Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Pearl River, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

I met Larry Tucker when I visited Hunt Oil Company's Eugene Island 63 platform. I flew out to the platform with Sharon Moore, a helicopter pilot for TexAir. I was given a tour of the platform and visited with the four operators and Larry who were working that shift. Larry had a break between lunch and dinner and said he would be willing to do an interview for the study.

Larry Tucker came to Louisiana from Texas. During WWII and at the age of 16, he joined the Merchant Marine and learned to cook. He remained there for 12 years until the maritime shipping industry got so bad that he could not make a living. Over the next fourteen years he went in and out of the merchant marine and other jobs. In 1970, after several large passenger ships were taken out of service and jobs became even more scarce, a friend of his decided to get a job offshore, and Larry went along for one hitch. He spent the next three months working one week offshore and hanging around the union hall during his week onshore. Getting no maritime work during that period, he decided to stay with the oil and gas industry, where he has remained as a cook for 33 years. He worked on a Shell platform for 20 years and on Hunt Oil's Eugene Island 63 for 10 years.