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Hilda Lincoln, 87
May 21, 2002
Hilda Y. Lincoln, a retired New Orleans public school principal, died Friday at Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital. She was 87.
Ms. Lincoln was born in Terrebonne Parish, in the village of Gray, and lived in New Orleans. She graduated from McDonogh No. 35 High School. She received a bachelor's degree from Dillard University, which later recognized her as a distinguished alumna, and a master's degree from Columbia University.
Her professional career began in Rayne when she was an elementary school teacher. Later she taught at Gaudet Normal School.
In New Orleans, she was a teacher at McDonogh No. 41 Elementary School and Joseph A. Craig Elementary, where she became principal. She also served as supervisor of the Teacher Corps, a program to train young servicemen to become certified elementary school teachers.
She retired from the school system after 35 years and became a supervisor of student teachers for Dillard University and Southern University at New Orleans.
Ms. Lincoln was a member of Tulane Memorial Baptist Church, where she served as superintendent of the Sunday school and director of Vacation Bible School, the Board of Christian Education and youth activities. She also belonged to the Sanctuary. She was a member of the Halcyons and Gentilly Mission Circle.
She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and for 50 years was a member of Phi Delta Kappa Sorority, which she served as a local and national president.
Survivors include two sisters, Louise Lincoln Hill of San Antonio and Annie B. Lincoln.
A funeral will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Tulane Memorial Baptist Church, 3601 Paris Ave. Visitation will be at 8 a.m. Burial will be in Mount Olivet Mausoleum. D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Walter Lewis Jr., 87, jazz, R&B; pianist
June 13, 2002
Walter J. Lewis Jr., a traditional-jazz and rhythm-and-blues pianist who worked for many years with Danny Barker's famed Jazz Hounds, died Monday at his home. He was 87. Mr. Lewis was born in Prairieville and lived in New Orleans for more than 80 years. He began studying music in elementary school and in his youth worked in the New Orleans red-light district with many other notable musicians. His professional career spanned 74 years and took him around the world, including several tours of Europe.
Mr. Lewis performed with the Henry Horton Band from 1939 to the late 1940s and with Sidney Desvigne, Paul Barbarin and Oscar "Papa" Celestin during the 1950s. As a piano player, he backed many national R&B; stars, including Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Big Joe Turner, Guitar Slim and Earl King at New Orleans' famed Dew Drop Inn in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. His first job was with the Sidney Desvigne band in the 1930s.
Mr. Lewis also worked with musicians Louis Cottrell, Placide Adams and James Davis in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to playing piano, he sang on occasion. In later years he backed traditional jazz banjoist, guitarist and singer Danny Barker, then continued as a member of Barker's Jazz Hounds after trumpeter Gregg Stafford took over the band, performing regularly at the Palm Court Jazz Cafe and Preservation Hall. He was a member of the American Federation of Musicians Local Union No. 492 and was a former member of the Autocrat Club.
Survivors include two sons, Donald Ceaser of Lafayette and Benjamin Ceaser; three daughters, Joan Lewis Turner of Los Angeles, Pat Ceaser of Lafayette and Yvonne Ceaser; a brother, J.D. Lewis of Gonzales; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. A funeral will be held Friday at 9 a.m. at D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave. Visitation will begin at 8 a.m. Burial will be in Providence Memorial Park.
KRUZICH, ANDREW J.
January 2, 2003
Andrew J. Kruzich, federal AIDS crusader
Andrew J. Kruzich, a federal official who awarded millions of dollars in grants to organizations fighting AIDS, died Thursday of complications from the disease at his New Orleans home. He was 55.
A native of Centerville, Iowa, who lived in New Orleans since he retired two years ago, Mr. Kruzich was responsible for distributing money to community groups throughout the country that provide outpatient care for people infected with the AIDS virus. Near the end of his eight years at the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, that amounted to more than $100 million a year, said Deborah Parham, one of Mr. Kruzich's colleagues who is the associate administrator of the agency's HIV/AIDS bureau.
Mr. Kruzich's persistence against the disease that eventually would kill him won praise from his colleagues.
"He looked this disease in the eye and never blinked, " said Dr. Joseph O'Neill, director of the White House Office of AIDS Policy, who called him "a real hero and a model for the nation."
Mr. Kruzich "was very open about the fact that he had HIV, " O'Neill said. "He provided tremendous leadership and courage for people struggling with the illness."
