DEBORAH CORRAO / L’Observateur / July 21, 1999

When it comes to true friendship, no one does it better than eight local ladies whose friendship has withstood the test of time much longer than most.

This year “The Girls” are celebrating almost six decades of a friendship that has endured childhood, adolescence, marriage, children and all of life’s rites of passages with compassion and love.

The eight, all natives of Reserve and LaPlace, compare themselves to the characters of what has become the bible of Southern womanhood, “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” by Rebecca Wells.

“But we’re not bad like the women in that book,” says Irene Waguespack Monica of Mandeville, the only one of the group not still living in the River Parishes and the group’s unofficial social director. “We’re angelscompared to them, so we just call ourselves the ‘Yo-Yo’s.'”Besides Monica the rest of the group includes Gayle Hahn Clement, Melba Duhe Hymel, Juanita Camallo Jacob, Jerry Perilloux Luminais, Barbara Millet Millet, Joycelyn Smith Monica and Carolyn Millet Ourso.

This year six of the women are celebrating what they’re calling their “65th Medicare birthdays.” Two others passed the magic mark last year.But who’s counting birthdays when there are so many good times to keep track of? They look back to memories that bonded them years ago and hold them together today.

Six of the group met each other at St. Peter’s School during the 1939-40school year when they were attending first grade and kindergarten.

Joycelyn Monica has fond memories growing up with the bevy of little girls.

“I would go to Irene’s house and play paper dolls on the back porch when we were in sixth grade,” she recalls.

“She came to visit me in 1994 when I was living in Wisconsin,” Irene joins in. “We sat on the floor and played with my paper doll collection -only this time we drank a little wine.”During that time, when the United States was engaged in World War II, Irene Monica was sent, along with other LaPlace children, to religion classes at St. Peter’s. It was there she noticed little Jerry Perilloux.”She had reddish-brown braids hanging down in back and she looked just like a storybook character,” says Monica. “I remember saying to myselfthat I wanted to be her friend. When we got to high school we becameclose friends.”During those heady days of adolescence, paper dolls gave way to typical teenage pursuits centered around Leon Godchaux High School.

All eight spent those years together while making their mark in the school’s social and academic circles.

All eight played in the school band. Joycelyn Monica and Jerry Luminaiswere cheerleaders. Hymel and Luminais were on the homecoming court.Irene Monica was the 1949 Homecoming Queen and a majorette.

Ourso, whose father ran the local funeral parlor, had the wheels – a yellow Ford convertible.

“She was the one who had the money in the group,” laughs Juanita Jacob.

When the group went to track meets in Hammond, Ourso’s father let them use the “dead wagon,” a black van used for transporting bodies, driven by Ourso’s mother.

Every Halloween the top floor of the funeral home, where Ourso’s family lived, was given over to a Halloween slumber party.

“The first time we slept there was really frightening,” remembers Jacob.

Gayle Clement graduated as valedictorian of the Leon Godchaux Class of 1952, and it she who had the group’s first Christmas party in 1959.

The girls often double dated with each other in a time of innocence.

Jacob and Barbara Millet recall praying the rosary, along with their escorts, on the way home from dates.

“That way we wouldn’t have to say it when we got home,” says Jacob.

“No, you said it so you wouldn’t get into trouble,” laughs Luminais.

Irene Monica confesses she may have been the most fickle of the group in high school.

“Irene had more boyfriends than the rest of us,” says Clement. “She doubledated with all of us. She had different dates on Friday and Saturdaynights.”Monica reminisces about those dates, before the advent of rock-and-roll, dressing up in antebellum style dresses to attend dances at the Community Club in Reserve.

“Have you ever tried to get a hoop skirt in the back seat of a Ford coupe?” laughs Monica.

“Have you ever tried to drive in a hoop skirt?” Jacob rejoins.

Melba Duhe Hymel was first runner-up in the St. John Sugar Queen pageanttwice.

Known as “the quintessential lady” among her friends, it was her idea to make their 65th birthdays special. In January, seven of the girls gottogether to surprise Irene Monica with a “This is Your Life” party.

They compiled a scrapbook by “giving up some of their treasures” and soliciting Monica’s family members for other information and memorabilia to present as a gift. Each of the women also wrote a handwritten letterfor her that added even more meaning to the celebration.

Early in July, it was Melba Hymel’s turn. She chose a Victorian theme-Lady Melba’s White Linens and Lace.

It was time to take out their white summer dresses and dressy hats for a trip downtown to Christian’s Restaurant which Hymel had chosen for her birthday lunch.

“It’s like when we used to dress up and play ‘little ladies,'” says Jerry Perilloux Luminais.

“Only now we play little ‘old’ ladies!” quips Clement, which brings on giggles and laughter around from the rest of “The Girls.”After lunch “The Girls” head back to Hymel’s home in Reserve for cake and other desserts, always served by the birthday girl. Gift opening and bingofollows.

Each one receives a porcelain teacup symbolizing her birth month as a gift on the occasion.

Hymel’s table is a vision of pink and white with handkerchief favors at each place for each of her friends. After cake they play bingo with cardscreated by Irene Monica. Hymel’s picture occupies the middle square,others are filled with adjectives that describe Hymel’s character, like incomparable, flawless and quintessential lady.

Now the birthday parties are testimonies to the love and respect the women have cherished for each other during the passage of time.

“We’re lifelong friends,” says Irene Monica. “We’ve gone through all stagesof life together and we have wonderful love and compassion for each other.”When they’re not marking milestones, the ladies regularly get together for luncheons in the spring and fall, rotating hostess duties at their homes.

They also have a Christmas party that includes husbands.

Last Christmas the girls decided to make Christmas more special by reaching out to others. At their fall luncheon each of them randomlyselected a special angel. One of them the angel of motherhood, another theangel of forgiveness.

During the six weeks before the Christmas party each of them was assigned to perform an act of kindness for someone based on the angel she selected. At the party the anonymous deeds were read aloud and husbandsbet on which of the girls had done which deed. Bad guesses netted thegroup about $150, which they used to make Christmas brighter for a needy family in the community.

All of “The Girls” say they’ve mellowed with time.

“We have so much affection for each other,” says Clement. “We can be attybut we don’t have fights.”Hymel says her 65th birthday is even more special because she gets to share it with her friends.

“I have no brothers and sisters,” she says. “So these are my sisters.”There’s not a dry eye in the house.

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