Interviewer: Jacob Campbell

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Mr. Golden was referred by David Smith; Mr. Golden was Smitty’s boss at Bay Drilling for many years. Smitty spoke about Mr. Golden in reverent terms, noting that he was a tough boss, that he had invented the Kelly Spinner, an important tool, and that I would be lucky if he would talk to me. Mr. Golden agreed to meet with me at his home, after some persistence on my part. He has had health problems and has rarely left his house in several years. Reticent at first, Mr. Golden opened up through this interview, sharing much from his fascinating life story, and commenting on the changes that took place in the oilfield through his career. He asked me to shut off the recorder at one point to make a comment; the second file finishes up the interview.

Mr. Golden was born in 1927, in Robeline LA. His father was a rambler, taking his family across the country as he gambled and worked odd oilfield jobs. Mr. Golden went into the Navy after high school, and was heading to Japan during WWII when the atomic bombs were dropped. Back in the States, he took a job in California with Butler Manufacturing, then worked as a roughneck for several companies back on the Gulf coast. He said he never liked the marshy coast, but was driven to it by the “ghost of starvation”, and stayed because the money was good. He began with Bay Drilling in 1957 as a driller, one of the company’s first hires. Mr. Golden spent the rest of his career as a driller and drilling superintendent for Bay, bought by Texaco, retiring in 1989. In the late 60s, he invented the Kelly Spinner, a tool to quicken pipe connections that is used all over the world today.