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By MIKE STRECKER (Courtesy Tulane University Publications)<\/p>\n
Jerry Greenbaum was so in love with his college sweetheart, Barbara, he would have promised her anything \u2014 except to name a building in her honor at Tulane University, where they were both students in the early 1960s.<\/p>\n
“Are you kidding me? I didn’t think I would even be able to afford a house to live in at the time,” Greenbaum said.<\/p>\n
But now some 55 years later, thanks to his lead gift, Tulane\u2019s newest student residence hall will be named the Barbara Greenbaum House at Newcomb Lawn.<\/p>\n
And how does his wife of more than 50 years feel about the honor?<\/p>\n
“She fought it like crazy,\u201d Greenbaum laughed. \u201cTo this day Barbara would be very relieved if they named it something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Greenbaum says the honor is long overdue.\u00a0He credits Barbara with helping him grow the family\u2019s business from a six-employee liquor store in Atlanta to CentraArchy and Affiliates, which employs 2,500 and includes upscale restaurants such as Chophouse New Orleans, retail alcohol beverage outlets and industrial real estate companies throughout the Southeast.<\/p>\n
After graduation, Barbara used her Newcomb education degree to teach school before retiring to focus on raising the couple\u2019s three children.\u00a0When the children left, she was able to assist Greenbaum in the various businesses \u2014 especially concentrating on the design and decor of the firm\u2019s restaurants.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has always been my sounding board, helping me make the hard decision over my 50-plus years in business,\u201d said Greebaum.<\/p>\n
The Barbara Greenbaum House at Newcomb Lawn, scheduled to open in the fall at the corner of Zimple and Broadway streets, will be Tulane\u2019s third residential college. In addition to 256 students, it will house a faculty member and his or her family who will host dinners, lectures and other activities to foster an intellectual community and faculty-student interaction.<\/p>\n
The building\u2019s four-story and six-story sections will be connected by a courtyard and bridges at the upper stories.\u00a0It will include a demonstration kitchen for cooking classes, a 35-seat classroom, a large living room, study and social lounges and a name befitting a lifelong romance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time Barbara got the recognition she deserves,\u201d Greenbaum said. \u201cI am still so much in love with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Editor’s note: This story can be found in full at the Tulane University site.<\/a>)<\/p>\n