Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog

Interview with Elvin Soileau:
00:30 - prairie grass;
01:00 - Native Americans living in the area;

Interview with Floyd Soileau:
04:00 - Cajun music in the 1950s, Floyd's reasons for entering the business and focusing on French music;
05:50 - Eugene Manuel, a jukebox operator, needed records. He brought a tape of the "Manuel Bar Waltz" to Floyd to press;
07:10 - Lawrence Walker, Aldus Roger Austin Pitre, Adam Hebert approached Floyd about recording;
10:00 - Talking about how he started producing. As his catalog grew, the store started doing really well;
12:30 - Reach of his record distribution
12:40 - Vin Bruce, popularity of the accordion down in Terrebonne;
14:40 - "La valse de ma chèrie" was used on a Charles Bronson movie;
16:00 - Media licensing - ""Big Easy;"
17:00 - Keeping French alive in music;
18:30 - New French sounds;
21:00 - Discussing Cajun culture becoming popular;
21:40 - Contracts, artists letters, and royalty statements;

RESTRICTED INTERVIEW
Interview with Homer J. LeBlanc

Bernard's notes on previous interview - Tape recorder failure - During their careers in education through the 40s -60s, they never received orders from anyone stating that they should punish children for speaking French, never punished students, and never witnessed other teachers or administrators punish students in Saint Martin Parish;

RESTRICTED INTERVIEW. DO NOT LINK AUDIO.
02:20 - Interview with Pat Broussard born in 1929 in New Iberia:
03:00 - Discipline for speaking French as a student; She never witnessed major punishments at Magnolia Elementary
03:45 - Mentions she never learned to speak French, all of her family did;
04:40 - Father spoke mainly French when growing up, but spoke mostly English in his later years;
05:50 - Teaching in the 1950s - everything was in English by that point. Did have some students who spoke only French at home;
07:45 - Weeks Island School - Held first to eight grade, one teacher for each grade, one P.E. Teacher, one librarian
09:00 - She never punished French speaking students, asked them to speak English at school, but encouraged them to continue speaking French at home;
09:30 - Would give her French speaking students extra one on one attention to help them out;
12:15 - Official English-only policy - She was never given any orders or saw any official notation;
13:30 - French disappearing from the home;
14:20 - CODOFIL enterring schools;
16:10 - Cold War drills in schools;
18:30 - Threat of war at home;
20:30 - Red scare / McCarthyism;
21:55 - Communist activity in Acadiana;
24:00 - Americanism classes;
24:50 - Integration;
27:00 - Reactions of parents;

Tape speed increases towards end

00:55 - Says that he grew up a lot during his service in the Navy, decided to volunteer instead of being drafted;
03:50 - Was asked if he spoke French or any other languages when he joined the service;
04:15 - Met French soldiers in the Philippines;
05:00 - Speaking French in the military - But did not serve as an interpreter or translator;
07:10 - Says he used his Spanish speaking ability while serving;
07:55 - Cajuns and higher education before WWII;
09:45 - Went back to SLI after the war;
12:30 - Cajuns being called "Frenchie" while serving
13:00 - "coonass;"
14:45 - Graduated in 1948, Began teaching in Cecilia, then eventually started in Special Education in Lafayette;
15:45 - Official memos encouraging speaking English (Discouraging French use) in schools;
17:00 - No punishment for speaking French policy, to his knowledge;
18:30 - Problems with French speaking students, some students had trouble pronouncing the "th" sound;
23:10 - Personal experiences with speaking French in school as a child;
23:40 - Cold War in Acadiana;
29:15 - School drills/fallout shelters;

Ledelle D. "Biggie" Dupuis:
00:20 - Shame of being Cajun;
01:20 - Other ethnic prejudices;
02:20 - Describing a typical day in his Americanism class;
07:00 - Discussion on American History textbooks;
10:55 - nuclear hysteria;
12:50 - Vietnam/fall of French Indochina;
18:15 - Discussing Vietnam War protesters;
19:20 - hippies;
20:50 - Integration of Northside High School; road to integration; student responses to integration

Ernest Crochet:
29:20 - newspaper article featuring Crochet;

