Continuing on from Episode 19, today, you will hear from Captain William Robb who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and went to sea at 16. He served in the Merchant Navy for the United Kingdom during World War II. After the war, he married and came to the US to live and work in 1949. He had heard that the Port of Houston was seeking stevedoring superintendents, and he and his wife relocated to Texas that same year. He spent over 50 years working in the stevedoring business. Captain Bill passed away in 2013.

He spoke with Jason Theriot in 2006 as part of a series of oral histories on the Port of Houston for the Center for Public History's Houston History Project at the University of Houston. They talked about WWII, union troubles, and race and labor in the Port during the peak days of breakbulk cargo.

Jason interviewed individuals with a long history of working at the Port of Houston and on the Ship Channel. They worked as port captains, ship pilots, commissioners, and longshoremen. If you missed our last episode, go back and listen to episode 19 to learn about the interviews and the history of the Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.

Learn more about Jason’s work at https://jasontheriot.com/ and find more information on his Oral History of the Port of Houston at https://jasontheriot.com/oral-history-of-the-port-of-houston/.

Find the Houston History Magazine’s issue on the 100 year anniversary of the Houston Ship Channel at https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/vol-12-no-1-port-final.pdf.

Check out the Center for Public History at the University of Houston at https://uh.edu/class/ctr-public-history/.