King and Queen of 2012 Carnival Named

Hardy B. Fowler, Rex 2012

The King of Carnival, Rex 2012, is Hardy B. Fowler, a certified public accountant with degrees from LSU and Tulane. Mr. Fowler retired as a managing partner of KPMG New Orleans, and now serves as a Director of Hancock Holding Company.

Mr. Fowler has been active in many civic organizations, including the Board of Governmental Research, Junior Achievement, the New Orleans Business Council, LSU Athletic Foundation, Trinity Episcopal Church and School, and Lambeth House.

He is married to the former Eleanor (Ellie) Fowler, of Monroe, Louisiana. They are the parents of two children, Annie and Hardy, both of whom live in New Orleans. Hardy and his wife, Dawn, are the parents of the first Fowler grandchild, Harry.

Annie was a Maid in the 2001 Rex court and Hardy was a Duke in 2005.

Miss Ella Monsted Bright, Queen of Carnival 2012

The Queen of Carnival 2012 is Ella Monsted Bright, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Allen Gordon Bright III. Her mother is the former Ashley Walker Simmons of New Orleans.

Miss Bright attended Metairie Park Country Day School where she was an AP Scholar and a member of the Varsity Volleyball team. Miss Bright currently attends Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, where she majors in Accounting and minors in Psychology.

She is a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority and a Board Member of Relay for Life, Survivorship Committee. Last summer, Miss Bright studied abroad in Innsbruck, Austria with the University of New Orleans, and also interned for Iberia Bank in the Management Development Program.

Miss Bright's family has a long history in the Rex Organization. Her great grandfather, Edgar Allen Gordon Bright, was Rex in 1956. Her great uncle, Robert Mogens Monsted, was Rex in 2004. Her father, Edgar Allen Gordon Bright III, was a Page in 1967, and her aunt, Elinor Spicer Bright, was Queen in 1983. Another aunt, Evelyn Monsted Simmons, was a Maid in 2000. Her brother, Walker Earling Simmons Bright, was a Page in 2007. Her two uncles, Richard Lawrence Simmons and Walker Chapman Simmons, were Dukes in the 1991 and 1994 courts, respectively. The 2012 Queen of Carnival's Rex lineage extends into the 19th century, including William Mehle, who was Rex in 1879.