Allan Lee Katz

Allan L. Katz, a respected journalist and a public relations, political, and crisis management consultant, passed away peacefully with his family by his bedside, on December 12th at Ochsner Hospital.

Allan was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1938. His mother was the late Miriam Pailet Katz of New Orleans, and his father was Benjamin G. Katz of Columbus. He was pre-deceased by his brother, Ronald Frederick Katz, and he is survived by his sister, Saundra Katz Levy, his nephew, Jonathan Loris Levy (Adele C. Abboud) of New Orleans, his niece, Lauren Levy Neustadter (Scott Neustadter), his great-nephew, Michael Braden Neustadter, and his great-niece, Riley Autumn Neustadter, all of Los Angeles, and by his Godchild, Cindy Dayhoff of Georgia, and his devoted friend, Vickie Blanchard of New Orleans. Finally, he is also survived by his faithful feline companion, Sassy Katz. He was pre-deceased by several other beloved furry companions: Alexander, Cleopatra, Mr. Orange, and Little Buddy. During his lifetime, his cats brought him much joy and happiness, and he made a generous gift to the SPCA to fund the Allan and Alexander Katz Wing shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

Allan graduated from Tulane University and received a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in Journalism. His career started in Nyack, New York with IBM as a publicist. Allan eventually returned to New Orleans and worked briefly at Touro Infirmary in public relations before joining the Times Picayune/States Item in 1962 where he spent 27 years as a political reporter and eventually had his own column.

During his time with the newspaper, he was known for his political insight and developed many lifelong friendships. He was a professional mentor to many, covered the state legislature and local politics, and had a front-row seat to many noteworthy events in our city and state’s history. In particular, he covered the building of the Superdome and the 1984 World’s Exposition. He began covering the Expo from its beginning in 1981 until its conclusion, and in an interview, he said, “Fairs lose money. Their benefit is the creation of residuals that change land uses and land values in a positive way.” He was prescient in that New Orleans now has a Convention Center and riverfront development. His time at the newspaper also meant he covered the terms of many of our local leaders including Governor Edwin Edwards and Mayors Vic Schiro, Moon Landrieu, Dutch Morial, and Sidney Barthelemy.

After his 27-year career at the newspaper, he went into private business as Allan L. Katz and Associates which focused on public relations, political consulting, and crisis management. During this time, he worked with and developed strong friendships with many notable clients across the region including the New Orleans City Council, Orleans Parish School Board, the Airport, Sheriff Harry Lee, Sheriff Newell Norman, and many others. He was also a confidante of former Mayor Marc Morial.

Outside of his consulting work, he also enjoyed being a commentator – hosting both a local radio talk show and a weekend TV show, Louisiana Newsmakers, that was focused on local politics. His best friend, the late Maurice “Hippo” Katz (no relation), a maven on politics, was a frequent guest on Allan’s show. Their political discussions and observations always made for compelling and engaging television. Allan’s love and understanding of politics also extended to being a presenter for the Institute of Politics at Loyola and as a local news commentator on local elections.

Allan greatly enjoyed giving back to causes that he cared about, and he made many lasting impacts. During the height of the Civil Rights movement, Allan began his involvement with the Anti-Defamation League where he was a confidante and advisor to the late A.I. Botnick who was the Executive Director of the ADL for many years. The work that the ADL did then and continues to do now to fight hate, discrimination, and injustice was important to Allan. He would go on to become the President of the ADL in subsequent years and continued his involvement with ADL for many, many years.

His work with the ADL and covering the Civil Rights movement also led him to become close friends with the legendary Dr. Samuel Cook. The two of them went on to form Dillard University’s Black/Jewish Relations Advisory Council and Allan eventually went on to become the Executive Director of the Council where they worked to highlight many of the shared challenges facing the Black and Jewish communities in New Orleans and beyond.

Allan was also particularly proud of his involvement with the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial Project which started during Mayor Marc Morial’s terms and was dedicated in 2004. Allan was instrumental in helping not only to raise funds but also political support for this important project which now stands next to the Aquarium on the Riverfront.

Allan also loved Mardi Gras and handled public relations for the Bacchus Organization for many years.

On a more personal note, Allan was a voracious reader – particularly of history, politics, and sports. He was a great tennis player who could often be found on Sunday mornings at the Hilton Rivercenter, and he was a dedicated fan of all things Tulane. He took great pleasure in watching Green Wave football games this fall as they made their run to the Cotton Bowl. He was always kind, loyal and generous to his family and friends.

In learning of the possibility that he might not survive this health crisis, Allan commented that “I have had a great life.” In reviewing his accomplishments, he had a front seat at a pivotal time in the life of our city and the surrounding area – making many lasting friendships and impacts along the way.

Allan will be lovingly remembered and missed by his sister, nephew, niece and by his devoted caregivers, Teresa Hayes and Evelyn Thomas. We cherish Allan and the remarkable life that he had. He loved and was much loved by all.

There will be a visitation at Temple Sinai on Saint Charles Avenue on Friday, December 16th at 10:00AM followed by a service at 11:00AM and a reception after the service at Temple Sinai. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Holocaust Memorial Fund of the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Greater New Orleans, the Louisiana SPCA, or the Anti-Defamation League of Greater New Orleans.