1922
Yvonne
2013
Yvonne Breaux Carter
August 3, 1922 — July 22, 2013
Yvonne Breaux Carter, honored librarian and dedicated public servant. Yvonne was born in Crowley, LA on August 3, 1922 to Valentin D. and Annie H. (Oertling) Breaux. The eldest of their large family, she graduated from Gueydan High School as Valedictorian in 1939, setting a high academic standard for her brothers and sisters who followed. In 1943, Yvonne attained a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics at Southwestern Louisiana Institute, which is now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Teaching in Calcasieu Parish, she met and married Walter Carter in April 1943. After Walter’s death in 1957, she never remarried. Although Yvonne never had children of her own, she bestowed love of books and reading upon her nieces and nephews. Christmas at the Breaux home always meant beautiful new books from Aunt Yvonne, most signed by the authors whom she had met.
She went on to earn a Bachelors of Science in Library Science, a Masters of Library Science, and Education Specialist in Library Science from George Peabody Teachers College and Vanderbilt University. Through her career, Yvonne was a classroom instructor, principal, Assistant Professor of Library Science at Northwestern and University of Southwestern Louisiana, Educational Program Specialist for School Libraries for the United States Office of Education in Dallas, TX and finally, administrator of the Higher Education Act: Title IIB Library Education Grant Program for the Department of Education in Washington, DC. Her library science work took her all around the country and the world; and, she retired in 1993 from the US Department of Health Education and Welfare after many outstanding years of service.
Her desire for excellence is proven by her many awards throughout her academic and professional career, most notably SLI Salutatorian with High Distinction, induction into Kappa Delta Pi, membership in the Honorary Library Science Society Beta Phi Mu, the US Department of Education Meritorious Service Award, the Delta Kappa Gamma Mary Thornton Scholarship, and the Kappa Kappa Iota Scholarship.
After her retirement, Yvonne returned to her beloved Acadiana and to the ancestral home of her father and his family. She undertook the restoration of the family’s 200+ year old home on Louis Arceneaux Road, between Carencro and Lafayette. Along with this new satisfying project, she also became a member of several local organizations, including the Galvez Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Louisiana Society of the United States Daughters of War of 1812, and the Alfred Mouton Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, as well as various other groups associated with the Lafayette Public Library, Lafayette Women’s Club, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The members of these groups quickly realized that she was a dedicated new member, and that her knowledge, ability, and accomplishments were valuable assets to their organizations. Soon she became a leader; and, the organizations flourished with her direction.
In her later years, Yvonne faithfully attended St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Carencro, where she had often attended mass as a young girl while visiting with her Aunt Beatrix and Great Aunts Bathilde and Josette. Her love of music led her to almost all of the symphony concerts in Lafayette.
She is survived by her brothers, Valentin Breaux Jr. of Lafayette and Charles W. Breaux Sr. M.D. of Birmingham, Alabama; sisters, Helena (Breaux) Anderson of Baton Rouge and Carmen (Breaux) and her husband, Berton Perry of Pascagoula, Mississippi, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins. Yvonne will not only be missed by her family, but by many students and friends from all walks of life, who came to know her during her almost 91 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter R. Carter.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Galvez Chapter of the DAR, the Lafayette Public Library Foundation, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Hospice of Acadiana, or the donor’s favorite charity.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Gueydan, 311 Fourth Street, on Thursday, July 25, 2013 from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. with a rosary being prayed at 7 p.m.; Friday, July 26, 2013 from 8 a.m. until services.
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