In Memoriam: Francis E. "Hank" Lauricella

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Francis E. "Hank" Lauricella, a former chairman of the board of commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, passed away March 25 at the Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson (LA). He was 83.

Mr. Lauricella was appointed to the port the board in April 1997 by Gov. Mike Foster and served as its chairman from October 2001 until June 2002.

Earlier, Mr. Lauricella spent 32 years in the Louisiana Legislature, initially, for two terms in the House of Representatives and then in the Louisiana Senate from 1972 until his retirement in 1996.

Mr. Lauricella attracted national attention for his football prowess as a tailback of the 1950 and 1951 championship teams at the University of Tennessee. An All-American, he was runner-up for the 1951 Heisman Trophy and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Following his football career, Mr. Lauricella served three year in the U.S. Army, earning the rank of first lieutenant. In his professional career, Mr. Lauricella was a partner in Lauricella Land Company.

"Mr. Lauricella’s leadership was critical during a period of port expansion and diversification, such as the construction of the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal and the meteoric rise of the port’s cruise industry," said Port President Gary LaGrange, PPM®. "I consider him a mentor and a friend, and he will be sorely missed in the Greater New Orleans community."

Francis Edward Lauricella
1930-2014