00:00 - Americanism classes mandated by the school board;
02:20 - Communist propaganda;
04:00 - McCarthyism
05:00 - Possibility of a nuclear attack during the Cold War
05:50 - Ignorance of American history;
08:00 - Defense Education Act - Teachers had more money to spend on textbooks, received additional training;
09:00 - Shane asks about integration in the area - Nunez says there were no issues in Carencro;
11:00 - Service in WWII;
12:15 - Ridicule for being Cajun;
13:30 - First heard the term "coonass" in the mid-1930s;
18:40 - outsiders opinions of Louisiana;
19:10 - feelings about the word "coonass";
23:00 - reflections on life;
25:20 - Was called"Frenchie" when he worked for Sun Oil Co.;
27:00 - Boot Camp

00:40 - Acadian Flag
03:45 - Founding of CODOFIL;
05:30 - The first Acadian International Festival
07:40 - Early CODOFIL meeting that took place at the Lafayette Courthouse, discussing how the organization was formed;
10:45 - CODOFIL - Discussing the early perception that the organization catered more towards standard French over local dialects;
15:20 - Punishment for speaking French in school
16:10 - Served in WWII - Navy in the Pacific, was called "Frenchie";
18:45 - Importance of the G.I. Bill;
20:20 - Continued at S.L.I. after the war in Political Science;

00:25 - Was in CCC Camp before the war;
01:00 - Went into the Navy; He had some trouble getting a job after returning from the war;

02:30 - Interview with Richard Nunez - November 10, 1997 in Lafayette;
04:10 - Born in 1925 in Lake Arthur, TX. Moved to Vermilion Parish near Cow Island by wagon when he was two;
04:40 - Richard's wife joins the interview;
06:25 - Was punished in elementary school for speaking French on the playground - Punishment was to kneel on old shingles;
08:30 - Says all of his peers in school were French speakers;
09:00 - He eventually became a teacher in Krotz Springs;
11:50 - Became a principle at Montgomery Elementary in 1968, then moved to Myrtle Place and J. Wallace James;
13:00 - Shane talks about students being punished for speaking French in school in the 40s and 50s, as late as 1958 in Lake Charles;
14:30 - Richard discusses the point when the English language "clicked" for him;
16:00 - Small-town politics;
17:45 - Punishment for speaking French in schools in the 50s - Nunez says he never received orders to punish students for speaking French;
19:00 - Discussing the term "Américain;"
20:00 - "Duck and Cover" Drills in schools during the Cold War - similar to tornado drills;
22:30 - Had nuclear attack drill training while in the Naval Reserves, was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy during WWII;
24:30 - Cuban Missile Crisis;
26:00 - Discussing a veterinarian who lived in Abbeville (from Ukraine) who ran for office and was accused of being a communist
26:30 - Dr. Leonpacher was accused of being a spy (He was not, but was suspected because he'd fly a plane;
28:20 - Espionage case in Abbeville - a Junkyard owner had microfilm of waterways in Abbeville;
30:15 - Americanism, Democracy vs. Communism classes in the 50s;

Mathé Allain:
00:00 - Discussing the music used for the bicentiannial celebration - Lacked local music;
02:00 - Louise Olivier;
04:00 - Involvement with CODOFIL;
05:00 - Conversations about preserving French in Louisiana;
07:10 - James Domengeaux's vision for CODOFIL - "Teaching Cajun French would be like teaching Redneck English;"
09:40 - Early French teachers had no teaching materials in Cajun French; Most school administrations weren't supportive;
11:45 - Discussing the successes of CODOFIL;
13:50 - Mathé's positive impressions of Domengeaux;
16:10 - Visits by foreign dignitaries;
18:00 - University students learning to speak French;
19:45 - Gaining outside validation using the Evangeline story;
21:55 - Discussing the future of Cajun culture and Louisiana French;
23:30 - Discussing what will happen to Cajun culture if the language dies out;
24:10 - French Immersion programs
25:00 - Discussing how ancient Roman culture has "died," but it has influenced so many other cultures that are thriving today;

28:00 - Interview with William "Bill" Patton: Former General Manager of Channel 10 and Channel 3
28:35 - beginnings in radio - 1947 at KVOL, In 1950, moved to KLFY Radio;
29:15 - Went to Shreveport and Corpus Christi for a while, returned to KPEL until 1962, then joined KATC
30:30 - Lived in Lafayette since 1935, attended SLI

