAM CRAFT BRUMFIELD (A&S ’66) announces the publication of Belozersk by Tri Quadrata Publishing House. The book, which is the fifth volume in a series about the architectural heritage of historic towns in the Vologda territory of Russia, includes both text and photographs by Brumfield.

CAMERON WEBER (B ’83) recently published the second edition of Economics for Everyone, which is available for free download at www. cameroneconomics.com.

EDWARD GERALD GINGOLD (A&S ’66) attended the 2011 National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference where he gave a workshop on organizing fund-raising campaigns for nonprofits.

Gingold has been an attorney with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years.

1970s J. MICHAEL VERON (A&S ’72, L ’74) was named chair of the board of Lakeside Bank, the only de novo bank to open in the United States in 2010.

32

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

JAMES M. WOODS (G ’83) announces the publication of A History of the Catholic Church in the American South, 1513–1900 by the University Press of Florida. The book is the first narrative account on the subject and Woods’ third academic history book. Woods has been a member of Georgia Southern University’s history department since 1988.

KEVIN A. CARROLL (B ’84) is vice chancellor of university communications and chief marketing officer of the University of Denver. Carroll previously served as Western Union’s vice president and general manager for the global Web channel and marketing.

The Beach Trees, the 14th novel by KAREN SCONIERS WHITE (B ’86), was published in May. The book “weaves together themes of Southern culture, the powerful bond of family, and the courage to rebuild in the face of destruction.”

Among the settings are post-Katrina Biloxi, Miss., and New Orleans. Her next book is scheduled for release in November.

Photographs by JULIE DERMANSKY (NC ’87) were shown in an exhibition called “Haiti, After the Earthquake” at New Orleans’ Ogden Museum of Southern Art this spring and summer.

JAMES H. BOURGEOIS (A&S ’89), a major in the Louisiana National Guard, reports that he has been working with two other Tulane alumni as part of the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan: JEFFRY E. GATES (E ’92), a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and JOSEPH E. THEMANN (G ’01), a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.

ROBERTA DAVIS DIKEMAN (NC ’89) set the world indoor rowing records for the 100,000 km row and the longest continual row in the lightweight women age 40-49 division this April, with a time of 9 hours, 9 minutes and 28.1 seconds.

1990s ADAM RABIN (A&S ’90) was appointed chair of the 2012 S.D. Fla. Bench and Bar Conference. He is a shareholder with McCabe Rabin.

RICK CROZIER (B ’90) is part of Jay’s Defensive Line, a group raising money for JAY RINK (UC ’91), who has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and for ALS research.

The group competed in the New Orleans Ironman course this April. Rink and his wife, Michelle Blister, have eight children. For more information, visit www.makethebankpay.com.

KRISTIN FAIN DAHL (NC ’90) and her husband, Thomas, announce the birth of Emily Jane on April 16, 2011. She joins sisters Ashley, 10, and Sarah, 8, and brother Andrew, 5. Kristin Dahl is a stay-at-home mom in Staunton, Va., and her husband works in the family real estate development business.

NEAL M. LOURIE (A&S ’90) and his wife, Robin Abra Lourie, announce the birth of twin boys, Isadore Ted and Duncan Holden. Lourie is a principal at Lourie Law Firm in Columbia, S.C.

Dispatch Anthony Jeselnik JONATHAN E. TURNER (A&S ’91) announces the publication of his first book, Money Laundering Prevention: Deterring, Detecting and Resolving Financial Fraud, by Wiley in June. Turner is a founder and principal at Wilson & Turner in Memphis, Tenn., and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Memphis and the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. He lives in Memphis with his wife, KRISTEN WHITTLESEY TURNER (NC ’93), and their two children, Sarah and Alex.

MILDRED RIDGWAY (A&S ’92, M ’98) joined the faculty at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as an assistant professor of gynecologic oncology.

MONTE K. HURST (A&S ’93) was voted by his peers to D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2011.” Hurst is a partner at Hermes Sargent Bates, where he heads the employment and labor practice. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Bonnie, and his two daughters, Morgan, 9, and Claudia, 7.

SHAYNE BENEDETTO (TC ’94) and MALLORY HERLEVIC BENEDETTO (’08, G ’09) announce the birth of William Ritter on March 23, 2011.

MEGAN KILLION KLEIN (’08, G ’10) is the godmother.

CLARK D. GRADNEY (G ’95) is a volunteer with Mercy Flight Southeast, a nonprofit organization that provides free air transportation to children and adults with medical and other needs. Gradney lives in Baton Rouge, La., where he works as a senior budget analyst with the Louisiana State Senate. For more information, visit www.mercyflightse.org.

HEATHER KENNY SMITH (B ’95) has worked for Festival Productions—the organization that produces New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival—for 12 years. She has been CFO for the past four years.

DARRON COLLINS (G ’96, ’01) will be installed as president of the College of the Atlantic this fall. Collins, an ethnobotany expert, previously worked for the World Wildlife Fund managing a conservation program encompassing vast areas of Russia, China and Mongolia. He wrote, produced and directed an award-winning documentary, Amur River Basin: Sanctuary for the Mighty Taimen.

JASON WHITE (TC ’96) is Kent State University’s onsite project director for the Kent State/King Saud University Entrepreneurship Program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. White has managed startup and growth-stage companies in the United States and East Asia for more than a decade.

