Cajun Mariners by Woody Falgoux

A few years ago, on our trip to Alaska, baby boy

brought this book, Cajun Mariners as his reading material.

Until then, although I knew Woody Fagoux as he was our lawyer

and we owned a copy of his first book about football,

I had not heard about this book.

Each day, BB would explain a little about the book he was reading

and every night he went to bed saying things like,

"Well, let me go see what Bobby and Minor are doing tonight"

He often said I needed to read it. 

He had a hard copy that he had purchased himself and last year,

when Woody gave me this paperback signed copy, I actually

had the hard covered book on my nightstand and was reading it.

However, it has taken me until now to complete it because 

sometimes it was hard for me to grasp it as sometimes

when I saw dates I had to figure out how old I was at that time.

You see, being raised in the little towns of Golden Meadow, Galliano,

Cut Off and Larose, you are connected in some way.

As I read, I realized that each of these men and their families had

been a part of my life in one way or another.

For each negative story that is told, I had a wonderful story to

tell. On more than one night that Mr. Bobby returned from

a business trip, I had been an overnight guest in his home

having been friends with his daughter, Ann. 

I remember on one such trip, Mr. Bobby came in at the wee hours

of the morning from a far away place. Each of his children

and his wonderful, Myrtle would awaken as he opened his

suitcase and handed out the gifts to each of them.

He told the story of the gift and why he had purchased that

for each child. I was in awe of this man

I had never been in a home where the father bought gifts on his 

own for his children. My daddy had never traveled or bought

me gifts from far away lands. 

I had nights where we laid around the Orgeron home, 

hung out in Lee's room as Tammy, his girlfriend at the time,

visited and we watched tv.

Then to have grown up and my children having been friends with 

Mr. Bobby's grandchildren there was that tie also.

To say what Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Myrtle did for HOBL and I

when he first sobered up, well it would go on for days.

That man did more for the younger generations of addicts

than anyone would ever know.

Then there is Mr. Minor and his son M.J. 

HOBL and I actually bought MJ and Susan's home in 

Tarpon Heights and raised our own children in the home

he had built for his own children. My baby boy

slept under the model planes that once belonged to Tony Cheramie,

MJ's son. My daughter loved the red carpet that was Lacy's 

bedroom growing up. Although I did not know Mr. Minor personally

I knew Ms. Lou. When the book spoke of his accountant, 

Mr. Woody Terrebonne I knew him as I was raised

with his daughter, Theresa having been a good friend of mine.

The Theriot's, we went to school with the children and

both my sisters, Celena and Veronica have worked under

the Nolty Theriot legacy.

My sister, Celena, because of what working for this empire taught

her is now the president of a boat company today.

Chippy Turnage was a cousin to HOBL.

So many entertwined connections to most everyone mentioned

in the book.

Yes, it took me some time to read the book.

I also knew some of these people having nursed them or 

some of their family members throughout the years the book speaks of.

The book became personal to me and I cannot thank

Mr. Woody Falgoux enough for the wonderful and well

written book that sometimes was emotional for me.

As the book reminds the reader at the time, the part that

really was the staple of each of these men were the women

that stood behind them. It would have been easy for any of these

women to leave these men.

Yet, Having known Mrs. Myrtle as a child and then again

as an adult... well, to know her was to love her.

Her quiet strong personality was the standing force to Mr. Bobby 

and his children. We, all of us, have lots to learn from the kind of

woman Mrs. Myrtle was. She stood behind Mr. Bobby and he,

as all the other men, came to find the love he always had with her.

 These women, well they were the true heroes as even through
the turmoils of the big oil industry they held their heads high,
helped others less fortunate and "Stood by their Man"
If you are from the bayou, this is a must read.
You will find, just as I have, the pride in
having been raised in the area we call
down the bayou.