Jack Gurry, French Quarter bon vivant, dies at age 86 December 28, 2010 Times Picayune Submitted by N.O.V.A. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Jack Gurry, a French Quarter bon vivant known for mammoth Mardi Gras parties that drew hundreds of people every Fat Tuesday for almost 40 years, died Thursday at Canon Hospice of complications from diabetes. He was 86. “He was a person that everyone knew or wanted to know,” said Evelyn Rodos, one of his nieces. Mr. Gurry’s Fat Tuesday parties were held in and around his house in the 1000 block of Bourbon Street, a house he bought with proceeds from the sale of the family’s marine-supply business. These afternoon bashes featured performances by artists such as Danny and Blue Lu Barker, Irma Thomas and Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Rodos said, and the guest list included judges, bunnies from the Playboy Club, racketeering figure Carlos Marcello and celebrities such as Jim Nabors and Gene Simmons and his Kiss bandmates. Mr. Gurry generally greeted his guests in Western attire, with a sheriff’s badge. “Every walk of life was probably represented — some people in costume, some not, and lots of food and drink,” said Lary Hesdorffer, the Vieux Carré Commission’s executive director. “He seemed to be a guy who had done very well. People don’t have Rolls-Royces parked in their driveway for nothing,” Hesdorffer said. “But that didn’t matter to him. It was just one of those things.” The parties stopped a few years before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, but Mr. Gurry’s love of a good time never did. Dr. Brobson Lutz, New Orleans’s former health director, recalled a dinner at Mr. Gurry’s house a few years ago when he received this directive from his host: “Grab a bottle of wine. It’s all good, but you can’t see what you are drinking. The roaches ate off all the labels.” The wine was very good, Lutz said, and he understood why when he looked at the name on the cork: It was a bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild from the 1950s, worth upward of $200. “He was quite a man about town,” Lutz said. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Gurry moved to New Orleans with his family when he was 6 years old and never left. He attended Alcée Fortier High School, where he played second trumpet in the band. Playing first trumpet was Al Hirt, who, Rodos said, became a lifelong friend. After serving as a pilot in World War II, Mr. Gurry joined Gurry Brothers Supply, the family business, and stayed in it until the property at Camp and Poydras streets was sold to the federal government, which erected a courthouse and office building there. In addition to having a good time in the Vieux Carré, Mr. Gurry worked hard to restore many of its classic buildings, Hesdorffer said. Even though Mr. Gurry had a strong personality, Hesdorffer said he was a stickler for playing by the rules that apply to structures in that part of New Orleans. “If something didn’t agree with what he wanted, he’d say, ‘Tell me what I gotta do to make it work,’” Hesdorffer said. “He always wanted to make the best of any set of circumstances.” Survivors include his sister, Lillian Rodos, and nieces and nephews. A private service was held Sunday. Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.