JAMES YEATES (E ’96) moved to Moscow to work as the supply management manager for Russia and Eastern European Operations for John Deere. He lives in Russia with his wife, Eileen Collins Yeates, who is expecting a boy in November, and their three children.

STAND-UP GUY Before leaving college, Anthony Jeselnik (TC ’01) seriously considered going to law school. But after seeing comedian Dave Chappelle perform at McAlister Auditorium his junior year, he decided to pursue a different course.

Now that Jeselnik is recognized by many to be one of the country’s best young comics, it appears that trading in torts class for the stand-up stage was the right decision.

The past two years have been a bit of a whirlwind for the Pittsburgh native Jeselnik, who is noted for his dry and dark humor. In early 2009, his half-hour TV special debuted on Comedy Central. Last year, he released his first album, entitled Shakespeare, which was met with rave reviews from The Onion and Punchline Magazine, among others. And just this past March, Jeselnik was given the opportunity of a lifetime: to be a participant in the “Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump.”

“I’ve worshiped those roasts since I started watching them in college,” said Jeselnik, who also is slated to be part of an upcoming Charlie Sheen roast in September.

“I took it very seriously. I wanted to stand out, too, so I had to fight for some jokes. That roast absolutely changed my life.”—ANDREW CLARK

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

33

FISH HEAD I Got the Fish in the Head: A Radiators Retrospective by Jay Mazza (A&S ’83, G ’85) explores the history of the band within the context of the city that gave birth to the group. Mazza was a longtime music columnist for Louisiana Weekly, served as editor of Beat Street and has written articles for Downbeat, Blues Access, The Times-Picayune and Offbeat.

W H E R E

Y ’ A T !

HUGO ALVAREZ (L ’98), and his wife, Marisol, announce the birth of their second son, Jake Matthew, on March 21, 2011. Alvarez, a founding partner of Alvarez & Barbara in Miami, was named one of the top litigation attorneys in Florida Trend’s 2011 Legal Elite edition. He was also named to the statewide 2011 Super Lawyers list.

EARL PACKARD (G ’98), an assistant professor and chair of mathematics and physics at Alfred State College in New York, was selected to participate in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examinations. He will be reading the calculus exams for the ninth consecutive year.

TIM SMITH (A&S ’98) announces the publication of his third book, Kaqchikel Authority and Government in Sololá (Editorial Junajpu’ 2011), written in both Maya and Spanish. The book, which will be distributed to local schools in Guatemala, is related to Smith’s Fulbright research in Guatemala and his participation in the Tulane Department of Anthropology’s Oxlajuj Aj Summer Intensive Program.

EDWARD TADROSS (A&S ’98) is a lead environmental planner and air quality/climate change specialist with the global engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff. He is on the management teams for California’s High-Speed Rail and New York’s No. 7 Subway Extension. Tadross also is an accomplished vocalist, composer and songwriter, and recently received the New Writers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and daughter. His music can be heard at www. eddietadross.com.

AARON S. ALLEN (TC ’99) won the Paul Mellon Post-Doctoral Rome Prize, which will allow him to spend 11 months in Italy conducting research for his upcoming book, Fidelio in Italy: Reception, Historiography and the Crisis of Nineteenth-Century Opera. Allen is an assistant professor of musicology at the University of North Carolina–Greensboro. He co-founded and chairs the American Musicological Society’s Ecocriticism Study Group.

TIMOTHY A. BROWN (B ’99) has joined the legal affairs department of the Consumer Specialty Products Association, where he is the Cleaning Products Division’s regulatory counsel and division staff executive. Among other positions, Brown also has served as senior policy adviser for the Hispanic National Bar Association.

ALISON JORDAN BRULEY (NC ’99) and her husband, Ken, announce the birth of a son, Knox Currie, on April 12, 2011. Knox joins big brother Coleman, 2.

BRIAN FINK (TC ’99) graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and was ordained as a rabbi on June 12, 2011. In July, he began a rabbinic fellowship at Cornell University Hillel in Ithaca, N.Y.

34

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

TED MOORE (TC ’99, L ’02), JESSICA DOWNEY MOORE (L ’01), and big brother, Theo, welcomed Desmond Christopher to their family on June 19, 2011.

2000s CRISTINA SLOAN MULDOON (NC ’00) and her husband, Andy, announce the birth of Rory Dallam on April 16, 2011. He joins big brother, Aidan Lafferty, 4. The family lives in Denver.

DEREK D. BARDELL (G’01,’02) was named a “Teacher Who Made a Difference” by the University of Kentucky College of Education.

KRISTIN KAELKE (B ’01) graduated in May from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Dentistry with a doctorate of dental surgery.

She practices at the Wilkes Public Health Dental Clinic in Wilkesboro, N.C. She and her fiancé, Matthew R. Miller, a systems engineer at Corning, live in Lenoir, N.C. They plan to get married in Charlotte, N.C., next spring.

After spending several years teaching in Bangkok, Thailand, NICOLE KIRSCHMANN (NC ’01) moved to Georgia in 2007 to earn a master’s degree in teaching. While there, she met her husband, Matthew Stoltz, a U.S. Army logistics officer. They eloped to Virginia in the spring and then had a wedding reception in Savannah, Ga., in July. They now live in Ansbach, Germany, where her husband is stationed and she is teaching.

GREGG SAFINSKI (B ’01), a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, and fellow Marines of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262, stationed out of Okinawa, Japan, returned from a successful deployment in which they supported training with allies and humanitarian relief missions in Guam, South Korea and the Philippines.

