TEDDY: The cemetery is a connection for the living to their past. It's like a touchstone. It has nothing to do with the dead; it has to do with the living. You know there is a tradition in New Orleans of giving picnics in the cemetery. And I don't know if other people do that, but it's done in New Orleans and its not considered unusual. You just bring a picnic basket, you go sit in the cemetery, and you have a picnic.
TEDDY: Cemeteries are open. Nobody bothers you. And you go visit, whether it's your family or somebody else's family. I've been asked to work on a tomb that's in poor condition that we want to bring up to a condition where it's weather tight.
TEDDY: This tomb, or at least this plaque, was made by a guy named Foyville Foy. He and his brother were freedmen of color who had distinguished themselves as tomb builders. They took great pride in their work. I'm working on this its like if I'm working on a piece of Tiffany jewelry, except on a larger scale. It's all about the respect for these pieces of antiquity. And that's just the way I think about it.
TEDDY: I know that when I'm done with this there will be thousands of people who will come through. And I've made a statement; I've given my piece back to my city. I feel like I'm assisting in telling the story of New Orleans and keeping it intact. Everywhere I walk past these tombs, it puts me in the continuum. I'm continuing a tradition. And I like being part of the continuum.