Memories of my sophomore Religion teacher, Brother Ivy Leblanc, SC.
Mr. Thomas Ridgley (SA ’51), his wife Elaine, and Brother Ivy LeBlanc, S.C., at the annual Prayer Breakfast, 2009.
Brother Ivy Leblanc, SC
I was devastated when I received an email last week, asking for prayers for Brother Ivy. The school shared that Brother was not doing well, and his doctors decided on palliative care, to ease his passing. He passed yesterday. Others will eulogize and honor a man who dedicated his life to the Institute and specifically, Brother Martin High School. Here are some personal thoughts and memories of a wonderful man.
The “cool young Brother”
I first met Brother Ivy in the fall of 1973, as a tenth grader. I walked into one of the classrooms in the downstairs Resource Center, finding a younger teacher directing us to sit anywhere for that day. He introduced himself, and that led to a fun year. My fondest memory of Brother Ivy the teacher was the second or third day of the class. Catholic school, just about every class started with a prayer. Brother Leo Godin, SC, always said a Hail Mary. Other teachers, a Glory Be. Brother Ivy starts with the Sign of the Cross, then pauses, rather than offering further prayer. He said, “You know, the Sign of the Cross is, in itself, a complete prayer. So, let us begin, In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Talk about things that stick with you, fifty years later.
Vice-Principal
My classmate Bill McGreal (BMHS 1976) did sketches of the administrative team for the 1976 edition of Yesterday, the school’s yearbook. As I assembled images for the book, including Bill’s sketches was a no-brainer. At this time, Brother Ivy was in his second year as Vice-Principal (Discipline). In the 1974-75 school year, Brother Collin Dugas, SC (another great teacher and man of faith) stepped down as Vice-Principal (Academics). He and Mr. Louis Levy were the assistants to the first two BMHS principals, Brother Mark Thornton, SC, and Brother Brice Hendrick, SC. (Brother Brice later left the Institute, but as with everything I use to document the history of the school, I go with who these men were at a particular point in time.) So, I got to the school in the 1971-72 year. It was Brother Brice, Brother Collin, and Mr. Levy. By 1974, Brother Collin struggled with health issues and retired. Mr. Levy moved to Academics, and Brother Ivy stepped into the Disciplinarian role. Bill sketched Brother Ivy a year into what is arguably the hardest job on campus. He caught Brother’s electricity.
Principal, President
Brother Brice left BMHS at the end of the 1974-75 school. So, Brother Donan Berry, SC, came down from Catholic High in Baton Rouge, becoming Brother Martin’s third principal. Brother Donan left in 1978, and Brother Ivy moved into the top job. This 1987 photo shows Brother and Mr. John Devlin, Assistant Principal, displaying an “Excellence In Education” banner awarded the school by the Department of Education. In 1988, the school created the position of President. Brother Ivy became the first in that role, with Mr. Devlin taking over as Principal. This marked the first time a lay person ran the school.
Provincal
This 1999 photo shows Brother Ivy (left), Mr. Tom Benson (St. Aloysius 1944), and Brother Jean Sobert, SC, inspecting the progress of the “St. Aloysius Class of 1944 Gymnasium” and the Ridgley Fine Arts Center. Brother Ivy had moved to the position as Provincial, in charge of the United States Province of the Institute. Mr. Devlin moved up to President, and Mr. Gene Tullier became Brother Martin’s second principal. There’s a bit of a story behind this photo. As I put together this chapter of the book, the Development Office asked if I could work in a photo of Tom Benson. Benson was a controversial figure, as a businessman and owner of the New Orleans Saints. I came across this photo in Mr. Spellman’s office and thought, this is perfect. Brother Ivy and Brother Jean were both icons.
Legacy
Brother Ivy LeBlanc guided both the school and the Institute through a period of incredible change. His memory will bless the school for generations.
This 1970 photo shows the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Pan American passenger train heading to Union Passenger Terminal on Loyola Avenue. From Mike Palmieri:
L&N No. 9 – NEW ORLEANS – Circa 1970 – Photographer Unknown
Louisville & Nashville train No. 9 – the southbound PAN-AMERICAN – was on the Southern Railway’s BACK BELT at East City Junction, about four miles from its destination at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal. The diverging track is the Southern’s St. Louis Street Line, which once served Terminal Station on Basin Street at Canal Street.