He held a series of grant-related positions for AIDS services in that branch of the Department of Health and Human Services. Besides directing money to existing health-care activities, Mr. Kruzich developed new programs and gave seed money to fledgling projects to improve access to treatment, Parham said.
"Because of the kind of work that Andy did to make sure that people had access to care and treatment, thousands of people all over the country are alive today, " O'Neill said. "He was somebody who, in a very quiet, persistent, constant way, was very effective in getting done what needed to be done. He had truth, honesty, persistence and a great deal of heart."
Before joining the federal government, Mr. Kruzich worked in health programs in New York City and Washington state. He was development coordinator for New York's Care for the Homeless Program, a consultant to the AIDS Theatre Project and deputy director of the New York AIDS Consortium. In Washington, Mr. Kruzich established and wrote grant requests for AIDS services in Seattle, developed a program to predict the state's health needs and set up short- and long-range programs for older people in a four-county area.
A graduate of Coe College who did postgraduate work at the University of Iowa, Mr. Kruzich was a former vice president of the Washington State Public Health Association and of the Seattle Counseling Service's board of directors.
Survivors include his companion, Patrick Lee; a brother, Joseph Kruzich of Kansas City, Mo.; and three sisters, Joan Kruzich of Kansas City, Barbara Kruzich of Centerville and Mary Anne Muir of Chesterfield, Mo.
The funeral and burial will be private. Bultman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Russell "Rusty" Kershaw
October 25, 2001
Russell "Rusty" Kershaw, a Louisiana-born guitarist and recording artist, died Tuesday of a heart attack at Crescent City Health Care Center in New Orleans. He was 63.
Mr. Kershaw, the younger brother of Cajun recording star Doug Kershaw, was born in Tiel Ridge in 1938. Over the course of a long career that began when he was a child, Mr. Kershaw performed with the likes of Neil Young, Chet Atkins, J.J. Cale and Charlie Daniels.
His musical career started with a small family band, Pee Wee Kershaw and the Continental Playboys, "Pee Wee" being the nickname of his brother Nelson.
"He was a musician from the time he was 7 until the day he died, " said Julie Kershaw, Mr. Kershaw's widow.
The band joined the famous "Louisiana Hayride" in 1955 and in 1956 moved on to the "Wheeling Jamboree" on a West Virginia radio station.
Doug and Rusty Kershaw went on to perform as a duo, joining the legendary Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1957. Their most successful record was "Louisiana Man, " a song Doug Kershaw wrote and would later re-record as a soloist.
In 1964, Mr. Kershaw started performing on his own. He worked with Chet Atkins, the famed Nashville guitarist, as a session musician on many of the records Atkins produced, including the Don Gibson hit "Oh, Lonesome Me."
"All the great hits that Chet Atkins produced, Rusty did all the guitar work for him, " Julie Kershaw said.
In 1974, Mr. Kershaw played viola and lap steel guitar and also wrote the liner notes for Neil Young's "On the Beach" album. Young in turn performed on several of the tracks of Mr. Kershaw's 1992 album, "Now and Then, " which also featured New Orleans singer Art Neville and the band The subdudes.
Julie Kershaw said Young had two nicknames for her husband, "Swamp Thing" and "the Bear, " the latter because Young always liked to give Mr. Kershaw a big bear hug whenever they met.
"He was a musical genius and a very kind man, " New Orleans blues singer Timothea said.
Mr. Kershaw was friends with numerous other musicians, including Johnny Winter, Leon Russell and Levon Helm. He also worked with several New Orleans musicians, including David Torkanowsky and Allen Toussaint.
"Any time you saw him, he was always upbeat, " Aaron Neville said. "He had a smile on his face and always had something nice to say."
Mr. Kershaw had lived in New Orleans since 1980, when then-Gov. Edwin Edwards asked him to join the new Louisiana Music Commission.
Mr. Kershaw was at Crescent City Health Care Center for several months because of complications from emphysema but was expecting to be released soon, Julie Kershaw said.
Besides his wife and brothers Nelson and Doug, survivors include two children from a previous marriage: a son, Troy Kershaw, and a daughter, Sherry Kershaw.
The funeral will be private, but a memorial service will be held at a later date, Julie Kershaw said.
Dennis Persica can be reached at dpersica@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3301.
Meyer Kaplan, 72, retired physician
December 17, 2001
Meyer Kaplan, a retired physician, professor and specialist in internal medicine, died Saturday of bone marrow failure due to myelodysplasia syndrome at Touro Infirmary. He was 72.
