'Little by little' New Orleans being restored, says Xavier president

Published: 2005-12-09

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Like thousands of other New Orleanians, Norman Francis, the president of Xavier University, lost his house in Hurricane Katrina. He nearly lost the university he has led since 1968 and built into a national powerhouse. And now the man who arguably has done more than others over the last 40 years to change the face of New Orleans does not want to lose his city. That's why Francis, despite his personal and professional obligations, did not hesitate when Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco asked him in September to be chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, a panel charged with developing and implementing a recovery plan for the state. "The question is how can we collectively focus on this and plan well and not take ages to do it," Francis told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese. "All of us are hearing the cries of pain and frustration. I'm part of the citizenry having to find a another place to live. Little by little things are happening."

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