Welcome
Duplain W. Rhodes, Jr. was born on September 13, 1899 to Carolyn Toups and Duplain Rhodes, Sr. He was the third child, born after his sisters, Florence Rhodes Jordan and Flavia Rhodes Brent. Baptized at St. Peter AME Church as a child, his early spiritual growth was fostered by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Rhodes explained that, “My father owned land in Thibodaux following the civil war. He settled in uptown New Orleans in the latter part of the 1800’s and made his living hauling whatever people had to haul in and around New Orleans. At that time, there were no Black funeral homes and so often times Blacks ended up being prepared in the stable where horses were kept. My father decided to go into the funeral business to provide burial services for Negro New Orleanians. He established his first funeral home on Valence Street in uptown New Orleans.”
The Rhodes Undertaking Company progressed steadily as a result of hard work, careful planning, and forward thinking. Mr. Rhodes Jr., pointed out, “About 1917, my father recognized the advantages of automobiles. In spite of his pride at having some of the finest horses, my father was the first Black person in New Orleans to own an automobile.” The only son and namesake of his father, Rhodes, Jr., was destined to carry on a legacy of funeral service and community commitment. While the Rhodes Undertaking Company was establishing itself as a quality burial service for Black New Orleanians, Mr. Rhodes, Jr., was still a young boy. He attended McDonough No. 6 School, which at the time was located near Magazine Street and Napoleon Avenue. After graduation, he attended the Straight University on Canal Street and then the newly founded Xavier University on Magazine Street. He was one of the first graduates and credited Sister Francis, and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, as having a substantial influence on his life. She was responsible for getting Mr. Rhodes admitted to Creighton University in Nebraska as one of the first Black students. After a brief stay at Creighton, Mr. Rhodes decided to go back to New Orleans and take up the profession of his father.
After consolidating forces with his father, Mr. Rhodes expanded the Rhodes Funeral Home services in 1928. He developed a close relationship with the Enterprise Benevolent Association to provide a means for people to pay for burial services. The benevolent societies were forerunners of Black insurance companies.
The funeral home business also experienced growth during those years. In the early 40’s, Mr. Rhodes moved the funeral home to a new location, 2616 South Claiborne Avenue. He later acquired the entire Negro business of the St. Louis Industrial Life Insurance, Sick Benefit Association, National Service Insurance Company, St. John Berchman Life Company, and the Prompt Succor Life Insurance Company.
He moved from the South Claiborne site in the early 50’s and opened the Rhodes Funeral Home, located on North Claiborne. He also began to open branches of the Rhodes Funeral Homes, starting with the Westbank Funeral Home on Virgil Street. He then bought the old Tivoli Theater and remodeled it to become the Uptown location of Rhodes Funeral Home. Next, Mr. Rhodes acquired a funeral home in Baton Rouge and bought the Rhodes Good Citizen Funeral Home on Martin Luther King Blvd. in New Orleans.
In the tradition of his father, who went to automobile service when the other funeral homes were using horses and wagons, Duplain Rhodes, Jr. always looked for ways to stay ahead of the competition. Aside from continually expanding his services, Mr. Rhodes broke with tradition in the early 60’s when be bought an entire fleet of white limousines for his funeral service. He was ridiculed by his fellow funeral directors who said that no one would want to use his cars for their burial services. Not only did he continue to get the lions share of the Black funerals, but by going to the white cars, he was able to capitalize on the weddings and special events that the more affluent Black middle class could afford by the 1960’s.
While Mr. Rhodes is well known for his business acumen, he worked behind the scenes throughout his life in the interest of social justice. He proudly pointed out the fact that the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, of which he served as president, was one of the first Black organizations to provide financial resources to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Civil Rights efforts. Mr. Rhodes also provided resources to the NAACP and many other organizations and individuals who were active in the human rights struggle. He was a standard bearer and a shinning example for Black Businessmen in the City of New Orleans.
Duplain W. Rhodes, Jr., Doris Millaud Rhodes, his wife and business partner and Edith Rhodes-Gomes, his daughter, have departed this life. However, they leave Sandra Rhodes-Duncan, D. Joan Rhodes, Kathleen Rhodes-Astorga, Stephanie Rhodes-Navarre, Duplain W. Rhodes, III, their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren, along with the employees of the family of businesses to continue the legacy of entrepreneurship and a tradition of trust.