Louise B. Cesar told many stories reflecting her ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that helped her survive the war and provide for her children.

Louise spoke of a time when she and her children desperately needed to flee to somewhere safe. She had no way to get there, but she heard that a "cultural troupe" (a traveling performance group) was heading her way. Nevertheless, she did not know their dances, so she had someone teach her, practiced and practiced, and eventually gained a position in the troupe. Then, she negotiated for her children to go with her. They all piled on the truck and got to the town where her family was, which was so busy at the time that they were able to slip away and find Louise's family.

Another time, Louise had no money and could not afford any food for her children. They had found temporary shelter in an abandoned house in which there was an old mattress. In order to feed her family, she took the stuffing from the mattress and made teddy bears from the material, selling them so that they were all able to get by.

During her interview, Louise had a remarkable attitude about her experiences. She said that though the war was horrible, “it helped [her] to be an independent woman.” Today, she has a high-paying job training security workers for a private company.