George Frederick Vermong, a long-distance truck driver, died on June 4 at his home in Baltimore, according to his wife of 12 years Nancy Jakobson Vernong. He was 62 years old. A lethal heart attack is suspected, according to Mrs. Vermong, but the exact cause of death is still being determined by the medical examiner.
Mr. Vermong was well-known in the lower French Quarter of New Orleans, for his alter-ego Ashley T. Traffic, a self-styled, wholly unofficial crossing guard.
In high heels, fish net stockings and Tina Turner wig — or similarly head-turning drag — Vermong controlled the interaction of pedestrians and passing vehicles at the busy corner of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, the site of the popular Bourbon Pub and Oz nightspots.
‘A guardian of our community’
According to Tony Leggio, an event planner and writer for the LGBTQ-oriented Ambush magazine, Vermong performed outside of the clubs on select occasions, including Mardi Gras, Halloween and Decadence weekends, and other times. He was known for shouting “whoo child” at passersby and employing a shrill traffic whistle when necessary…