Charlie Lou Paysse interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-09-08.
Charlie Lou Paysse, office manager at South Atlantic & Gulf Coast District of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), recalls her mother, Emily Moses' career at the ILA, and how Charlie Lou began her career working alongside her mother. She remembers attending Labor Day parties and growing up in a union household. Paysse discusses a time when local unions were segregated and talks about how...
Harold L. Shaffer interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-09-08.
Harold Shaffer, longshoreman, shares with Betsy Peterson his experiences of working on the waterfront, his step father's influence on his life, his own tryst with politics and how Labor Day does not hold the same meaning now as it did then.
Contributor:
Peterson, Betsy - Shaffer, Harold L. - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2011
Audio Recording
Clyde Fitzgerald interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-09-09.
Clyde Fitzgerald, President of the International Longshoremen's Association, speaks about his experience working at the waterfront. He talks about the different people in a gang, how containerization came to be very important for Houston, container royalty, and how automation is slowly phasing out the workforce.
William Hausinger interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-10-21.
William Hausinger Jr. speaks about holding two jobs, one at the port and the other at the fire station. He explains how it was difficult to get a job at the port without having a connection with someone, pranks they played on new employees, and how his whole family worked at some point at the Port.
Contributor:
Peterson, Betsy - Occupational Folklife Project - Hausinger, William
Contributor:
Peterson, Betsy - Occupational Folklife Project - Hensley, James J.
Date:2011
Audio Recording
Lindberg A. Lebert interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-09-10.
Lindbergh Lebert, a pilot, remembers how he started his career on the waterfront. He talks about "Texas Chicken," and how it was a safe way for ships to meet, how he was on the committee responsible for widening of the ship channel, and how local knowledge is extremely important for a pilot.
Bobby C. Kersey interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-10-21.
Bobby Kersey talks about his career as a boatman, including mooring techniques, the process of hiring, and the evolution of communication from whistle signals to FM radio. He also discusses how even though regulations made after 9/11 have affected work, not much has changed for the boatman.
Michael W. Dickens interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-11-15.
Michael Dickens, longshoreman at the Port of Houston, tells Betsy Peterson about the camaraderie between workers on the waterfront. He talks about the gang system adopted during hiring, how he started off doing very labor intensive work and the reshuffle of seniors during the merging of the labor unions.
Alan A. Robb interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-11-15.
Alan Robb, a district representative, reminisces about work on the waterfront, being a part of the International Longshoremen's Association Union, and a career in politics. He also discusses the merging of the locals and the process leading up to the merger.
Timothy Charles Harris interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-11-16.
Timothy Charles Harris made a career for himself as a business agent and a longshoreman. He remembers watching his father work at the waterfront of the Port of Houston and being attracted to the career when he was very young. He also discusses "shape ups," and how automation and containerization have changed the industry.
Leo J. Braun interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2012-01-10.
Leo Braun, a maritime safety consultant, talks to Betsy Peterson about the sociological scenario at the waterfront when he began his career. Segregation was still prevalent. He also discusses Title 11, changes in licensing laws, and the status difference between ''ship people'' and ''tow boat people.''
Eugene Harris interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-11-15.
Eugene Harris talks to Betsy Peterson about his career as a longshoreman. He discusses the strike of 1967-68, working with rice and asbestos, and why the Houston ship channel is the best place in the world to work.
Charles R. Montgomery interview conducted by Betsy Peterson, 2011-09-07.
Charles Montgomery discusses his career on the waterfront, from longshoreman to President of the Clerks and Checkers Union. He talks about the lack of training at the waterfront, automation leading to dwindling man hours and the accepted pecking order.
Andrew L. Laws interview conducted by Pat Jasper, 2011-09-08.
Andrew Lee Laws speaks to Pat Jasper about his career on the Houston waterfront, his early days in the union, the merging of the locals, being an executive board member and the impact on the workforce during the 105-day strike.
Benny Holland interview conducted by Pat Jasper, 2011-09-09.
