VERMILION PARISH — For Phyllis Green, a love of history started with a simple desire to share what she found with others.
“My story…started many many years ago and there were so many things that I wanted to share with others because history has been my favorite subject,” Green said.
That passion eventually filled her home with books, paintings and memorabilia from the past. Green, who calls herself a “self-proclaimed historian,” began building her collection by searching Goodwill stores and thrift shops for pieces of history she could preserve and share.
“So I started going from Goodwill's to thrift stores and all of this history out there during that time, the books were 4 for $1 so I thought this is my opportunity,” Green said.
Green also found a way to bring that history into the classroom while working as a cafeteria cook at schools throughout Vermilion Parish. Her collection caught the attention of teachers, who saw an opportunity to use it as a teaching tool.
“But when the teachers got interested in having them to put this history on the wall in the school, I went stone crazy! It's like, oh my God,” Green said.
For Green, sharing has always extended beyond history. Her passion for food started when she was a young girl, and she carried that interest with her throughout her career.
“When I took home economics, when those girls were trying to figure out how you cut a cantaloupe, I had our food already set up on the table and ready to serve,” Green said.
After years working in school cafeterias, Green eventually became a cook at nursing homes before retiring in 2015. There, she found another way to connect with people and learn from generations who had lived through the history she loved so much.
“My son used to tell me, I said when I worked at the nursing home, I'll be able to talk to these people, read to them, and he said ‘all of them will be sleeping’,I said, and when they wake up, I'll still be reading,” Green said.
Now, Green hopes to keep finding ways to share her love of history and the knowledge she has collected with others, making sure the stories of the past continue to reach the people who come after her.
