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If I had to cast my vote for greatest New Orleanian of the last fifty years, perhaps one of the two greatest ever, along with Louis Armstrong, it would be Dr. Francis. He served as president of Xavier University from 1968-2015, making him one of the two longest-serving college presidents in United States history. As president he oversaw the vast expansion of the university, now world-renowned as a learning institution. This feat is remarkable particularly in light of the fact that during Hurricane Katrina floodwaters overtook Xavier's campus and that Dr. Francis managed to not only bring back the university and make it better than ever, but simultaneously presided as chair of the Bring Back New Orleans Commission, which was responsible for planning the rebuilding of the city after Hurricane Katrina. Did I forget to mention that his own house was severely flooded? Yet he worked so tirelessly to make sure that everybody else got back on their feet too. Yet, even before the hurricane he had already distinguished himself as not only a college president but a civic leader, serving on various commissions for number of mayors, and even then, many would have given him the same accolades. Garagepunk66 (talk) 07:24, 23 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]
