Dr. Thibodeaux served briefly as instructor at Louisiana State University before joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., where, he was engaged in economic research for 10 years.

For several years thereafter, Dr. Thibodeaux engaged in economic studies for the United States Government in Bolivia, South America, eight countries in the Middle East with headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in North-Africa. He then served in the United States Army during World War II with 18 months of overseas duty in North Africa and Western Europe attained the rank of Colonel in the General Staff Corps.

Immediately following World War II, Dr. Thibodeaux entered the U.S. Foreign Service (Diplomatic Service) of the Department of State in Washington, D.C., and was assigned to the American Embassy at Paris. France. After two-and-a-half years there, he was temporarily "loaned" by the Department of State to the Marshall Plan European headquarters

in Paris for another two-and-half years with supervisory responsibilities for American Missions in 16 European countries that participated in the Marshall Plan.

Dr. Thibodeaux's next assignment was the American Embassy in Vienna, Austria, for four years, where he was economic counselor for Embassy and Deputy Director of the United States Aid Mission (Marshall Plan) to Austria. Following this, he was assigned to the American Embassy at Ottawa, Canada, where he served as Counselor for Economic Affairs.

He was recalled to the Department of State in Washington, D.C. and made director of the Office of International Trade and Resources. He remained there for three years.    His last foreign assignment was at the American Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, for a period of three years where he was Minister of Economic Affairs, Consul General and Director of the United States Operations Mission.

Retiring from Government Service in 1960, Dr. and Mrs. Thibodeaux settled on a farm near Opelousas in 1962 where they have lived ever since.

From "Family Biographies", copyright@1998 by John Peck,

N.B. Dr. Ben Thibodeaux died on Aug. 21, 1996 in Opelousas, Louisiana.