Susan Lauderman
CWPPRA Personal Reflections: Environmental Portraits and Oral Histories of Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands Stakeholders
The goal of CWPPRA’s Personal Reflections Project is to capture the lives and stories of Louisiana residents who have been stewards of the wetlands and storytellers who open the door to the world of habitat protection and preservation. Each person has a unique tale, but the Louisiana wetlands have been a part of all of their lives. We invite you to learn more about these coastal caretakers. We have tried to capture our Louisiana guardians in two ways; the first with an environmental portrait and the second with an oral history.
Taylor Suir
Mrs. Lauderman was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 14, 1937. She grew up in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. She attended St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metarie, Louisiana. She worked as a social worker. She currently encourages students to get more involved in wetlands preservation through the use of oral histories.
Scope and Content Note
This is a transcript of an interview between Susan Testroet-Bergeron and Susan R. Lauderman, conducted on May 21, 2012, at the Historic New Orleans Collection. Lauderman was born on December 14, 1937, in Baptist Hospital in New Orleans. She discusses growing up in Southeast Louisiana and watching the urbanization of both Metarie and New Orleans, Louisiana.She grew up in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. Initially, she lived on Le Page Street, in a house that her grandmother owned, which was located off Esplanade. After World War II, her family moved to Jefferson Parish, close to where Ochsner’s is today. Her parents were thrilled to have a house without the extended family, as there was a house shortage after the war. She attended St. Martin’s Episcopal School, which was located on Airline Highway. The school was built on a block of land bought by the Reverend Colony, which went from Airline Highway past Veterans. The land was mostly wilderness and wetlands, and the school was constructed using loads of river sand to build up the land. The area was close to the wetlands and undeveloped. The urbanization of New Orleans has resulted in the development of areas that were previously wilderness or wetlands.Lauderman expresses her hope that teachers will continue to perpetuate oral history projects to preserve the history and culture of New Orleans, including its wetlands. She emphasizes the importance of remembering the past and passing it down to future generations, especially as technology advances and things change quickly.
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