| Description | Tape 1 Side A CHARLES FRANCIS ELLIS born 08 June 1925 Okra, Eastland County, Texas. Grandparents on both sides farmers. Father was cable tool driller on oil rigs. Lived in oil towns in West Texas. Mother a teacher. Recalls move to Longview, Texas after East Texas oilfield boom 1932. Recalls maternal (Holbrook) grandparents, industrious people, 9 children, all had college degrees, oldest became Dean of Texas Senate. Details re paternal family. Has younger sister. Details re family names. Father later in hotel business. Mother taught school. Describes parents. Close family. Importance of religion, Church of Christ. Was deacon in church. Recalls childhood homes, schools including Eastland High School. Parents not much involved in community. Everyone in Texas was Democrat. Situation now. Own politics conservative. Details re school years, involvement in scholastics, sport, music etc. Reference to Who's Who. Career aspirations, background to decision to join oil industry. Recalls mother's encouragement in academic area. Went to University of Texas, specialised in petroleum engineering. Drafted in Army 1944 2 years, rose to lieutenant. Mentions overseas postings. 1946-9 in college. Marriage 1949. Recalls influence uncle, Dean of Texas Senate. MARY JO ELLIS nee FAULKNER born 26 July 1927 Mexia, Texas. Has older sister. Father worked as pumper in oil industry. Mother big influence. Has degree in psychology, worked in psychiatric research. Recalls maternal grandfather, paternal grandparents, their home, picking cotton. Family were members of First Christian Church, played piano at church. Still plays. Not much sport at school. Social life at home. Father's work routine. Describes parents. Background to study of psychology. Recalls meeting husband at college. Comments on Texas as home.
Tape 1 Side B MJE: Comments on traditional image of Texans. CE: Offered job by Conoco 1949. Details. Mentions difficulty then getting work. Reference to previous vacation work as roustabout, test engineer. Recalls learning to be safe, careful. Not many accidents then. Entered Conoco training programme. Details re moves, jobs. Birth of first child. 1950 first assignment in West Texas, lived in company camp in middle of nowhere. Describes. MJE: Recalls life in camp, going for supplies, friends, housing. Company took care of camp. Little social life apart from friends in camp. CE: Details re work as Area Engineer, drilling work, remedial work, planning etc. Explains company hierarchy. Describes problems dealt with, remedies, e.g. water injection quality. Procedure for dealing with plugged-up well, use of work-over rig. Details re creation of salt-dome cavern for storage of propane, size of cavern, depth underground. 1953 promoted District Engineer, West Texas. Details re responsibilities. 1956 Division Engineer, Wichita Kansas. Worked in production with geologists etc. Mentions State laws re need for continuing production of wells. Pressure to keep production up through secondary recovery. Details. Most competition in exploration area, acquisition of acreage. Leases kept as long as production continued. Describes culture of Conoco, esprit de corps, communication between groups. Recalls company hierarchy, reporting lines, divisions, Conoco link to Libya, company's first international involvement. MJE: Recalls life in company camp, friendships, contrast of life in Kansas. Company had annual picnics. Not deeply involved with company. Comfortable life. Details re children. CE: 1959 went to Ardmore, Oklahoma, as District Production Superintendent. Details re position. Wanted move from engineering to management, operations. Busy district.
Tape 2 Side A CE: Recalls interest in discovery of gas in North Sea 1959, could see potential problems, challenges, opportunity. Changed job to Conoco, Houston, as Engineering Section Chief, Domestic Production Headquarters. 1963 promoted to Chief Engineer. MJE: Comments on Charles' promotion. Recalls family life in Houston. Charles didn't stay late at work. CE: Recalls pressure of work, responsibility for recruiting top engineers, organising good training. Explains own management style, delegation. Played golf, Jo joined country club. MJE: Children, years of birth, their schooling, activities, vacations. CE: 1967 appointed Assistant Regional Manager CAGC (Conoco, Atlantic, Getty, City Service) Marine Region - offshore business. Reference Tidewater, CAT Group. Details re CAGC. 1969 Regional Manager CAGC. Work involved overseeing offshore production. Compares offshore, onshore work, logistics, transport, crew accommodation etc. In New Orleans from 1974. In 1976 appointed Operations Manager for 4 onshore western divisions of US. Details. Recalls fatalities offshore in Gulf, evacuations at times of hurricanes. Conoco always top in safety. Conoco in North Sea gas fields from 1972. Heard a lot about North Sea before going there. Not involved with unions. Feelings about need for them. 1978 sent to London Conoco headquarters. No Aberdeen operations then. Reference to Mablethorpe gas fields office. London project team planned Murchison platform. Details. First task to set up Murchison operation in Aberdeen, recruitment, training of drilling and production crews. Explains. Recalls use of simulator. Details re accommodation, development of company operation. Mentions Rubislaw quarry near company's new headquarters. Reference to Aberdeen Construction Group. First impressions of Aberdeen, Aberdonians, weather, landing at airport. MJE: First impressions of Aberdeen. Compares with life in Houston.