00:00 - Gunsmoke in French - dubbed in French for broadcast in Canada
02:30 - Sponsors eventually stopped supporting French broadcasts
03:30 - French versus English speaking audiences;
06:00 - Origins of the term "Acadiana;" - An invoice from GE had a typo, Acadiana instead of Acadian, they then started using it on the air;
10:00 - Acadiana Travel was the first business to use the term "Acadiana"
11:00 - The state's definition of Acadiana. The group who coined the term protested that the state was trying to make the "Acadiana area" too large;
13:00 - French programming on Channel 3 - Floyd Cormier's French Newscast, Hunting and Fishing show; Polycarp
15:50 - Channel 10 took the lead with French programming in the 60s. They focused on the rural, elderly audience.
17:00 - Channel 10 managers after Patton left;
17:50 - Cajun character on the show "Combat";
18:40 - John Plauché's Polycarp kid's program - Ken Guidry, V.J. Boulet;
23:00 - Discussing why Polycarp ended - FCC made new rules saying that children's show personalities could no longer perform the commercials;
24:00 - Plauché's death;
30:00 - Remote broadcasts from Landry's Paladium.

00:00 - arrival at USL - August of 1956;
00:50 - Academic atmosphere at USL at the time of his arrival - "Open and exciting campus";
02:00 - Dr. Bernard Bienvenu - Management Dept - Complained about being intimidated about McCarthyism;
02:50 - Simpson finished his PhD at Berkeley - was instructed to sign an oath saying he was not he was not and will never be a member of any organization which is on the Attorney General's list. Was forced out for refusing to sign; Simpson was a member of the Methodist Church - The Church was on the AG list.
04:00 - Was also asked to sign a similar oath at USL, didn't sign and wasn't given any trouble;
10:15 - USL desegregation;
11:00 - Tolerance in Cajun country - "Lafayette was the most live and let live culture that I have ever lived in...And I've lived and taught in San Francisco."
14:15 - Instances of racial violence on campus - Says there were probably incidents, but that Shane should talk to Raymond Blanco, he was "hands-on" and didn't tolerate violence."
15:30 - Instances of McCarthyism on campus and in Acadiana; Says there was a 10-15 year delay in McCarthyism arriving here;
16:45 - Incident involving Walter Craddick;
21:10 - Hippies on campus - Says they were good students, for the most part;
23:30 - Misbehavior in class;

Interview with Marvin Ducote:
00:00 - Attitude of the public towards hippies and protesters;
00:55 - atomic safety;
01:30 - Would attend 2-3 lectures on various subjects per week during basic training;
03:44 - Basic training with a Lithuanian serviceman;
06:00 - First got a television in the 60s, his mother probably got one by 1954;
06:30 - French/local programming on television;

10:00 - Interview with Tom Pears:
11:15 - His mother was a radio announcer on KVOL from 1942-1945;
12:00 - Pears joined his parents in Texas after WWII to go to school, was so unhappy he moved back to Lafayette
12:55 - G.I. Bill;
14:40 - Job search; finally got a job at KVOL making 25 cents/hour;
17:00 - Worked at KVOL for 11 years
17:30 - Received an offer to manage a furniture store where he would receive a furnished house, a Cadillac and made $5,000/year - Talked to his boss at KVOL about it, decided to pass.
20:30 - the Declouets build KLFY-TV, Pears starts working there as the General Manager;
25:00 - Declouet tells Pears that the station is for sale, purchase by people in Waco, Pears continued working for them;
28:45 - Got a company car after the station was bought out;

00:00 - Laura Pears on Tom Pears' desire to represent the locals on TV;
01:20 - Naming of the "Passe Partout" morning show;
02:00 - Local politicians;
04:30 - Early local programming and the pivot away from a local focus after a management change;
07:25 - Jim Olivier;
08:00 - French and English music programming - Pears added in some nationally produced music English music programming post "Passe Partout";
10:15 - The Plant Lady - segment on "Passe Partout";
12:00 - Floyd Cormier was replaced by Jim Olivier;
14:40 - Talking about Jim Olivier's personality and how it worked for local television;
22:20 - 1960s programming aimed at French speaking audiences - Happy Fats, Aldus Roger, Cajun Bandstand with live dancers
23:00 - Belton Richard was the host band on some episodes of Cajun Bandstand
25:55 - Aldus Roger's "La valse de KLFY";
27:15 - Michael Doucet
29:30 - Saturday Hop Show;
30:00 - Other songs written for KLFY

