T. Harry
Williams Center for Oral History Collection
INTERVIEWEE
NAME: Raymond
Rockhold COLLECTION:
4700.0828
IDENTIFICATION: [1912- ] Former LSU Student, Baton Rouge
Louisiana Business Man
INTERVIEWER: Adele Foster
PROJECT: LSU History/
World War II
DATES: July 1, 1997 FOCUS
DATES: 1920's-1970's
ABSTRACT:
T
1189
Rockhold's
birth and family information; occupation of Rockhold's fathers; entering the
Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.); job while in the C.C.C.; life in the
C.C.C.; attending LSU; working at his brother's restaurant in Baton Rouge while
attending LSU; learning to fly an airplane; opening and running nightclubs in
Baton Rouge; dispute with his partner over ownership of the nightclub; memories
of working at the nightclub including a bar fight; horse racing and gambling;
building a drive-in restaurant and turning it to a cafeteria; buying land and
building houses; joining the marine corps; working as a plane technician during
the war; getting his brother transferred out of the marine raiders; memories of
dog fights on Russell Island; contracting malaria; transferring to Guadalcanal;
dog fights and other fighting in Guadalcanal; staying in fox holes; one
Rockhold's brothers involvement with the glider squadron in England; guns that
Rockhold brought back from the war; Rockhold's view on guns and safety; view of
the Japanese; living conditions on the Russell Islands; coming back to the US.
T
1190
Celebrating
when the war ended; coming back to Baton Rouge after the war ended; leasing out
on of the houses he built to a local Madam; being subpoenaed to testify in the trail against the Madam;
Rockhold's daughters; his daughter Susan's family and husband; the accidental
burning of his hands and face; his daughter Carolyn's husband and the exploits
of his career; Carolyn's career as a Baton Rouge teacher.
TAPES: 1189, 1190 TOTAL
PLAYING TIME: 2 Hours
# PAGES TRANSCRIPT: 80
RESTRICTIONS: None.
NOTE: Transcript has been heavily edited by Interviewee's wife.