Dr. Kaplan was a lifelong resident of New Orleans. He attended Tulane University and obtained a medical degree from Louisiana State University Medical School in 1952.
Dr. Kaplan interned at St. Louis City Hospital Washington University Service in St. Louis, Mo., from 1952 to 1953. Following his internship, he served in the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant and medical officer on active duty for two years during the Korean War. He returned to New Orleans to complete his residency in internal medicine at Charity Hospital. Dr. Kaplan was a member of the clinical faculty of LSU Medical School in the Department of Medicine's nephrology division for more than40 years. He retired in July 2000. He was active in the establishment and development of the Renal Dialysis Center and nephology unit at Charity Hospital, which has been named in his honor.
When he retired, Dr. Kaplan was a clinical professor of medicine and nephrology at LSU Medical School, and a senior attending physician at Charity Hospital. He was in the private practice of internal medicine, and was a senior visiting physician at Touro Infirmary. He was a member of the American Medical Association, the Orleans Parish and Louisiana State Medical societies, the International Society of Nephrology, Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society and past president of the New Orleans Academy of Internal Medicine from 1991-1992.
Survivors include his wife, Beverly Barnett Kaplan; a son, Michael G. Kaplan; a daughter, Carli Ruth Kaplan Fried; and a sister, Maxine Cassin. A graveside funeral was held Sunday at Hebrew Rest cemetery No. 3. Tharp Sontheimer Tharp Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Boutine Johnson, teacher, administrator
November 2, 2002
Boutine Parker Johnson, a retired teacher and administrator with the Orleans Parish School Board, died Monday of lung cancer at her home. She was 67.
Mrs. Johnson was born in Gulfport, Miss., and lived in New Orleans for the past 66 years. She received a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in supervision and administration from Southern University in Baton Rouge. She began her teaching career at Mary D. Coghill Elementary School and went on to teach at McDonogh No. 19 Elementary School. She was assistant principal at L.B. McCarty, Thomas Edison, Sherwood Forest and Fisk Howard elementary schools. She also was assistant principal at Frederick Douglass High School.
She was a parishioner of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church and was a former member of Phillips Memorial, Mount Zion and Cornerstone United Methodist Churches.
She was instrumental in the implementation of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration at L.B. McCarty, serving as coordinator and master of ceremonies for five consecutive years.
Mrs. Johnson was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., United Teachers of New Orleans, Principals Association of New Orleans Public Schools Inc. (PANOSPI), the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and the NAACP. She was elected Mrs. Mount Zion United Methodist Church in 1984.
Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Stephen S. Johnson III; a son, Roderick C. Johnson; a daughter, Stephanie Johnson Saberre; a sister, Bernis R. "Wilma" Lewis; and three grandchildren.
A funeral will be held today at noon at Majestic Mortuary, 1833 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Burial will be in St. Roch cemetery No. 2, Court of Our Lady Queen of Angels Mausoleum.
JAHNCKE, HERBERT GRANT
November 25, 2002
Herbert Jahncke, 92, civic leader, '66 Rex
Herbert Grant Jahncke, a New Orleans civic and business leader who reigned over Carnival as Rex in 1966, died Friday at his home in Covington. He was 92.
Mr. Jahncke was born in New Orleans and attended high school at New Orleans Academy. He attended Washington and Lee University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude and as valedictorian.
He was Navy lieutenant junior grade for two years.
He attended Harvard University for two years before returning to New Orleans to work in the family business, Jahncke Services Inc. He became the firm's president and chairman of the board of directors in 1965.
Among his contributions to numerous New Orleans organizations, he was on the City Park board of directors from 1951 to 1957 and its president in 1959, campaign chairman for the Cultural Attractions Fund of Greater New Orleans for 1966-67, president of Delgado Museum of Art for 1960-61, a member of the board of directors of International House for 1966-67, and president of the Parkway and Park Commission of New Orleans from 1965 to 1968 and in 1971.
His civic activities included being a member of the Board of Governors for Ochsner Hospital and campaign chairman for the United Fund in 1955.
He was president of the Ready Mixed Concrete Association in 1953, president of the Southern Builders Supply Association, and vice chairman of the alumni fund drive for Washington and Lee in 1972-73.
He belonged to the Boston Club, Carnival Kings' Club, Pickwick Club, Stratford Club and various Carnival organizations. He also was a member of Louisiana Lodge No. 102, F&AM;, becoming past master in 1942.
