Interviewer(s): A. Anand. Point-Aux-Chenes, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Mr. Murphy Melancon was referred to me by Lucy and "Dee" DeHart and Joyce and Frank Naquin. I interviewed him at a camp off the main road at Point-Aux-Chenes. The location was difficult to find, and I arrived about 15 minutes late. Murphy, his wife Marie, and her sister and brother-in-law had gathered for an evening of cards. Marie Melancon was very warm and friendly, ushered me in, and introduced me to Murphy. While the rest played cards and talked at the dining table, Murphy and I conducted the interview on a sofa at the far end of the room.

Murphy Melancon was born in Thibodaux in October 1926. After two years in the military, when he was posted in Germany, he returned to the U.S., where he did odd jobs and then joined Halliburton in 1946. Mr. Melancon began working for Texaco in 1952, and worked there for 35 years. He began as a roustabout at a shipyard, and became a welder. In 1965, he joined the oilfield as a roustabout, then worked as a pumper. Around 1980, after stomach surgery, he began working on a gas compressor and remained in that position until he retired.