Stories from the South

There’s a deep-seeded appreciation for history in Crowley and the surrounding area.
Look no further than its historical Main Street or district of homes for evidence of that.
Or, perhaps, you need look no further than Thursday night at City Hall for the unveiling and launch of “Growing Up in South Louisiana.”
The book, edited by Trent Angers, features 20 writers of 25 stories from their childhoods. It harkens back to a time of simplicity that saw some of the same issues we deal with today – differences, language barriers and education – being dealt with decades ago.
The book is really a sentimental journey, of sorts, that through stories from many Acadiana residents of the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and even ’60s. Several of those storytellers, in fact, come from Acadia Parish itself.
“We want to promote the book, but we want to promote Acadia Parish as well,” said Angers Thursday night.
“We want to do honor to the people of South Louisiana, and, especially tonight, the people of Acadia Parish.
A state that has as much bustling downtown cityscapes as it does rural country homes lends itself perfectly to that love of history. Back in those decades, half of the population, particularly of the Acadiana region – as it is defined by the Legislature – still lived in the country and followed the old standbys: eating supper around the dinner table, saying grace and more.
The book’s mission is simple, relay the life of those times by preserving first hand accounts of it in the form of the written word.
“I used to be the editor and publisher of Acadiana Profile Magazine,” said Angers. “The stories that are in the book were mostly gathered from Acadiana Profile.”
After getting first hand accounts of growing up in the southern part of the state throughout his 35-year tenure at the magazine, Angers got a notion some 10-15 years ago that a book could come from these stories. Aiming for more stories, he and others reached out until enough stories were gathered for publication.
Excerpts of two of those stories were presented Thursday night.
Viola Fontenot has two stories in the book, “Electricity Comes to the Country” and “Sharecropper’s Daughter,” the latter of which she shared an excerpt from to interested attendees.
“I really liked school, but it was also intimidating because I was very shy,” read Fontenot. “Being belittled by the teachers who disapproved of my speaking French didn’t help my self-esteem either.”
Fontenot’s story reflects a bit on the time when French on school grounds was prohibited; a vast contrast to classes teaching the subject to those taking a foreign language these days. But, back then, students caught speaking the forbidden language were punished with whacks of a ruler to the hand and/or orders to write things like “I will not speak French on the school grounds” 100 times over. Back then, that was still part of the Americanization of the Acadians and their descendants.
Two more stories were written by the late Pierre Varmon Daigle, “Buggy Days in Church Point” and “God Bless the Illiterate Man Who Taught me to Read.” His daughter, Brenda Briggs, read a portion of the second story to guests at the event.
“Later in life, as a teacher of young children, I began to understand what a tremendous educational foundation I received from that dear old man who had never set foot in a classroom. He made me feel that education is a great thing – a power, even. He somehow conveyed to me the idea that learning is something far greater than just a means by which to earn a living. It is that. I think Grandpa understood that well, but it’s also a form of freedom! He was an illiterate man who knew the power of learning.”
Daigle was raised by his grandparents, according to Briggs, and had to work up the courage to ask his grandfather for $4 to buy a dictionary during the “depth of The Depression.” Surprisingly to Daigle, he got his dictionary, something he kept until his last day on earth, according to his daughter.
Angers also had one other small, surprise, announcement to add to the book’s unveiling – the reissuing of “Tah-Tye: The Last ‘Possum in the Pouch” by the late Mary Alice Fontenot. Out of print for 20 years, the book got a dose of interest following that special LSU baseball game this year which featured the appearance of a opossum on the field.
“The opossum, by the way, we have identified as Tah-Tye, or at least Tah-Tye’s descendants,” said Angers with a laugh.
As an added bonus, the back of the republished book has been given a slight update on Tah-Tye that talks about the night he became known as “The Rally Possum.”
Those books, among many others about South Louisiana and more are available online at www.AcadianHouse.com for those unable to attend the book release and signing Thursday night.
The event was sponsored by the Acadia Parish Tourist Commission, the City of Crowley, the Town of Church Point, the City of Rayne and SLEMCO.