Bob LeBlanc:

-St. Charles College. Finishing at Grand Coteau, Bachelor's of Science in 1915 (before the war);
-Segura Sugar Company. Tramway into the 5th ward;
-Born in 1896. 88 years old in September;
-Getting up 3:30/4 AM;
-Fooling around with an adding machine;
-Post Office in New Iberia, his cousin ? Broussard worked there. He was holding an examination for a job.
-He was the 13th man to apply and the only one that passed. Offered a job in New Orleans to work at Civil Service. $86/month;
-Man from New Iberia in charge, about 30 employees. All multiplication. Asking for an adding machine. Doing it in your head;
-Working from 9 AM to 4:30 PM to balance numbers. Working on it for two weeks;
-Taking Mr. Archie out and putting him in charge;
-Working 6 months when the draft came. He knew he'd have to register. He didn't want to go at all. Writing out his resignation the 19th of the month, the draft was the following day;
-Going into the Navy. They couldn't take him. Enlisting in the infantry in Jackson barracks;
-Drilling. Called into the office and cursed out by his Colonel. Got the same job for $33/month. Moving up ranks;
-Coming home to fix his business. Going to a dance in Charenton. Mother called him to tell him he had a telegraph. Going to New Orleans, 300 employees. He was made accountable;
-He only supplied clothing, not food;
-He would've been promoted to First Lieutenant when the armistice stopped. 6 months to get discharged;
-Coming back to work in New Iberia with his brother;

-Drilling. Going into the infantry. Located and getting back into service (8:37);
-He went to Poitou, France, Washington on his way the second time, train in New Orleans the third time. Every time he'd leave, he'd screw up?;
-He wanted to go overseas. He was an officer who spoke French. Organizers of the LA National Guard;
-National Guard for 8 years;
-Coast Guard Auxiliary, Lieutenant J.G.?;
-Book;
-He'd run out of a lot of material about every week or two. Chief Clerk, he was there every time that would happen. Phone call before discharge. Chief Clerk was an F.B.I. agent following LeBlanc. Praised LeBlanc for his service;
-U.S. condition pre-WWI. His brother-in-law and first cousin owned the place. 26 employees. Paying his bills. $300-400/month was rent/bills/everything;
-Finance business in his younger days;
-Banks closed for 3 days after the war. Surviving by collecting on his finance, cashing checks to get rid of the cash;
-First man in New Iberia to go into the finance business. Ridiculed for doing so. Mortgage and personally endorsing to get money;
-How serious it was at the time. People needed Model-Ts at the time;
-Making more money with the finance business;
-Insurance adjuster. Taking 10% for their profit for losses. Money poured in from insurance;
-Accountant;
-10% out of his check, paying him every 60 days;

-6 months to get discharged. Doing the same work he did before (19:16);
-3 big offices/warehouses in Chalmette. 14 total. One building was moved from Canal Street;
-Supplying men coming back from Europe;
-Attitude during the war. Not discussing, but doing the job they needed to do. U.S. citizens;
-Reason behind the war was never discussed. Doing your job, nothing more, nothing less;
-Coming back to New Iberia in 1919. Things had changed quite a bit;
-Mississippi Waterways. Colonel would come to his office every week, giving him everything he wanted. Going to lunch with him. A few days before his discharge, opening as a Superintendent;
-His brother came to him and said he needed him to come in, he had his fourth grandchild and was getting older;
-Money was very tight. A month's pay and $60 when he came home. It was gone within a week because things were so expensive. His family was wealthy, his father was Clerk of Courts;
-1916, the year after he graduated. The Bull-Moose party cleaned out everyone;
-Only/youngest child out of 12 born in New Iberia, the rest of his sibling were born in Loreauville;
-Married and had only 1 daughter, who had three boys and three girls. Two of the boys took over his business in New Iberia;
-Knowing a lot of people going. Cavalry formed in Crowley. Personal friends. He was too young to join. Some came back. Former Mayor Joe Daigle (deceased), Alonzo27:06 and James Haul?
-Few people are left;
-Memory fails him what happened 25-40 years ago;

-Flu epidemic around the end of the war (27:06);
-All sugar cane, the first piece of property that was clear;
-Barry talked to Wade Gajan (he served some time in the New Orleans/Camp Beauregard hospital). They went to school together;
-Lionel Bourque. Meeting at Don's in Lafayette. He was in the service for a very short time, not very long;
-Going to school, 20-25 people? in Grand Coteau;
-ROTC, furnishing equipment to various colleges around the state. Rotary Club, young fellow from Lafayette talking about ROTC;
-Going to St. Charles College;
-Boarding school, going from Christmas until June. Parents could only visit once a month;
-Beautiful college, it was a seminary before. 175-200 kids attended the regular college. 2 divisions: juniors and seniors;
-Captain of the baseball club;
-Taking up anything you wanted, full course;
-Lucky to get a job. $125/month. He got married on that. $10,000 policy for WWI, but he couldn't pay for it. Change it and getting the other 5 you didn't get. Canceled the first and got the second which he still has today;
-Others coming back from the war. He can't answer that, it's so far back;
-Going into the war to protect yourself. He didn't have any choice, they came and pick him up/out. Surprise;
-Sergeant and Officer Training School;
-Good experience with inventory and how to handles books. Successful business. Inherited from his brother. A third interest. Full ownership. Gave it all to the boys;

Bob LeBlanc