Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. New Iberia, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI was referred to David Jefferson by Rose and Chuck Joseph. David was one of the first blacks hired to work offshore, and he had a very successful career with Texaco. After several attempts to coordinate our schedules, we arranged for an interview on January 7. David's wife was sick in bed with the flu at the time, and during the interview he commented that he, too, had the flu. He was...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): R. Higgins. Morgan City, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaJimmy Jett was born in Morgan City, Louisiana in 1924; he attended grammar school there and before high school, his parents moved to Greenville, Mississippi. After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy, and was on a submarine in Pearl Harbor. He completed two semesters at the University of Kansas while in the Navy and then was discharged in 1946. He moved back to Morgan City and got a job at...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): J. Christy. Morgan City, LAAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalClyde Johnston was born in Norplet, Arkansas and his father worked for Texaco for 48 years. The Texas Company transferred Mr. Johnston's father to New Iberia, Louisiana. Mr. Johnston grew up in that area and got a degree in business administration from Southern Louisiana Institute in Lafayette (now ULL). He worked for Bethlehem Supply Company in Morgan City and south...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Lois Boutte; Diane Austin. New Iberia, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaRose and Warren "Chuck" Joseph had participated in the 1998-1999 study of the impacts of the offshore oil and gas industry on individuals and families in New Iberia and Morgan City. I called Rose in July to tell her about the history study, and she had me call Chuck at his job at the funeral home. He was interested in participating in the study, and we arranged for me to stop by...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz; David DiTucci. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteBorn in 1929 in Weslaco, Texas, Mr. Kenneth Kaigler went into the military service after he graduated high school in 1946. He then went to Texas A&M University, where he graduated with a degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering in 1952. During the last two years of college, he roughnecked for Humble Oil and Refining. Upon graduating he went to work in...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteAltha Lee Kennedy is a life-long resident of Lafayette and is the sister of J. C. Chargois. She was born in 1915 and began working for Sun Oil in 1942 as a stenographer. She worked for them, making her way up to personal secretary, until she retired in 1970, when Sun Oil merged with Sunray DX. Throughout the interview she stresses that Sun Oil was family oriented when she worked...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): J. P. Theriot. Houston, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalCraig King was born and raised on the Texas City Ship Channel, where his father worked as a welder at a refinery. He graduated from the Texas A&M Merchant Marine Academy in Galveston in 2000 and went to work in the industry. He has traveled to most of the ports in the US and worked on a dredge boat in the Chesapeake Bay before coming back to Houston to work for...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Morgan City, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met Earl King, Jr. during the family study in 1999. He was very open and willing to talk about the alliances that were being formed at the time and how they were affecting the trucking business. When I called Earl about participating in this study, he was pleased and said he would be glad to help. I arrived to find him in his office, and we sat near the receptionist's area to talk....

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz; David DiTucci. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteHuey Kleinpeter was born in 1924 and grew up down on the bayou, six miles out of Plaquemine. His father rambled out West in the oilfields a bit, before serving during World War One, and then making a career as a river pilot. Starting in high school, he worked summers on boats (e.g., towing timber in the Atchafalaya swamp) to buy school clothing. His two older...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. New Iberia, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaLee Kleinpeter's daughter-in-law was one of the researchers in the family impact study we did in New Iberia in 1999, and Lee was interviewed during that study. He was very willing to be interviewed again. I met him at his office at Cajun Wireline Services in New Iberia. He then asked to do a videotape interview of his company and the wireline equipment. His nephews played a major role in the...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteIn 1906, Gloria Knox was born in north Louisiana (Coushatta) to a family of teachers; her father sold Singer sewing machines and her mother was a teacher. When she graduated from Shreveport High School at the age of 16 she went to business school. After which she was hired as the first women for The Texas Company. She met and married her husband in the company; her husband was...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Diane Austin; Betsy Plumb. New Orleans, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaMr. Alden "Doc" Laborde is the founder of ODECO. He also served in WWII, so he was interviewed for the study of the connections between WWII and the offshore oil and gas industry. I contacted Doc at his office, and he agreed to be interviewed. Betsy Plumb of the National D-Day Museum and I met him at his office for the interview.Alden "Doc" Laborde was born near...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. Priest. New Orleans, LAAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalJohn Laborde, brother of Alden "Doc" Laborde, founder of ODECO, was the long-time president and CEO of Tidewater, Inc., the undisputed worldwide leader of the workboat business. Born and raised in Marksville, LA, LaBorde served in the Army Infantry in the South Pacific during World War II. He returned to LSU after the war and worked as a Lawyer for Richardson and Bass...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz. Lafayette, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at LafayetteAlfred Lambson was born in Lawtell, Louisiana, in 1917. His father was born in Massachusetts and raised in Chicago; his father moved to the area in about 1910 when he got a 40-acre piece of property in a lottery; his father later worked for the Federal Land Bank. After a year at Western Illinois University, he came back to Opelousas in 1936 to be a secretary for his father in order...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. Priest. Cold Spring, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalJim Lampton graduated from LSU with a degree in geology and joined Shell in 1951. He had worked part time while in school in a lab, and Shell hired him as a paleontologist. After the 1962 federal sale, Lampton moved to research. Later in his career he spent time in Michigan, South and Central America and Indonesia. He finally retired in 1981 after 30 years of...