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Short Biographies

Jack M. Proffitt

Originally from Iowa, Jack Proffitt began working for Geophysical Services, Inc. in 1947. After only two months on the job, he was transferred to Napoleonville, Louisiana. He did seismic work for GSI in the swamps and marshes before doing offshore work in the early 1950s. In the late 1960s, he remembers new technology replacing dynamite in the offshore seismic process, which resulted in safer methods of finding oil. He and his family moved around often, from Louisiana to California to Canada and finally to England, but maintains the
excitement of new environments was always enjoyable. After retiring from GSI in the late 1980s, Mr. Proffitt did private consulting work out of Lafayette for about 15 years. He currently resides in Sunset, Louisiana with his wife.

Henry Harrison

The allure of excitement and adventure drew the Arkansas-born Henry Harrison to the oil patch. After studying for two years at Louisiana State University, he took a position with Standard Oil of California and was sent to Venice, Louisiana to live and work. Standard Oil operated a company camp for employees and their families and Venice was a good location as a base for offshore work. In 1963, Mr. Harrison went to work for Signal Oil and was transferred to Lafayette. Working out of the Oil Center, he eventually moved up the corporate ladder and became a district manager. After the early 1970s, the beginnings of numerous company acquisitions within the oil industry resulted in Signal Oil selling out to Burma Oil and Gas. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Harrison left the company and started a tool rental business with some friends. The big oil bust of the early 1980s changed things once again and Mr. Harrison began consulting for private companies, a job he continued to do until his retirement in the late 1990s. He currently lives with his wife in Texas.

Huey Klienpeter

Born and raised in South Louisiana, Huey Klienpeter started working in the oil field initially onshore and in the swamps. He was a gauge reader and a roughneck and remembers the work being dangerous because of the isolation and the many snakes he had to kill on a regular basis. In the mid-1950s, Mr. Klienpeter also spent approximately one year building platforms offshore. Working 2 to 3 miles offshore within the Shell Field reef, he and the rest of the crew did the physical construction of the platform. When finished, the drilling rig was then floated out to the area and anchored to the platform. After the late 1950s, there was a downturn in oil production and Mr. Klienpeter left the industry to work in construction. He has good memories of his time in the oil patch and recalls hard work but good money.

Joseph Leblanc

Born and raised in Abbeville, Joseph Leblanc originally had no intentions of working in the oil field but the rise of the industry and the lure of good money eventually led him to begin work for Cardinal Wireline in 1962. His days were characterized by hard work and he remembers working for five days straight with no sleep on his very first shift on a production platform. Even though the work was sometimes dangerous, Mr. Leblanc recalls the most
difficult part was actually traveling to and from the platform offshore. Helicopter crashes were common and rough seas could make a boat-to-platform transfer particularly dangerous. In 1970, Mr. Leblanc went to work for Unocal. Better long-term benefits, a better schedule, and a family oriented company were the reasons he liked Unocal. He never worried about losing his job, even during the down times. Mr. Leblanc retired from Unocal in the 1990s. He has good memories of his days in the oil patch.

Morris Pyle

Born in East Texas in 1927, Morris Pyle obtained a job on a seismic crew as a young man in his mid-twenties. He received on-the-job training in seismic work in the swamps and marshes of Louisiana and eventually did work all over South Louisiana. Mr. Pyle liked to hire locals to work with the seismic crews because they were willing to work hard and knew the area well. Additionally, they knew how to walk in the swamps and marshes, never getting wet above their legs, while Texas and Oklahoma transplant workers were often up to their chests in water. Mr. Pyle remembers these local people as exceptionally friendly and hardworking. Many spoke only French, so an interpreter was often necessary to communicate. Currently, Mr. Pyle continues to work as a consultant with his son Kevin at their office in the Oil Center of Lafayette.

Tim Creswell

Born and raised in Abbeville, Louisiana, Tim Creswell began working for Union Oil Company in 1958 as an onshore dispatcher. Later, in 1963, he went to work for Unocal Oil Company in production operations. He eventually became a production foreman in the mid- 1970s and was heavily involved in safety and water survival training. Mr. Creswell was responsible for introducing water survival training to the company and even taught it to
other companies. In 1969-1970, he was involved in the first US Geological Survey inspection for compliance with environmental and safety regulations offshore. In 1991, Mr. Creswell was made Logistics Superintendent for the Louisiana Gulf Coast Region. After five years in this position, he retired in 1996. Mr. Creswell currently resides in Abbeville and spends many of his retired days fishing.

