No: 1
Date: 11/1/1971
Name: Mayor Eugene A. Leahy
He was deputy county attorney, a municipal judge, an entrepreneur, a private practice attorney and more. But Gene Leahy was best known for his colorful term as Omaha mayor from 1967 to 1973. Out of his push for riverfront development came the grassy, downtown mall that was later named for the jocular mayor. The mall was a catalyst for renovating the deteriorating area. The Press Club Wall of History displays a photo of Leahy dressed in a bunny suit, which he wore to help charities; the costume is also shown in the Face drawing. He sometimes wore an admiral's hat in parades (shown in the drawing) and read Omaha World-Herald Sunday comics to children on a weekly TV show. The popular mayor was chosen as the first Face because of his role as the city's top official and as a colorful personality. "He was a fun-loving person who took the 'honor' with good nature," Face artist Jim Horan said.. Earlier the same year of his Face unveiling, the mayor had been saluted in the Omaha Press Club Show, "Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Gene Leahy, But Were Afraid to Ask." In 1973, the club was a little off the mark making fun of the mayor's riverfront development plans with "Down by the Riverfront (A Fantasy)." In 1989, the show's title during a mayoral race was, "You're No Gene Leahy." The Face was unveiled the same month that the new club opened on top of the First National Center. Leahy died in February 2000.