My earliest memory of Granny’s world was both exciting and frightening. We were living in Goosport, on the corner of North Grace and Poe Street, when I heard car doors slamming. I ran (or crawled) to the front window to peek through Mama’s curtains. To my shock, a host of people marched through the gate towards the front of our house. Some of them carried babies, some were looking over their shoulders talking and laughing. I dropped the curtains and crawled under a corner table in Mama’s living room.

Me (c 1952)

From the relative safety of my hiding place, one or two of that vast number of relatives came to the forefront.Granny was first. I fell in love with her laugh and the twinkle in her eyes. Granddaddy, on the other hand, seldom smiled, and appeared uncomfortable. I learned to stay close to Granny or hide when he walked into a room.

Today, I understand some of Granddaddy's bitterness. Calcasieu Parish doctors and private citizens were in the process of building Lake Charles Memorial Hospital in the new Oak Park subdivision – part of the property Granddaddy sold for $ 25.00 an acre. And, although purchasing more property in Westlake, his health was failing. He was only 43, but he felt old, sick, and cheated.