Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Morgan City, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

I met Billye Grice at the Morgan City Archives in the summer of 2003 when I was there reviewing the archives of the Morgan City Daily Review and the vertical files on the offshore oil and gas industry. Her husband, Jesse, created a business doing oilfield photography in Morgan City during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, and she has donated his collection to the archives. She and I began talking about her life, and I asked her if she would be willing to participate in an interview for the history project. She agreed and I promised to come visit her on my next trip to Louisiana.

Billye Grice moved to Morgan City in 1954 with her husband, Jesse. At the time, Jesse was an engineer working for Phillips Petroleum Company and was being transferred to Morgan City. During her early years in Morgan City, Billye was responsible for managing the household. She and Jesse expected to stay in Morgan City only a few years until they were transferred elsewhere. Jesse had studied photography and worked in a studio at Louisiana Tech when he was in college, and he began taking photographs of industry-related equipment and events as a hobby. He began including photographs in his company reports. Word got around, and Jesse began receiving requests for his photography. When he realized he was making more money selling photographs than in his regular job, he left Phillips and started his own business. At that time, Billye was raising children and doing community work. She soon found herself helping with various aspects of the business, from the bookkeeping to working at the retail store. The business suffered tremendously during the downturn of the 1980s. When Jesse passed away, Billye sold the business. She stayed in Morgan City and became involved in other community activities.