Benjamin Holland, Executive Vice President of the International Longshoreman's Union, talks to Pat Jasper about working his way up from a longshoreman to his present job; and discusses automation, technology replacing workers, segregation, and the pension and welfare fund.
Rivers Aristide Patout interview conducted by Pat Jasper, 2010-07-26.
Father Rivers Patout, chaplain and Catholic priest, talked to Pat Jasper about setting up the first secular Seafarers Center to provide seafarers with a better quality of life. He discusses learning about seafarer's lives on the job, cultural clashes, language barriers, and strict laws regarding stowaways. He also talks about how technology has drastically reduced ships' crew size which has contributed to a sharp...
Thomas N. Lightsey interview conducted by Pat Jasper, 2011-09-11.
Captain Tom Lightsey talked to Pat Jasper about his long career as a Houston pilot. He discusses his journey from Biloxi, Mississippi to the Northeast, his career in the Merchant Marine, and then as a pilot in Houston, Texas. His career has allowed him to see the world, learn new languages, and ascend the ranks. Talks about "incidents," working during holidays as a pilot,...
Richard W. Bludworth interview conducted by Pat Jasper, 2011-11-16.
Richard Bludworth, owner of Bludworth Marine, talks to Pat Jasper about his family's career on the ship channel. His business is fabrication, new construction, and repair of vessels. He talks about incidents where his expertise was required, how it is a largely self-taught industry, how his business is cyclical, how Hurricane Ike destroyed his business, and why Houston, Texas, is the best place for...
C. A. Rousser interview conducted by Pat Jasper, 2011-11-15.
C.A. Rousser, a real estate consultant, talks to Pat Jasper about his career on the waterfront and his journey from a farm in Amarillo to one of the most influential positions at the Port of Houston. He speaks about a few of his property deals and also talks about containerization, the Port Authority investing money to expand its international presence, and the underlying rivalry...
George Larrimer interview conducted by Anthony G. Potoczniak, 2012-08-01.
George Larrimer worked the port of Houston for almost 40 years. He started his career in the U.S. Coast Guard. In the mid-1970s he joined the Marine Fire Dept (MFD). He describes the evolution of fire fighting practices at the Port of Houston, the day-to-day operations of the MFD, the first fire and accidents at the Port of Houston, his career trajectory in the...
Contributor:
Potoczniak, Anthony - Larrimer, George - Occupational Folklife Project
Date:2012
Audio Recording
Patrick Seeba interview conducted by Anthony G. Potoczniak, 2012-07-19.
Born in 1986 in Houston, Texas, Patrick Seeba recalls how he joined the Greater Houston Port Bureau, which has developed into an important information resource for private industries within the Port of Houston. He describes how the association is transforming itself to meet more fully the needs of its members and other industries at the Port of Houston.
Contributor:
Potoczniak, Anthony - Occupational Folklife Project - Seeba, Patrick
Date:2012
Audio Recording
Doug Mims interview conducted by Anthony G. Potoczniak, 2012-09-13.
Doug Mims was born in 1960, in Vicenza, Italy. He travelled extensively in Europe while his father served in the military. After the Vietnam War, his family moved to Hitchcock, Texas, where he attended school. The interviewee describes how growing up near the water influenced his decision to work in the maritime industry, and, ultimately, at the Port of Houston. He became a pilot...
Contributor:
Potoczniak, Anthony - Occupational Folklife Project - Mims, Doug
Date:2012
Audio Recording
Gordie Keenan interview conducted by Anthony G. Potoczniak, 2012-08-29.
Gordie Keenan, Higman Marine Services, interview conducted by Anthony G. Potoczniak, 2012-08-29
Gordie Keenan was born in 1954, in Norfolk, Virginia. He was educated in Rochester, New York, and later attended the State University of New York Maritime College. He moved to Houston in 1991 and has worked for Higman Marine Services, Inc. since 2005, where he was asked to run the personnel side of the business. Keenan describes his maritime career working different roles at...
Contributor:
Keenan, Gordie - Potoczniak, Anthony - Occupational Folklife Project
