William Anthony Dinette Jr.

Preface by Aaron K. Dinette

William Anthony Dinette Jr. was removed from life support and passed away peacefully surrounded by his immediate family on January 5th, 2022.  Although his ending was sad and unexpected - his story was one full of love, happiness, and success throughout most of his life.  His story starts in New Orleans, Louisiana where he was born to the proud parents of Frances and William Anthony Dinette Sr.  In going through my Father's things, I was surprised to discover a few hand written notepads where my Father began writing out some of his stories.  I'd like to share these stories with you all now...written by his own hand in the days leading up to his passing.  I transcribed these stories directly from my Father's handwriting - so please understand that there are grammatic errors, misspellings, and run on sentences.  Many words I had to guess on, as it was a bit tough at times to read his handwriting!  I kept the text exactly as he wrote the words - as I felt it brings character to what my Father wrote.  Imagine him sitting with you...simply telling you a story from his past.  If it's one thing my Father was good at - it was telling a story!  I hope you enjoy these personal journal writings as much as I have!

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A Memorable Trawl

In April 1956, William Dinette Sr. and his son Billy were in Grand Bayou.  William Sr. was a Gauger for the California oil company - 100 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.  A Gauger is like the supervisor of the oil structures in the Gulf.  Bill Sr. was assigned to an area in the Gulf known as South Pelto, which had three wells associated.  Bill was on a shift called 7-7, which meant 7 days out on duty for 24 hours and 7 days in.  Bill Sr. and his son Billy were on Bill’s Laffite Skiff called the Wendy Carol.  Trawl season had just opened and Bill wanted to try his luck.  Normally after a good storm the shrimp looked for shallow waters.  The Wendy Carol is a flat bottom direct drive skiff equipped with a 327 Chevy engine.  It would never win any race - but could get you to the area you wish to be lickety-split.  Of course, Bill Sr. was not concerned with speed.  He wanted a bigger engine with pulling power.  The morning of April 2nd Bill Sr. and Billy left home at around 3am to get an early start and maybe two drags.  Bill Sr. was on the fan tail of the boat getting ready to drop trawl.  Bill’s trawl was a little small compared to the larger trawls the bigger boats pulled.  Bill’s trawl used a 16 foot wide mouth, a trawl Bill Sr. knitted himself.  Billy was in the bow of the boat getting the box ready for the first drag.  Bill would normally drag for about two hours.  Bill Sr. dropped the trawl over and let the movement of the boat pull the remainder of the trawl and trawl boards overboard.  After the trawl was dropped, Billy crawled under the box and made a bed where he could get a couple hours of sleep.  Bill Sr. said, “I will call you when I am ready to lift the boards.”  Lifting trawl boards without a winch is normally a two-man job, for those of you not familiar with a shrimp trawl - a wide mouth is about 50 foot wide.  The trawl is a cone shaped item on the bottom of the front of the trawl.  There are lead washers crimped onto the net about every 6 inches on the top of the opening and there are cork donuts spaced about every 6 inches to keep the mouth open under water.  The trawl boards are about 4 and a half feet long and about 3 feet wide made out of 2x6 cypress boards rounded at the other edge connected to the trawl mouth with chains.  They are designed to pull out away from the boat on either side.  Keeping the trawl mouth open when Bill Sr. had pulled in the ropes to the trawl and was ready to lift the first boards, they did so with no problem.  Bill Sr. then went to the other side, pulled the trawl ropes and chains in, and he called Billy to help him lift the boards.  Billy went to help his Dad with the boards and slipped on the side of the deck.  Bill pretty much had the boards up.  Billy’s legs went on either side of the trawl board and rammed his groin into the lead bar surrounding the board.  