Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Andrew Gardner; Diane Austin. Baldwin, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaRoy Parr was referred to Andrew by Adam Welcome. Roy spent his entire career in the oil field and was eager to participate in the study to make sure we got the story straight. Andrew interviewed him in June 2001, and Diane returned in February 2003 to talk about a set of photos of old steam rigs that Cecil Broussard (DA079p) had donated to the project.Roy Parr was...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): C. Cummings. New Iberia, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaThis was very much a "couples" interview. Mr. Rene Patout and his wife, Violet, are a wonderful source for exploring the oil industry and its effects on the family. The couple raised seven children, several of whom have been, or are currently employed in the industry. The fact that the Patouts were neighbors of mine put the interview on a personal level.Mr. Patout is a native...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Algiers, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI first met Mr. Jan Pedersen at the Chevron retirees' lunch I attended on a previous trip to Gretna, where I was the guest of Bill DeCells. Mr. Pedersen was busy during that trip, but he agreed to talk with me on subsequent visits. The morning after the lunch, he dropped off a couple of articles at my motel, one of which was the text of the speech he gave to the 50th anniversary meeting of the...

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Interviewer(s): J. Pratt. Houston, TX

Affiliation: University of Houston/History International

Bill Petersen graduated from California polytechnic in 1959 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. He joined Shell that same year. He was assigned to the Marine Division in California and went to work developing tools to use in subsea production. He had input in the MO system, RUDAC and MTG systems.

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin. Grand Bayou, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaMyrtle Phillips learned about the history study during a festival in Plaquemines Parish and agreed to be contacted to participate. Grand Bayou can only be reached by boat, so when I called her we arranged to meet at the boat landing. The morning of our meeting, however, it was raining very hard. We decided to meet at the Bayou Kitchen Café to talk. We started out in the café but then moved...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): A. Anand. Montegut, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI was referred to Mr. Elce Pinell by Mr. Ferrel Chauvin, with whom he'd worked on a rig for on the same crew for over a decade. He was a bit reserved throughout the interview, though he warmed up a little bit toward the end. We conducted the interview at their dining table.Mr. Elce Pinell was born in 1928 and left school in 1943 when his father died. After odd jobs and two years in...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): J. Piekielek. Cut Off, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met Amy Pitre through her neighbor, Joycelyn Renois. Diane had scheduled an interview with Joycelyn and had explained her interest in interviewing women, both workers and wives of workers. Joycelyn said that she thought we would be interested in talking with her neighbor across the street, as both a woman working offshore and as the wife of someone in the oil industry.Amy Pitre...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): D. Austin; T. McGuire. Cut Off, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI have known Loulan and his wife, Emelia, since 1996 when Tom and I were first in southern Louisiana on the baseline study for the MMS. Loulan, Emelia, and I hit it off in our first meeting, and we have stayed in touch since then. Both are astute observers of local life as well as generally interesting characters. I try to visit when I am in Lafourche. Loulan is an avid reader and...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Boothville, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaBud Latham suggested I talk with Mr. Sam Pizzolato, long-time resident of the Boothville/Venice area, and currently in his last few months of his second term as councilman for District 9. As a second-termer, he can't run again, but he plans to run for justice of the peace. He, like others, complained that insurance is putting boat people out of business. He had some interesting observations...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): T. McGuire. Golden Meadow, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaThe interview, set up by Melvin Bernard, took place in Mr. Plaisance's home; he was tracking the stock prices on the TV while we talked. Some of the discussion was around the institution of well spacing regulations by the state. He also talked briefly about the deal Huey Long cut with Texaco to lease Louisiana Land & Exploration land, so as to stop Standard Oil of California from...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): A. Gardner. Houma, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met Russell Poiencot through my presentation to the Morgan City/Houma group of the Shell Retirees' Group. He is the president of the group and was the host of the meeting. Afterwards, I made arrangements to meet him in Houma for an interview. He provides descriptions of his work, the regulatory environment in which he worked, the kind of laborers Shell employed, and so on. Like many of his...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Lauren Penney; Joanna Stone; Colleen O'Donnell. Morgan City, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaInez's husband, John Henry Poncio, was a POW in Japan and with the help of his niece wrote a book about his experiences (Girocho: A GI's Story of Bataan and Beyond). He died in 1998, but Inez is still recognized locally in Morgan City in part because of the success of this book and is often invited to the high school to talk with students. This interview...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Tyler Priest; Sam Morton. Houston, TXAffiliation: University of Houston/History InternationalMr. Frank Poorman graduated in 1949 with his masters degree in Mechanical Engineering and began working for Shell full time that same year. His first assignment after training came in 1950 to the Tulsa area and later served in Texas and Louisiana. In 1958 he transferred to the Bellaire research lab and worked on various well completion tools for offshore. In...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): S. Wiltz and D. DiTucci. Sunset, LAAffiliation: University of Louisiana at Lafayette[Note: Mr. Proffitt's wife also contributed to the interview, especially when talking about moving.]Born in 1926 in Iowa, Jack Proffitt was the son of a machinist. He graduated high school in Ottumwa in 1943 and enlisted in the Navy (V-12 Program). While in the Navy he attended Iowa State College, where he received a degree in electrical engineering in 1946....

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): J. Sell. Houma, LAAffiliation: University of ArizonaWerlien Prosperie is a Cajun musician and oil field worker who now owns the Jolly Inn on Barrow Street in Houma, which is a deliberate revival of a Cajun bar and dancehall of the 1950s/60s. I knew he had been collecting oil field photos to put on the wall of his establishment (he borrowed one from Ed Henry, who asked me to remind him about it if I saw him). I was also aware of his music interests so...