Carola Lillie Hartley
Publisher and Contributing Writer
Going through some of my hundreds of photos of Opelousas today I came across this one of Hadley J. Castille in 1980.
During that year Hadley was preparing to make a trip to Saskatchewan in October to demonstrate his outstanding expertise on the fiddle.
The write up by Gladys Devellier that was with this photo continued as follows:
A St Landry Parish boy who played hooky from the family’s cotton fields to play the fiddle, Hadley, along with his friends, play a lot of benefits these days and are known for their willingness to help their fellow man. Hadley, however, is not content to play the fiddle, he also collects them. It doesn’t take much to get him to pick up the one that’s always handy and play a jumping Cajun tune.
Hadley was a proud Cajun from St. Landry Parish who shared his culture with others and brought the sounds of the music he loved to the world. He was a great entertainer. But more than that, he was also a great person and a great friend. We lost Hadley on October 25, 2012, way too early for those who knew and loved him. You are very much missed my friend.