LAURA VOGEL CAPUANO (L ’02) and her husband, Vince, welcomed Alexandra on Sept.

7, 2010.

CHRISTINA TAYLOR GREIFZU (B ’02) and JOHN M. GREIFZU JR. (TC ’03) announce the birth of John Michael III (“Tripp”) on March 13, 2011. John Greifzu is a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Tina Greifzu is the global head of product development and management for K2 Advisors.

The family resides in Darien, Conn.

a form of pneumococcal pneumonia. Coleman lives in Blauvelt, N.Y., with his wife, Lisa Runco, a microbiologist, and their son, John, 2.

KELLIE STERLING (NC ’04) and DUSTIN ABADCO (TC ’04, M ’11) married on May 21, 2011. Abadco is in residency training in internal medicine at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.

PHILIP VINEYARD II (L ’04) joined the Los Angeles law office of Klinedinst, where he represents financial advisers and registered representatives in FINRA arbitrations, administrative actions and civil lawsuits. Vineyard was nominated by his peers in 2009 and 2010 as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.

ELLIOT SCOTT (L ’05) started medical school at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans this August.

ANDREW HERMAN (’07) won the 2011 Human Rights Student Scholars Writing Competition, for his paper, “Reassessing the Role of Supplier Codes of Conduct: Closing the Gap Between Aspiration and Reality.” The Virginia Journal of International Law will publish the paper this fall. Herman received a JD in 2010 from New York University School of Law and is an associate in the New York office of Winston & Strawn.

A jewelry collection by LILY FILSON (’08) was featured as part of New Orleans Fashion Week at the Ogden Museum this spring. Filson’s jewelry line, LVF Design, is handmade from precious metals, recycled vintage pieces and nontraditional materials. For the past eight years, Filson has lived part of the year in Florence, Italy. She has shown her work at Florence’s Pitti Week and the Venice Film Festival.

CYNTHIA SCOTT (G ’08) married Les Colonello, a professional musician, in Fairhope, Ala., in November 2010. The couple lives in New Orleans, where Scott had a solo installation of sculpture, drawings and video, titled The Bride’s Deadly Sins, at Home Space gallery in April. Her works were shown at the Antenna gallery in August and will be displayed at Staple Goods gallery and Home Space gallery in the fall. A member of the Staple Goods artist collective, Scott will cocurate the November Home Space show during the Prospect.2 biennial. Scott also is a part-time NPR radio announcer.

RENZI SANDRAS (TC ’03) has launched Petbam, a pet social network that serves as a resource for owners of lost pets. The site’s “bamalert” triggers a text alert to members living in the area when people report missing pets. Petbam was featured on Lifetime Television this spring.

2010s DAVID CANALES (L ’10) was chosen to participate in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Graduate Fellowship program. Last year, he worked for Office of International Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He is now working at Grupo Salinas in Mexico City.

J. ROBERT COLEMAN (TC ’04) is a postdoctoral fellow in microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein Medical College of Yeshiva University. He has two patents and is lead author of an article in the Journal of Infectious Disease and Science about an experimental vaccine for

French majors ELISABETH MORGAN (’11), TRICIA TRAVIS (’11) and LIZ TYE (’11) will be teaching English at French high schools from September to April as part of a French Ministry of Education program. They’ll be teaching in different towns, but they plan to travel together whenever they can.

STUDENT ADVOCATE Wallace K. Tomlinson, professor emeritus of psychiatry and neurology, died on July 5, 2011. He was associate dean for students at the Tulane University School of Medicine for 25 years and faculty adviser to the History of Medicine Society for 35 years.

F A R E W E L L ELIZABETH L. ESTORGE (G ’32) of New Orleans on March 9, 2011.

CHARLES J. DEBAILLON JR. (L ’46) of Lafayette, La., on March 1, 2011.

FRANK DE LA S. DELERY (UC ’50) of Metairie, La., on March 20, 2011.

GLADYS LONG CALLER (NC ’35) of Baltimore on Dec. 7, 2010.

PRESCOTT H. S. FOLLETT (E ’46) of Metairie, La., on March 11, 2011.

DOYLE R. HAMILTON JR. (M ’50) of Monroe, La., on May 16, 2011.

JOSEPHINE WANDER WESTLAKE (NC ’35) of Lafayette, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2011.

SUSAN KEENAN McCONNICO (NC ’46) of Kannapolis, N.C., on March 16, 2011.

F. RIVERS LELONG (A&S ’50, L ’52) of New Orleans on June 10, 2011.

MARJORIE MOODY MOORHEAD (NC ’38) of Escondido, Calif., on Oct. 23, 2010.

COULTAS D. PEARS (E ’46) of Birmingham, Ala., on May 8, 2011.

LEON H. RACHAL (A&S ’50) of Ponchatoula, La., on May 5, 2011.

RODRIGO AROSEMENA (L ’39) of Coco del Mar, Panama, on Oct. 1, 2010.

SHEILA O’LEARY ROOS (NC ’46) of Abita Springs, La., on June 7, 2011.

EDMUND C. ROSE JR. (A&S ’50) of New Iberia, La., on May 26, 2011.

CARL M. FREMAUX (B ’39) of Spanish Fort, Ala., on May 16, 2011.

Hans F. Steen (E ’46) of Hernando, Fla., on May 6, 2011.

BENNETT J. VOORHIES JR. (L ’50) of Lafayette, La., on March 21, 2011.

HENRY W. BULL JR. (B ’40) of Houston on Feb. 24, 2011.

