Who am I? My name is Chandler Taylor. I have an MA in History and an MLIS in Archival Studies from Louisiana State University; an MA in Film Studies from Columbia University; and a BFA in Stage Management from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I spent two and a half years working as the Graduate Assistant Interviewer/Finding Aid Creator for the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History at LSU while writing my Master’s thesis: “Sowing the Wild Oats: Scandal and Crisis in the Louisiana Grain Industry.”
What is my connection to the Louisiana grain industry? My connection to the Louisiana grain industry is through my grandfather, John Beach, who worked as the elevator superintendent for the New Orleans Public Grain Elevator in the 1970s. He also served as the GEAPS national president from 1979-1980. My interest in the grain industry developed from my grandfather’s stories. Those stories inspired the growing oral history collection that I have been managing for the last two years at the Williams Center.
What is the goal of this project? The goal of this project is to document the stories of the Louisiana grain industry for the benefit of future researchers, as well as to give the industry the historic credit it deserves. The speakers featured here have been kind enough to lend their knowledge and expertise to the historic record. The history of the Louisiana grain industry has not been thoroughly studied in almost half a century and this project aims to fill some of those gaps.
How can you contribute? It is the members of the grain industry that are truly the experts on the subject, so if you would like to contribute to this oral history collection in any way, please contact Jennifer Cramer at the LSU Oral History Center. You can also contact Chandler Taylor with any information you think might benefit the site.