Going South: Stories and Thoughts from a Northerner’s Career as a Southerner

According to the Bureau of Governmental Research, ＂Few people alive today have had as great an impact on New Orleans’s physical environment as Bob Becker.＂

In Going South, Becker recounts a lifetime of personal experiences with humor, self-deprecation, and appreciation for lessons learned. Turning back the clock to the 1950s and beginning with his early days as a newspaper boy in Buffalo, New York., Bob reveals the early interactions and experiences that helped to form his journey from the windswept snow of his hometown to the Big Easy, with adventures in the remote island of New Guinea and the plains of Africa.

The many additional stories come from Bob’s fascinating career, which has included being New Orleans city planning director, zoo manager, college educator, consultant, author, and chief executive of one of the nation’s largest urban parks. His many adventures and challenges include planning the 1984 World’s Fair, navigating the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and confronting venomous snakes. Going South celebrates the legacy of an everyman from a working-class family who rose to prominence as a ＂mover and shaker＂ in New Orleans.

Dr. Robert Becker was the chief executive officer of New Orleans City Park from 2001 to 2021. Prior to managing City Park, Dr. Becker held senior management positions with the Audubon Nature Institute and was the director of the New Orleans City Planning Commission. He holds degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo, the University of Iowa, and the University of New Orleans. He is the author of New Orleans City Park: From Tragedy to Triumph, published by Pelican in 2023.