He was cut pretty bad and Bill Sr. said we better call it quits and take you to the Doctor.  Billy said, “No Dad…it hurts like hell, but it appears that we have a very good drag!  I’ll do what I can to help and we can take care of this tomorrow.”  Bill Sr. got an old pair of socks and poured some mercurochrome from the first aid kit on it, shoved it down his son’s pants, and taped it there with duct tape.  They set the pegs on the side of the box and on the very first dip, Bill came up with a one foot octopus!  You hardly ever catch an octopus in a trawl!  They damn near lost the thing when he dumped it in the box.  Damn these things are quick!  Bill Sr. was able to catch him and get him in the cooler on ice.  As Bill and Billy pulled into Mr. Polkey’s dock, Ben Troutman the game warden was sitting at the dock.  Ben said, “Mr. Earl not with you Bill?”  Bill said, “No…Earl had some business to do up front…something to do with that addition he is putting on his house.”  Ben says, “You mean that addition that you are doing for Mr. Earl?”  Bill said, “Yes – I am.  Just helping a friend, he don’t charge me anything to Moore my boat here.  It is the least I could do.”  Ben says, “How did the drag go today?”  Bill says, “The old folks always tell you , you need to go trawling right after a storm.  That is when you get your best catch.  You know what?  They DO know what they are talking about!  We made one drag today because my son today had a little accident and we got 4 bushels of blue crabs, one red snapper, about 6 sheep head, 4 flounders, 6 cat fish, and one goujon (Mudcat), and about 25lbs. of shrimp – which was more like 50lbs!  Then he said, “Look what else we caught!  You know you hardly never can catch one of these in a trawl!”  Bill opened the ice chest to show Ben the octopus.  Ben said, “I’ll give you $50 for it.”  Bill said, “I would normally jump at that offer, but I have an open deal with old man Abe.  No matter what it is I catch on bringing in, I have to give him first right of refusal.  So, if old man Abe don’t match your $50, I’ll call you.  I don’t want the damn thing.  But I thought Old man Abe might.”  Ben says, “Well, Abe is family…anyway, let’s see what he’ll offer.”  Bill said, “What are you going to do with it anyway?”  Ben says, “There is an old Chinese family lives down the end of Lafitte, they love the damn things!  I bet he would give you $100 for it!”  Bill and Ben just laughed – shook hands and they were off.  Bill told Ben we better get going.  “I need to get him in to see doc to find out if he will need any stiches or at least a tetanus shot.”  Ben says, “Yeah, good luck – anyway old Abe is on the way.  I’ll be waiting for your call.”  When Bill got to old Abe’s ice house, he brought the ice chest in and showed it to old man Abe.  Abe said, “Bill - the best I can do is $75.  There is a Chinese family who lives at the end of Laffite who will most likely give me a cool $100 for this thing.”  Bill said, “Uncle Abe - you got a deal!  We gotta get gone so I can have doc Troxler take a long look at Billy’s groin.  Looks pretty bad.”  Doc Troxler took one look at the tear in Billy’s groin, gave him a tetanus shot, and told Bill to take him up front to Dr. Rivera and maybe he’ll put a couple of stiches in it.  Doc says, “It don’t look too bad.”  He asked Billy if it still hurt.  Billy said, “Only if I touch it.”  So, Bill Sr. and Billy went home where Frances, Billy’s Mom, cleaned the cut, put another mercurochrome bandage on it.  The next day Bill, Billy, and Frances drove up front to Dr. Rivera’s office.  They walked in where the doc was putting the finishing touches on Robby Madison who had broke his arm trying to run off with his sister’s bike.  Doc Rivera took one look at Billy’s groin – “Whoever put on the mercurochrome dressing did a fine job – there is no more I can do!”  Bill asked the Doc, “How much do we owe you?”  Doc said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get this much back and more in the next few years.”  Bill went out to the car and came back with a little box inside where two flounders about 2lbs. of shrimp, and two soft shell crabs that he gave the doc.