ELEANOR FAIRMAN FARRAND (NC ’47) of Livermore, Calif., on March 10, 2011.

WILLIAM P. CANACE (E ’51) of Parsippany, N.J., on Feb. 25, 2011.

WILLIAM V. LYONS (B ’40) of Chestnut Hill, Mass., on April 13, 2011.

WILMER G. HINRICHS (A&S ’47, L ’49) of New Orleans on March 20, 2011.

MAX H. DURHAM JR. (A&S ’51) of Hammond, La., on April 18, 2011.

JAMES F. VILLERE SR. (A&S ’40) of Burlington, Vt., on March 20, 2011.

KATHLEEN LANIER LONG (NC ’47) of Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 28, 2010.

CLAUDE G. GILLETTE JR. (A&S ’51) of Hazen, Ark., on March 4, 2011.

DAVID R. LINCICOME (G ’41) of Roxbury, Conn., on March 9, 2011.

BETTYJANE KOENIG REISS (NC ’47) of Greenport, N.Y., on March 31, 2011.

RICHARD C. KERWATH (B ’51) of Rochester Hills, Mich., on April 29, 2011.

ELSA CAPO BRODIE (L ’42) of Saint Paul, Minn., on Nov. 4, 2010.

WENDELL W. BUCKHAULTS (M ’48) of Savannah, Ga., on March 27, 2011.

GEORGE H. LAUREL SR. (B ’51) of San Antonio on May 30, 2011.

RUTH GARCIA HEALEY (G ’42) of Port Arthur, Texas, on Feb. 16, 2011.

CALVIN C. HOPPMEYER (A&S ’48, L ’49) of Slidell, La., on May 30, 2011.

MANIER BEN OSSI (A&S ’51) of Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2011.

JOHN M. MIAZZA (E ’42, G ’48) of Springfield, Va., on Feb. 24, 2010.

NAOMI HELEN KIERN (UC ’48) of Franklin, Tenn., on March 28, 2011.

NEIL D. BECKENHAUER (PHTM ’52) of Manhattan, Kan., on April 2, 2010.

MARJORIE SEEMANN VANZANT (B ’42) of Columbia, S.C., on July 24, 2010.

JAMES C. KIMBLE JR. (B ’48, L ’50) of Ventura, Calif., on June 30, 2010.

LOUIS J. BROWN JR. (A&S ’52) of Metairie, La., on April 12, 2011.

VICTOR H. BRUNO (A&S ’43, A ’47) of New Orleans on June 5, 2011.

NORWOOD R. PRETO (A&S ’48) of Houston on May 13, 2011.

CLARENCE O. DUPUY JR. (L ’52) of New Orleans on April 19, 2011.

EUGENE HESDORFFER (A&S ’43, M ’45) of Jackson, Miss., on March 25, 2011.

WILLIAM E. CROCHET JR. (E ’49) of New Orleans on April 19, 2011.

WILLIAM L. GORDON (G ’52) of North Haledon, N.J., on May 6, 2011.

KATHERINE BRASH JETER (NC ’43, L ’45) of Shreveport, La., on May 11, 2011.

HENRY E. GRAHAM III (B ’49) of Madisonville, La., on May 23, 2011.

DONALD A. HOLT (A&S ’52) of Greeley, Colo., on March 21, 2011.

KATHERINE PALMISANO RODRIGUEZ (UC ’43) of Harvey, La., on April 19, 2011.

JOHN A. GREHAN (E ’49) of New Orleans on March 2, 2011.

ROBERT K. HULLINGER SR. (A&S ’52) of North Webster, Ind., on Jan. 4, 2011.

ELGIN C. COWART JR. (A&S ’44, M ’46) of Poway, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2010.

CHARLES E. OWENS (A&S ’49) of Ventura, Calif., on April 19, 2011.

CLYDE D. McDONALD (A&S ’52) of Bowie, Md., on Aug. 19, 2010.

JERRY LIDDELL FULTON (NC ’44) of Richmond, Va., on April 13, 2011.

SAMUEL F. PARKER JR. (B ’49) of Foley, Ala., on March 24, 2011.

JOSEPH P. McKELL (M ’52) of Tampa, Fla., on April 6, 2011.

ALICE DALY LILL (A&S ’44) of Cherry Hill, N.J., on March 1, 2011.

ROBERT L. VICKERS (L ’49) of Sacramento, Calif., on March 30, 2011.

FOSTER J. TAYLOR (G ’52) of Monroe, La., on May 15, 2011.

GEORGE E. MUEHLECK JR. (M ’44) of Portland, Ore., on June 7, 2011.

J. BARBEE WINSTON (B ’49, L ’51) of New Orleans on April 17, 2011.

EUGENIE JONES HUGER (NC ’53, G ’91) of New Orleans on May 7, 2011.

WILLIAM E. WRIGHT SR. (A&S ’44, L ’46) of Mandeville, La., on April 3, 2011.

EDWARD S. ALPAUGH (B ’50) of New Orleans on April 5, 2011.

ROBERT L. ROBINSON (SW ’53) of Port Orange, Fla., on June 26, 2010.

WILLIAM H. BLAHD SR. (M ’45) of Los Angeles on March 6, 2011.

THELMA PERES BISHOP (UC ’50) of New Orleans on May 16, 2011.

LAMAR V. STEPHENSON (A&S ’53) of Tracy, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2011.

JENNIE GERMANN KILLILEA (NC ’45) of St. Louis on May 22, 2011.

