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

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Bud Latham, owner of Bud's Boat Rentals in Venice until a couple of years ago, had been contacted earlier by Diane Austin. I interviewed Bud at his home in Madisonville, on the North Shore. He has a large pond in the front yard, which he stocks with catfish.

Originally from Mississippi, Bud Latham started as a roustabout in Cameron, then went over to Venice in 1953 as a roustabout with a contractor. A job opened up with Chevron, and Bud took it. Working for an oil company was thought to be the best job, but he found himself working twice as hard, with a cut in salary, so he quit and went back with the contractor. He bought a 32 foot shrimp lugger and put it to work for McDermott, which had a contract to lay a 30" pipeline from Southwest Pass to Larose. At one time, Bud's Boat Rentals had 32 boats, from 105' crewboats down to 26-27 foot utility boats, and the company was well known throughout the Gulf. He went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984 but recovered. He sold out to Mr. Gary Circovich, a local, because of frustration with the Coast Guard, the huge costs of insurance - companies requiring $5 million on a boat - and an increase in frivolous injury claims.