Ronnie Virgets Alma Griffin Casamentos New Orleans by Highsmith

Ronald Edward Virgets (April 4, 1942 – May 20, 2019) was an American writer, commentator, and journalist. A native of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, he lived there for most of his life.

Background

Virgets attended Sacred HeartElementary School,

St. Aloysius High School Brother Martin High School is a private, Catholic, all-male college preparatory school run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was established by the brothers in 1869 as St. Aloysius Col ...

and graduated from

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

in 1965. Following his graduation, Virgets took an Army tour of duty to Vietnam from 1965–1968. He began writing sports features for the New Orleans

Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...

in the mid-70s. Virgets joined

WDSU WDSU (channel 6) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Howard Avenue in the city's Central Business District, and its transmitte ...

TV NewsChannel 6 in September 2000 as a feature reporter for Sunday's 10 p.m. newscast. Before that he spent several years as

WWL-TV WWL-TV (channel 4) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Slidell-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL (channel 54). Both stations share studios on Rampart Street ...

's feature reporter. He wrote for New Orleans area publications including ''

The Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...

'', ''

Gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word ''gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe simi ...

'', ''

New Orleans Magazine New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

'', and has published several books. He appears regularly on local radio and television, mostly discussing aspects of local culture. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Press Club of New Orleans in 2002. Besides his local fame, Virgets said that his proudest professional achievement was when he won a regional

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

award for a 1992 story on the city of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Virgets served as host of ''Crescent City,'' a radio program broadcast in New Orleans on the local

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

affiliate,

WWNO WWNO (89.9 MHz) is a public, non-commercial FM radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is owned by the University of New Orleans, offering a news and information radio format with some jazz programs on weekends. Studios and offices are loca ...

. His personal papers are archived at

Personal life

Virgets was divorced and had three children. He reigned as King of

Krewe du Vieux The Krewe du Vieux is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carré. History and formation The parade begins in the Marigny and slowly meanders its way through the Vieux Carre ("Vieux Carre" being another term ...

for

New Orleans Mardi Gras The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of lent in the Western ...

in 1996. Among his hobbies, Virgets enjoyed fishing and thoroughbred racing. At one time, he owned greyhound racing dogs. Virgets and his family appeared on the TV series ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

'' in an episode first aired on November 15, 2006. Virgets died Monday May 20, 2019 at the age of 77.Ronnie Virgets, distinct New Orleans voice and storyteller, dies at 77
NOLA.com, May 20, 2019

Hurricane Katrina

Virgets "rode out"

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in August 2005, in his home in the

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

neighborhood of New Orleans. The area flooded severely when the Federal levees failed (''see:''

Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans As the center of Hurricane Katrina passed southeast of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 1 range with frequent intense gusts. The storm surge caused approximately 23 breaches in the drainage canal and navi ...

), and a few days later he was rescued by boat. Virgets wrote an essay giving his impressions of how the storm and its devastation have impacted New Orleans, the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

, people living in these areas, and himself. ''Diary of a Displaced Person: the First 72 Hours'' was read by Virgets for

, and also appears as one of the chapters in his book, ''Lost Bread.''

Books by Ronnie Virgets

* ''Say Cap!: The New Orleans Views of Ronnie Virgets'' Published by Arthur Hardy Enterprises in 1997 () * ''Lost Bread (Pain Perdu) Flavored with a Little Steen's Cane Syrup'' Published by Arthur Hardy Enterprises in 2006 () * ''Saints and Lesser Souls : The New Orleans Views of Ronnie Virgets 2017''

References

External links

Ronnie Virgets' personal webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virgets, Ronnie Writers from New Orleans American male journalists American columnists New Orleans television reporters 1942 births 2019 deaths Loyola University New Orleans alumni