Interviewer(s): A. Gardner. New Iberia, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Charles Tisdale recommended I talk with Manson Doucet. I met Manson at his house on Julia Street. We had a nice conversation on his back porch. He provides a great overview of his job, the kind of problems they would typically run into, and the cooperation necessary to fix these problems. Manson was also on city council for several decades, and we talk a lot about the growth in New Iberia, the kind of things the town did to keep the oil industry there, and the impact of the rapid growth of the population in the region. There are brief discussions about the induction of African-Americans into the workforce.

Manson Doucet began his career in 1942 and spent most of it as a foreman in the Laughlin Brothers yard in New Iberia. At the height of operation, Laughlin Brothers had 200 drilling rigs under contract to a variety of oil companies. Manson's job was to supply these rigs with equipment according to their needs. The toolpusher would call in to the yard, tell Manson what the problem was, and then Manson would put together a pack of materials and have them shipped out to the rig.