Between the Levees

Captain Lee Hendrix gives us a brief overview of his more recent professional experiences ahead of our 90-minute visit debuting tomorrow night.

Reflecting more on his career and experiences in the industry, we hear more about Jim and John Fox, Dave Fleming, black powder rifles, Mike's father, and George Marble. We hear all about his experiences growing up in dispatch from the mid-80s forward, the famed record MISS KAE D tow, fleeting operations, the acquisition of AEP River Operations and the subsequent transition to ACBL, and dispatch and logistics systems across the decades.

Retired and tough to pin down, Mr. Mike O'Neil finally joins me on the show. We hear about his early life in the Greater New Orleans area, familial connections to the industry, the development of industry over the years through acquisitions and mergers, Jim Fox, Sonny Ivey, Patrick Morton, Jim Farley, Tom Fisher, Dave Dewey, Cliff Mosby, and Wayne Sanborne. He reminisces about his time in fleet dispatch working on floating offices, the S/V New Orleans and the M/V Louisiana in the lower harbor, and we hear also about the history of the Missouri River Barge Line, Valley Line, Federal, and about ACBL from which he retired not long ago. We worked together for a brief period following the AEP acquisition, but I knew him only by name back then.Part 2 with Mr. O'Neil will debut in a couple of days...

Career logistics man Mike O'Neil joins me on the show this week to talk through a storied career and some of the history and development of industry since the 60s. This clip is from behind the scenes and not that interesting, but please enjoy the episodes this week! Excuse the poor audio in the beginning of the first full episode premiering tomorrow, and be on the lookout for Mike's cat. Maybe I'll interview him next.

Humbled by the responses his first visit received, Retired Captain Rusty Ball gets back on the show to talk through a few of the marine incidents with which he played a part over the years. He reminds us of the importance of drills, safety, communication and teamwork out there on the water, he talks through a few rescue operations he and his crews conducted, and we discuss the end of a long career between the levees.

Captain Pete Ciaramitaro joins me on the show to talk through what may well be a 50-year career working all across our river systems by the end of next year. Joining Southern Towing in 1976, he climbed the ladder to the wheelhouse in a short time. In this episode, we hear about his development as a river pilot with a stepfather in the wheelhouse, becoming a licensed pilot at 21 years old, his early years in the industry, time spent running passenger vessels, and an honor of his life, running Captain on the M/V MISSISSIPPI, the largest diesel towboat ever built, for the Corps of Engineers. We hear also about some old friends of his, his time as a port captain, a lifetime of memories, and a twist of fate.Please check out our episode sponsor: Southern Devallhttps://www.southerndevall.com/https://www.southerndevall.com/About/https://www.southerndevall.com/Careers/

Captain Pete Ciaramitaro joins me on the show this week to talk through the storied career of a true river man. Nearing retirement and leaving behind quite a legacy, Captain Pete seems content with the well-spent career of his out there on the water.

Retired Captain Sam Schropp joins me again from his balcony in Costa Rica. We cover the growth and development of the industry that defined his professional life for 50 years, Ike Sullivan, tank barges, the grain and coal export markets, and more...We'll do it again sometime.

This conversation kicked off discussing the Grateful Dead, politics, culture, and the realities of the day. Here, Capt. Schropp shares his thoughts on current conditions of the United States. Full episode focused on industry history and development will follow tomorrow at 18:00 CST.

In this episode, we talk philosophy, American history past and present, "The Bear" by Faulkner, slavery and its impact on the development of the towing industry in the United States, race, the underclass, the Indian Wars, keel boats and the evolution of industry.Among other things, we also cover human cognition, life and death, Christianity, social media, the news, and politics. Enjoy the ride.