Interviewer(s): D. DiTucci. Lafayette, LA

Affiliation: University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Robert Fournet graduated in 1952 from Southwestern Louisiana Institute with a degree in geology; during his college years he did some roustabouting and roughneck work. Upon graduating he worked for Superior Oil Company as a roughneck, but was soon called into service with the Navy for a year. When he returned he went to work for Hycalog for two-thirds of a year and then for Eastman Oil Well Survey Company, where he stayed for 10 years. After leaving Eastman, he took a job with Directional Engineers, Inc., where he developed and operated a surveying division for eight years. His wife and he formed the Bob Fournet Company and bought the division he had been operating at Directional Engineers; they ran the company for 25 years, until they sold it in 1996 to a Canadian company. Mr. Fournet stayed on with the company for two more years as a consultant before retiring in 1998. He talks at length about the early offshore industry, particularly about specific companies. He then discusses his own company.