DAVID J. CONROY (A&S ’50, L ’52) of Metairie, La., on March 28, 2011.

DAVID J. HARRIS (B ’54, L ’60) of Atlanta on April 20, 2011.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

35

Tribute Amand Bertin F A R E W E L L UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER Armand Bertin died in New Orleans on May 9, 2011, at the age of 95.

When I was a freshman in 1947, I met Armand and was sort of an intern and helped him in the lab and would photograph various functions with him and for him at Tulane. That continued even past graduation in 1951. That non-paying internship turned out to be the beginning of a long friendship. I was in the U.S. Coast Guard (1951–1954) after graduation and the last two years was stationed in New Orleans.

I continued helping Armand during this time for the Hullabaloo, the Tulanian and for the public relations staff at Tulane under Horace Renegar, Quentin Ault (A&S ’47) and others. In the 40 years that Armand was at Tulane (1947–96), I am sure 80 percent of the students and faculty had their picture taken individually or in a group by Armand. They will remember him. Loved by all, his easy way connected with everyone from Tulane President Rufus C. Harris down to the incoming freshman.

POLLY LITTON SCHULTZ (SW ’54) of McAllen, Texas, on May 6, 2011.

CHARLES D. LEE (M ’55) of Forest, Miss., on April 23, 2011.

ROBERT G. McGARVEY (B ’55) of Edison, N.J., on March 8, 2011.

ROBERT C. WHERRITT (A&S ’55, G ’61) of Wichita, Kan., on June 7, 2011.

JOAN GARCIA CALDWELL (NC ’56, G ’67, ’75) of Baton Rouge, La., on March 14, 2011.

DORIS E. CARY (PHTM ’56) of Gainesville, Mo., on March 10, 2011.

VINCENT J. GRECO SR. (E ’56) of Covington, La., on May 27, 2011.

E. A. DE LA HOUSSAYE III (L ’56) of Franklin, La., on March 21, 2011.

MARY BURKETT CARUSO (UC ’57) of Houston on April 13, 2011.

HERMAN M. LEVY JR. (A&S ’57, G ’60) of Gainesville, Fla., on May 3, 2011.

JUDITH PORTE LUCAS (NC ’57) of Corona, Calif., on Jan. 10, 2011.

RICHARD M. ROUSSELL (A&S ’57) of Mandeville, La., on March 31, 2011.

JOHN E. WOOD (G ’57, ’65) of Wilmington, N.C., on May 8, 2011.

—PETER PIZZO JR. (A&S ’51)

VICTOR A. FRIESE JR. (E ’58) of Fort Worth, Texas, on March 22, 2011.

RALPH J. WICKER (L ’58) of Monroe, La., on May 7, 2011.

HAROLD J. MORROW (L ’62, G ’65) of Lafayette, La., on Feb. 21, 2011.

GEORGE D. BEACH (M ’65) of Monroe, La., on April 7, 2011.

GLORIA M. CABASSA (NC ’59) of Tampa, Fla., on May 11, 2011

SIDNEY D. THIBODEAUX (A&S ’62) of Geismar, La., on Nov. 28, 2010.

PETER M. BURKHOLDER (G ’65) of Ellensburg, Wa., on March 18, 2011.

JOHN L. HOOK (B ’59) of Bryn Mawr, Pa., on Sept.

17, 2010.

PAUL C. WHITE JR. (PHTM ’62) of Little Rock, Ark., on March 11, 2011.

LEYLAND J. GIARDINA (UC ’65) of Metairie, La., on April 26, 2011.

RICHARD M. McGREW JR. (M ’59) of Navarre, Fla., on March 10, 2011.

PHYLLIS ROSENBAUM WILENZICK (NC ’62, G ’75) of Atlanta on April 27, 2011.

ROBERT L. KUHNER (L ’65) of New Orleans on May 1, 2011.

WILLIAM H. SAUFLEY JR. (A&S ’59, G ’61) of Oakland, Calif., on June 18, 2011.

CONSTANCE FRIES OWEN (NC ’63) of Cannon Beach, Ore., on Nov. 11, 2010.

THOMAS W. TUCKER (A&S ’65, L ’68) of New Orleans on May 13, 2011.

WILDER BRECKENRIDGE SELMAN (NC ’59, G ’93) of New Orleans on June 1, 2011.

PATRICIA A. CAVANAUGH (G ’64) of Washington, D.C., on March 16, 2011.

CHARLES E. WILLIAMS (L ’65) of Hunstville, Ala., on Feb. 27, 2011.

LUIS A. SOTO (E ’59) of Metairie, La., on May 15, 2011.

ADRIAN A. COLON (B ’64) of Metairie, La., on June 21, 2011.

D. WILLIAM FRIEDRICHS (G ’67) of Knoxville, Tenn., on April 6, 2011.

EILEEN T. ECKHARDT (G ’60, ’62) of Pompton Plains, N.J., on March 9, 2011.

JON D. ENGLAND (E ’64) of Melbourne, Fla., on April 13, 2011.

JANE BRYAN HOERRNER (G ’67) of Fredericksburg, Va., on Oct. 1, 2010.

BARBARA DEGEN JONES (NC ’60) of Dallas on Feb. 11, 2011

EDWARD J. GAY III (L ’64) of New Orleans on Feb. 6, 2010.

MARTIN L. CLAXTON (UC ’68) of Baton Rouge, La., on May 7, 2011.

