By Charlene Medley
Special To The Times
He’s baaaaaaaaaaaak! Well, kind of.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina left a trail of death, destitution, and displacement in Louisiana. But, to get His Glory, God often turns bad situations into good situations. Many Louisiana residents affected by the storm chose, for whatever reasons, to remain there in Louisiana while others decided to migrate to different states.
New Orleans native, Mr. Eddie Conrad was living in Birmingham, Alabama and returned to Louisiana to bring his mother to safety with him.
While living in Birmingham, Alabama since 1998, Mr. Conrad was fortunate enough to hone his marketing, acting and musical skills. Having sold Rolls Royce Cars decades earlier in New Orleans, Mr. Conrad was a successful car salesman at Crest Cadillac and Vulcan Lincoln Mercury in Hoover where he purchased a purple Lincoln Town Car trade in from one of his customers. He still drives that purple Lincoln today.
Some of Mr. Conrad’s nocturnal hours were spent starring as a Coach/Jamaican Detective at Hoover’s Stardome Dinner Theatre in the play titled, ‘Mystery at the Nightmare High School Class Reunion’. The play ran for five years.
On many nights, Mr. Conrad played music on his magical recorder and used his velvet crooning voice at various Birmingham night spots such as Ona’s Jazz Club and Wellington’s Bistro.
During his time in Birmingham, Mr. Conrad became a single parent and ably took care of his teenaged son.
From 2006-2008, Mr. Conrad worked as a Substitute Teacher at Highlands Middle School in Mountain Brook.
Then, in 2008, Mr. Conrad dropped everything in Birmingham, Alabama to move back home to New Orleans, Louisiana to take care of his dying mother.
Mr. Conrad shared, “I did not have a job in New Orleans nor a place to stay, but I knew my Momma needed me, and as an only child, I knew what my responsibilities were. It was time for me to take care of my mother who had sacrificed so much to give me a good life when I was a boy. It was an honor and a privilege to start over for my Momma, Viola.”
After a while, Mr. Conrad made a name for himself in Louisiana’s tourism business, began modeling, and became a spokesperson for People’s Health, a Medicaid Insurance affiliate.
On Tuesday, September 23, 2014, Mr. Conrad can be seen in an episode of NCIS New Orleans.
With a broad smile, Mrs. Conrad explained, “I auditioned for a part in the television series with Mr. Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap). I got the part and to my amazement, so did my purple Lincoln Town Car that I purchased 10 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama!”
Mr. Conrad attended a cast party on September 17, 2014 with stars Mr. Scott Bakula, Ms. C.C.H. Pounder, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama native Mr. Lucas Black.
“It was fun. They treated me like family.” Mr. Conrad said the running joke between Mr. Bakula and him was “my age.”
“Scott could not believe that I was really 71years old and every time he saw me, he carded me,” Mr. Conrad laughed.
What’s next for the recently turned 71 year old who hardly looks a day over 50?
“Only God knows and He’s still laughing,” said Mr. Conrad.
