Betty Lou’s First Band Photo Circa 1942

I like this photo because it one of the earliest photos of my mom that shows her interest in music.  It was a photo taken in school around 1942.  My mom lived in Hathaway, Louisiana, which is in Jefferson Davis Parish in southern Louisiana.  Southern Louisiana is well known for its Cajun heritage, but my mom was not from that culture.  All of her grandparents were from other states or an altogether different country (England).  She grew up around Cajun people, though.  Just this week I met a distant Cajun cousin whose parents were in school with mom and her sister Loris at good old Hathaway High School.

I think this photo was taken outside of that Hathaway school when young Betty Lou Bucklin (my mom) was in the 3rd or 4th grade.  My mom is not prominent in this photo at all.  The only reason I know that she is in the photo is because she always told me about what happened that day.  As I remember it, the school rhythm band was told that their group picture would be taken on a certain day.  Well, when that day came along, little Betty Lou completely forgot about it and did not wear her rhythm band uniform.  So instead of being kept out of the photo, she just got behind some of her fellow band members so you can’t see that she is out of uniform.  So if you haven’t recognized her yet, she is the third one from the right standing in the back.

It might have been shortly after this that she started to learn how to play the piano.  Maybe her interest in this little band was the impetus to get more involved with music.  I’m pretty sure it is her first band photo.  She was in the band in high school.  I think she learned how to play the baritone in her sophomore year.  She went on to play in the McNeese band when she went to college.  That baritone is how she met and fell in love with fellow baritone player Bob Landry (my dad).  Once they had a family, it wasn’t too long before they had a family band.  I’ve shared photos of the Landry Family Band before.

But as you can see, it all started back in 1942 with a little rhythm band.  The beat goes on.