Haydel Legacy

Proudly Locally Owned and Operated

Dr. Henry Lawrence Haydel, described by his peers as a pioneer in medicine, was born on July 31, 1904, in Edgard, Louisiana. He was the son of the late Victorian Ferdinand Haydel and Lizzie-Belle Tamplain. His childhood days were spent in Convent, Louisiana.

After graduating as class valedictorian and recipient of the American Legion Award from Romeville High, he attended medical school at Tulane. Following his internship he traveled to Houma with his young bride, Judith Ayme Haydel. His first office was a wooden building on Church Street. He then moved his office to Belanger Street behind Barrow Drug Store. Soon after, he moved again to 502 Barrow Street, which is currently the office of The Haydel Medical Clinic.

Dr. Haydel’s two greatest loves were his community and his family. He practiced alone, and his hours were long because he personally took care of his patients. “I have derived the most gratification from doing good all over the parish,” Haydel once said. “One thing I’ll never forget”, he recalled, “I was taking a maternity patient to the hospital for delivery. The road was flooded at Bayou Dularge and the car stopped. I had to deliver the baby in the back seat of the car.”

Dr. Haydel’s community involvement included being a former trustee of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, serving as a former Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, and a former Faithful Navigator of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. He also participated in other civic organizations such as the Lions Club and the Elks Lodge.

In spite of his many activities, Dr. Haydel still managed to find time to follow the activities of his children whether it was sporting events in which his sons were involved or his daughters being in beauty pageants. “The rearing of a big family has been one of the high points of my life,” Dr. Haydel said in an interview in September, 1980. His five daughters became teachers. His five sons followed their father into the medical field, four as doctors and one as a pharmacist.