Ronnie Virgets Papers

Ronnie Virgets is the quintessential "New Orleans original" - a native with the ability to see, appreciate and poke gentle fun at the quirky qualities that embody the Crescent City. For decades, he has, with well-chosen words and a distinctive voice, evoked images ofhis hometown to inspire new appreciations of familiar surroundings. His columns and scripts present glimpses of his boyhood in Mid-City New Orleans where he was born at Mercy Hospital on April 16, 1942 and attended Catholic schools. While a student at St. Aloysius High School, he was encouraged by a teacher to develop his writing talents and after high school graduation in 1961 to enroll as a Journalism student at Loyola University. His first column, "On the Virg," was published in the Maroon and with other Loyola students, he worked as a "stringer" at the Times-Picayune. He was graduated from Loyola in 1965. After a 1965-1968 U.S. Army tour which took him to Vietnam, Virgets returned to New Orleans and a variety of jobs, including owning a pool hall, tending bar, and working at a small public relations firm. In the mid-70s he returned to journalism, covering sports for the Times-Picayune and eventually writing free-lance sports features. As a child, Virgets was introduced by his family to the world of horse racing and remembers his first visit to the stables where he "even liked the way it smelled," so he was particularly suited to become a columnist for the Racing Form. For three years he covered the racing circuit from the Fair Grounds, Louisiana Downs, and Keystone Park, near Philadelphia. And, when he returned to New Orleans, he continued to write about the track in "Railbird Ronnie," a freelance column for the Times-Picayune. As a full-time staff member at the newspaper, he wrote features for Dixie Roto and finally, a metro column. The transition to television took place when WWL-TV's Bill Elder invited Virgets to produce features for his weekly show "Bill Elder's Joumal," and the New Orleans equivalent of a star was born. His voice, both rough and soothing, became familiar, and his written words combined with the best of television photography delighted viewers. In the years since, WGNO, WDSU and WYES have also aired his New Orleans vignettes. Radio listeners, too, have been entertained by Virgets as host of WWNO's "Crescent City." Even as Virgets entered the realm of broadcast media, he continued his print career, writing a column which still appears biweekly in Gambit. His books, Say Cap puhlished in 1997 and Lost Bread published in 2006, are compilations of favorite columns. "Diary of a Displaced Person: The First 72 Hours," his hurricane Katrina survival story, originally published in Louisiana Cultural Vistas, was an addendum to Say Cap. During his long, varied career, Virgets has been the recipient of several writing awards. In 2002, he was honored by the Press Club of New Orleans with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

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