BAYOU WORDSMITH: Al Landry at 90: Storyteller and multi-talented man

Published 12:00 am Sunday, February 2, 2020

In an old local phone book from when New Iberia had those, there was an entire page of listings of Landrys, from A to Y. It’s a good chance many of them are related to John Albert “Al” Landry, as are those named Lamperez, Mixon, Schwing, Thibodaux and many others.

Today, at 90 (yet looking a decade younger), Al can be found comfortably residing at Garden View Assisted Living, ironically not far from the former sugar cane plantation his Segura great-grandfather’s family received by Spanish Land Grant in the late 1700s. To say his roots run deep is to describe his feeling for the Teche Area.

After nine decades, all of one’s memories are of the past, and Al is only too happy to sit for long stretches and share his. An entertaining conversationalist, he can make a simple childhood memory into an entrancing tale. This is evidenced by the book he wrote and published in 2006 titled, “Hurrah Plantation,” 1930 – 1945.” In it he details his growing up in Norco, Louisiana, where his father, Paul, was the “company doc” for the oil refinery workers and their families.

A multi-talented personality, artist and architect, Al is best remembered from the years he and his late wife, Elaine (nee Field of Chicago), were restaurateurs in New Iberia. “Lagniappe Too” was a cozy Main Street café that served delicious food, which Elaine created while Al held court in the dining room starting in 1986 and for the next two decades.

The atmosphere of conviviality along with the delicious food brought regulars along with tourists to the small restaurant that seated fewer than 50. On Fridays and Saturdays, faithful followers like Deanna Freyou and her late husband, Ernest, could be found there along with 15 or 20 friends.

Deanna says, “It felt more like being in a home for supper. Elaine would sometimes join us at a long table after her duties in the kitchen were done. Throughout the evening Al kept the crowd entertained, mixing drinks and regaling the guests with hilarious tales, as only Al can do!”

A beloved couple, the Landrys came to “Part Two” of their professional lives 25 years after having had divergent careers, each using his earlier education and talents. Elaine was a classically trained pianist who taught private lessons to many of New Iberia’s children from her home on the western edge of town. Al, with the soul of a painter, meanwhile, became an architect.

While Al admits that designing buildings wasn’t his life’s ambition, it was where he found himself practicing his profession in his ancestral hometown. He says he’d have preferred to study architectural history and teach at the college level.

Nevertheless, he recalls the St. Edwards Subdivision, near Anderson Street, was one of his largest projects. Designing small, comfortable, affordable homes satisfied his professional goals.

You can’t sit and talk with Al for very long without the conversation turning to members of his family. He was blessed with nine aunts and uncles on the Landry side; almost each one was worthy of an anecdote he skillfully wove into the chapters of his book. Friends recall how he made his loving grandmother, a rotund woman, come alive.

“We grandchildren never could sit on her lap ‘cause her lap ran from her chin to her knees!” His choice of words leaves the listener with a description as well as an emotional picture of each of the dozens of beloved family members included in his book. Al is good company, a patient listener, and an amusing conversationalist who enjoys visiting with people from 8 to 80. If you decide to go visit, give him a call, but grab a comfortable chair when you arrive.

You’ll probably be there for a long afternoon.

JULAINE DEARE SCHEXNAYDER is retired after a varied career in teaching and public relations. Her email address is julaines14@gmail.