00:45 - USL ROTC building bombing - anit-war movement;
01:55 - 3 students involved in bombing;
04:15 - Blanco says there was a car with dynamite found behind the sudent union - they were planning to blow up the Lafayette Courthouse;
06:00 - More about the students who bombed the ROTC building;
08:00 - Integration - Blanco says USL had the first African American football and basketball student athletes;
11:40 - Cajun hippies;
12:15 - "The most militant people on this campus were ex-seminarians";
13:00 - Flag protests;
19:00 - Coaching career; USL's change from the Bulldogs to the Ragin' Cajuns;

26:40 - Interview with Carol Bernard - 5/25/1998 - Declined to be interviewed on tape

27:00 - Interview with Cleve Thibodeaux - September 18, 1998;
27:15 - Left to go overseas on September 16, 1944 - Served in India and China;
28:15 - Eause Dugas joins the conversation - Talks about a bomb shelter that he built in 1961;

00:45 - Cajun revival - Bernard says there are two concurrent movements - Genteel Acadian movement, parallel grassroots movement in the mid 60s;
05:45 - James Domengeaux/CODOFIL;
07:20 - Balfa Brothers at Newport Folk Fest. Barry talks about how he, Zachary Richard, and their peers were involved in the revival;
09:00 - He was a student aid at CODOFIL for a while. Mentions that he and Zachary were sometimes militant, would refuse to speak English at times;
10:30 - Other leaders of the revival - David Marcantel, Warren Perrin, Richard Guidry;
11:20 - Dudley LeBlanc;
12:50 - Domengeaux's efforts;
15:00 - French language revival in Canada
17:00 - Discussing how early French education in Louisiana did not work;
18:20 - More on Domengeaux's approach and personal opinions;
20:45 - 1950s - people from rural areas moved to the city for work, intensified the notion of what their culture was;
22:00 - America's interest in folk music in the early 60s; Pete Seeger's influence;
23:20 - Civil Rights Movement;
25:00 - Discusses his studies at Indiana University;
29:00 - Quebec's role in the revival in Louisiana;

00:00 - Organizing the first Cajun Music Festival; Keith Cravey and Carol Rachou's roles in the festival;
03:30 - Booking artists for the festival, Paul Tate resigning from the committee;
04:40 - No artists were paid, but they all showed up and performed;
05:20 - Purposely designed the festival to not allow dancing. They considered having it in Bayou Bijou, then the Heymann Center before settling on Blackham Colosseum;
07:30 - Discussing why the festival was so important; Getting the public involved in the revival;; Was referred to as a "Grassroots rally";
09:30 - Domengeaux admits that he was wrong about how the festival would turn out;
12:20 - Moving the festival to Girard Park; Combining the crafts festival with the music festival
13:00 - Music festival breaks up with CODOFIL in 1980;
15:45 - First poster featuring Canray Fontenot;
17:00 - Arguments between Ancelet and Domengeaux;
18:30 - Discussion about Barry's early poetry;
22:30 - "How can you encourage people to be proud of themselves when they're declaring that they're proud to be coonasses?" Barry feels that many people internalized the stigma;
23:20 - "The Faulk Issue" - James Donald Faulk's textbook "Cajun French," was a collection of phrases and vocabulary. He and many others felt that they needed to teach kids to teach French that kids could use with their grandparents. There were two columns in addition to the phrases in the book - English and a pronunciation guide using English phonetics. They tried to talk him into adding a third column written with the French spelling system exactly how a Cajun would say it.

Barry Ancelet:joining the French speaking world; writing system; bias against Cajun French; Lomax; Picard and Clifton try to get Cajun French into LSU; Voorhees; David Marcantel; people and problems; workning for CODOFIL; DomengeauxCarl Brasseaux:Cajuns in the 1960s; race and politics; bussing; Cajuns and FDR; Truman; religious divide; climate of the South; Jimmy Carter; Ronald Reagan; CarterÕs administration; populism; Cajuns as socially conservative; David Duke

Cajun/French relations; images of Cajuns in the media; tourism; culture for sale; CODOFIL and Edwin Edwards; war protests;

Louisiana education system; learning a second language; French/ Spanish immersion; building programs; influential persons in immersion movement; Hawaiians;

Richard Guidry:learning Cajun French from parents; eating turtlesJohnnie Allan:Polycarp theme song