I just learned of Stevenson's death through a friend of a friend, googled him, found this site and can barely type through the tears. Nell, dearest, I met you some twenty years ago when you were just a baby and in a cast, in one of Andy and Odette Horton's many backyard blues and bbque events (in fact I have a half-dozen pictures of you and Stevenson and Polly from back then). We -- Hamilton, my husband, and I-- loved your dad deeply. You probbaly don't remember the weekend we spent together in Navarre Beach in the early 90s, or the many dinners we had over at your house on Banks st. or in my house in the French Quarter. We brought your dad over to Brazil, which he loved; had planned to bring him to Cuba...
I feel so deeply for your loss, our loss. Our world is so diminished without him.
Stevenson was a brilliant, thoughtful, creative and meticulously ethical filmmaker; I always referred my students who talked about wanting to do documentary work to him. The classes he taught for us at Tulane were brilliant and he was an inspiring teacher, friend, mentor. A beacon.
I am do sad that yet another of New Orleans's beacons are now dim: Stevenson was one of them.
Please contact me offline -- lopez@tulane.edu-- when and if you read this. Whatever I can do to help maintain your dad's legacy -- to help finish the Touissant documentary, to find a suitable repository for his work -- will be my own small contribution to the celebration of his life.
He loved you deeply and was so so proud of your achievements. I miss him so much already.
Please do contact me when you cn, if you want. I am here for you.
Ana Lopez