Kay Gaudet Interview

Kay Gaudet’s drugstore in Saint Gabriel became a focal point for community activism in the late 1980s. One of the first issues she worked on was the Spanish Lake solid waste landfill proposal. The permit was denied thanks to the work of Kay and other activists in the area. Although she worked on a number of issues, she is best known for collecting data about the high miscarriage rates in her community. She gained the attention of state, local and national media bringing the miscarriage issue to the forefront. In 1986, she was invited to Washington, D.C., to observe the Clean Air Action Committee hearings. She was also featured on the Oprah Winfrey TV show addressing the high ratio of miscarriages in her parish. Today, Kay is retired but continues with her health care consulting work. Her volunteer work includes: St. Vincent De Paul Dining Room; Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Commission; Life Limb Foundation raising money for children diagnosed with fibular hemimelia providing alternatives to amputation. Audio interview with Kay Gaudet for Women Pioneers of the Louisiana Environmental Movement by Peggy Frankland, conducted by Jennifer A. Cramer, Director of the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History. Copyright: Louisiana State University Special Collections.