Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Lake Charles, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

William Brown was referred to me by Mary Ann Galletti. Willie had worked for J&J Divers, a company out of Pasadena, Texas that was started by John Galletti and Joe Carroll. I met Willie at his home near Lake Charles. Willie met me out front and informed me that he had prepared his "props". He sat me down on the couch and then brought in albums, boxes of materials, and other items. We talked throughout the day, taking a break in mid-afternoon to go for some lunch. The first and last parts of the interview were recorded on tape. The middle part, conducted during lunch, is recorded only in my notes.

Willie was born in south Texas in 1928. He left Texas in 1944 to go work as a tender for his uncle's diving business in California. He entered the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1945. He continued working as a seaman and diver until 1958 when he devoted all his time to diving. His first job in Louisiana was helping to build a bridge over I-10 in 1947. He operated his own company, Deep Diving Company, from 1946 until 1966. After that he worked for several companies, including J&J Marine Services and Dick Evans Divers. He quit diving in 1976 after he was injured on a diving job.