Miles Gordon Stevens III, a New Orleans tourism industry executive who owned a company that offered steamboat and bus tours, died Thursday of cancer at his home in Metairie. He was 75 years old.
“He was always trying his best,” said Mark Romig, New Orleans & Co.’s chief marketing officer. “When Gordon Stevens got involved in a project, we knew it would be done at the highest level. … He was always raising the bar for people visiting New Orleans.”
Mr. Stevens, who never gave his first name, was the president, CEO and co-owner of the New Orleans Steamboat Company. The company owns steamships and is the sole owner of Gray Line Tours.
“We are all richer for him because of his character,” said Greg Hoffman, chief administrative officer and chief financial officer of both companies. “He always tried to do what was best for his employees.”
Tourism, a major component of the local economy, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
Because of the lack of visitors, Mr. Stevens had to lay off employees at both companies.
“He did everything he could to make things happen and get the company back on track and rehire employees,” Hoffman said. “He was always thinking about his employees.”
Gray Line began offering Hurricane Katrina tours in January 2006 to educate non-New Orleanians about the region’s struggle to recover from the storm’s devastation. Despite some skepticism about showing off that part of the city, Stevens found support: Hoffman told civic and tourism leaders.
“We told all our visitors to tell the real story about the levee failure and talk to their legislators to get help for their communities,” he said. “When the media came to tape the first tour, people came off the bus crying. They appreciated the way we presented it.”
Stevens was also the founder and co-owner of four Café Beignets restaurants.
Whatever Stevens did, “he had a moral compass,” said Café Beignets partner Peter Moss. “He was respected by his employees and treated them like family.”
Corey Howat, executive director of the Catholic Community Foundation, said much of this attitude is based on his strong Catholic faith. Stevens was a director of the foundation and was active in the restoration movement of St. Louis Cathedral.
“He had a deep concern for others,” What said. “He didn’t see the business he cultivated as a means for his own benefit. He saw it as a way to spread generosity to others.”
A lifelong New Orleanian, Stevens graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School and Loyola University and served in the U.S. Naval Air Force Reserve.
He was a founding board member of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. and served as its chairman in 1987. Mr. Stevens is also vice chairman of the Louisiana Tourism Development Council, past president of the National Passenger Vessel Owners Association, and a member of numerous boards of directors. , the Chamber of Commerce, the Catholic Cultural Heritage Center, the World Trade Center, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Among the organizations that honored Stevens were the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Young Leadership Council, and East Jefferson General Hospital.
“He had a big Texas smile,” What said. “He wasn’t in it to make a profit. He was there for the betterment of the community and the city.”
Survivors include his wife, Ann Stevens; His son is Miles Gordon Stevens IV, Duke of Covington. six daughters, Emily Hardin, Melanie Homan, and Eugenie Stephens, all of New Orleans, Amanda Friedlander of Thibodaux, Caroline Bacon of Covington, and Mary Katherine Rukshozi of Savannah, Ga.; two brothers, Paul Stevens of Alexandria, Va., and Bob Stevens of New Orleans; three sisters, Jeannie Lasosky of Louisville, Ky., and Marilyn Dietz and Rosie Witcher of Baton Rouge; and 15 grandchildren.
Mass will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 105 Bonnarbel Street, Metairie. The memorial service begins at 12:45 p.m.
Two visitations will be held at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. — Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m., Rosary begins at 6:30 p.m., and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Burial will be private.
This article has been updated to reflect the exact number of Gordon Stevens’ grandchildren.
