LESTER KABACOFF, a pivotal figure in the development of New Orleans who became known as the Crescent City’s father of modern tourism, died this past January at the age of 90.

Kabacoff, who earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, served as co-captain of the tennis team during his undergraduate studies. He received his law degree from Penn in 1937. A Wall Street lawyer at the outbreak of World War II, Kabacoff volunteered for Army service. The New York native was stationed in New Orleans, where he remained after the war. During the next half-century, he helped launch New Orleans’ first television station, WDSU, and, as a real estate developer, built the Royal Orleans Hotel, the New Orleans Hilton and the Riverwalk Shopping Center, all of which revitalized the waterfront area and boosted tourism. He also had a hand in bringing the World’s Fair to New Orleans in 1984, and in the development of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

In recognition of his contributions to the city, the University of New Orleans named a school in his honor, the Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration. He served more than three decades on the board of Dillard University, which established a professorship in Kabacoff’s name. Among his other accomplishments, he helped establish such civic organizations as the Council for a Better Louisiana, the Public Affairs Research Council, the Police Foundation and the Metropolitan Area Committee.

Kabacoff is survived by his wife, Gloria; a son, Pres; a daughter, Margot K. Peters; a sister, Helen Davis; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.