On the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we wrote, “Sure, the location is still called New Orleans, but it’s not the place we all know and miss.” Monday night, the city took what we believe was its first tangible step toward recapturing its former personality. It was just a football game in which the Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-3, but it was so much more. Those of us working late at The Daily Reveille stopped what we were doing and watched in awe as the Superdome sprang back to life. That building is probably the most recognizable symbol of New Orleans to the rest of the country. Its revival was an emotional experience for both fans and players alike. Saints fullback Mike Karney was quoted by The Times-Picayune as saying, “I was crying like a baby out there…I just got caught up in the moment. I was just so happy for the fans and the people of this city. I had tears in my eyes when I came out on the field. It was just a good feeling to know all 70,000 fans were all there for you.” One member of this board remembers crying after seeing the Dome on their first post-Katrina visit. It was difficult for all of us to see places where we had built memories in ruins. Hopefully, the return of the Dome will signal the rebirth of the city. Monday night 70,003 people came to the city to reclaim their team that had been gone for so long. We find great inspiration in the fact that a historically downtrodden team and a devastated city showed its ability to rise above its hardships. Tulane University will open its home schedule Saturday against SMU at the Dome. We encourage you to support Tulane and its long-awaited homecoming, although we have a long-standing rivalry with the school. When we published our Katrina Edition nearly a month ago, we wrote that we did so as New Orleanians. We still feel that way. Therefore we urge you, the students of this University, to go to New Orleans. Revisit old memories. Build new ones.
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