ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / October 27, 1999

It has been said that “you can’t go back,” and we really weren’t trying to, but we came close. There were 18 of us “girls” from the Leon GodchauxHigh School Class of 1957 who met recently at Bull’s Corner to have lunch.

What was originally planned as an informal lunch for a few friends turned into a reunion of sorts. The result was an event that generated a lot ofcamaraderie and fun and fully exceeded all of our expectations.

We had always thought of our class as being rather special, and throughout our high school years our relationships hardly changed. We were prettymuch together in most things and have had frequent reunions. In addition,many of us have maintained personal relationships with each other in some way. Some are never too far away from the others, and if we don’tsee a classmate very often, at least one of us has news about them.

Besides that, at the lunch, I found out that almost all those present read my column! Good friends, really good friends.

It was Shirley Millet, Patsy Gravois and Marian Loupe who decided we needed to get together, and they made all the phone calls and arranged for our lunch. Classmate Judy Belle Millet offered to do the lunch at her place,”BB’s,” where we have had several of our reunions, but the group wanted her to just sit back and enjoy being with us instead of working.

Let me give you the past and present names of my classmates as I list those who met for lunch. We had Loyce Brock Vicknair, Leah ClementWarner, Dorothy Oubre Masse, Shirley Chapman Millet (my best friend in grammar school), Marie Reine Verret, Janice Triche Haydel, Patsy Matherne Gravois, Diane (Dee) Champagne Tregre (my best friend in high school), Jeannette Landry Nannie, Mary Imelda Laiche Bickford, June Feucht Sutton, Saundra (Pye) LeBlanc St. Pierre, Marian Maus Loupe,Joycelyn Jacob Perret, Elaine Lasseigne DeBautte, Jane Cambre Chapman, Judy Belle Vicknair Millet and, of course, me. always a Monica and the onlynever-married in the entire class. What can I say?Of that number that day, all were married only to their original partner.

Three, Marie, Mary Imelda and Jeannette, are widowed. Only three are notretired, and only six have no pets. Loyce has been married the longest, andhas all girl offspring. Five, namely Leah, Shirley, Dee, June and Jane, haveall boys. Elaine and Dee have each lost a child (Dee’s son, Danny, was mygodchild) and Pye lost a grandchild. Pye also married the same man twice,in a civil and religious ceremony.

Marie has the most children – six, and also has the youngest who is 20.

With 10, Joycelyn had the most grandchildren, Loyce the oldest, and the youngest was for Patsy, barely 1 week old.

It was Patsy’s sister, Lou Ann, who served us so well. Janice couldn’tbelieve that with all the years she has been married and all the children she has, she still didn’t come out first in any of these categories. She didoffer that the enduring marriages signified they are a bunch of “tough women.” We enjoyed the comment. The group got serious enough to agreethat their marriages were a sign of responsibility and commitment.

Other revelations were that nine of the group cared for elderly parents, with Dee caring for the oldest, her 101-year-old mother. Jane was ateacher and sews now, and Jeannette is a nurse. Most of the rest of uswere in the business world. Dorothy is a painter, Marie embroideries andcrochets, Loyce does cross-stitching and crochets, Pye does woodwork and she and Loyce sing in the choir. Mary Imelda square dances.The Beta Club is well known now, but at LGHS, we were the charter members who brought it to the River Parishes and Jeannette was our president. Jeannette was also impressed at the gathering that no onesmoked a cigarette.

It is my extreme pleasure to tell you, that I was right and none, I repeat none, we agree, of us had poodle skirts. So there! Some suggested thatperhaps it was an American Bandstand thing at the time, but we were all products of the fifties and there were none around here. But, there is oneor two now because Shirley made one for her granddaughter, Olivia, for Halloween, and I believe Jeannette made one, too, recently.

It was a good time; it was the best of times. Shirley surprised me with apicture of the two of us in grammar school that is very significant, and I am overwhelmed. It was all so wonderful. It is something we want to doagain in about six months. It was great, ladies. I am so glad we are stillfriends.

*** By the way, if you come to the Andouille Festival this weekend, come see me at the St. John Humane Society’s beer booth, where I’ll be helping.Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me – I don’t drink the stuff.

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