Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaAfter KATC 3 news aired a story about the Lafayette Oil and Gas History project, the research team received many calls and emails from people wanting to be interviewed. One email came from Tyrelle Daly. She worked for ExxonMobil from 1978 until 2004. Interested in her story, the research team setup a time on July 14th to interview Tyrelle at the Petroleum Club. Tyrelle is from Glenmora, Louisiana but was living in Lafayette at the time of the...

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaAfter the KATC 3 news story aired on television on June 30, 2015 I immediately received phone calls and emails from people wanting to participate in the oral history project. The first call was from Aaron Matthew David. He briefly told me about his experience in the oil and gas industry and voiced his excitement about our project. We agreed to meet at the ULL student union on July 9th.Aaron Matthew David was born in Lafayette and grew...

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaIn order to get a wider perspective of the oil and gas industry in Lafayette, the research team decided it would be important to interview community leaders, in addition to oilfield workers. The team reached out to several government officials including Joey Durel, the Lafayette City Mayor and Parish President. We called his office and explained the oral history project to his secretary, Becky Perez. Becky helped us schedule an interview with Mr....

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Affiliation: University of Arizona

The general manager of the Petroleum Club recommended that we interview Bronc Foreman. He called Mr. Foreman and set up the interview at the Petroleum Club.

Mr. Foreman was in his 90s at the time of the interview and had decades of experience in the oil and gas industry. In his career he owned four land rigs and contracted them out to oil companies for drilling. He sold his last rig in 2013.

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaAfter hearing about the oil and gas history project from the news, Robert Gerard contacted the research team and shared that he would be interested in doing an interview. He also knew Steve Hebert, who had done an interview with us and encouraged Robert to contact us. Robert agreed to meet for an interview at the Petroleum Club on July 20th. He brought some pictures, company newsletters, and timesheets to share with the team.Robert is...

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaHaving heard from many interviewees about LaFonda’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant that has been in Lafayette since 1957 and is famous as a gathering place for people in the oil business, Laura stopped by to find someone to speak with about the oil and gas industry and its effects on Lafayette. Ronnie Gillock was the assistant manager at the time and had worked at LaFonda’s since 1965. He was interested in an interview and shared a book on the history of...

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Affiliation: University of Arizona

Morgan Lundy met Dolores Hawkins at a Desk and Derrick meeting. She was interested in an interview, and scheduled an interview with Laura Loewer at the Petroleum Club.

Dolores Hawkins is from Louisiana but also lived in several other states. In July of 1981, she and her husband moved to Lafayette. Dolores got a job working for Philips Petroleum in July of 1981 as a clerk and retired as a senior administrative assistant in 2000.

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaAfter the news piece about the oil and gas history project that aired on KATC 3, I received many calls and emails from people wanting to be interviewed. One of those calls came from Dan Hebert. We scheduled the interview for 9:00am at the Petroleum Club on July 8th. Dan brought his laptop to show me pictures he had collected over the years.Dan Hebert began in the oil and gas industry at age 17, working in a wide variety of positions...

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaLillian Espinoza-Gala recommended we interview Edmond Hebert. She met him through the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Edmond was set to leave to Saudi Arabia for work, so I quickly contacted him and set up an interview before he left. We conducted the interview on July 21st at the Petroleum Club.Edmond Hebert is from Carencro, LA and began in the oil and gas industry in 1996. He started out in filtration and then worked in fluid...

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaWhile I was working in Lafayette, Lillian Espinoza-Gala took me to two Desk and Derrick meetings as a way to meet people in the industry and find potential interviewees. At the second meeting I attended, Lillian and I sat at a table with several women who used to work in administrative positions at different service companies. I got the contact information for two of the ladies to schedule interviews. One of those ladies was Jocelyn Hebert. I...

Scope and Contents Affiliation: University of ArizonaSteve Hebert found out about the offshore history project through the June 13, 2015 article in the Daily Advertiser and contacted the research team. We scheduled the interview to take place at the Petroleum Club in Lafayette, Louisiana.Steve Hebert began working in the oil industry in 1972. He retired in 2007 after he developed a health issue and decided it was time to leave. At the time of the interview, Steve was living with his...

Scope and Contents Interviewer: Victoria PhaneufAffiliation: University of ArizonaI met Dr. McIlwain at his office at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL). We had spoken on the phone but never met in person. I had first introduced myself and the study some weeks before, and he mentioned he had been giving it some thought before the interview.He has been a resident of Ocean Springs, Mississippi since 1966. He grew up in Pascagoula, living behind Ingalls where his father...

Scope and Contents Interviewer: Preetam PrakashAffiliation: University of ArizonaJohnny McKinsey, who lived in the far southwestern corner of MS, had originally been referred to Preetam by Walter Heathcock who had been previously interviewed for the study. Mr. McKinsey had acted as a mentor of sorts for Walter when the latter first entered the offshore oil industry in the 1970s, and Walter credited Mr. McKinsey with imparting to him much of the basic knowledge which enabled him to stay...

Scope and Contents Interviewer: Victoria PhaneufAffiliation: University of ArizonaI had met Thomas Owen at the Jazz Club some months ago. Sometime after that we met at the bar at the La Font Inn and I told him about the study in more detail and he agreed to participate. He's a shorter man, balding, with gray hair sometimes covered by a baseball cap. I see him most often in a black leather bomber jacket and often run into him at the Jazz Club. The interview was conducted at his house in...

Scope and Contents Interviewer: Victoria PhaneufAffiliation: University of ArizonaI had met Mr. and Mrs. McRoy earlier in the spring at the Historical Society booth at the Blessing of the Fleet. We made arrangements to meet at the historical society museum for an oral history interview. They were just pulling up when I arrived, they're both older, slight, with gray hair. The historical society museum is a historic house just outside of town. It's set back a little from the road, with...