Today's Featured Biography

 
Gerry Smit

After graduating from Lago High, I attended St. Benedict’s College for three years then transferred to Kansas State University where I attained a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1964. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to live the life of a gypsy for the next thirty years, but such seems to be the life of a design and construction engineer in the petroleum industry as you adjust to the ups and downs of the business.

I started my career as a logging engineer for Schlumberger (Slumberjay) in Natchez, Mississippi, which turned out for the most part to be a bad choice with a good result. It was interesting work while learning to perform the various services offered at the well site, but once you knew what to do the work became repetitive and boring. While living in Natchez I was forced to join the US Army Reserve and did a seven-month stint in 65/66 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, which was not high on my list as a fun thing to do. The good part of the job was that I was transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana where I met a wonderful girl named Irene who became my wonderful wife and best friend in September 1967 and remains so to this day.

After parting with Schlumberger, I joined Jay Ray McDermott in New Orleans where I was involved with the design and construction of offshore and onshore oil and gas processing facilities. In early 68 shortly after getting married, I spent seven months single status in Arabian/Persian Gulf doing offshore and onshore instrumentation work.

After my return from the Middle East there was a slump in the offshore industry in 69, so I ended up going to the Ralph M. Parsons Engineering Co. in Los Angeles, California as an instrument Engineer in refinery design. As things would have it in just over twelve months there was a slump in refinery design work so my boss had us sent to Alberta, Canada to live for ten months while I commissioned the instrumentation in a sour gas plant.

With the slump not being over when I completed my assignment in Canada, I joined Esso in Libya in late 72 doing instrumentation in the LNG plant and the associated oil and gas fields. It was in December while I was in Libya and Irene was still in the States that my daughter Karen, made in Canada, was born in New Orleans. It wasn’t until February 73 that the family was together in Libya. What can one say about life in Libya, the country was interesting in its history, plenty of biblical ruins, and the work was challenging. For Irene living in a company compound in the desert was stifling. In truth it was nothing like life in Aruba as I remembered it so we left after two years. While there we did have the opportunity to visit Greece, the Greek islands, Turkey and Malta.

We were now in London, England, who could ask for anything better. I was once again doing offshore oil and gas production facility design with Worley Engineering in a really interesting city, we loved it. While living in London we were able to take tours to Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia. After three years in London we were transferred to Aberdeen, Scotland and as much as we loved London, we loved Aberdeen even more. Now I was working offshore construction as a Project Manager doing hook-up and summer maintenance work for major oil company clients such as Shell and BP. As we have learned, nothing lasts forever and in 80 we were transferred to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where I continued doing offshore construction as the Technical Services Manager In a British, Italian, Brazilian consortium called MMW. Brazil was a wonderful assignment. Wonderful people, great life style, carnival etc. We all enjoyed life there very much for four years until mid 84 when the job was finished. I now had a choice, we could go back to London as we now had permanent resident visas, or go to Houston. We chose Houston because Karen by that time had a nationality crisis. What was she, she asked, English, Scottish or Brazilian? American was not even in the picture.

Within twelve months of arriving in Houston, in 85 there was another slump in the offshore industry and the British parent company closed the Houston office. This time I did not move, I just found another local job working contract for three years until Ellis Engineering went belly up. I Joined Fluid-Power Equipment Inc. a custom equipment fabricator mostly for the oil and gas industry as the Chief Engineer and remained there for eleven years until I retired and then have continued to work contract there as overload relief. It turned out to be my longest and in fact most interesting job.

During this time in Houston Irene went to work at the Spring Branch HCA Hospital as an X-ray Tech doing mammography and retired after ten years. My daughter Karen graduated from Jersey Village High School in 91 and Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio in 96 with a degree in English and bi-lingual education. She worked as a bi-lingual teacher for Alief I.S.D. for nine years and is now working as a bi-lingual teacher for Aldine I.S.D.. Karen loves teaching and because she is bi-lingual, teaches in schools with high Hispanic enrollments. Karen married her husband Humberto, who is from Acapulco, Mexico in the summer of 1996 and they now live across the street from us. Our granddaughter Natalie was born in November 2002 and has turned out to be such a nice sweet girl, a real pleasure and joy. Since both parents work, so we have been and still are the daycare givers. Natalie has started kindergarten this year at St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Catholic School. I drive her there most mornings on the way to the office where I still work contract and pick her up most afternoons. Her father does the duty on his days off and any other time he is able.

My favorite pastime now is reading philosophy, theology, physics, cosmology and biology books. Fifteen years ago I read in the paper that science had disproved the existence of God. I started reading to find out where this proof was and have not found it yet. The results of this search are that I have acquired an interest in a subject that helps keep my mind active. I do this in my spare time when I am not goofing off with natalie

As you can see our world rotates somewhat around Natalie and the family. We are enjoying life and hope to do so for many years. I will miss the reunion and seeing you all and wish you all to have a great time

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