Prior to the opening of Union passenger Terminal (UPT), L&N trains arrived and departed from their passenger terminal at the head of Canal Street. When the city merged the five passenger stations into UPT in 1954, L&N trains approached the station via the Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern) “Back Belt.” The trains came into town via the Rigolets bridge, then switched onto the Back Belt. As Mike mentions, the track curving off connected the Back Belt to Southern’s terminal at Canal and Basin Streets. The trains ran down Basin Street to tracks just before St. Louis Street. They turned north on St. Louis, connecting here to head to the “5 Mile Bridge” across Lake Pontchartrain. After 1954, that track saw limited use, as the Southern passenger trains also shifted to UPT. SR shifted most of its freight operations from their Bernadotte Yard in Mid-City to Gentilly. So, most of the track at St. Louis Street vanished over time. The path morphed into the Lafitte Greenway bicycle/walking trail.
Approach to the station
L&N #9 heads towards the back of Greenwood Cemetery. It turned into town at what was the east bank of the New Basin Canal. The track followed the canal, originally to Union Station on S. Rampart. Street. The city closed the canal in 1949. The Pontchartrain Expressway opened in its place. So, the end of this access track changed to UPT in 1954.
Amtrak uses this track for the Crescent (#19/#20) to New York. Additionally, the Sunset Limited extension to Jacksonville operated over it. That route closed in 2005. This summer, Amtrak inaugurated the Mardi Gras route, from UPT to Mobile, Alabama. Mardi Gras runs both ways, morning and evening. So, those four trains follow the route taken here by the Pan American.
Crescent City to Queen City
L&N operated the Pan American route, from New Orleans to Cincinnati, from 1921 to 1971. The railroad turned its passenger operations and equipment over to Amtrak in 1971. The new passenger rail company discontinued the Pan American in 1971. So, this photo shows the route in its last few months of operation.
Four Ways to Support NOLA History Guy
Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
The West End was an escape from the city and heat from the 1850s.
The West End
This was originally presented to the West End Kiwanis Club. So much fun talking to hard-working volunteer groups! This one was fun, so it’s part two of our series on the Lakefront.
West End Park, 1940s. The entertainment district had been cleared in favor of green space. The Southern Yacht Club marina and Municipal Yacht Harbor aren’t there yet.
Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
The first Super Bowl held in New Orleans was Chiefs-Vikings.
Super Bowl IV, 1970
The Kansas City Chiefs came to New Orleans on January 11, 1970, as the champions of the American Football League, to play the National Football League champion Minnesota Vikings.
Maison Blanche Department Stores welcomed fans of both teams with a full-page ad in the Times-Picayune newspaper on Saturday, January 10, 1970: “To all you super-people…a super-welcome to New Orleans’ super-department store…” MB’s stores in 1970 were 901 Canal Street (since 1897), Clearview Shopping Center, Gentilly Woods, Airline, and Westside. The Carrollton store migrated to Airline by now, and Airline wouldn’t be long for the world with Clearview opening in 1969. The second “branch” store, on Frenchmen and Gentilly, migrated to Gentilly Woods Shopping Center. That store would in turn close in 1974, with the opening of The Plaza at Lake Forest shopping mall. Like the other large department stores, MB put out huge displays of New Orleans souvenirs and other local merchandise, tempting visitors to bring home a memory.
MB in the 70s
The store’s logo and branding reflects the late-1960s change to a modern, sans serif typeface. The all-lowercase format remained until the store’s acquisition by Dillard’s in the 1990s. The tagline, “Greatest Store South” continued on from the early 1900s.
