Tulane University's
Louisiana Research Collection

The 1940 census shows that Richard Ferchaud (1919-2003) of New Orleans lived with his older sister Marguerite Ferchaud (1909-1988) at 1933 Cambronne St., where she received his many letters written while in the Army during World War II.    Lt. Ferchaud served in the 3rd Armored Division's 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion.   He was seriously wounded in France in 1944, and received a Purple Heart.  He recovered and resumed active military service. Richard Ferchaud's correspondence to his sister back home is conversational and lighthearted.  Quite a few of the messages are in the form of "V-Mails", or “V-Letters”, a format involving photostatic reductions of handwritten notes.  Although injured himself, he expressed himself in an upbeat manner, even when describing his boredom.   Richard Ferchaud Papers (LaRC Manuscripts Collection 167) will be a useful resource for researchers with an interest in World War II and the social styles o...

LaRC Public Services Librarian Sean Benjamin spoke about Tulane’s John Kennedy Toole archival collection today, to a lively and receptive group.    For many of them, this was their first exposure to special library collections and archival research methods.    Katharina Keppel, of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, convened her class in the Schiro Reading Room so that her students could learn more about Toole and about this world-renowned and unique resource.    The class is called “New Orleans and John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces ” (TIDE-1055-01).                Captions: Sean Benjamin, Katharina Keppel, and class members today; a selection of archival items from the John Kennedy Toole papers, and New Orleans publications of the era. Photographs and post by Susanna Powers

Charlee LaChatte and Friends: Collecting Cats at Tulane An exhibition highlighting books and manuscripts about cats from the Sixteenth Century to the 1960s. Jones Hall, 2nd floor Gallery October 2-31, 2013, 9am-5pm Opening reception Wednesday, October 2 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Light refreshments For more information, see today's new wave.