David Kerstein selected to receive The Times-Picayune Loving Cup for 2025

By John Pope

Source: The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com

March 26, 2026

David A. Kerstein, a soft-spoken lawyer, oil-company executive and philanthropist, does whatever he can to make all kinds of art accessible to any and all people, and to preserve the New Orleans institutions that make that possible.

As the leader of the Helis Foundation, the New Orleans-based philanthropy, he helped WWOZ-FM find a new home, installed public sculptures along Poydras Street, established admission-free days at museums for Louisiana residents and created a sculpture garden in City Park to showcase the works of the Mexican-born New Orleans artist Enrique Alférez.

This year, the foundation is also a major supporter of the Louisiana artists who have been selected to participate in the Venice Biennale, which will showcase the state’s artistic talent at one of the world’s foremost cultural exhibitions.

Arthur Roger, a New Orleans gallery owner who has collaborated frequently with Kerstein on art projects, said that Kerstein isn’t someone who seeks attention for his work. But he always gets the work done.

“He has this astute business sense to make things happen,” said Roger. “When he does something, it has traction.”

In recognition of these activities and many others over decades in civic life, Kerstein, 78, has been chosen to receive The Times-Picayune Loving Cup for 2025.

Since 1901, this accolade has been awarded to men and women who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material reward. The winner is selected by a committee of community leaders.

“I like being able to help people,” Kerstein said in an interview after his selection as Loving Cup recipient. “I’m just really managing [this enterprise]. It’s an opportunity and a responsibility, and, hopefully, we’re helping a lot of people.”

Seated in the Helis Foundation’s dark-paneled 26th-floor conference room in Place St. Charles, Kerstein said he was floored by his selection.

“I’ve always admired the people who received the award,” said Kerstein. “I never thought of myself in that category, so I’m overwhelmingly pleased and flattered to be included in such an auspicious group.”

The Helis Foundation was established in the late 1950s with contributions from Helis family members. A general fund awards grants to nonprofit organizations such as the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation, the United Way, WYES-TV and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Because William G. Helis Jr.’s sisters, Adrienne Helis Malvin and Diana Helis Henry, left hefty bequests to the arts to the foundation, a second fund was created to support arts-related activities.

The foundation is a powerful philanthropic force in New Orleans. It had nearly $83 million in assets and awarded nearly $2.4 million in grants in 2024, the most recent year with publicly available data.

As leader of the foundation, Kerstein does more than write checks. He’s a Jazz Fest regular in addition to being a board member and a major supporter. He goes to local museums on admission-free days to see who takes advantage of the free admission offer.

And in his quest to find WWOZ a permanent home, Kerstein was not only on the committee that looked for a new location but helped craft the lease and oversee the renovations to the chosen site. He also helped the station create a business plan, served on WWOZ’s board and is its treasurer.

“He was completely selfless with his time on calls, personal meetings, reviewing contacts, giving advice and talking to others on WWOZ’s behalf,” said Beth Arroyo Utterback, general manager of WWOZ-FM. “He used his expertise and connections in the community to help ensure that WWOZ now has the home that it deserves atop the Jax Brewery.”

A strong sense of community

Kerstein is a native of Eunice, where his family operated a clothing store. The family provided jobs and clothing for special events, including suits for priests and ministers, Kerstein said. They also established a library and bought books for it.

“They had a very strong sense of community and a sense of responsibility to community,” he said. “They were always generous in helping people.”

He graduated from public schools in Eunice before arriving in New Orleans to study at Tulane University, first as an undergraduate, then as a law student.

An uncle, Morris Wright, who represented William Helis Jr., urged the young law student to work at Helis.

“I was supposed to be exposed to everything in the company,” Kerstein said. “As time went on, Mr. Helis would have me sit in on meetings. … I had a very limited role except to observe. When Mr. Helis died [in 1988], the foundation was included in the activities I was responsible for.”

The business and assets of William F. Helis Sr., the founder, were managed in a family partnership. Kerstein, who had been general counsel, became manager after Helis’ death. He is still the general agent.

The company has moved out of active oil and gas exploration and into management of gas and mineral interests, Kerstein said. It is best known to the public through the work the Helis Foundation does.

In selecting organizations and projects to support, “we have a very proactive approach,” Kerstein said. “Our concept for the arts is not simply having whole numbers of people enjoying beautiful art. Rather, we have a broader purpose: to as much as possible make wonderful art available to our community for free all the time.”

That philosophy is embodied in the title of the program that lets people visit museums for free: Art for All.

Paul H. Flower, a longtime friend of Kerstein’s, recalled a conversation the two men had when Kerstein was talking about a youngster’s reaction to a painting in a museum.

“He recounted that she was absolutely alight at the wonder and pure, new joy of experiencing art,” Flower said. “He turned to me and said with sincere concern and sympathy, ‘I don’t think she’d ever seen anything beautiful before.’”

Kerstein has been active in a host of organizations. In addition to his work with WWOZ and Jazz Fest, he has chaired the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region and sat on the Tulane University President’s Council and the boards of the Bureau of Governmental Research, the Arts Council of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation.

“Just about everything he’s on, he’s done a mighty fine job,” said Hardy Fowler, a longtime friend. “What the Helis Foundation has done is amazing.”

Kerstein has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Geneva Kerstein, for 59 years. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.

There are more foundation projects on the books, including what Kerstein calls a healing garden for patients, made up of meditation spots and sculptures, that will be part of Ochsner Medical Center’s neurological institute.

“We’re constantly engaging in new projects as needs arise,” he said. “I keep going. I have a lot of activities, and I continue to thrive and enjoy what I’m doing.”

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