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Item 53: 00053_Breaux, Numa_MMS-History, 2001, 2003

 Item — Box: 1

Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Larose, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Numa Breaux was referred to me by Katherine Richardelle. He was a bit uncertain about participating in the study because he worked only onshore. When I told him we were interested in the transition from onshore to offshore and therefore needed to learn more about how things worked onshore, he warmed right up and began telling his story. After the interview, when I was asked to stay for lunch, Numa's wife began pulling out albums and talking about their children. Their son, Davey, works for the Port Commission at Fourchon.

Numa's daddy was a cattleman, and he was born on Delta Farm. He is the youngest of 14 children and the only one in his family to go into the oil and gas industry. He worked for two years at a paper mill, making $1.75 an hour, and then moved to Texaco because they were paying $2.50 an hour at the time. His father-in-law worked for Texaco, so Numa went to work there in 1957 and stayed there for 36 years until he retired in January 1993. When he began, it had been 10 years since the workers had seen a new face. As the new kid on the block working with lots of older men, only one of whom could speak English, Numa helped out those who could not read and was taught a lot by them. He began as a roughneck, became a gauger in 1968, a gas lift specialist in 1970, a gang pusher in 1980, and an assistant production foreman in 1990.

Dates

  • 2001
  • 2003

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Oral history interviews are only available for use when the University of Houston Libraries is in possession of a release form signed by both interviewee and interviewer allowing for such access.

Extent

From the Collection: 25.0 linear feet

Repository Details

Part of the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of Houston Libraries Special Collections
MD Anderson Library
4333 University Drive
Houston TX 77204-2000 USA
713-743-9750