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Roy GandyRoy Gandy was born in Homer, Louisiana, in 1914. He is a native of Winn Parish in North Central Louisiana and now lives in Winnfield, Louisiana. Roy worked for Kansas City Southern Railroad as a yardmaster, retiring in 1975.
After retirement, Roy began woodcarving as a hobby. He would use any suitable roots, branches, and sapling trunks in order to carve personalized walking sticks. Roy's hobby has now become almost a full-time job. He sells many of his sticks from his home, at folk festivals, and through the Baton Rouge Tourist Bureau.
Roy makes his sticks from hickory, pine oak, pickle wood, maple, black gum, ironwood, dogwood, hedge vines, and other types of wood. His work tools include a carpet knife, a small hand saw, an ice pick, a rasp, and sandpaper. The process begins with the soaking of the wood for two days to loosen the bark so it can be peeled without difficulty. After the bark is stripped, the stick is shaved. Mr. Gandy then takes an ice pick and removes any vines that have grown into the sides of the stick. He puts the final touches on the stick with sandpaper.
Mr. Roy Gandy has demonstrated his craft at the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival, and the Louisiana Folk Festival; he also assists cancer survivors by participating in the Blue Bird Festival held annually south of Waskom, Texas.