When he was 65, Mr. Jahncke was the eldest participant to spend a month with Outward Bound in Minnesota. He initiated a sculling group that rowed the New Basin Canal; hiked the Appalachian Trail with his wife, Carol Saunders Jahncke; canoed in Canada; bicycled in Vermont; and planted an acre of muscadine and blueberries.
"He was physically and mentally a superior person, " Carol Jahncke said. "He got the most out of his turn here on Earth. I wish he was back again."
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Walter Jahncke, Robert Jahncke and Herbert Jahncke Jr.; a sister, Louise J. Stevens; a brother, Donald E. Jahncke; eight grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held Monday at 3:30 p.m. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. at Pinecrest Memorial Garden in Covington. E.J. Fielding Funeral Home of Covington is in charge of arrangements.
Francis Jacob Jr., 90, radio and TV pioneer
October 1, 2002
Francis Jacob Jr., a New Orleans broadcasting pioneer who helped build WWL radio and create WWL-TV, died Saturday at his home. He was 90.
Mr. Jacob, whose connections to WWL dated to his days as a student, held the position of chief engineer when he retired from the TV station in 1974.
Mr. Jacob was born in New Orleans and lived in Metairie.
After graduating from Jesuit High School, he began his broadcasting career in 1930 when he entered the Gulf Radio School in New Orleans. That year, he began work as a vacation relief operator and later an engineer and studio supervisor for WWL-AM, which at the time broadcast from the Loyola University campus.
As a WWL employee during the next decade, Mr. Jacob helped form a broadcasting local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, making WWL one of the first unionized radio stations in the United States. He also planned the construction of the station's studios at the Roosevelt Hotel, now the Fairmont.
Mr. Jacob rose through the ranks at WWL, becoming engineering supervisor. He led a team of engineers that built most of the station's equipment and installed a 10,000-watt and later a 50, 000-watt transmitter that made WWL-AM one of the most powerful clear-channel stations in the country, audible at night across much of the country.
Mr. Jacob also was the engineer for many shows on WWL, such as the "Dawnbusters" morning program, live jazz broadcasts from French Quarter nightclubs and big-band performances from the Blue Room of the Roosevelt.
In the 1950s, he became lead engineer for the planning and development of WWL-TV, which went on the air Sept. 7, 1957, from newly built studios on North Rampart Street. Mr. Jacob soon was promoted to chief engineer and held that position for many years.
After his retirement, Mr. Jacob remained active in the local broadcasting industry. He was a consultant during the creation of WLAE-TV, the Archdiocese of New Orleans' PBS affiliate, in 1983. He also worked for the Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, assisting in the recording and production of weekly radio broadcasts.
In 1997, Mr. Jacob was inducted into the New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Broadcasters Association.
He was a parishioner of St. Patrick Catholic Church.
Survivors include three sons, Don and Jerry Jacob and Francis Jacob III; a daughter, Cathy J. Gaffney; a sister, Marie Louise McDonald; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A Mass will be said Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will be today from 5 to 9 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 to 10 a.m. Burial will be in Lake Lawn Park Mausoleum.
Stephen Jackson, choirmaster, organist
May 30, 2001
Stephen Wilson Jackson, the organist and choirmaster at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, died Sunday of a stroke at Touro Infirmary. He was 49.
Mr. Jackson was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., and lived in New Orleans for the past 12 years. Mr. Jackson recorded and released several musical programs during his tenure at St. Paul's and published choral work and musical scores.
Mr. Jackson was particularly good at soliciting volunteer musicians and singers and preparing them for performance, said his friend James Hammann.
"He was very adept at bringing amateur performers to a high artistic level, " Hammann said.
Mr. Jackson was a graduate of McCallie School in Chattanooga, where he served as the school's organist and pianist. He graduated from Furman University in Greenville, S.C.; received his diploma prufung from the Goethe Institut in Prien, Germany; and earned a master's degree in musicology from the University of Tennessee.
Mr. Jackson served as an organist in several cities throughout Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois and Washington D.C. before settling in New Orleans in 1989. In addition to his work at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Mr. Jackson also served as the assistant organist for St. Dominic Catholic Church.
Mr. Jackson was a member of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, where he served as a board member; the American Musicological Society; the American Choral Directors Association; the Music Library Association; the Choristers Guild; and the Association of Anglican Musicians.
Survivors include his companion, Dr. John M. Cornwell; his mother, Ruth Wilson Jackson of North Carolina; and two sisters, Suzanne J. Smitha and Elizabeth J. Heynen.
A funeral will be held today at 10 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Canal Boulevard at Harrison Avenue. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
