Dr. Mervin Lee Trail

Cumberland native Dr. Trail was respected and cherished by most all of the populace of Louisiana. He was very well known for his contributions to the New Orleans tourism industry: "Among his many accomplishments Merv Trail helped establish New Orleans as a sports and "Big Event" mecca - from Clancy DuBos. An ear, nose and throat specialist, he was associate editor of "Archive of Otolaryngology" and on the board of "Journal of Heart and Neck Surgery." Along with Patricia Denechaund, he founded the New Orleans affiliate of the Susan G. Konen Foundation in 1992 to fight breast cancer.
He passed away from a stroke suffered on New Year's Day, 2001; at the time he was chairman of the task forces planning the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans and the 2003 Final Four NCAA college basketball championship. He had already spearheaded the effort to bring that tournament to the Big Easy twice before - the latest in 1993. He also led the drive to bring the Women's Final Four to the city in 1991.
Additionally, as Founding Chair of the New Orleans Sports Foundation he was responsible for the renovation of Tad Gormley Stadium, which culminated in the city hosting the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1992.
In the tourism arena, Trail was a founding member of the New Orleans Convention Center Board of Directors and a key figure in securing funds to build and expand the facility. He got his first taste of tourism development in 1973 when he was asked to help the group lure medical conventions. Two years later he became a member of the commission's executive committee and went on to serve as president several times.
When New Oleans' efforts to host the 1988 Republican National Convention appeared to be floundering financially and otherwise, the community turned to Trail, who was then in his third term as president of the Tourist and Convention Commission. He responded with his usual combination of enthusiasm, selflessness and focus. The result: A bipartisan acomplishment to host the most successful political convention ever. And he did it quietly, behind the scenes, without stepping on toes and without looking for credit.
A friend described Mevin Trail as "one of those people who could compromise without losing sight of his goal. And he could keep everybody happy in the process." Rare traits, indeed.
Somehow, between all that, he continued teaching and maintaining an active medical practice, including work as a head and neck surgeon. Since 1994 he served as Chancellor of Health Sciences Center, the University's medical school. Under his leadership the LSU center took over management of the Louisiana Charity Hospital system, including its 15,000 employees and a $1.5 billion budget.
In January 1989, Gambit Weekly named him "New Orleanian of the Year for 1988." The descriptive column described his efforts as a "House Call for the Economy."
A resolution was produced on January 4, 2001 at the Louisiana Board of Regents honoring Dr. Trail for his leadership and dedicated service to mental education, health care, the Louisiana State University system and the people of Louisiana. Homage was paid: "Dr. Merv Trail was a healer in many, many ways. New Orleans was lucky to have been his favorite patient."
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, scientists are once again conducting research in the Mervin L. Trail Clinical Sciences Research Building as of February, 2006.
While still in high school he was sports editor of the school's newspaper, and he provided sports information to the Cumberland newspapers as well. He enjoyed athletics and participated, successfully, in tennis tournaments, and he was an avid outdoorsman in later life.
After his high school graduation he attended Bridgewater College in Virginia, preparatory to his advanced degrees. He received a Doctorate from the University of Maryland - Baltimore - before moving on to New Orleans.
He is survived by his wife, Edith, four daughters and several cousins in this area.