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Many New Orleans parents likely know Dr. Stephen Hales, recently retired after 40 years in practice, as their kids’ pediatrician, and for many, as their own pediatrician when they were kids.
But Dr. Hales has also filled the position as historian for the Rex organization. A member of the krewe for more than three decades, he was enamored by Mardi Gras history and its lasting impact on New Orleans, a city in which the Utah native is now rooted. “Mardi Gras is so much a part of the cultural heritage of the city, and I love history,” Hales says. He even published a book on Rex, a culmination of his years of research.
So when he walked into what he thought was a tax meeting, briefcase in hand, he found that there were no accountants anywhere. Instead, leaders of the Rex organization greeted him, and Dr. Hales stood stunned with the realization that he would be that year’s iconic King of Carnival. He was speechless. “Ask me something about Rex and I can talk about it. Ask me to be Rex and I was thunderstruck,” Hales says.
As with all of the past Rexes, Dr. Hales had to keep this a secret for many months with only those knowing who were involved in the preparation. The official announcement to the public would be made a few days before Fat Tuesday. “I am a very honest person, but I learned to be evasive,” Hales admits. He even waited a week before telling his wife Nancy, presenting her with an antique pin shaped like a crown at their dining room table in their Uptown condo. She quickly realized that it was going to be a busy Carnival season, Hales says.
King of Carnival
Reflecting back to nearly two years ago when he was hailed as Rex, Dr. Hales remembers that what struck him the most was all of the meticulous preparation that went into Mardi Gras day. There was a thick loose-leaf binder with a minute-by-minute organization of limousine transportation and makeup applications. “That day has a rhythm and a current and a flow that is traditional and historic, but it all comes together,” he says.
6:00 am
Dr. Hales wakes and heads to the first event of the day, the Royal Run in Audubon Park. The queen of Carnival, Anna Huger, meets him there, both dressed in casual athletic clothes. They have the first toast of the day. Dr. Hales comments that “it’s one of the few places where a champagne bottle at 7:30 in the morning isn’t that unusual.” A cannon is fired, and the king and queen lead the crowd onto a jogging trail –but only briefly –as both have other places to be.
8:30 am
Dr. Hales is escorted by limousine to the Rex den- one of just a few days that it is “full of humanity.” All of the lieutenants are getting into their purple, green and gold velvet costumes while their horses stand waiting on the neutral ground outside.
After a quick breakfast, they move into the king’s room where two chairs wait for Rex and the Captain (who is essentially the CEO of the Rex organization). Makeup is applied and beard, wig and crown are affixed. All during this time, there is constant flow of “well-wishers,” greeting and toasting Rex.
There are also two young boys in the room getting their makeup done who will serve as pages to the king. “One of the few cities in the world where young men of that age are willing to get rouge and a little lipstick and spend three or four hours on a float,” Hales laughs. All six of Dr. Hales’ sons will ride together on one float, and they occasionally stick their heads into the room to make sure their dad is looking the royal part.
9:30 am
Rex and the leaders of the organization go out into the courtyard and raise the flag while the Marine Corps band plays. Monsignor Nalty offers a prayer and more toasts are exchanged with Rex from many of the past Rexes. Soon it is time to board the floats for the start of the parade.
10:00 am
Dr. Hales remembers it being a beautiful Mardi Gras day. Rex sits atop a historic float, one that has been in use for 60 years. “For the next four hours, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of quiet,” Hales recalls. “It is a very joyful, noisy, celebratory time.”
There are many stops along the parade route for Rex to exchange toasts. Mayor Landrieu along with Archbishop Aymond and Tom and Gayle Benson are there to greet Rex at Gallier Hall. After that is a stop at the Intercontinental Hotel where the queen and her court is waiting, along with Dr. Hales’ wife Nancy.
More toasts are exchanged. Dr. Hales explains that each time the champagne flute touches Rex’s lips, it can’t be used again and must be thrown off the side of the float.
“My memories from the parade route are of seeing so many familiar faces. New Orleans- we talk about it being a big city, but it is really a small town,” he says.
Dr. Hales recognized faces of children and families all along the parade route, either from his pediatric practice of 40 years or those of friends and relatives.
One of his most memorable moments as Rex was when his daughters-in-law and 13 grandchildren (there are fifteen now) stopped the float so that they could get a picture with him. They proudly wore t-shirts that read “Hail Papa.”
Mid-afternoon
The parade over, Dr. Hales and Nancy are escorted in separate limousines back to their home where they are hosting a pre-Ball reception for family and friends. These are a special few hours for Stephen, away from the boisterous Carnival crowds, where he is able to share more intimate moments with his grandchildren. At one point, while having his beard re-applied, his youngest granddaughter Cecile approached with nervous apprehension, not sure if this was still her beloved Papa.
6:00 pm
Donned in full costume, ready for the ball, Dr. Hales leaves his house as Rex with Nancy by his side. A motorcade full of blaring sirens announces the arrival of the king and queen and their court at the Sheraton Hotel. After the photographic reception, Dr. Hales kisses Nancy goodbye knowing it will be the last time that they will be together until after the ball. On a suggestion by one of their daughters-in-law, Stephen and Nancy adopt Carol Burnett’s secretive earlobe tug to let each other know from across the ballroom that they were doing alright.
8:00 pm
The Rex ball begins, and while there is not much dancing, there is a lot of choreography with entrances and processions, Hales says. In the weeks leading up to this day, Dr. Hales took lessons on how to properly use a scepter and painstakingly rehearsed each sequence of the night. The trumpets sound and Rex and the queen walk onto the ballroom floor, waving their scepters. After the procession, they both sit down on the dais and greet the many guests coming forward to pay their respects. Dr. Hales admits that this part of the night becomes a happy blur, yet it is still “all spectacle and sparkle and tradition.”
9:40 pm
An invitation from Comus to Rex and his court is delivered by the Comus Captain. Trumpets sound to announce his arrival at the Rex ball, and, accompanied by his Lieutenants, the Captain delivers a scroll with the invitation.
Rex and the Queen of Carnival read the invitation, signal their acceptance, and lead a procession of the court across a red carpet from the Sheraton to the Marriott Hotel for the meeting of the Rex and Comus Courts, a ritual dating back to 1882. Founded in 1857, Comus is New Orleans’ oldest Mardi Gras krewe.
11:30 pm
An exhausted but exhilarated Rex and the Captain leave the Comus Ball for a hotel suite to change into white tie and tails. It is at this point when Dr. Hales feels like he can finally exhale as the day of public performances was coming to an end.
He heads to the Queen’s Supper with Nancy, and after a late night meal, they get back into the limousine one last time. There is no need for sirens this time, and Stephen recalls how quiet the city streets were in the early morning of Ash Wednesday.
2:30 am
Dr. Hales finally lays in bed, no longer Rex, and goes to sleep. “The nice thing about being King of Carnival, the real truth here, is that this is all a fantasy. And the next day, you get up and take out the garbage and it’s back to the real world,” he says.
Yet for this esteemed pediatrician and faithful historian, being Rex made an enduring connection for him to men that he had always greatly admired. “It adds to a legacy and a history that I really value,” Hales says. He is now a part of that tradition.
Sarah Herndon is a local New Orleanian and freelance writer. She writes regularly for Nola Family Magazine.