Robert Ernest "Dumas" Milner, who owned Dumas Chevrolet Company, was the Tom Benson of Jackson, Mississippi -- a self-made millionaire who made a fortune through turning small companies into large profitable ones, opening car dealerships, buying and selling real estate, and generally making everthing he touched turn to gold. "Dumas" was a nickname given to him after he began following a hired hand by that name around his family's cotton farm. At age 7 he hawked Rosebud Salve elixir to his rural neighbors. As a young man he took over Magnolia Chemical Company which employed six peope to produce their patented Pine-Sol and other cleaning products, and turned it into a $10 million per year company with 86 warehouses, and sold it to American Cyanamid for $17 million.  He bought hotel and real estate, owned the tallest building in Jackson, began an exporting business, and acquired National Car Rental. He was Chief of Staff of Mississippi Governor John Bell Williams and owned Henderson Mansion in Pass Christian. With a somewhat quirky (but true to his times) business philosophy, he refused to hire a man to a key position until he met the man's wife.  

When the Dumas dealership formally opened at 4049 South Carrollton (pictured here) on August 30, 1952 at 8 a.m., gifts were given to the ladies and Val Barbara and his Orchestra played. The air-conditioned showroom was modern in every way.  The repair shop was stocked with $50,000 worth of parts and equipment.  Thirty-five employees were on duty, with 80 more expected to be brought on during the next six months. Ben Howard Nelson was the vice-president and general manager, W. N. Newt Godfree was the GM, Herbert P. Jackson served as service manager, S.K. Martin the business manager, J. Clyde Carter was in charge of parts, Alex Holliday was truck manager, and Henry Carter was the used car head man. 

By the time the dealership celebrated its second anniversary, it had added a used car lot at 3925 South Carrollton (across from what is now Costco).  By 1956, Dumas had four dealerships in New Orleans, including locations at 215 South Claiborne (between Tulane and Canal) and in Kenner at Airline Highway at Clay Street.

The beloved Pelican Stadium, which sat across Carrollton from the first Dumas New Orleans dealership, has a long history of its own (much too long to feature here) but for baseball fans, this sight (right) must have been heartbreaking.  On October 16, 1956, Dumas announced the opening of a used car lot at Pelican Stadium.  A want-ad published in the Times-Picayune that day sought new and used car salesmen to work it..."Apply in person to Bill Watson". 

From 1915 the New Orleans Pelicans (the first professional sports team in New Orleans) called it home, as did the Black Pelicans and the Creole Negro teams.  Pelican/Heinemann Stadium also allowed local fans to view major league exhibition and training games and to get a glimpse of stars such as Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron.  The stadium was demolished in 1957.  It was replaced by the Fontainebleau Hotel which was was later converted into a storage facility.

 May 2007 photo by Infrogmation

The former home of local favorite Blue Plate Mayonnaise was rehabilitated by HRI Properties and JCH Development into 72 mixed income loft-style apartments designed with a leasing preference for artists. The Blue Plate building was listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks on October 16, 2008 and is located in a designated Louisiana Cultural District. It was the first building in New Orleans constructed in the Art Moderne style.

In 1941, the new division of the Wesson-Snowdrifts Company required a new home. A site was identified at 1315 South Jefferson Davis Parkway, Architect August Perez, Jr., commissioned, and the first pile was driven a month before Pearl Harbor was bombed December 7, 1941. The government's demand for steel, labor and other materials presented a challenge due to the war.

Drummer Minor Hall, better known as Ram Hall,  studied at the New Orleans University and began playing with Kid Ory around 1915. He played in various New Orleans ensembles such as the Superior Band, then moved to Chicago in 1918. He took his brother, Tubby Hall's spot in Lawrence Duhe's band briefly before serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. By the time he returned, King Oliver was leading Duhe's band, which Hall rejoined in 1921. In 1926 he played with Jimmy Noone, and then moved to California for an extended run with Mutt Carey's Jeffersonians (1927–32).  He played in the Winslow Allen band in the 1930s, but took a hiatus from music for part of the decade, and served briefly in the Army again in 1942. In 1945 he rejoined Ory in his Creole Jazz Band and became one of his most longstanding members, remaining with Ory's ensemble until 1956, when he retired on account of poor health. He recorded extensively with Ory and also did some recording with Louis Armstrong in the 1940s.  He was born on March 2, 1897 in Sellers, Louisiana and passed away on October 16, 1959 in Sawtelle, California.

Born in New Orleans on October 16, 1926 , Judge James August Comiskey served in the United States Army during World War II, from 1944 to 1946. He received a B.A. from Loyola University New Orleans in 1949 and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1951. He was in private practice in New Orleans from 1951 to 1967.  On January 16, 1967, Comiskey was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisianacreated by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 2, 1967, and received his commission on March 4, 1967. Comiskey served in that capacity until his resignation on June 15, 1975. He was thereafter in private practice in New Orleans until his death in that city on February 1, 2005.