Interviewer(s): J. Christy. Morgan City, LA

Affiliation: University of Houston/History International

Alden Vining worked in the oil field for Kerr McGee, Phillips Oil and Shell Oil companies. He was born in 1936 and attended high school in Morgan City, Louisiana. Alden worked on boats, towing rigs and barges, and as a general hand during his high school years when he was off for the summers. He witnessed the conversion of LST's and shrimps boats to service the oil companies and also saw great changes in his home town of Morgan City. After high school, Alden's guidance counselor placed him with a company building concrete pilings. He then took a job as a roughneck for Phillips 66. In 1957, Alden was hired by Shell Oil. He worked as a roustabout, gauger, gang pusher, and supervisor of production maintenance at Eugene Island (Block 18).