Interviewer: Laura Ek

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Referred to Frank Harrison by several previous interviewees as an important person to speak with on the history of Lafayette, I called Mr. Harrison and set up a meeting. We met at his office at Optimistic Oil.

Mr. Frank Harrison was born in 1926 in Michigan. He served in World War II, and then in 1950, Mr. Harrison moved to New Orleans. He then went to Baton Rouge to attend LSU, where in 1951 he began studying geology. His original intent was to study petroleum engineering, but the excitement of geology as a way to “use the imagination and be more liberal in thinking, and less worried about numbers” motivated the transition. At some point, he got his doctorates from ULL In 1956, and he moved to Lafayette, what he describes then as: “A boom town for oil and gas” due to Maurice Heymann’s foresight to create an oil center. He then opened his own business. Mr. Harrison’s company, Optimistic Oil, has been operating in Southern Louisiana since 1960 or so. He retired officially in the mid-late 1990s, but at 84 is still running his business and employing about 6-10 people at any given time. In 1981, he became the president of the American Association of Geologists, traveling extensively around the world. He also served as president of United Way in 1984 and 1983, and is still active with them today. His son owns a drilling company, which began in New Orleans with Amoco in 1992. After moving their center to Houston from which to base their offshore operation in the Gulf of Mexico, he has apparently been successful ever since.

He discusses the company profiles in Lafayette and development of the oil center. He also touches upon recent events and effects on the Lafayette and oil community since the moratorium in August, and the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in April of 2010. He talks about the development of offshore and deepwater drilling in the Lafayette, Morgan City, and Houma communities from his perspective of the 1950s-onwards. He sees Lafayette becoming more of a commercial center with less reliance on oil, but at the same time discusses how Lafayette is a key player in the industry in terms of workforce, education, and skill. He is an influential member in both the industry and the community of Lafayette, and describes his role in both communities over the years.