Derby Gisclair

"Why on earth would an early bird want a worm?"

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“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.”
~ Woodrow Wilson

#quotes #swimming

Many lobbied for the retention of the facility after the fair was over, but the Dock Board expressed concerns (aided by a demolition contract from the then Lieutenant Governor Bobby Freeman) and the structure was torn down.

World famous architect Frank Gehry designed the riverfront amphitheater where countless prominent acts entertained the crowds at nightly concerts. It was perhaps one of the only successful ventures to come out of the fair itself. (continued)

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In 1952 he established the Joseph Chalona Insurance Agency. In his later years he was president of the Louisiana Civil Service League until his death in 1954 at the age of 76. He lived at 19 Newcomb Boulevard.

... fruit and vegetables from across the country, not just locally. Joseph Chalona was also a principal in the Panama Ice Company, later the New Orleans Cold Storage and Warehouse, and a Director of the New Orleans Bank & Trust Company and the Italian Homestead Association. (continued)

... the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce. One of his earliest fruit brands was the Skookum apple, made popular nationwide during the First World War. These apples were grown in the traditional region of the Northwest United States, but as a commission merchant, Chalona handled ... (continued)

They were also associated with orange growers A. Chalona & Company in Buras, Louisiana. These photographs date from around 1924 when Calona bought the building on the corner of Poydras and South Peters from John T. Gibbons. The photographer was Covert on behalf of ... (continued)

... donations to benefit victims of a recent tornado. Along with his brothers Frank, Albert, Paul, and Henry, Joseph Chalona carried on the family tradition in the fruit and produce business from their facility located at 101 Poydras Street at Front Street. (continued)

There are brief mentions of Joseph Chalona Company making donations in 1908 of “one crate of cabbage, two hamper of potatoes, and two hampers of squash” in response to Mayor Martin Behrman and the city of New Orleans’ call for ... (continued)

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"Whoever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,’ probably lost."
~ Martina Navratilova

#quotes #tennis

Amputation became the treatment of choice whether or not chloroform was available. Lack of hygiene created an atmosphere where infection as possible, but the majority of amputees managed to survive their wounds.

... wounded in battle. Below is Winslow Homer’s 1862 drawing of a surgeon at work in the field. On almost every occasion, the field surgeon was quickly overwhelmed, having only minutes to spend with each of the injured. (continued)

... accuracy of the rifled barrel which increased the range at which a soldier could accurately hit a target. This carnage from frontal attacks, combined with a relatively few number of poorly equipped surgeons, led to fairly dismal prospects for any soldier unlucky enough to be ... (continued)

Soldiers during the Civil War were at risk of injury or death in battle but they were also at risk for disease. Casualties were often quite high – there were twice as many casualties at Antietam than there were on D-Day. Credit the improved ... (continued)

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Even free people of color were severely restricted. He and Adrien de Pauger produced an impressive number of maps such as the one shown here, that you may have seen on one or more Map Monday features.

... Louis XIV of France which defined the conditions of slavery in the French colonies. Among other things, the Code Noir required all people of color to be converted to Roman Catholicism and ordered the expulsion of all Jews from all French colonies. (continued)

Working with Bienville’s chief engineer Pierre Le Blond de la Tour, they laid out the first streets and utilized slave labor to construct the first cypress framed buildings in the settlement. This was done under the auspices of the Code Noir (Black Code), a royal decree devised by ... (continued)

... plot of land ten fathoms (sixty feet) frontage by twenty fathoms (one hundred twenty feet) deep. They would be required to enclose their plot with palisades (fence) and leave a three-foot by one-foot ditch surrounding the palisades to serve as a drain. (continued)

In 1718, the engineer Pierre Le Blond, Sieur de la Tour, acting on the authority of Bienville, built the first levee in the new city of New Orleans. He also devised the plan for the street layout and a drainage system. Each new settler received a ... (continued)

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This month’s presentation is gonna be fun! Please join Edward Branley and Derby Gisclair as they take you through the time-honored traditions of MAKIN’ GROCERIES! Thursday, Mach 19, 2026, at 7:00pm at the East Bank Regional Library. Put this one on your list!

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“Boxing is the most extreme metaphor of personal liability – you enter the ring alone and compete the same way.”
~ Brian D'Ambrosio

#quotes #boxing

... that I made disappear in record time. The Feast of St. Joseph will be on Thursday, March 19th this year, but I will be celebrating in the days before and after.

... anticipation of being able to immerse myself in Italian culinary delicacies. Among the most coveted in my house growing up were cuccidati (Sicilian fig) cookies. Pictured here is a batch made by Nick Lama of Avo Restaurant of blessed memory ... (continued)

Among the many wonderful traditions that Italian immigrants brought to New Orleans was the celebration of St. Joseph's Day. It generally falls during the Lenten season, so for many it is a very special religious holiday. However, for me it is the ... (continued)

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Hurricane Damage

Workmen and laborers pose with the hurricane damage to the already weather-beaten wharves between Piety and Desire Streets in the Third District photographed in August 1881. G.W. Dunbar's Sons shrimp packing business is at the left along with an unnamed bakery just up the street.

“If you’re not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he’ll be ready to take your job.”
~ Brooks Robinson

#quotes #baseball

That is when Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity. It has nothing to do with when these bank notes were issued. The back of each $10 bill has “DeSoto Discovering the Mississippi.”

... that the bank's notes could be fairly scarce. The two vignettes seen on 1875 $10 bank notes are “Franklin and Electricity” and “America Seizing Lightning”. These notes occasionally confuse novices because the year 1752 is printed on them. (continued)

The State National Bank also issued their own currency, but examples are quite scarce which is why they are not pictured here. For instance, they printed only 1,500 sheets of $10 series of 1875 national bank notes. Any time you see a print range between 1,000 and 2,500 you can assume ... (continued)