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Regular Session, 2012
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 44
BY SENATOR MORRELL
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Ashton Phelps Jr. upon his retirement as publisher of the
New Orleans Times-Picayune.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To commend and congratulate Ashton Phelps Jr. upon his retirement as publisher of the2
New Orleans Times-Picayune and as president of The Times-Picayune Publishing3
Corporation and for his many contributions made to the state of Louisiana.4
WHEREAS, it is altogether fitting and proper that the Legislature of Louisiana5
acknowledges Mr. Phelps' thirty-three years of superb leadership and outstanding journalism6
while at the helm of The Times-Picayune, a publication with local, national, and7
international circulation; and8
WHEREAS, since 1979, Ashton Phelps has been at the top rung of the publishing9
giant and during its 175 year history, his family has been associated with the newspaper for10
five generations; his great-grandfather and father were also publishers with the paper; and11
WHEREAS, Mr. Phelps attributes the success of this daily publication to the loyalty12
of its readership, its advertisers, its faithful, talented, and capable employees, and the13
steadfast support of its owners, the Newhouse family; and14
WHEREAS, as publisher, Ashton Phelps adopted new strategies that changed its15
focus and operation to better reflect the demands of a diverse metropolitan landscape, with16
the expansion of Internet access and digital media, such as NOLA.com, to keep pace in the17
challenging realm of telecommunications; and18 SCR NO. 44
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WHEREAS, he expanded all of the bureaus to enhance the individuality of the local1
news in suburban centers, such as Algiers, New Orleans East, Harahan, Gretna, Kenner,2
Lakefront, Marrero, Metairie, Midtown, Uptown, Westwego, the River Parishes, St. Bernard,3
and north of Lake Pontchartrain to include Covington, Mandeville, and Slidell; and4
WHEREAS, his creativity and dedication have resulted in a constant Number One5
national ranking among publications in its market demographic; and6
WHEREAS, in 1992, at his alma mater, Tulane University Law School, the Phelps7
Lecture Series was established to honor the legacy of his father, Ashton Phelps Sr. and8
remains dedicated to the application and preservation of First Amendment rights and related9
fields of constitutional law; and10
WHEREAS, during his tenure, The Times-Picayune garnered four Pulitzer Prizes,11
in 1997, one Pulitzer for "Oceans of Trouble", an analysis of the threatened global fish12
supply and a second for editorial cartooning; in 2005, receipt of a Pulitzer for news coverage13
during Hurricane Katrina, plus the George Polk Award for Metropolitan Reporting, as well14
as two more Pulitzer Prizes in 2006; and15
WHEREAS, for over three decades, Ashton Phelps has handled high-profile stories16
and editorial topics with quiet aplomb; however, Mr. Phelps, The Times-Picayune, and the17
city of New Orleans itself, will forever be defined by the events of August 2005, and the18
aftermath that continues to this day, when Hurricane Katrina knocked the city to its knees;19
and20
WHEREAS, Ashton Phelps, along with reporters and employees, remained in place21
for forty-eight hours to capture many of the historic details in images and print and to22
continue to report the news during this catastrophe, a precious touchstone for a region in23
perilous straits; evacuated to Baton Rouge in the back of delivery trucks, The24
Times-Picayune personnel maintained a continuous stream of vital information, either via25
Internet or publications temporarily printed in Baton Rouge, until six weeks later, when the26
Howard Avenue presses rolled again; Times-Picayune was one of the first businesses to27
resume operations; and28
WHEREAS, the population of the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana29
owe a debt of gratitude to Ashton Phelps for his years of leadership as publisher of the30 SCR NO. 44
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New Orleans Times-Picayune, for his many contributions to the betterment of this state, and1
his continued efforts to preserve America's First Amendment rights of freedom of speech2
and of the press.3
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby4
commend and congratulate Ashton Phelps Jr. upon his retirement as publisher of the5
New Orleans Times-Picayune and as president of The Times-Picayune Publishing6
Corporation.7
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby wish8
for him continued success in his future endeavors.9
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to10
Ashton Phelps Jr.11
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Suzi Montague.
DIGEST
Morrell SCR No.
Commends Ashton Phelps Jr. publisher of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, upon his
retirement from the newspaper.