Daughter of a Roughneck :: Biography Descriptive Essays Papers

Daughter of a Roughneck Juanita "June" was born in the mid-1940's, the firstborn of Q.D. and Hazel. Q.D. was a driller on oilrigs, a crew called "roughnecks." Over the years the family lived in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. For the first 16 years of her life, June lived with her father, mother, and two younger brothers in a trailer that was so small it could (and was) pulled by the family car from oil patch to oil patch. Despite social prejudices, educational setbacks, and trauma in her life, she overcame those obstacles. Many of today's oilrigs are located offshore. During the 1940's there were more areas on land available to set up a rig. A roughneck crew would set up a rig at an oil patch. A typical job would last about six weeks. The oil was pumped out until the patch went dry. When the patch dried up, the crew would move on to the next pre-designated patch. The crews lived in portable homes on wheels, more commonly known as "trailers." A roughneck's family traveled with him. It was common for crews to move together, following each other in a caravan. This lifestyle had a great impact on June's life. It was difficult for her to make friends because the family moved so often. Since the family was moving every six to eight weeks, she was never in one school for very long. It was difficult to make friends as she got older. Even though she knew a friendship was going to be temporary, June longed to have a companion. The girls were cliquish and not friendly to her. On the other hand, the boys instantly took an interest in the pretty young lady. Unfortunately, this caused even more of a rife with the girls. She started dreading the moves that happened so frequently. Learning anything in class was a struggle. The constant moves took a toll. The family would move to a new place and she would start school. A new school might be ahead of the last school, and it would be hard to catch up before the next move. Sometimes she would start at a school and already know that material, and she would become bored. Developing study habits was very dif ficult and it was difficult for her to concentrate. Social prejudice was another fact of life. Roughnecks were viewed by some people as poor, trailer park trash.