A lasting legacy: Architect Arthur Q. Davis, who designed the Superdome with a partner and the New Orleans Arena next to it on his own, died on Wednesday at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center. He was 91. Davis graduated from Tulane University, served in the Navy during World War II and went to Harvard University on the G.I. Bill, studying under such modernist masters as Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. With partner Nathaniel Curtis, he designed the Superdome and other buildings that helped define New Orleans’ skyline. In addition, Davis designed buildings in Vietnam, Aruba, Scotland, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Egypt and the Netherlands. Davis’ son, Quint Davis, created the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Other survivors include his wife, Mary Davis, and a daughter, Pam Friedler. Tharp-Sondheimer-Tharp Funeral Home says funeral arrangements are incomplete.
Stepping up: Gov. Bobby Jindal has tapped St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis as the new director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Pat Santos, who has served as GOHSEP interim director, will return to his previous duties as deputy director. Davis will begin serving on Dec. 9. Originally from Slidell, Davis has served as the president of St. Tammany since 2000. Under Davis, the Office of Emergency Preparedness within St. Tammany was modernized to ensure a more effective and faster response during hurricanes and other emergencies, Jindal’s office says, and Davis has also managed millions of storm recovery dollars as parish president.
Making the rounds: Karl Rove has confirmed he’ll be in Baton Rouge for a dinner benefiting the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, which is being held in conjunction with the nonprofit’s Policy Orientation for the Louisiana Legislature, also taking place in Baton Rouge late this month. Tickets for the Dec. 12 dinner at the Camelot Club range from $450 per couple to $2,500. The 7 p.m. dinner will be preceded by a 6:30 p.m. book-signing by Rove. More information is available here.
