Interviewer(s): Diane Austin; Jamie Christy. Morgan City, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona, University of Houston/History International

I (Diane) was referred to Harry LeBoeuf by John Ryan. Harry goes to the exercise club where John's wife works out, and he and John sit, drink coffee, and talk. I called Harry on New Year's Eve, the day he got out of the hospital after having stents in his arteries cleared. He was in the shower when I called, and his wife, Gladys, told me to call him back in a half hour. He was happy to meet with me, and we scheduled the interview for the 2nd and said he would be feeling fine. When I arrived at his house, he told me he did not know if he would have much to say but he was willing to tell me what he knew. Of course, that turned out to be quite a bit. I invited Gladys to join us, and she listened through most of the interview and then participated when we started talking about the effects of the industry on the community. Jamie Christy returned to reinterview Harry in July 2004.

Harry was born in Houma-Montegut, Louisiana. His father was a fisherman and a trapper. Harry graduated high school in Houma then went into amphibious operations in the Navy in 1944. He participated in landings at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. After World War II, Harry came back to Montegut and began working for Texaco, which he continued throughout his entire career, beginning in February 1948 and retiring in September 1987. He began as a roustabout, advanced to gauger/pumper onshore, and then moved offshore where there were more challenges and more money. In 1962, he was Texaco's first pumper offshore, and a couple of years later he became the company's first production foreman, a job he retained until about 1974. In that year, he moved into Texaco's offshore district office in Morgan City as production supervisor in charge of all Texaco offshore production. After retirement, Harry contracted for Texaco until 1992. Harry's wife, Gladys, worked as a schoolteacher throughout her career, moving from her hometown in Montegut to Morgan City in 1975. Gladys began teaching during WWII when teacher shortages were acute, and she continued in that profession until her retirement.