Intergenerational friendship in Cenla garners national attention

 Friendships can be made anywhere with anyone, but what if that friendship was much deeper than surface level - with a 57-year age difference? TODAY.com shared one intergenerational friendship between a Bunkie man and a writer.

The national morning show’s blog highlighted the friendship in its health and wellness section, and it was published on Friday, July 28. The story is about Olivia Savoie, a family heritage biographer for grandparents, describing how her job connection with Fred Vollman, an 85-year-old man from Bunkie, evolved into a deep friendship.

When Vollman lost his son around the time Savoie and her husband had their first child, she was able to offer him a gift like no other, a letter from his son. Savoie had been emailing his children about the interviews when Vollman could not remember certain details about his past. One of the emails came from the son that had passed. She printed it out and gave it to Vollman.

Vollman would then return the sentiment by giving Savoie’s child an engraved cup, similar to one he used as a baby.

“It’s neat that I’m working with people at a totally different season of life,” said Savoie. “Most of my subjects are 50 or more years older than me, so it’s really beautiful when parts of their story almost parallel where I’m at in my life. Whenever, for instance, they share with me about having their first children and those joys and challenges – and then I walk through that same season nearly two years ago of having my first child, it’s wonderful because I already have a little guidebook – I already know what to expect.”

Savoie said she is really blessed by the people she has met in her time as a writer, and that she and Vollman still talk about life from time to time.

So, whether you are grabbing a bite to eat and someone holds the door for you, or if you take a walk outside and strike up a conversation with a complete stranger, there is no one way to make a friend - and you never know where a conversation can take you.