Saluting John Edward Koerner III: Best! Rex!! EVER!!!

Greetings, Mortals!

Welcome to these, the next 300 entries in this, Blackwolf the Dragonmaster's Diary of Magecraft!

And we begin these next 300 entries with a very sensible assessment of Mardi Gras 2008. Funny, isn't it, how the right Rex, King of Carnival can come to New Orleans when her people least expect it. And in John Edward Koerner III, Rex 2008, they found just the right Rex! And clearly, MardiGras.com's archives have within the right Rex portrait. There's John, both arms raised in glorious, triumphant happiness as he rides on the Royal Float, his loyal subjects waving him on along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. Needless to say, three cheers for New Orleans Times-Picayune staff photographer Chris Granger, who made that moment in time so magical.

Of course, for those of you who love to guzzle on Barq's Premium Root Beer, this moment was just as magical. For John Edward Koerner III founded and co-owned Barq's, Inc., and was its Numero Uno Party Animal for 19 years, ultimately selling the business to the Coca-Cola Company during the mid-1990's.

They gave John a great lady to be his Queen, too: Ellen Rogers Logan looked ravishing at the Rex Ball and Meeting of the Courts of Rex and Comus --- taking place at the Sheraton and Marriott Hotels, each directly across the street from the other. For the 12th straight season, WYES-TV/12's ultra-fab trio, Peggy and Errol Laborde and Henri Schindler, took their loyal fans through the ins and outs of being the Merry Monarchs, how they dress, Rex ettiquette, Rex protocol, the party atmosphere that simply is Mardi Gras and so forth.

And judging by the footage of John shaking the Royal Butt at the request of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, as posted some 72 hours ago on YouTube, I must say that here was a Rex worth writing home about! Indeed, as soon as I finish paying John tribute hither, I intend to seek out his e-mail address, that I might simply say to him personally: "Thank you, John! Not only did you bring REALLY good times back to New Orleans --- well, frankly, the last Rex that REALLY pumped up the happiness volume, at least in my estimation, anyway, was Rex 1987, Eli Watson Tullis. His photo is somewhere in the Times-Picayune's archives --- oh, waitaminit, what in Merlin's name am I saying?! I plum forgot: This is New Orleans, post-Katrina! Eli's portrait may either be lost forever, or hopefully, be buried somewhere in the Times-Picayune's database. Nonetheless, dear John, thou didst rock; and therefore are deserving of being toasted by your subjects for all time to come!"

Right, I admit that is a long comment, but I hope it serves its purpose. John, forever loyal to Tulane University, is Founder and CEO of Koerner Capital Management, LLC --- and obviously will go down in New Orleans and Mardi Gras history as an inspiration for all those to whom he gave a new sense of hope.

Here's to you, then, John Edward Koerner III! Needless to say, you were, as the title of this latest post here in the ol' Diary of Magecraft demonstrates, the BEST! REX!! EVER!!! (No wonder ol' Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale love to write their scripts with over-emphasized dialogue! Heh-heh!)

As always, America, I wanna know what you think. Gimme an e-mail at either electric_pirates@hotmail.com or blackbeardian@yahoo.com.

Master Blackwolf