Bio, 2009: Joan Ellen Young
After completing two years at OSU in elementary education, I married Robbie Metz in 1966. We moved to New Orleans, my HOME, where our daughter Sonja was born. I continued my education at the University of New Orleans until I reached practice teaching, where I discovered that while I was great with children one-to-one, I was not terrific with an entire class. I then entered the business world as a secretary and bookkeeper, eventually developing a specialty of hiring myself out to faltering businesses as a troubleshooter, working all the clerical and accounting positions, identifying and solving personnel and professional problems and then moving on. It was a great challenge and has allowed me to work in almost every industry in New Orleans.I remained active in Girl Scouts, and formed the first integrated troop in New Orleans in 1968. Troop 89 had many First Class Scouts (now Golden Arrow) and national and international Opportunity Award winners. After 17 years, I “retired” from Scouting, but came back to assist my granddaughter’s troop when they went camping.
I began studying ballet at age 30 and became a member of a troupe of dancers who performed at the Mardi Gras Balls of the Krewe of Hermes. I began making costumes for the dancers for our performances and eventually branched out as a costumer for Loyola University’s ballet department and for “Shakespeare in the Park” at City Park. Many of the dancers asked for specialty dresses for proms, balls and galas (New Orleans ALWAYS has a party to attend!) and to date I’ve made 35 wedding dresses and countless specialty gowns. In 1993, the Krewe of Hermes asked me to become their costume specialist, not to make their parade costumes, but to inventory and sort them and to be responsible for dressing 684 men on parade day (the Friday before Mardi Gras) in matching tunics and pants, with hats, masks, riding harnesses and gloves. It is both exhilarating and exhausting - and pays extremely well!
My daughter married a wonderful man, Matthew Mount, Jr., from an old New Orleans family (read lots and lots of family!) and they have three children, Katye, 15, Matthew III, 11, and Cullen, 7. They live in Metairie, a New Orleans suburb, and we can spend a lot of time together, a joy and a blessing. My grandchildren and I are living history re-enactors for the National Park Service, “1815 Battle of New Orleans”.
My marriage was also a challenge and I finally ended it in 1984. Robbie died in 2006 of complications of alcoholism.
In 1999 received my Masters in Human Services Counseling and became an NCC (National Certified Counselor). I worked at the Battered Women’s shelter until their funding ran out and then as an addictions counselor for a recovery agency.
In 2005, we reluctantly evacuated New Orleans in the path of Hurricane Katrina and ended up spending 48 days living in Baton Rouge with a cousin of my son-in-law, his wife, their two children, the 5 of us (including 2 cats, a dog & a guinea pig), and 11 other family members – a total of 21 people and 8 animals in a four bedroom house. My daughter’s house received a skylight in their bedroom from parts of the roof blowing away, and, due to the incompetence of the Federal government in refusing to allow the pump operators back into the city, a foot of water in their house. I, myself, had only six inches of floodwater – above the roof! I lived 10 blocks from where the levee broke and the next day satellite photos showed the top of the 300-year-old oak tree that was the front yard, but not the roofline. It took over 6 weeks for the water to recede and for the National Guard to let us back into Lakeview, where I was able to reclaim very little – mostly china and a solid oak chair – and I’ll never forget the SMELL. However, I’d taken my sewing machine & my cat with me so I was at peace. I lived in a FEMA trailer (notice that FEMA is a four-letter word beginning with F – New Orleanians despise FEMA) in the parking lot of the recovery agency for 10 months and then bought a shotgun double with a foster daughter near the Fairgrounds (where Jazz Fest is held every spring!) I lost my job at the recovery agency, so I went back to part-time bookkeeping and began to establish a private counseling practice.
In 2008, I was diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma, had 6 chemotherapy treatments, am now in full remission and glad to have hair again! I was fortunate to be able to work throughout my treatment, although I have to take things more slowly now as stamina returns last.
My life is full, I continue to experience new things and I live in the most wonderful city on earth. I know what it means to miss New Orleans – and I’ll never leave it again! Come visit me anytime – Laissez Bon Temp Roulez!
©2009 Stillwater High School Class of 1964