I wanted to tell you that I was saddened to learn from your website that Bennie B. Albritton had passed away.  We were roommates while we were at SLI.  Bennie B was a Junior and I was a Freshman in the fall of '46.  We shared a room on General Mouton Street, two blocks from the main entrance to SLI.  We rented a room in the residence of Bruce and Mae Broussard. 

The Broussards were a young, warm and loving couple who could not do enough for us.  They were like family.  Now I must spend a little time and relay an incident that almost caused the Broussard's house to burn down.  "Miss Mae" had just made white lace curtains for our only window in the room.  They were beautiful.  One night in November, the weather turned cold.  I was cold about midnight and got up to light the space heater that was installed in front and below the window.  The lace curtains hung to the floor behind the heater.  Although I was cold, my roommate (an ex-Marine) was very warm. 

Bennie B got up later to open the window about 1 inch.  In about 2 minutes, a gust of wind blew those beautiful lace curtains over the heater and the room lit up.  Bennie B jumped up, pulled the flaming curtains down, rod and all, covered the flaming curtains with a blanket, opened the window and threw the whole flaming bundle out of the window into the side yard.  Our gracious landlords got up, made coffee and cooked a real Cajun breakfast.  Bruce said, "Mae, I told you that was a stupid idea to hang curtains over a heater."  Mae replied, "I never liked them because they were made for a girl's room and not for men."

I didn't think that the incident was funny as I blamed myself for lighting the heater.  The Broussard's were blessed with a good humor that only Cajuns can appreciate.  The next night Bruce cooked a wild duck Cajun gumbo and from that time on our bedroom was referred to as the "hot bed".

I thought that this incident may interest Bennie B's family and others who enjoyed his big smile.

Warmest regards,

Bert