Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Thibodaux, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

I was referred to Betty Roth Hebert by Kerry St. Pé of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. Betty is a lifelong resident of Thibodaux and had expressed interest in sharing her history and observations about the area. I called Betty for an interview, and she was very willing to participate in the study. We met at her house, which is located in the old section of Thibodaux and is next door to the house in which she grew up. Betty collects antiques and occasionally shows her home to visitors as a museum.

Betty Roth Hebert was born in Thibodaux and has lived there all her life except for a few years during World War II when she moved to Shreveport while her husband was overseas. Betty finished college at Southern Louisiana Institute with a major in home economics and minor in chemistry. She married one month after graduation and worked at the Layton Plantation while her husband was in the war. Betty's husband was an instructor pilot during the war and then took a job as a bank teller when he returned to Thibodaux. He retired as bank president. Betty and her husband had three children. Betty worked as a substitute teacher and has been active in community affairs throughout her life.