Super Bowl IV was the first championship held in New Orleans. The first game was held in Pasadena, California, at the Rose Bowl. The second and third matches were held in Miami, in the Orange Bowl. Fourth was sweet, as the NFL chose the Sugar Bowl. New Orleanians never really called the stadium the “Sugar Bowl.” While the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl are the names of the stadiums, The massive stadium in Uptown New Orleans was Tulane Stadium. It was theirs, after all. New Orleans fit the desires of the NFL, chief of which was someplace relatively warm and snow-free. There was always the chance of rain at Tulane Stadium, of course. That’s why the league insisted that New Orleans build a covered stadium when they awarded the city a franchise. That led to the construction of Da Dome, now branded as Caeser’s Superdome.
Friday nights mean it’s time for prep football music.
Prep Football Music
It’s Friday afternoon! When I was a Crusader Band dad, now would be when we were getting it together to head to Tad Gormley for a Crusader football game. That early? Yes. For the five years my son Kevin (2012) was in the band, Mr. Hurley and Mr. Caronna wanted them at the stadium a good hour before game time. So, off we went to grab a bite to eat, then drop the kiddo at the stadium, then find a place to park. We would usually sit up at the top of the bleachers in the stadium, next to where the band and the Dominican Debs sat. The routine was a far cry from the game nights I spent in the press box as a statistician.
The Horse
While there were many songs that stuck with me from eighth grade in 1971 to this day, I can’t think of a time when the band didn’t play “The Horse,” by Cliff Nobles. While Nobles was a soul singer from Philly, his one hit was this instrumental tune. It’s become a marching band staple ever since.
Nobles released “The Horse” in the summer of 1968, and it went gold in August of that year, selling one million copies. It reached #2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. Being an instrumental, it was natural that high school bands picked it up. Crusader band played it regularly in the championship season of 1971, and I fondly remember following the band through the school as they played it on game day mornings. It was never part of a halftime show, always “stand music.”
1971
The photo presents Crusader Band at the state championship game versus St. Augustine, 10-December-1971. I’ve written about the game and that halftime show. What a great end to an exciting, sometimes nerve-wracking season.
Still around
“The Horse” is still in the flip books. This is the only video I found of Crusader Band playing the tune, in 2017. I’m not sure what stadium this is in, but it’s not Tad Gormley. The social interaction of kids walking by as the game progresses on the field is so typical of New Orleans’ version of Friday Night Lights.
It’s hard to get work done when you’re “reading in the attic.”
Reading in the Attic
So, I like memes and fun stuff on social media. This particular one caught my eye, because it’s totally me. The quote says, “No person who can read is ever successful at cleaning out an attic.” — Ann Landers. While I haven’t verified the quote, I believe it to be accurately attributed. I laughed and thought, yup, that’s me! I can’t tidy up my home office without falling down one rabbit hole or another. This image is so wonderful. The man has absolutely no intention of “cleaning.” This is his study, his bolt-hole from the rest of the world. And a kitty!
OK, well, maybe he’ll throw some stuff out. After he reads it one more time, of course. If he’s like me, once he finishes that issue, he’ll have a hard time permanently letting it go.
Archive as Attic
My work with the archives at Brother Martin High School involves reading a lot of old stuff. Unlike a home attic, though, removal isn’t the goal. Organizing documents, tephemera, etc, focuses my efforts, not trashing things. BMHS is 54 years old, having opened in the fall of 1969. Archives for the legacy schools, St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu, opened in 1969 and 1954, respectively. The oldest stuff I’ve encountered in the archives dates back to the early 1900s. (The oldest surviving diploma we have is from 1915.) It’s tough to maintain a good pace through the ephemera. Take game-day programs for football, for example. They include ads, biographies of coaches and administrators, as well as features about the teams. Scanning six to eight pages of a program should be quick and easy. Not a chance! Ads from department stores to gas stations catch my eye. Given that I’ve written books on two department stores, please forgive me.
Everyone can read!
Don’t take the “No person can lead” part of the quote too literally. Sure, we all can read. What the quote identifies here is the subset of people who read a great deal. Surveys indicate that a majority of Americans don’t read much after finishing school. They read the news, maybe a magazine (website) or two, but that’s about it. They pass on continuing the reading from high school and uni. No more classics–if they didn’t read “Moby Dick” in school, odds are against them reading it later.
That’s not our friend in this image. He’s got books that are old friends he returns to regularly. Hopefully he’s able to pass that passion on to the young one.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Recent Comments