Tape 2 Side B CE: Aberdeen (cont'd). Further details re setting up Conoco operations, recruitment. Importance of public relations area. Biggest problem finding, preparing people in time to move on to platform. Competition for people. Conoco paid good wages. Murchison a beautiful platform. Details re Murchison oil production, easy drilling, development of wells. No problems, sweet crude, easy to handle. Hutton reservoir more difficult to develop. Mentions TLP (tension leg platform). Reference to Murchison model in Aberdeen Maritime Museum. No safety problems on Murchison. Reaction of Aberdonians to Americans. Impact of industry on city. No problem getting housing. Amazed at enterprise of North East Scotland business people. Mentions Sir Ian Wood. Recalls Craigs, their work in the industry, design of their support vessels. Old fishing boats would have struggled to effect rescue. Recalls celebrations at first oil. Describes placing of platform offshore. Details re TLP construction in different parts of Europe, Scotland, its working. MJE: Recalls long trip out to platform by helicopter. CE: Recalls taking Dupont Board of Directors offshore, Dupont takeover of Conoco 1981. Own reaction to takeover, increased value of stock. Dupont knew nothing about oil, kept Conoco intact. Background to development of TLP, a new concept, benefits, costs. Compares TLP, semi-submersible, their movement in water etc. Explains objective of keeping production going. No downtime. Conoco involved in community, organised weekend seminars at Gleneagles on oil business attended by academics, politicians etc. Has had long involvement with Houston-Grampian Association. Comments on its effectiveness, exchange programmes etc. Reference to Press & Journal, Munros Travel. MJE: Recalls friendships with Scottish people, playing golf, bridge, travel in Europe.
Tape 3 Side A MJE: Life in Aberdeen (cont'd). Recalls involvement with various organisations, making friends, links with local people. Details re children at that time. Recalls regular trips home. Lived in company houses. Details. Enjoyed time, everybody friendly. CE: Recalls situation on arrival in Aberdeen, basic staff, office accommodation. Compares Conoco's stage of development then with that of other companies, eg BP, Shell. Had meetings with other managers. Reference to Piper Alpha. Was first American to be made Burgess of City of Aberdeen, became 1985 Oilman of the Year. Quotes Burgess appointment citation. Made Grampian Ambassador for Grampian Region. Mentions other ambassadors including Casper Weinberger. Conoco concentrated on Maureen, Hutton. Built up to c600 staff offshore, 50 onshore. Little control from London. Details re senior personnel, hierarchy. Didn't feel under political or other pressure to produce. No major problems during time in Aberdeen. Comments on dangers in industry. Went offshore every 6 weeks. Describes atmosphere offshore. Background to early retirement 1985. Retirement activities, complete break from work. Involvement with Houston-Grampian Association. MJE: Feelings about Charles being retired. Plays bridge. Details re travel etc. Missed social life of oil industry in Scotland. CE: Subsequent Conoco developments. Reference Dupont. Comments on Conoco-Phillips merger. Explains importance of Jack Reynolds in career. He spent time in London. Less esprit de corps in oil industry now, too much emphasis on high and mighty dollar. Explains. Own generation picked the heart out of the watermelon. Mentions career outlook now in the industry. Had no women working with Conoco. Changes now. Comments on this. Not many blacks working offshore.
Tape 3 Side B MJE/CE: Feelings about oil industry as career. Current lifestyle in Sugarland, hunting, fishing, home; children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, their names. Oil industry in retrospect. Present world situation.
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