‘Mariners’ rags-to-riches story recalled

After gaining only mild recognition with writing novels and a first nonfiction book on the New Orleans Saints, Thibodaux lawyer Woody Falgoust finally found success with “Rise of the Cajun Mariners: The Race for Big Oil.”

Falgoust spoke last week in Houma at a South Central Industrial Association meeting about the book, which chronicles the development of oilfields and the associated supply boat business in south Louisiana beginning in the 1930s.

He may have written the book just in time. Several of the people featured in “Mariners” have passed away since its publication.

“That history is dying,” he said.

Falgoust is from the Tri-parishes and was fascinated when growing up by the workboats he saw in the area.

“This is rags-to-riches, how poor people became millionaires,” he said.

“It’s not fancy like we see today,” he said. “It started with oyster luggers, seafood boats.” Falgoust said, today, parts of south Lafourche probably have more boat companies than anywhere else in the world.

The inception of “Mariners” came about when Boisie Bollinger with Bollinger Shipyards told Falgoust that Lee Orgeron, president of the Galliano supply boat firm Montco Offshore, was interested in seeing the history of the supply boat business preserved. The Orgeron family founded Montco in 1948.

“I thought I would just get to write it, and then get on,” Falgoust said. “But then I thought, What a rich history.”

There were so many names, Falgoust decided to focus his book on a few families, all of them more or less contemporaries.

“After I got the families, the book wrote itself,” he said.

“I had to go into the details of the oil business,” he said. “I had to know the truth. Lee said, ‘No problem.'”

The late Bobby Orgeron, who sailed his supply boats into Central America in the 1970s, was particularly colorful during his interviews with Falgoust.

“I knew he was honest,” Falgoust said. “He did some things he wasn’t proud of to make the business grow. … It ended up that we rarely talked about his business. His father was a trapper.”

He said Orgeron had a deeply spiritual side to him, praying the rosary every day.

The Theriot, Savoie and Cheramie families are the other families featured in the book.

Nolty Theriot helped to develop the oilfields in the North Sea. Falgoust describes the culture clash between the Cajuns and the Europeans in the book.

Tugboat industry pioneer Sidney Savoie, who worked from the 1930s through the 1980s, passed away shortly after work began on the book.

“He was very conservative,” Falgoust said. “He didn’t play the games.”

More than 50 years ago, Minor Cheramie founded the Golden Meadow supply boat company L & M Botruc Rental, which is now one of the largest privately-held supply boat companies.

Lefty Cheramie was one of the first people Falgoust tried to interview for “Mariners.”

The family had its lighter side, with one of the brothers buying a Lucky Dog cart to feed guests at a party on one occasion.

And “Mariners” covers other pioneers of the oilfield supply boat business, some of whom have passed on.

Falgoust added that “Texians” were anyone developing the oilfields that were not Cajuns, but Cajuns showed them how to navigate the area.

The author decided to self-publish “Mariners,” hoping to break even by printing one thousand copies.

The book sold quickly. Around 5,500 hardcover copies of the book have been sold.

“It’s not surprising, the story is that strong,” Falgoust said. “The history is interesting and worth preserving.”

Thibodaux attorney and author Woody Falgoust speaks to members of the South Central Industrial Association about his book, “Rise of the Cajun Mariners: The Race for Big Oil.” * Photo by MIKE BROSSETTE