NORMAN F. DELPH (B ’62, ’63) of Anderson, Ind., on May 11, 2011.

M. CARTER HALL JR. (G ’64) of Glenwood Springs, Colo., on April 3, 2011.

JAMES C. DOWNEY (G ’68) of Sumrall, Miss., on Dec. 21, 2010.

SIGRED B. LANOUX (G ’62) of Lafayette, La., on March 3, 2011.

ANNE DICK McLAUGHLIN (NC ’64) of Lakeland, Fla., on May 5, 2011.

ABRAHAM GERBER (L ’69) of New Orleans on April 2, 2011.

36

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

Tribute Jessie Poesch JEROME F. MECHLER (E ’69) of Round Rock, Texas, on March 9, 2010.

MILES C. SEIFERT (E ’69, ’71) of Baton Rouge, La., on Feb. 28, 2010.

IRIS TAYLOR SPRUIELL (UC ’69) of Covington, La., on June 6, 2011.

ALBERT L. WATSON III (A&S ’69, L ’72) of Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 27, 2011.

CHARLOTTE HARRIS REDMOND (UC ’70) of Metairie, La., on April 12, 2011.

STEWART N. COLLENBERG JR. (A&S ’71) of Irving, Texas on June 20, 2011.

MARJORIE BREARD CONNOR (G ’72) of New Orleans on June 14, 2011.

GREGORY M. GIESELMAN (A&S ’72) of Houston on June 21, 2010.

ADRIENNE HENANN ROSENTHAL (NC ’72) of Sunrise, Fla., on Aug. 18, 2010.

GERALD C. BENDER (B ’73) of Denver on March 1, 2011.

PHYLLIS K. MANDA (PHTM ’74) of Baton Rouge, La., on May 23, 2011.

CLIFFORD M. ROSS (A ’74) of Westport, Conn., on May 4, 2011.

ALLEN C. DUKES (M ’75) of Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 25, 2011.

FRANK M. LABOUREUR (A&S ’75) of New Orleans on June 16, 2011.

WILLIAM D. DOMICO (A&S ’76, G ’78) of Memphis, Tenn., on May 15, 2011.

J. MICHAEL STOLTZ (A&S ’77) of Little Rock, Ark., on May 22, 2011.

JANE CHEESMAN PICOT (NC ’79) of Saint Indigoes, Md., on Feb. 7, 2011.

ELIZABETH ANN LAWRENCE (NC ’80, G ’81) of New Orleans on Feb. 25, 2011.

HUGH W. TEDDER JR. (L ’81) of Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 27, 2011.

DAVID ERIC WYATT (B ’81, ’83) of Austin, Texas, on June 2, 2011.

LEON E. BRISBIN II (A&S ’82) of New Orleans on April 30, 2011.

CAROL SLOAN SWINDLE (B ’82) of Conway, Ark., on March 9, 2011.

KATHERINE GILLY HASTINGS (NC ’85) of St. Louis on May 17, 2011.

ART HISTORIAN Professor emerita in art history, Jessie J. Poesch, died in New Orleans on April 23, 2011. She spent 48 years at the Newcomb Art Department, 19 of them post-retirement. While she often proclaimed that she had an “accidental career,” my feeling remains that Jessie was exactly where she was meant to be. (She’s pictured here, left, at a Newcomb Art Department reception in the 1980s with Mary Elizabeth Smith, center, professor of Latin American art, and Harriet Stern Rosenthal [NC ’46], a benefactor of the art department.)

A native of Postville, Iowa, Jessie graduated from Antioch College in 1944. Her adventurous nature led her to a job with the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization working in Europe to reunite families after World War II. During a stint working in Romania for the U.S. State Department, Jessie heard a friend say he was going to take an art history class. She thought, “Well, I can do that!” And the rest, as the story goes, is history.

Jessie loved to teach, and she did so with great joy from 1963 until her retirement in 1992. Yet she wasn’t confined to disseminating art historical topics in the classroom. Jessie educated by example—encouraging students and colleagues on their research—or by practicing the refined art of gently, but precisely, putting you in your place for wrong thinking. She did both at the University Center among the infamous “Lunch Bunch.” Jessie reminded some people of Julia Child, but to see her dining at the U.C., surrounded by her many male colleagues and friends, she reminded me of Scarlett O’Hara at the Wilkes’ barbecue. She was special by any measure.

It’s said that the surest reflection of a person is the pleasure and inspiration they provide to those around them. Everyone who ever met Jessie has a story; those of us who knew her well have many. I believe if Jessie had been asked, she’d say she received as much, if not more, than she gave.—SALLY MAIN (NC ’80, G ’93)

JAMES E. HAILER (UC ’89) of Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 18, 2011.

ROBERT L. KUHNER JR. (B ’96) of New Orleans on May 12, 2011.

HENRY CHAMPAGNE DEFELICE (SW ’91) of New Orleans on April 5, 2011.

SCOTT VAN ASCHE (B ’00) of Fort Smith, Ark., on July 3, 2011.

GREGG L. SPYRIDON (L ’91) of New Orleans on March 8, 2011.

HAZEL COLLINS KUYKENDALL (UC ’01) of New Orleans on Feb. 25, 2011.

ROBIN PERLO BERRY (NC ’93) of Houston on July 3, 2011.

TANYA N. LIM (NC ’03) of Boston on June 6, 2011.

BARBARA MEQUET OCHSNER (NC ’86) of Franklin, La., on May 17, 2011.

