Rise of the Cajun Mariners: The Race for Big Oil
Rise of the Cajun Mariners carries the reader into the unique, previously unexplored realm of the old wild and wooly oilfield boat business. This international industry was born in Louisiana's bayou country and pioneered by Cajuns. The book follows four of these French-speaking trailblazers as they scrape to buy and build their first boats and struggle toward success, but this is about more than an inspirational pursuit of the American dream. It's a candid account of a colorful time in a vital business.
The story evolves from the awkward launch of the inland marine oilfield in the late 1930s and early 1940s, through the alternating boom and doom years of the 1950s and 1960s, up into the roaring 1970s, down into the 1980s' bust and back up toward a more realistic present.
As the boatmen race against the competition and time, many of them take a global journey. In the 1960s, Nolty Theriot helps bring the oilfield to the virgin, turbulent waters of the North Sea, setting the stage for an unforgettable culture clash between the Cajuns and the Europeans. In the 1970s, Bobby Orgeron sails his supply boats into Central America and discovers a land full of rich tropical opportunity and zany banana backwardness. As Bobby, Nolty, and the others navigate from Nicaragua to Norway, from Colombia to California, and from Africa to the Arctic Circle, they spread their Cajun ingenuity across the globe.
But before the Cajuns carry the oilfield into the Persian Gulf and the East China Sea, they launch their careers on Bayou Lafourche, where the book begins in the late 1930s.
In sum, Rise of the Cajun Mariners is a fast-paced tale about the rapid evolution of a worldwide industry, the modernization of a culture and the deliverance of four fascinating families.
| Instructor | Woody Falgoux, J.D. |
|---|---|
| Location | Tritico Theatre, Shearman Fine Arts Annex |
| Dates | Monday November 16th |
| Time | 3:00 - 4:00 PM |
| Price | Complementary |
About the Author:
Woody Falgoux grew up in Louisiana’s bayou country. Some of his earliest memories are of watching workboats glide down Bayou Lafourche. Their tall cabs and regal, graceful motion reminded him of chariots. Their personalized names spoke of an intriguing history. He would pass by the boat owners’ mansions and hear bits of their improbable stories. Even as a kid, he was always curious about how they achieved their success.
His boyhood curiosity only increased as the years passed. While fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, he would watch these massive boats plow through the waves. Working one summer at a Grand Isle shrimp shed, he’d stare in awe at the workboats, larger than clouds, coasting down Bayou Rigaud.
After graduating from high school in 1988, he entered the University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked in Columbia, Missouri as a reporter, videographer and anchor for KOMU-TV, an NBC affiliate, and as a radio producer, reporter and anchor for KBIA-FM, an NPR affiliate. After graduation from Journalism School in December 1991, he returned home to the bayou and covered the outdoors as a freelance writer for Louisiana Sportsman, Louisiana Game & Fish and the Houma Daily Courier.
After graduating from LSU Law School in 1995, he became in-house counsel at Bollinger Shipyards before joining a maritime firm in New Orleans. During most of his two years there he took statements and depositions from oilfield rig hands and workboat captains. He also inspected jack-up rigs, tugs, barges and other vessels.
Woody then began a solo practice in suburban Metairie and in 1999, moved his practice back home to Thibodaux.
In 2000, he wrote his first book, One Dream: The NFL (Sleeping Bear Press, 2001), a narrative nonfiction of 10 long shots’ attempt to make the New Orleans Saints. After One Dream’s release, the author made numerous media appearances and speaking engagements (as listed at www.woodyfalgoux.com). One Dream attracted positive reviews appearing in newspapers from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to the Seattle Times. The author has appeared nationally on ESPN radio and on regional radio from Florida to Iowa to Texas.
Woody Falgoux grew up in Louisiana’s bayou country. Some of his earliest memories are of watching workboats glide down Bayou Lafourche. Their tall cabs and regal, graceful motion reminded him of chariots. Their personalized names spoke of an intriguing history. He would pass by the boat owners’ mansions and hear bits of their improbable stories. Even as a kid, he was always curious about how they achieved their success.
His boyhood curiosity only increased as the years passed. While fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, he would watch these massive boats plow through the waves. Working one summer at a Grand Isle shrimp shed, he’d stare in awe at the workboats, larger than clouds, coasting down Bayou Rigaud.
After graduating from high school in 1988, he entered the University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked in Columbia, Missouri as a reporter, videographer and anchor for KOMU-TV, an NBC affiliate, and as a radio producer, reporter and anchor for KBIA-FM, an NPR affiliate. After graduation from Journalism School in December 1991, he returned home to the bayou and covered the outdoors as a freelance writer for Louisiana Sportsman, Louisiana Game & Fish and the Houma Daily Courier.
After graduating from LSU Law School in 1995, he became in-house counsel at Bollinger Shipyards before joining a maritime firm in New Orleans. During most of his two years there he took statements and depositions from oilfield rig hands and workboat captains. He also inspected jack-up rigs, tugs, barges and other vessels.
Woody then began a solo practice in suburban Metairie and in 1999, moved his practice back home to Thibodaux.
In 2000, he wrote his first book, One Dream: The NFL (Sleeping Bear Press, 2001), a narrative nonfiction of 10 long shots’ attempt to make the New Orleans Saints. After One Dream’s release, the author made numerous media appearances and speaking engagements (as listed at www.woodyfalgoux.com). One Dream attracted positive reviews appearing in newspapers from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to the Seattle Times. The author has appeared nationally on ESPN radio and on regional radio from Florida to Iowa to Texas.
He now lives about 100 yards from the banks of Bayou Lafourche with his wife Susie and young daughters Gracie and Celeste.
To register, please call (337) 475-5616
Please make checks payable to: McNeese Foundation
Mail to SAGE, Box 92375, Lake Charles, LA 70609