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day before. He advised me to call on Charles and apologize for what I said. Wick added that, if I did not do this, when I applied for another job my new employer could receive a mighty damaging letter from Park-Rite. I got the message went over to Toche's office and apologized. Toche offered me his hand and a check for a half a month's pay. When I walked out on Main Street I met another former employee of Park-Rite, who told me that a company named Schlumberger needed a man if I could qualify. I looked them up in the telephone directory and phoned their personnel mananger who granted me an interview. I then walked about six blocks to their building and filled out an application for the job. When I got home, I told Fran I thought I had a job with Schlumberger Well Surveying Corporation, an oil field service firm.
Next morning about 8:30, a representative of Schlumberger called to see if I could leave that evening for Lake Charles, reporting for work the next morning. I answered yes, and thanked the gentleman. I got in touch with my friend LeRoy Hunter and asked if he would drive me to the Southern Pacific Terminal that evening. It was mighty hard to leave Fran and Bobby but I knew it would only be until I could find an apartment in Lake Charles before we'd be together again.
I reported to the chief engineer, Allegret, next morning and he turned me over to Scottie Gaines, first helper on one of the ten-ton survey trucks. Scottie was a real nice fellow and it didn't take him long to teach me how to handle the electronic equipment used in locating oil sands. Before the week was out I had assisted in a number of surveys and had found time to rent a very nice apartment for a reasonable fee. I also had my wife and son! We were very happy in Lake Charles. Fran knew several former New Orleanians living there. In Houston, Fran had had a weekly program on KPRC and had been chosen by their radio audience to represent our city at the Texas Centennial in Dallas. She was honored with a fifteen-minute program on a national hookup. Many music lovers in Lake Charles had heard her lovely lyric soprano voice over KPRC and also the national hookup at Dallas.
My new job was another challenge to me and the salary enabled us to enjoy more of the things we were accustomed to before the
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Depression. Fran and I wanted a little girl, God willing, and now that we felt secure financially, there was no reason to delay. On the fourth day of October, 1938, two, not one, beautiful, perfect, little girls arrived! Identical twins! I was not allowed in the delivery room but when one of the nurses came out, I caught the door before it latched closed and went in. The doctor did not ask me to leave, he even allowed me to assist a nurse clean up the babies. Before Fran left for the recovery room, I held one of our little girls up and said, "Honey, you've given us two little girls." She said, "I don't believe it." So I then asked a nurse to hold the other one up so she cquld see for herself.
One of our fringe benefits was a gift of fifty dollars when a child was born in an employee's family. Schlumberger was fair enough to double it when the twins were born. We called our mothers who found it difficult to believe that we were the proud parents of twin daughters. It was not long before they came to see for sure. Bobby was not happy about the lack of attention he now received. In fact, one day during a visit of the pediatrician, the doctor said, "Bobby, aren't you going to thank me for your little sisters?" Bobby looked up at the doctor and calmly replied, "My mama will thank you!"
My youngest brother Harry finished high school at Gulfport in 1938 and came to stay awhile with us. He was a great help to Fran with the twins and Bobby. He even managed to work and earn a few dollars that summer. I tried to tell him about the advantages of a college education while he was with us and one day I asked him if he had decided to further his education. Much to my surprise he informed me that he had decided to attend Louisiana State University and study for a degree in petroleum engineering. Four years later he graduated from LSU.
My good friend LeRoy Hunter had been with Joseph F. Meyer for more than ten years and was earning one hundred and ten dollars per month, so when an opening occurred in Lake Charles, I recommended him to my boss, Allegret, and he became an employee of Schlumberger. After making a fine record in the Navy during WWII, LeRoy came back to Schlumberger and continued his successful career as marine superintendent until retirement. He lives now near Houma, Louisiana with his fine wife and children.
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