ANDREW J. BRISLEN IV (A ’94) of San Clemente, Calif., on May 28, 2011.

JULIE K. ROBBERSON (L ’86) of Fairhope, Ala., on May 15, 2011.

SHARON CASEY CANALE (NC ’94) of Naples, Fla., on March 14, 2011.

LINDA S. JOHNSON (L ’88) of Arlington, Va., on Oct. 23, 2010.

DOUGLAS A. GOFF (L ’95) of New Orleans on March 14, 2011.

CORRECTION JANE HEADLEY MORGAN (NC ’58) was incorrectly listed in “Farewell” in the spring 2011 issue. Morgan lives in Birmingham, Ala.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

37

flower power The new Donna and Paul Flower Hall for Research and Innovation will open in fall 2012. The facility is designed to encourage faculty and students to explore, innovate and solve the most complex problems of the day and is key to the future of science and engineering at Tulane.

T U L A N E

E M P O W E R S

Weatherhead Scholars

Training Ground

38

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

Service and Scholarship A commitment to community service in tandem with stellar academic ability are the qualifications for students who will become Weatherhead Scholars. The scholarships are funded through a gift from Albert and Celia Weatherhead.

paula burch-celentano

The Hertz Center, a major addition to Green Wave athletics, will be dedicated on Sept. 14.

A training facility for men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball, the center is destined to be a major new resource for recruiting and training top athletes in these sports.

The center’s debut represents a victory for those who have spent years bringing the facility to life. “To see things be sunk into the ground and become permanent is symbolic, but it is also unbelievably appropriate that it [the center] is named for Doug,” said athletics director Rick Dickson.

Doug Hertz, an Atlanta businessman and chairman of the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee of the Board of Tulane, promised the university the naming gift for the Hertz Center after being involved in Tulane athletics through its ups and downs in recent years, including Hurricane Katrina’s $650 million in damages to the university. “I felt like it was my responsibility, since I was the one asking the questions, to step up and help make it happen,” said Hertz.

Support from alumni and fans came naturally once they understood the purpose of the project: giving student-athletes a home away from home. “Student-athletes live around their sports program,” said Yvette Jones, executive vice president for university relations and development.

“For them to excel, they need their space. It is their classroom. It’s their laboratory, too. It’s where they get their work done.”

With two courts, a strength-training center, film rooms, offices, lockers and conference rooms, the $13 million facility will not only benefit this year’s students, Jones said.

It will also help coaches recruit new athletes and build programs capable of national success.—R.M. Morris

The legacy of Albert J. Weatherhead III and his wife, Celia Scott Weatherhead, a 1965 Newcomb College graduate and member of the Board of Tulane, will endure at Tulane University for decades to come thanks to a $50 million scholarship gift from the Ohio-based Weatherhead Foundation.

The gift establishes the Weatherhead Scholars program for undergraduates who are proven leaders in their classrooms and communities. Up to 25 undergraduates combining the pursuit of scholarship with real-life lessons in civic engagement will be designated Weatherhead Scholars each year when the program is fully funded. Academically gifted and serviceminded students may begin enrolling in the program as early as 2013.

The milestone gift is the first of its kind in the United States sponsored by a single donor, and Albert Weatherhead takes that distinction to heart. “By attracting a talented corps of undergraduate leaders who embrace Tulane’s public service mission, we can foster the next generation of citizens who recognize that material success is meaningless without the human wealth that comes from joyous interaction with other people,” he said.

The gift for student scholarships follows the Weatherhead Foundation pledge of $50 million in 2008 to create a series of professorships at Tulane. The Weatherheads’ years of support inspired the Board of Tulane to name the university’s newest uptown residence hall on Willow Street Weatherhead Hall.—Emily Johnson

The Ledger Fiscal Year End, 6-30-11

Family Reunion Augustine “Gus” Meaher III (A&S ’61, L ’63) will be making a familiar trip when he travels from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans for his 50th class reunion this October. In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that Gus and his wife, Mary Lou, may hold the record for return trips to campus.

With seven Tulane degrees in their household, the Meahers just might be Tulane’s first uniquely qualified homecoming professionals.

Gus Meaher’s relationship with Tulane dates to the 1950s when he began his undergraduate work in the College of Arts and Sciences. He and Mary Lou have six children, and five of them hold degrees from Tulane: Augustine IV (G ’00), Margaret (B ’98), AnnieMarie (UC ’03), Sadie (’10) and Helen (L ’11).

The Meahers have one daughter who didn’t attend Tulane, but Gus isn’t ruling out some graduate work in her future.

Over the years the Meaher clan has made more trips to Tulane than they can count, serving as co-chairs on the Parents Council and attending commencements. They have taken planes, trains, cars—even the Greyhound bus—with family members in tow.

As the 50th reunion chair for the Class of 1961, Gus looks forward to renewing acquaintances and catching up with old friends when he and his family make the trip again this fall.—Maureen King

40

$

THE GOAL $100 million is the total goal for the Tulane Empowers campaign.

MILLION

raised, to date

40% of Goal

THE TALLY As of June 30, 2011, the campaign had received $40 million toward the total goal.

money raised

TO THE PEOPLE For endowed scholarships, fellowships, chairs and professorships.

21.9

$

MILLION

raised, to date

44% of Goal TO BUILDING COMMUNITIES AND NEW IDEAS In support of faculty and student initiatives with our community partners.

16.1

$

MILLION

raised, to date

36% of Goal TO THE TULANE FUND To support emerging campaign initiatives across all schools and disciplines.

