Steve Gleason’s name is still said with reverence and affection by Saints fans; Gleason was the point man on one of the most important plays in Saints history, a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown in the first game back in the Superdome after Katrina, whereupon the Saints stomped the Michael Vick-led Falcons and went on a run that ended in the NFC Championship Game, by far the most successful season to that point in franchise history. (Bear with me, there’s a point here somewhere.) Gleason’s from Washington State and hasn’t played for the Saints since 2007, but he still lives in NOLA, and oh, yeah, Steve Gleason is 34 years old and has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Not long ago, Gleason bought a photograph by local photographer Frank Relle, and when Relle delivered it to Gleason’s house, they started talking and didn’t really stop, which by all accounts is the kind of guy Steve Gleason is. Now Relle’s embarked upon a public art project that’s kind of like the ongoing Inside Out project that French provocateur JR has been working on for years – big photographs of faces with exaggerated expressions that are hung on homes and businesses around town, all of which serve to bring attention to Gleason’s plight, and ALS, and the spirit of New Orleans. Goes without saying that they look pretty terrific, too. (FULL ARTICLE: Doug MacCash, New Orleans Times-Picayune)