Richard James Guidry (1949 - 2008)
To continue his work, friends of Richard established the “Richard Guidry Cajun and Creole Language Fund” in 2009 to assist individuals and institutions that promote the French language and culture in Louisiana. Les Guédry d'Asteur supports this excellent endeavor and invites our family members to contribute to it. If you wish to contribute to the fund, please see the Attachment below.
Richard Guidry, born in Gueydan, Louisiana, only knew English as a child amid a community of fluent French-speakers. He did not want to be excluded and taught himself the Cajun French language. It became almost an obsession with Richard as he studied French in high school and majored in French at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
On graduating from USL, Richard taught French in the St. Martin Parish Bilingual Program. Eventually, he became an Education Specialist for French Programs with the Louisiana Department of Education. Here he developed curricula for French programs in Louisiana and spent many hours developing guides to aid teachers in incorporating native Louisiana French into their classes.
Richard was a leader in the French immersion program in Louisiana and was an authority on the French language in Louisiana as evidenced by his leadership role on the editorial staff of the definitive work Dictionary of Louisiana French, published in 2010 and dedicated to him. But Richard was more than an expert on the Louisiana French language. He was a writer, actor and director in Théâtre Cadien, a French language theater company; he began one of the first radio programs dedicated toFrench music; he authored several books; he appeared in numerous documentaries on radio and television and he even recorded on the official CD of the 1999 Congrès Mondial. In South Louisiana Richard was wellknown as the “keeper of local history and culture” - he not only knew the story behind every field and house one passed when traveling the backroads, but also the origins of the plant species and habits of the animals. And he shared his vast knowledge with anyone willing to listen. Richard was a friend to all and always willing to help anyone with a need.
Richard was truly a giant in the French renaissance movement in the French renaissance movement in Louisiana and a legend in his own time. Known affectionately among his friends and colleagues as “Le Gros Cadien” (The Big Cajun), Richard was recognized with many prestigious awards and honors during his lifetime including the title Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques (1995) by the French government and an inductee in the Order of Living Legends (2001)
