When the University of New Orleans opened its doors in 1958, little did anyone know that 65 years later, it would be the institution that many credit with creating the
"Homer was tapped quite frankly to come down here and keep a lid on things. LSU was very nervous about the state's largest city having its own public university."
The decision to attend the University of New Orleans was easy for alumnus Henry Singer. His family did not have money and the University’s $35-per semester tuition was affordable, said Singer, the fourth of seven children born into what he calls a “working class poor family” in New Orleans.
His dad, a clerical worker who often worked three jobs, had an eighth-grade education. His mom was a high school graduate, Singer said.
“We had 10 of us in a two-bedroom, one-bath rental house,” Singer said. “One thing that I learned from them was the value of hard work. I think a lot of UNO students are like that, they come from meager means but they do have parents or a parent who does work very hard.”