1.83

$

MILLION

raised, to date

Homecoming festivities are Oct. 21–23, and the Wave ’11 All Alumni Reunion and Party on Friday evening is a perfect setting for friends and family to reconnect. If you can’t make it to New Orleans, you can be there in spirit by making a class gift just like the Meahers, who have given back to their alma mater for 23 consecutive years—and counting.

37% of Goal

= $5 million

TULANE EMPOWERS is a philosophy of learning that will define Tulane University for generations. The true value of community engagement is that it benefits the giver as much, if not more, than the recipient.

T UL A N E MAGA Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 1 1

39

STELLA! The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival sponsors a Stanley and Stella shouting contest every year in the French Quarter. The contest is a homage to characters in Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire.

O R L E A N S

l i n dy b u r n e t t

N E W

A City in Itself

by Angus Lind I was sitting at a table in Stanley Restaurant after polishing off possibly the best soft-shell crab po-boy sandwich I’ve ever had, marveling at how some creature from the sea could taste so scrumptious. It was relaxing to look out at the artists, palm readers, mimes, jugglers and street bands entertaining tourists milling around Jackson Square—all this framed by the backdrop of the New Orleans downtown skyline.

It was one of those days where I had no particular plans—a day designed for lingering. Stanley is located under the famed Pontalba Apartments, the oldest apartment buildings in the country, built in the early 1850s by the Baroness Pontalba and designed by renowned architect James Gallier, who walked out on her before the apartments were built because he could not get along with such a difficult woman.

He was never paid for his design.

Down a few doors from what was once the city’s main shopping area is the gallery of photographer Louis Sahuc, a French Quarterite who lives in the Pontalbas. His family came here from southwest France in the 1840s.

I couldn’t help but recall some words of wisdom he imparted to me several years ago: “New Orleans is a great place to do nothing. I’m a big proponent of that,” he said.

Amen, brother.

The restaurant Stella, an upscale counterpart to Stanley, is located about three blocks away. Both names are taken from the main characters in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. It was far from raining

40

SUMMER 2 0 1 1 TULANE MAGA ZINE

ROOM WITH A VIEW Observed from a balcony above the Quarter’s narrow streets, the morning’s ballet gets under way.

this day, but some dialogue from that play rang true. It’s when Blanche DuBois says: “Don’t you just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn’t just an hour—but a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands— and who knows what to do with it?”

Extended lunches are certainly an enticing option for that “little piece of eternity.”

For locals who reside outside the French Quarter, a visit to the Vieux Carre is like being dropped off in another world. It’s an escape, a city in itself—and a magical one at that. It’s a reminder of a past that has vanished in some ways but yet still here. Its narrow streets, where quaint old dwellings with wrought-iron balconies reference the houses of France and Spain, have lured people for years.

Many a creole townhouse in the Quarter features iron-bound doors that hide behind them treasures: carriageways, courtyards, tropical greenery, fountains and statues.

You could call it “faded glory,” but I prefer either “elegant decadence” or “decadent elegance.”

There are countless stories of people who come here for a weekend and never leave. It can be that charming, that seductive, especially if the relaxed lifestyle of the Big Easy fits your personality.

Every year my wife and I rent a room with a balcony in a French Quarter hotel for a long weekend. The day begins early in the morning with coffee outside, as we watch the Quarter wake up. The night may have bustled with people, the air filled with music and noise, but in the morning it’s quiet as the sun gradually makes its appearance, casting first light on the slate roofs and chimneys of these aging architectural gems.

After another cup or two, the choreography begins: Storefronts are unlocked, merchants flip “closed” signs so that they read “open,” window washers make their rounds. Street vendors push their carts, and artists, musicians, magicians, mimes and entertainers make their way to their chosen locations.

Then the first music of the day—perhaps that of a solo clarinet playing traditional jazz on a street corner—is heard, signaling the start of another day in the life of this charming, old city within a city.

A short while later, more people appear on the street, checking out the neighborhood—the most important neighborhood in New Orleans and the city’s heart and soul, its lifeblood. And another episode begins.

3 Meaningful Gifts

That Cost You Nothing Now SOMETIMES THE SIMPLEST THINGS make the biggest difference. Here are a few easy ways you can make a big difference for Tulane University: 1. Bequest. Next time you meet with your attorney to draft, update, or supplement your will, consider making a bequest to Tulane. A bequest can be a specific amount, or all or part of what remains after family needs are met. Visit plannedgiving.tulane.edu for sample bequest language.

2. Life insurance. Name Tulane a beneficiary of your life insurance policy, or name the university contingent beneficiary and take care of family first.

3. Retirement plan. Same as with the life insurance above — just put Tulane down as a beneficiary of your retirement plan.

Visit plannedgiving.tulane.edu today to see what others are doing and get more ideas of ways to support the university you love. Or call us at the number below.

Your Gift. Your Way. Office of Planned Gifts • 504-865-5794 • toll free 800-999-0181 Bequests • Gift Annuities • Charitable Trusts • Retirement Plan Gifts • Securities Gifts • Real Estate Gifts • Insurance Gifts

TUlane M A G A Z I N E

Office of University Publications 31 McAlister Drive, Drawer 1 New Orleans, LA 70118-5624

paula burch-celentano

Wish You Were Here Make your plans now—Homecoming is Oct. 21–23!

SummerCover.FINAL.indd 1

8/1/11 3:34 PM