Over winter break I met a well-site geologist and have started working with him, shadowing him and trying to learn the trade. A couple of weeks ago I had a very enlightening experience. I was sitting a well up by St. Peter and had seen all three towers of that rig several days in a row. I had met all the hands, the tool pusher and a few other people that were involved with that well. I met a gentleman and he asked me if my father was John Lawler. I told him it was and he had nothing good to say about my dad. I remember hearing a few stories about some of my dad's oilfield days but when Larry spoke it made me very proud to be his son. He told me how my dad always wanted his hands to not get stagnant on a drilling rig, to aim higher and achieve more. Larry told me he had even ran a few floor hands off just due to the simple fact that he was not going to let them just be a floorhand, he was going to push them to succeed, and if they choose not to he was going to run them off, hoping they would get the point to try harder, try to attain more out of life. I thought for a second and realized this was how he fathered too. It was hard to understand at first, but after hearing someone else explain the way he was at work, it gave me some clarity I guess. It was kinda like a light switch went off in my head.I had met several people on that well that have had some connection to my family. The tool pusher had worked a couple years with my Great Uncle Ross and another gentleman had met my Grandfather a couple of times.
There is one thing I learned about the oil-patch. It's a small, small world. You never know who you may run into and where. It was enjoyable to hear stories of the older guys that had been in working in the oil-patch for 20 - 30 years. The fun times they had, the interesting things that happened and just to sit and learn from those guys.
I can remember my father telling me to stay out of the oil field, it'll make an old man out of a young boy, he'd tell me. I think he would approve of me doing it this way though. I think he'd be happy I'm trying to finish my degree so I can work with my mind and not my back.
Jeff, even before reading this blog, just seeing the men working on the rig, I was flooded with emotion-memories of dad. He was the only welder in Ellis county during the post WW!! days and the oil fields were triving. And yes, your dad too. When your dad was 15 years old, he would work on Saturdays at Buick where dad was parts man and service man. John would detail cars for some of the more fluential people in town. They loved him. Dad brought a 58 Chevy home for John to tear down and rebuild. The idea I think was if John put so much work into it, he would take care of it. I remember helping him by holding a chain from inside the car that held the new transmittion (I think that's what it was) and nearly killed him when he was under the car and I couldn't hold on any longer. Mom and dad also told him that they would take his car away if he ever got into trouble. He got a ticket speeding one day and all his friends sold things to pay the ticket. Mom and dad found out anyway and he was grounded.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I have so many stories I would love to share with you, Tracy and Jared about your dad. We were very close all of our lives. We had planned to buy homes and fix them up to rent out. We had planned to buy land (where we looked at is now the best place in town) and raise horses. You are so much like your dad and that makes me very proud. He is proud of you also. Love you, Ruth