Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Galliano, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Roy Champagne, Sr. was shrimping at night off Campeche when he got chased by gunboats, so he decided to quit shrimping and went to work on crew boats. Roy's friend, Elvis "Al" Chabert, worked his way up through his career as a driller, beginning on Rowan rigs, then working mostly for Texaco. Unlike many of the old-timers, Al and Roy don't hang out for early morning coffee at the Fed Pond in Golden Meadow. Roy's house is just behind the L & M office, so he visits the office regularly. When I was explaining the consent forms, Al said, oh, you mean a release form. It seems like he and many others have become familiar with the process working as actors or extras in Glen Pitre's movies. Tony Cheramie arranged this interview, and we talked in MJ's office at L & M Botruc, with Tony and MJ present through most of the discussion. During the interview, the two would talk to each other in French.

Al began his career working on drilling rigs for Rowan and then went to working for Texaco in 1954, working on drilling barges in the bays. He stayed with the company for 33 years until his retirement in 1984. By the 1980s, everything was run from the office, by computers.