Activists of the Year 2018

Carol Wise was inspired by her parents to become an activist. The longtime New Orleans resident says they were active during the Great Depression in the city of her birth, Chicago.

“They wanted to make the world a more just place. It was a turbulent time with the Depression, then World War II and the realization of the horrors of the Holocaust,” she says. Her mother, a social worker, instilled a desire to create a better world.

Her activism began in the late 1950s. Wise went on to form the women’s division of the United Way and the Jewish Federation – both locally and nationally. “I’ve worked all my life,” she says.

“Both organizations were open to trying new ways to involve women, and I was in the right place at the right time.” It was exciting for her to welcome women’s leadership. “We’ve made a lot of progress.”

The United Way took on the issue of early childhood development, among other critical issues. “I got very inspired to make sure New Orleans had opportunities for all children through the Success by Six program,” she says. “We looked at ways to improve the city.” At the time, the schools were segregated and children of color didn’t receive the same quality of care as their white counterparts. “We wanted to give them the same quality of childcare,” she says. As a former realtor, Wise has spent time in all of New Orleans’ various neighborhoods. She worked as the head of the first relocation department for a major real estate firm, which meant she was working with people who were just moving to New Orleans.

“I could promote the city and make their transition into the city much more comfortable and easy,” she says. “I could also see that diversity of the city is one of its greatest strengths, and I was proud that I could help connect people from various parts of the city – from different religions and different fields.”

Wise also served as Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and helped start the Professional Division of the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation. She also served as its President and Chair.

Wise’s other volunteer activities have included serving as President of Hillel at Tulane University, and she served on the International Board of Hillel.

She also served on the board of the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of New Orleans, Touro Synagogue, Touro Infirmary, the Newcomb College Institute Advisory, the Policy Institute for Children and the Jewish Endowment of New Orleans. She also co-founded the Women’s Professional Council of New Orleans.

Though she admits that she has little time for hobbies, she prioritizes spending time with her family. The mother of three dotes on her grown children, their spouses and her five “fantastic” grandchildren – whom she hopes will all “live in and love New Orleans” as much as she does.

Karin Giger Eustis

Karin Giger Eustis moves to New Orleans in 1978 after 10 years of living in Boston and working in television news. The New Jersey native then became the executive producer at WYES-TV.

The primary causes she supports are public education through the Louisiana Children’s Museum, Edible Schoolyard, FirstLine Schools and Posse.

She also supports the advancement of girls and women via Days for Girls, Geaux Girl Magazine, Girls on the Run and Planned Parenthood. She is deeply involved in civic beautification and environmental causes through New Orleans Town Gardeners, Latter Library Garden Conservancy and Sustaining Our Urban Leadership (SOUL). As one of the founders of the Edible Schoolyard in New Orleans (along with Cathy Pierson), she was recently honored for her work in environmental education by the Garden Club of America – the program is now in five public schools across the city.

She also loves gardening herself: “When we lived in a house built in 1884, for many years I researched and then planted gardens filled with heirloom flowers that would have been available in that era. It was great fun both intellectually and for getting dirt under my fingernails,” she says.

Eustis was initially inspired to go into activism by her husband, Larry’s parents, Kate and Laurance Eustis. “Their civic life included political reform, public housing, Planned Parenthood, adult literacy and many other progressive causes,” she says. Larry was active in the Urban League, the YMCA and the city government. “Beyond family, I was knocked out by the accomplishments of volunteers at WYES-TV and many other effective volunteer organizations.”

Eustis loves her charity work because she gets to work with a broad range of people who share common goals. “I love learning how different people work together to tackle problems,” she says. “Many of my closest friendships grew out of civic projects.”

As a journalist and producer, she says she’s all about the “nuts and bolts” of projects. “I am a strategic planner and I think my pragmatism helps provide paths to bring visionaries’ dreams to life,” she says. “It’s fun to develop enthusiasm and work to make good ideas become a reality.”

Dr. Naydja Domingue Bynum

Dr. Naydja Domingue Bynum moved from the small town of Davant to New Orleans at age 12, because her family believed that they would obtain better employment and opportunities than what was available in Plaquemines Parish for people of color.

The longtime activist now works to preserve the “beautiful and historic architecture of our New Orleans houses,” and improve the quality of life issues in the historic Tremé community by reducing blight and crime and improving cleanliness through an organized neighborhood association.

She also serves as an executive member of Women of the Storm, a post-hurricanes Katrina and Rita women-initiated group that led the effort to go to the U.S. capitol to get the attention of congressional leaders. In this capacity, she says the group urged politicians to witness the devastation first-hand and shore up resources for the recovery process.

Her favorite aspect of community involvement is “seeing positive results,” she says. “It’s never easy, but having a vision keeps you going.”

She also says she believes her nursing and administrative education have given her a skill set that’s universal for “getting things done.” With a BSN from Dillard and a master’s and doctorate from LSU Medical Center, she says “I feel that my nursing knowledge and skills to help bring people back to health ties into restoring ill-health blighted properties back into commerce. It’s like bringing our history back to a thriving life.”

