Ronnie Virgets

Ronnie Virgets is a New Orleans, Louisiana writer, commentator, and journalist.

Virgets, a native of New Orleans, has lived in the city for almost all of his life. He attended Sacred Heart Academy, St. Aloysius High School, and he graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in 1965.

Among his journalism jobs, Virgets joined WDSU TV NewsChannel 6 in September 2000 as a feature reporter for Sunday's 10 p.m. newscast. Before that, he spent several years as WWL-TV's feature reporter..

Besides his local fame, Virgets has said that his proudest professional achievement was when he won a regional Emmy award for a 1992 story on the city of New Orleans.

Among his hobbies, Virgets enjoys fishing and thoroughbred racing. At one time, he owned greyhound racing dogs.

Virgets is divorced and has three children and three grandchildren.

He has written for such New Orleans area publications as "The Times-Picayune", "Gambit Weekly", "New Orleans Magazine" in addition to publishing several books. He appears regularly on local radio and television, mostly discussing aspects of local culture.

Virgets reigned as King of Krewe du Vieux for New Orleans Mardi Gras in 1996.

Virgets served as host of "Crescent City," a radio program broadcast in New Orleans on the local National Public Radio affiliate, WWNO.

Virgets "rode out" Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, in his home in the Navarre neighborhood of New Orleans. The area flooded severely when the Federal levees failed ("see:" Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans), and a few days later he was rescued by boat. Virgets wrote an essay giving his impressions of how the storm and its devastation have impacted New Orleans, the Gulf Coast, people living in these areas, and himself. "Diary of a Displaced Person: the First 72 Hours" was read by Virgets for National Public Radio, and also appears as one of the chapters in his book, "Lost Bread."

Virgets and family appeared on the TV series "Family Feud" in an episode first aired on 15 November, 2006.

Books by Ronnie Virgets

* "Say Cap!: The New Orleans Views of Ronnie Virgets" Published by Arthur Hardy Enterprises in 1997 (ISBN 0-930892-50-X)
* "Lost Bread (Pain Perdu) Flavored with a Little Steen's Cane Syrup" Published by Arthur Hardy Enterprises in 2006 (ISBN 0-930892-67-4)

External links

* [http://www.wwno.org/CrescentCity.asp Audio archives page for online access to past "Crescent City" episodes at WWNO/KTLN]

* [http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/authors/ronnievirgets.html Link to Virgets' pubished columns at "Gambit"]
* [http://neworleanspodcasting.com/RonnieVirgetsThePoint.html Audio recording of Virgets reading his essay "The Point" at neworleanspodcasting.com]
* [http://neworleanspodcasting.com/RonnieVirgets.shtml Audio recording of an interview of Virgets at neworleanspodcasting.com]
* [http://www.wwno.org/Audio_Archives/TableContents/archivesV-Z/alpha_V-Z.asp Audio recording of Fred Kasten's interview of Ronnie Virgets at WWNO.]
* [http://ashleymorris.typepad.com/ashley_morris_the_blog/2006/07/sinn_fein_revis.html Article on Virgets at ashleymorris.typepad.com]
* [http://www.here-now.org/shows/2006/08/20060829_17.asp Virgets reads from his memoir about Hurricane Katrina at here-now.org]
* [http://www.wrbh.org/wrbh/images/Reader2-lo.jpgPhotograph of Ronnie Virgets reading at radio station WRBH]
* [http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/walker/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1163573472190480.xml&coll=1 Article on Ronnie Virgets' appearance on "Family Feud"]