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To California and Back

Jacklyn J. Dinette, Bill and Frances’ first born, graduated in 1959 from West Jefferson High School.  She and her boyfriend, Leonard Clements, were making plans for a wedding when Leonard would return from Europe.  Leonard was drafted into the Army just as he graduated High School.  He was scheduled to come home via the Presidio Arms Depot in San Francisco, then would be sent to Oakland, CA and either get his discharge and travel pay.  Jackie’s family has many relatives in San Francisco, CA and she and Leonard had discussed her coming out to San Francisco and meeting up with him when he came home.  So, Bill Sr. bought her a plane ticket to S.F. for her to meet up with her fiancé.  However - as Leonard got closer and closer to the Presidio Army Base in S.F., he decided he was not ready to get married yet, so he stayed on the bus that was headed to the final Army Post, Alexandria, LA.  He sent Jackie a letter explaining exactly what he had decided.  It broke Jackie’s heart, but as she said “Life goes on.”  She had gotten a very nice job in S.F. and living with her Aunt Alma was a very nice situation.  Jackie and Ronnie, (Veronica), Aunt Alma’s daughter would go out dancing every weekend at a club called the Moose on Van Ness Blvd. every weekend.  It was a large dance club that favored Spanish and Cajun music, Cal Jader – Tienna Lopez and Queen Ida, Zydeco Queen would play various Mexican and Spanish ball room music and then Queen Ida would lift up her accordion and get the crowd up and dancing again.  Jackie met a young Air Force gentleman from Los Angeles, CA.  They both loved the music and dancing and in 1961 got married and moved to San Rafael, CA.  Hank was stationed at Hamilton AFB in Novato, CA.  So, in June 1961, Bill and Frances decided to take a vacation in S.F., CA. to meet their new son in-law.  Of course, they took a great liking to Henry.  He was just a real gentleman and appeared to really love Jackie.  When the vacation time was up, Billy asked if he could stay the remainder of his 11th grad summer vacation.  Bill and Frances said sure he could stay if he wanted to.  When it was time for him to return to LA., Billy called home and told his parents he would like to stay and finish his High School here in CA.  Bill’s cousin Richard Bartholomew told Bill and Frances he would be sure to see to it that Billy would graduate, so Billy checked into San Mateo High School.  But Richard had just bought a home in San Mateo and they were not sure Billy was assigned to the correct High School.  So, they moved him to Hillsdale High in San Carlos, CA.  Again, the school district was not sure he was in the correct district.  After search and discussion, it was determined that Billy was in the Aragon High district.  Aragon was a new school in 1961 and this was the first year they had a 12 year grad class.  Everything was going fine, until Richard and Leornia were having difficulties and separated, leaving Billy without a place to stay, so he called his sister in San Rafael and asked if he could come live with her and Hank - at least until he graduated High School.  Billy and Hank got along great and all three enjoyed living there in San Rafael until Billy graduated.  After Billy graduated, he applied for a job with Ramp Services at U.A.L.  He worked there for about 3 weeks, when Hank was discharged from the Air Force and he and Jackie were going to move down south where Hank’s family resided.  They both offered to take Billy south with them, but Billy declined the offer and quit the ramp services job, bought a bus ticket to head back to Crown Point, LA.  When Billy got there, he did find several jobs in and around the area.  There was always work in the oil fields.  But Billy got a lucky break and got a job as a deck hand and cook on one of Johnson and Johnson crew boat service, who was looking for someone aboard the Raul J, an ’85 steel hull work boat assigned to the South Pelto oil structure 100 miles offshore, the same oil structure where Billy’s Dad was the Gauger!  The California oil company would fly them out by helicopter every Wednesday for 7 on 7 off shift.  Because of the salt water in the Gulf, you were always chipping paint and re-painting the boat deck.  Billy also was the Chef for the four-man crew aboard the Raul J.  It was a nowhere job, but fun and the money was very good.  Bill got $1000 a month for two weeks work!

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A New Beginning in the Air Force

In Feb. 1964.  Mardi Gras evening, Billy had gotten into a disagreement with his girlfriend Dorinda Johnson and on his way home from a bad night, Billy got into an accident, tearing up his 1954 Plymouth Belvedere.  One guy ran a stop sign and T-boned Billy and his little Plymouth.  The next morning, Billy was feeling really down and borrowed the family car and drove to the customs building on canal street in New Orleans.  Billy wanted out of the city as soon as possible.  All the military recruiting stations were there at the customs building.  The first military branch was the Marines.  Billy asked when was the soonest he could leave if he decided to join the Marines.  The recruiting Sgt. Said it would be about 3 months because the recruiter would setup an interview with his parents and then there were a battery of tests he had to take and also pass a medical fitness test.  Billy told them thanks but no thanks!  The next was the Navy recruiter and his response was just about the same as the Marines, so he moved on to the next recruiter, which was the Army.  The Army commander said he could be at Camp Polk, LA. In about 2 weeks if he could pass the Army entrance exams.  Beginning to get a little disappointed, he went to the next recruiter, who was holding a special recruiting flight into the Air Force.  Billy asked when would be the soonest he could leave if he decided to join the AF.  The recruiter asked if he could leave tomorrow.  Billy went home and told his parents what he had decided and the next morning Billy found himself standing on the corner of Canal and Tchoupitoulas in front of the Customs Building, holding his right hand raised.  It was a really big deal for the city of New Orleans, Margridi!  Flight 220 was being televised on WWL TV, channel 4 news.  The 50 guys were all put onboard the Southern Pacific railroad, given a sleeper birth, and a few dollars for food and beverage for the trip.  After the Air Force clipped their hair and took their clothes, the next morning Billy was in Walter Reed hospital because his appendix burst during his first night in the Air Force.