“Besides wanting to fix, cure and/or resolve a matter, my nursing experiences taught me the patience and steps of process to get it done,” she notes.

Outside of her activism, Bynum loves to sew, “fix things and make things.” She also at one time operated a home-based business where she crafted and sold ladies’ purses and other accessories; she says she would like to get back into that soon.

Bynum was also the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of four annual Tremé Fall Festivals that provided financial support to St. Augustine Catholic Church for repairs, and she currently serves on the board of the New Orleans Tourism & Marketing Corporation as well as Treasurer and Founding President of the Historic Faubourg Tremé Association. She is also a member (and past President) of the Preservation Resource Center and has won numerous awards over the years for her role in the community.

Patricia “Pat” Crouere Denechaud

Patricia “Pat” Crouere Denechaud has been interested in community service from an early age. For the past 40 years, she has held leadership positions with a variety of civic, cultural and charitable organizations.

“I take great satisfaction in helping organizations excel, fulfilling their missions of fund development and awareness,” she says. “My work in this capacity has always afforded me the opportunity to work with exceptional individuals.”

As a cancer survivor and the mother of a daughter who’s now facing her own battle with the disease, Denechaud says one of her proudest achievements is founding Komen New Orleans in 1992. Since then, the organization has granted $6.2 million locally for breast cancer screening, treatment and educational programs.

A pioneer in the hospitality industry who started Crescent City Consultants in the 1970s, Denechaud was also the first female president of the New Orleans World Trade Center. Additionally, she serves as Honorary Counsel of Canada, advocating on behalf of the nation in Louisiana. “In these positions, my community engagement has been integral to my effectiveness and success in these roles,” she says.

Denechaud says her degree in elementary education is a factor and “a driving force behind my interest in working with nonprofits having to do with children’s issues.”

She has also been inspired by two important role models: her mother-in-law, Mary Denechaud, “who was a true community activist involved in a wide spectrum of organizations” and her own mother, Mildred Crouere, who is, at age 97, still active in the community.

Her activism is primarily focused on health issues, youth, education, the economy and the arts. The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, LSU Health Foundation, Louisiana Chapter of the International Women’s Forum, Vieux Carré Commission and a number of other local organizations have benefited from her work to make the city a better place. Additionally, an interest in the history and rich culture of New Orleans, and being an eighth-generation New Orleanian, spurs her involvement in The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana Historical Society.

William Henry Shane Jr.

William Henry Shane Jr. works as an architect and real estate developer and is the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Favrot and Shane Companies, Inc.

He has built more than 9,000 apartment units in Southeast Louisiana, as well as shopping centers, office buildings, storage facilities and other commercial properties. He has a long history of serving the community through numerous economic development efforts, civic organizations and charitable causes.

Some of Shane’s primary activism is centered around the Ogden Museum, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Jefferson Dollars for Scholars, ACE Scholarships, Tulane University and the Catholic Church. He says his favorite aspects of community involvement are “acquiring and donating works of art to museums and public buildings.”

He and his wife, Pat, have donated more than 30 sculptures located on public rights of way within Jefferson Parish and Kenner. One of the most prominent works is the Blue Dog sculpture on Veterans Memorial Boulevard, which the Shanes donated from late artist George Rodrigue.

In his spare time, Shane is an avid collector of antique cars and memorabilia and runs a museum complex. “The Cars of Yesteryears Museum is offered to not-for-profits to use the facility for their fundraising events,” he says. “It’s currently used over 125 times a year.”

Shane is also one of the founders of each of the two Premier Economic Development Organizations in Greater New Orleans and he has served on numerous boards.

Tim Trapolin

Artist and activist Tim Trapolin has always supported equality and equal opportunity for people of all races and faiths, he says.

“We are all God’s children,” he says. One means of working toward this goal is through his service and involvement with Trinity Church and its Undoing Racism Program and its medical mission.

He drew inspiration from his parents, Thelma Mae and Winter Trapolin, who were early outspoken supporters of the Civil Rights Movement.

“I grew up in a loving home where being an advocate for your beliefs was a way of life,” he says.

Trapolin also supports the Lambeth House, the Louise S. McGehee School (where he has taught art), The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art and the YaYas.

Trapolin, who’s also known for his illustrations for books and invitation for Mardi Gras krewe events – including the Rex Ball – often donates his own artwork to promote the causes he cares about at various fundraisers throughout the city. “Through my art, I try to capture the essence of my subject (and) to let their inner light shine through. … Being an artist and rendering my friends and clients on canvas gives me the privilege of peeking a little bit into their souls.”

A self-described “people person,” (which might be an understatement) Trapolin has 36 godchildren. “Keeping up with them is a full- time job,” he says. “My life has been a journey of transformation, gratitude and deep happiness. Those are my greatest awards.”