L'OBSERVATEUR
| LaPlace, La. | Vol. 63 No. 51 | 60 pages | four sections | Thursday, December 22, 1977 |
ROLAND St. MARTIN kisses his favorite waitress, THELMA LASSEIGNE "au revoir," at the testimonial given in her honor Thursday, Dec. 15, by the Saturday Morning Breakfast Group at Airline Motors, where she has worked for the past 38 years. "The Group," minus a couple, grins approval (from left)
JULES "Jack" CARVILLE III; JACK K. GRAY, LARRY BROCK, JUDGE THOMAS MALIK; BILL BOUDREAUX, BILL GOLDMAN and WAYNE STELL. Missing is Malcolm "Mac" Donaldson and Donald Cleet. (L'OBSERVATEUR photo)
'Miss Thelma' is honored
| BY EDITH VICKNAIR Maybe being born on
Christmas Day makes
you somehow special.
And maybe that has
nothing at all to do with it. | Saturday Morning
Breakfast Group
12-15-77." "I guess you could say she has waited on people from Washington to New Orleans, From Chackbay to California," quipped Larry Brock, one of the group. Since she went to work at Airline Motors Nov. 27, 1947, Thelma has served many famous and near famous, and can rattle off their names right away-- "Senator Russell Long, Dr. William Stewart (head of the state Public Health Service); actor Leif Erickson, sportscasters Wayne Mack and Hap Glaudi, newsman Garland Robinette and Alec Gifford." "And Roland St. Martin!" she adds cheerfully, playing favorites from among the Saturday Morning Breakfast Group. Thelma Lasseigne has a lot of memories. She remembers when gambling was legal and there were "8" or "10" slot machines around the walls at Airline Motors, but didn't work there then. Her father, Wallace Lasseigne, founded L'OBSERVATEUR and Thelma and her sisters recalled ruefully the many hours spent "putting papers into that old press." "And now it's all automatic," said Leslie | Mabile, "Can you imagine
not having to put those
papers in by hand?" They
all nodded agreement. "When I went to work at Airline Motors there were six stools and five tables." Thelma reminisced. "And two waitresses," she went on, laughingly admitting she doesn't remember exactly who the other one was--"but Dippy has worked here almost since it opened in 1939, so it must have been Dippy." The late Alvin Woods was owner; now it is his son Lou. As for customers--there were "not many," she said. Over the years Thelma learned what it takes to make a good waitress, and soon became a favorite with many of the customers. "She knows to bring grape jelly and two glasses of ice water if that is what you want," said St. Martin. "She is astute enough to forcast the personal whims of each customer," added Jack Gray, another member of the breakfast group. "I remember once they only served butter on weekends, and margarine on weekdays, but I got butter on my biscuits." Over the years she reckoned she has served a | half million cups of
coffee, working six-day
weeks. The favorite
order in the old days was
always biscuits and
coffee, still a popular
favorite with Airline
Motors customers. "There have been good people and bad people--and same rough people," she laughed. Her largest tip was $20, her smallest, "nothing," And sometimes people get up and leave a check. The largest was for over $20--and the person "is still in the community," she recalls. After all the miles she has walked at the whim of her customers, Thelma Lasseigne says that now she is going to take it easy. Now the favorite dishes ordered are crawfish bisque, turtle sauce pequant, and carrying those heavy dishes to the many tables is behind Thelma Lasseigne. "She's going to come back every Saturday morning just to serve us." said Gray. "Aren't you Thelma?" But Thelma just smiled and reckoned as how, although she is looking forward to it, it really is going to be hard to quit. "She's going to get one more chance to serve us," one of the group said. "That's Dec. 24." "Everybody be there!" |
