Interviewer(s): J. Sell. Montegut, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona.

Roland Belanger was recommended by his son, Kevin, who is chief executive officer of the South Central Planning and Development Commission, the regional planning agency. Roland and his wife still live in Montegut in a house which was menaced by the hurricane floods of September. They are long term residents of Montegut. Roland is one of the Montegut residents who worked for Texaco his entire career of 37 years. Marie, Roland's wife, participated as well as his son, Barry, who owns a fleet of offshore service boats.

Roland Belanger is one of a number of natives of Montegut who went to work for the Texas Company and stayed with them for his entire career. His father owned a boat, and was hired by Texaco in the 1930's as crew boat captain. After serving in the Marines in World War II, Roland began working in the Texas Company shipyard in 1946. Within a few months, he transferred to Bay Ste. Elaine as a roustabout. In 1953 he was transferred to Garden Island. By 1960 he was a driller on the Terrebonne Bay, making toolpusher in 1963. In 1968, after an injury, he was assigned to a cost study team to evaluate costs of drilling. Returning to toolpushing in 1972, he worked in Mississippi and Florida, finishing his career as rig superintendent in 1983. Of his four sons, one works overseas on offshore rigs and one owns a small offshore service boat company.