On a drizzly day last week, ducks glided along the Audubon Park lagoon, paddling past a green-and-white wooden gazebo during the dedication of the Stanley W. Ray Jr. Meditation Area, set on a knoll surrounded by sturdy oaks and the rolling landscape of the golf course.
Light rain enhanced the serenity of the pastoral scene, perfectly in keeping with the philosophy of Audubon Park's landscape architect and the intent of the gazebo's benefactor.
"This is exactly what Stanley would have wanted," said Conrad Meyer IV, a trustee for the Stanley W. Ray Jr. Trust, which paid to redo the gazebo. Meyer's father and Ray were best friends. Ray died of a heart attack in 1970.
Abe Kupperman, 89, attended Tulane University Law School with Ray in the 1930s and spoke at Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony in the peaceful setting. "Don't be surprised. Stanley might show up!" Kupperman said mischievously.
Kupperman's family donated several benches and saplings to a site a few steps north of the gazebo, known as The Kupperman Overlook, where he often took his two sons and six grandchildren to feed the birds.
The refurbished gazebo is a far cry from the termite-ridden structure that also suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina. The Audubon Nature Institute dismantled the crumbling gathering spot, taking its vintage materials to the institute's mill shop to be used as a template for the new shelter, which is made with weather-resistant, pressure-treated wood. Unable to find the original blueprints, the institute's construction project manager, Robert Schumacher, commissioned an architect to create new drawings for a replica.
The gazebo is identical to three others at the opposite end of the park, near St. Charles Avenue. They appear in original plans submitted in 1899 by the Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects in Brookline, Mass.
Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York City's Central Park, pioneered the concept of a large urban park at the turn of the century, spawning the City Beautiful movement. He favored a naturalistic setting, rather than formal gardens or structures, to help counteract the stresses of city life.
Olmsted's nephew, John Charles Olmsted -- also considered one of the nation's most prominent landscape architects -- took charge of the New Orleans project and proposed that the "embellishment of Audubon Park be typical of the State of Louisiana, its climate, soil, tree and flower growth." His concept included a lake, which was later transformed into a lagoon, meandering through the park.
But John Charles Olmsted's million-dollar plan faced financial obstacles. Several years later, he submitted a more modest proposal that included the bandstand and music court, underwritten by a $25,000 bequest from Isidore Newman, whose son, Jacob K. Newman, persuaded the state Legislature in 1915 to pass a $100,000 bond issue for excavation and landscaping.
The lagoon was filled with water in 1918. Soon after, private donations paved the way for construction of four octagonal gazebos with green umbrella-shaped roofs and slatted wooden benches, which charmed park visitors.
"I can't tell you how many people tell me what it means to them," said Ron Forman, president and CEO of Audubon Nature Institute. "It's their escape." The newly dedicated meditation area is a spot where New Orleanians can soothe their souls, Forman said. "This is almost therapy," he said. "When this city has rough times, they need a place to go."
Forman, who has worked for Audubon Institute for 37 years, has a personal connection to the place. His first job, at age 8 or 9, he said, was tying up swan paddle boats rented to navigate the lagoon.
The plaque along the new gazebo's roof line states: "Dedicated to the Memory of Stanley W. Ray Jr. 1915-1970. He loved New Orleans and cared for its children."
Ray married twice, but never had children of his own. He and his two siblings became orphans when their parents were killed in an automobile accident on U.S. 90. Wanting to keep the family together, he was a college student when he assumed responsibility for raising his teenage siblings, Meyer said. Ray's endowment has underwritten causes that support children, including a playground, and provided scholarships for students who have lost their parents.
Ray attended Jesuit High School and had a part-time job at The Times-Picayune, writing about school sporting events. Kupperman recalled that while in law school together, Ray had little interest in law, but had an aptitude for business.
"He was very promotional-minded," Kupperman said. As editor of an alternative entertainment magazine for Tulane students, Ray organized Friday nights at The Blue Room nightclub at the Roosevelt Hotel. "He was always a very active person," Kupperman said.
After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, Ray returned to New Orleans and started up several of the first black radio stations in Gulf South, including WBOK-AM in New Orleans and stations in Houston and Mobile, Meyer said.
"The Stanley W. Ray Jr. Trust should be commended for playing a leadership role here at Audubon Park," Forman said. "Through the restoration of this beautiful spot, the Trust has created a lasting tribute that will honor the memory of a great New Orleanian for years to come."