NEW ORLEANS — As New Orleans plans to celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2018, PBS member station WYES-TV and Pelican Publishing Company along with the assistance of The Historic New Orleans Collection will release — this fall — the definitive book of the New Orleans Tricentennial, “New Orleans: The First 300 Years.”
Twenty-two authors have contributed to 23 topics that explore the city over the last 300 years. The “Past As Prelude,” a publication released in 1968 on the occasion of the city’s 250th anniversary and published by Pelican and Tulane University, inspired the book. Distinguished journalist Hodding Carter was the editor. “Like that book, this publication will cover a range of topics,” says project editor Errol Laborde. “But it will also be visual containing great writing and images.”
According to WYES President and General Manager Allan Pizzato, "WYES utilizes broadcast television and the internet to take on the role of New Orleans storyteller and provide quality education to our community. This wonderful book is another way of fulfilling our mission in a lasting way.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to share images and artifacts from The Historic New Orleans Collection’s holdings in this new work from WYES and Pelican Publishing,” said Priscilla Lawrence, executive director of THNOC. "'New Orleans: The First 300 Years' will be a welcome addition to the literature and documentation of our city’s fascinating past.”
WYES Senior Producer Peggy Scott Laborde is the book project manager. “We expect,” Errol Laborde added, “that the book will be remembered as an important contribution to the city’s Tricentennial.”
“Pelican Publishing has a long history of preserving and celebrating the uniqueness of Louisiana through our books,” says Publisher Kathleen Calhoun Nettleton, “As we approach our first centennial it seems fitting that we partner with WYES and The Historic New Orleans Collection to celebrate New Orleans’ Tricentennial.”
The book is part of WYES’ New Orleans Tricentennial Project which also includes on-air features, documentaries and award-winning Electronic Field Trips geared to grades five through eight with partners such as The National WWII Museum on the city’s upcoming 300th anniversary.
The Historic New Orleans Collection and The Meraux Foundation are Cornerstone Sponsors for the WYES New Orleans Tricentennial Project.
Contributors to “New Orleans: The First 300 Years” include:
Foreword
Dr. Lawrence Powell
Themed Chapters (alphabetically):
Architecture: Evolution From A Complex Heritage
Robert Cangelosi, Jr.
Art: Transformations in the Changing Light
John R. Kemp
Black New Orleans: Reversing the Blackout
Raphael Cassimere
Business: The Times: Bad, Good and Amazing
Peter Ricchiuti
Celebrations: Evolution of a Festive Town
Errol Laborde
Characters: Times of Obsession
Angus Lind
Dining: A Sense of Plates
Ian McNulty
Disasters: When Misfortune Blows in the Wind
John Magill
Education: Taking The Lead
Dawn Wilson
Ethnicity: The Coming of Hispanics and Vietnamese
Suzanne Pfefferle Tafur
Flora: Resetting the Clock
R. Stephanie Bruno
Geography and Environment: The Deltaic Metropolis During New Orleans’ Third Century
Richard Campanella
Health: Local Medicine’s Biggest Battle
Brobson Lutz
Literary History—Books: This Storied City
Susan Larson
Music: Rhythm of a City
Connie Zeanah Atkinson
New Orleans: Three Centuries—A Romp Through Time
John R. Kemp
News Media—Bylines and Busy Times
Dominic Massa
Politics: Shifting Power Center
Robert L. Dupont
Second Line Parades: The Right of the People To Assemble (and Dance)
Lolis Eric Elie
Sports: Finishing Strong
Marty Mulé
Street Names—Gathering The Blocks
Sally Asher
Women: Creating A New Culture
Patricia Brady
