Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): James Sell; Diane Austin. Houma, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met Merian Henry at Southdown Museum, where she volunteers. She recommended that I talk to her husband, Ed, as a person who spent his career working for Texaco. Ed has a strong interest in Cajun and family history, and is active in the local veterans group. He also recommended a number of other people to interview. Diane returned for a second interview in 2005. The interview was...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): J. Piekielek. Houma, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaJim Sell had interviewed Ed Henry on an earlier trip to Houma and suggested that I get in touch with Merian to see if she might be willing to do an interview as well. I called the Henrys and after clarifying that I wanted to talk with Merian, she agreed to do an interview. They have a home in Summerfield, on the west side of Houma, in a quiet neighborhood. Although I had explained to Merian...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): A. Gardner. New Iberia, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaCliff Hernandez was referred to me by Jimmy Hebert. I met him at his house just outside of New Iberia. His wife Emily was there as well, and after the interview we ate lunch. They are a great couple, and Cliff is a great storyteller. He worked for Shell most of his life, and he has a brother up in White Castle who did much the same. There are some great quotes here about a guy advancing by...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Port Sulphur, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaBurt Turlich's neighbor, Paul Hingle, came over to borrow a ladder from Burt during an interview for the history project (see TM030). Paul mentioned that he had worked for Phillips for 20 years, and agreed to be interviewed the next day. The interview, and subsequent talk after the tape ended, contains very frank observation of working for a company undergoing the downsizing process - Paul...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. Priest. Navasota, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalMr. Robert Hirsch went to Texas College of Mines at Texas Western (later University of Texas at El Paso), and briefly worked for Magnolia in 1953. He went back to school and graduated with degrees in physics and geology. He worked for Mobil on seismic crews and geophysical research in his early career. Later, he worked in various capacities throughout Mobil including...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Bayou Vista, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met Fannie Hobbs at the Morgan City Archives when I was reviewing back issues of the Morgan City Review. As I talked with Fannie about the offshore history study, she informed me that she had worked for several oilfield companies. I asked her if she would be willing to be interviewed, and she consented. I met her at her home for the interview.Fannie Hobbs was originally from...

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Interviewer(s): J. P. Theriot. Houston, TX

Affiliation: University of Houston/History International

Herb Holdridge grew up in Galveston, Texas, where his father worked at Todd's Shipyard. Herb joined the Navy V-12 program at University of Texas during World War II and majored in chemical engineering. He started at Amoco in Texas City in 1949 and worked in R&D for 10 years before moving into personnel. He retired from the refinery business in the 1980s.

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. Priest. Houston, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalDavid Scott Holland, Sr. was a geologist for Pennzoil Oil. Mr. Holland was born in 1931 in Arkansas. He attended school in Abilene, TX. He joined the Air Force and served in the Korean War. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1957 with a degree in geology. He worked for the Ohio Company/Marathon for ten years before he joined Pennzoil in 1967. In 1968, he...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. Priest. Houston, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalBob Howard graduated from Rice in 1959 with a degree in Mechanical engineering. He began working for Shell that same year. In 1963 he became a facilities engineer in New Orleans for the Delta Division. He continued working for that position until 1971 when he became off shore production division manager. In 1973 he worked in the pinnacle reef play in Michigan. He then was...

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Interviewer(s): T. Priest. New Orleans, LA

Affiliation: University of Houston/History International

Mr. B.B. Hughson graduated from UC-Berkeley and joined Shell Oil in 1942 as an assistant seismologist. He worked as a seismologist and geophysicist in Shell's New Orleans area, running the marine geophysics group in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He worked in various Louisiana divisions, but mostly in the marine group, until he retired in 1985.

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): J. P. Theriot. Galveston, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalSteve Huttman spent 22 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving various capacities in maritime security and rescue. He moved to Houston in 1998 and began at G&H Towing as a mate on a harbor tug. He is currently the Port Captain for G&H Towing, a harbor tug business that operations a feet of 28 harbor tugs from Corpus Christi to Freeport and the Houston/Galvston...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Schriever, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI was referred to Tom Hynson by Willie Brown. Tom and Willie dove together for many years; Tom told me that Willie was one of the best divers in the business. Tom, too, had a long and successful diving career. When I called, he was happy to set up an interview, and we ended up spending an entire morning talking about his work and then looking at photos. We selected some of the photos to scan and...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): E. Bernier. Houma, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met H.L. Jackson at the Exxon retirees luncheon with Andrew Gardner. After our talk he was one of the first ones to come up and ask to be interviewed. He said he'd been involved in the oil field for a long time and had a lot of stories to tell. He and his wife Shirley both talk a lot about what it was like to live in the camps for so long in such a little town. Their descriptions of community...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): A. Gardner. Berwick, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaPierre Jackson is an African-American male in his early 60's. He was recommended to me by his former boss at Texaco, Bill Williams. In the years prior to the possibility of Blacks working in the oil fields, Pierre was a shoe-shiner at a local barber shop. He was well known by many around town, and when the time came for Texaco to start hiring Blacks, they brought him in. He wasn't willing to...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteMr. Jesse des Jacques was born in 1934 in south Louisiana. His father was a truck driver. He joined the Navy in 1954 and when he got out in 1959, he went to work for Halliburton. He started out as a cook and then took a job as a marine service operator (MSO). He worked for Halliburton for 26 years before taking an early retirement in 1986. In all his working years, he never had a...