J. Vernon "Butch" Smith has written a new book about life in Mandeville in the 1950's. The 160 page book is for sale on Amazon.com.
According to the summary on the back of the book, it tells about small town Mandeville, population 1,358, which in the 1940's was an idyllic rural south Louisiana community on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
"Firsthand is autobiographical in nature, told both through an anthology of personal experiences related by The Old Geezers and a Few Elegant Elders of the time, and a look at the family history of the Smiths and Morgans with emphasis on the history and culture of the aunts and uncles involved in rearing of the author.
" The facts are definitely important, but the richness of this work comes from looking deeper into the story behind the data “what did it feel like, what did it look like?”
"A class mate who reports having a heavy foot so the local police thumbtack speeding tickets on the front door of his dad’s house. Three of the four males in the senior class being first string on the basketball team. All experienced within the context of the author’s family history and the times of the 50’s. The Acadian French connection is described as is the family’s French Jewish heritage. There is an extensive look at the family’s military history from the Revolutionary War, through the Civil War, to the Iraqi War. "
See also:
Old Mandeville Residents Telling Their Stories
