Interviewer(s): A. Gardner. New Iberia, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Al Rivet was the president of the local chapter of the Shell retirees club, and he was recommended to me by Jimmy Hebert, the vice-president of the same club. He's a jovial and outgoing guy. Al is a wealth of knowledge about the oilfield and offshore work. We were able to talk about a lot of interesting things in the course of our discussion, including the role of hands-on experience in forging an oilman, the hierarchy of positions on the rig, the attitude of the labor, the culture of rig life, the role of social networks in getting business and finding a job, the shift from Texan to Cajun drillers, the old way of putting together a crew, how the demands on the rig bring diverse peoples together, and how fishing boosted morale.

Al Rivet is a veteran; after returning from service he started work for Shell as a galley hand in 1954. He ended his career as a toolpusher, still with Shell.