Charles DeGravelle

Born in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1912, CharlesDeGravelle received a Jurist Doctorate degree from Louisiana State University. He never practiced law, however the education was useful to him in his future work as a landman. In 1937, he was hired by Standolin Oil and Gas Company (now Amoco) in Lake Charles. Mr. DeGravelle was soon sent to the Anse la Butte area to buy leases for the company. He knew some French and had a French last
name so the company felt he could connect with the local people at Anse la Butte. In 1940, Mr. DeGravelle moved permanently to Lafayette for the company until his official retirement in 1999. During his time in Lafayette, Mr. DeGravelle watched the city grow rapidly due to the oil industry. He states that Amoco was a great company to work for and that he enjoyed his time in the oil field.

Jerry Burke

Born in 1933 and raised in Kansas, Jerry Burke entered the oil field out of personal interest. Educated at Penn State University, he took a position with Conoco Oil in 1957. He was immediately sent to Houston for extensive training before being transferred to New Orleans. From 1957 to 1964, Mr. Burke worked out of New Orleans in drilling and production, both onshore and offshore. In 1964, he was transferred to Lake Charles where he spent ten years before moving to corporate headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut. By this time, Mr. Burke was working in administration, eventually being transferred to England for a short period. At the end of his career, Mr. Burke had traveled the world, lived in many different places, and worked his way up to the upper echelon of the company. He contends that Louisiana was a trailblazer in offshore oil exploration. Mr. Burke and other Conoco employees that worked in the Gulf of Mexico were valuable as trainers to companies in other areas of offshore exploration such as the North Sea in Europe. Mr. Burke retired from Conoco in 1988 and recalls fondly his days in the oil patch.

Lewis Bernard

Born in New Iberia in 1945, Lewis Bernard entered the land title business because his father and grandfather were both landmen. He speaks French fluently and was able to communicate effectively with landowners of Cajun descent when making land deals. According to Mr. Bernard, Louisiana has unique laws concerning mineral and surface rights. These laws, while sometimes making things difficult for owners and buyers, helped to create jobs for landmen and lawyers. Mr. Bernard contends that Lafayette became the perfect location for the management offices of oil companies because of its central location and the city's willingness to host such companies. Mr. Herbert Heymann and his Oil Center idea spearheaded this effort. Mr. Bernard states that the oil and gas industry helped Louisiana, and Lafayette in particular, by creating jobs, circulating money, and assisting in the development of the University. He also feels that Louisiana contributed to the oil industry by providing hardworking, productive people. For Mr. Bernard, the oil and gas industry and the people of Louisiana benefited each other in a number of positive ways.

Rufus Marin

Born in New Iberia in 1921, Rufus Marin received a position with an abstracting company not long after he finished high school. Learning his trade on the job, Mr. Marin did abstracting work all over South Louisiana but spent the better part of 30 years working in Vermillion Parish. As an abstracter, he compiled a meticulous record of ownership for specific areas of land. Abstracters were valuable to oil companies who needed to know the details of land ownership before being able to operate on that land. Additionally, royalties had to be estimated so that everything done by the oil company was legal. Mr. Marin enjoyed his work as an abstracter. He said he was always busy, even during the 'bust' of the 1980s. Unfortunately, many abstracters experienced a lack of work in the 1990s due to the general decline of land-based speculation. Now retired and still living in New Iberia, Mr. Marin fondly recalls his days as an abstracter and feels that the oil and gas industry was the driving force behind the development of South Louisiana's economy.

WD Frazell

Born in Reisel, Texas, WD Frazell went to college at the insistence of his parents that he get an education. After receiving his master's degree in geology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1935, Mr. Frazell went to work immediately for Union Producing Company. The company sent him to Shreveport, Louisiana to work as an oil scout. As an oil scout, Mr. Frazell kept his company aware of what other oil companies were doing in the area. After spending a few years in the Navy during the war, Mr. Frazell took a position with WWF Oil Company. In 1955, due to increased activity in South Louisiana, he transferred to Lafayette and set up an office in the Oil Center. Mr. Frazell did geological work for WWF Oil for many years, recently retiring from the company. He now does private consulting work from his office in the Heymann Oil Center. Mr. Frazell has many good things to say about the oil and gas industry and how the industry helped Louisiana