Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Thibodaux, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaJean Landry works for the Nature Conservancy and is an active member of many southern Louisiana organizations and civic boards. She was recommended to us as an excellent point of contact for Grand Isle and helped us identify and arrange interviews with people from the island. However, she had never herself been interviewed. I called her and explained that I was interested in interviewing her and...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Grand Isle, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaPat Landry was "volunteered" to our project by his wife, Jean, whom I had met briefly on an earlier project while she was working in the Chamber of Commerce office in Cut Off. She is now running the Nature Conservancy operation on Grand Isle and has provided us with a list of local contacts. The Landrys operate a bed and breakfast on the island, in the compound where Pat grew up....

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. DiTucci. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteWilliam "Dud" Lastrapes was born in New Orleans, but moved to Opelousas, Louisiana when he was about three weeks old. After graduating from high school there in 1946, he went to Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL) where he completed his degree in 1950. He worked in radio broadcasting for a few months before joining the Air Force in early 1951. When he returned, he went...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Madisonville, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaBud Latham, owner of Bud's Boat Rentals in Venice until a couple of years ago, had been contacted earlier by Diane Austin. I interviewed Bud at his home in Madisonville, on the North Shore. He has a large pond in the front yard, which he stocks with catfish.Originally from Mississippi, Bud Latham started as a roustabout in Cameron, then went over to Venice in 1953 as a roustabout...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Patterson, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI was referred to Verdie Laws by Steve Shirley. Verdie moved to Morgan City in 1958 when her husband took a job at Cameron Iron Works. She raised two children and went back to work in 1978 after she and her husband were divorced. She worked at Oceaneering for nine and a half years and was laid off in 1987 when the oil and gas industry hit a low. She then had several jobs both in and out of the...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): E. Bernier. Cocodrie, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI received Herman LeBlanc's name from Diane Austin. She had received his name from Jerome Zeringue. Herman was said to be related to the Lapyrouse family of Cocodrie who opened a general store back in the 30's and 40's. We decided to meet at the general store as I had never been there before.Herman worked on boats all his life. In 1955, he began working on crew boats full time. ...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteJoseph LeBlanc was born in 1939 and raised in Abbeville, Louisiana; his father was a salesman and died when he was 13 years old. After graduating from high school in 1957, he went to college at Northeastern where he studied pharmacy, then transferred to USL and studied chemistry. He tired of school after two years and enlisted in the Army. In 1962 he went to work for Cardinal...