Cajun Pioneers of the Vermilion Prairie and Marsh Land

The Beginnings of Louisiana Surface Geology – A Brief Bio of Rufus LeBlanc, Sr.

(Photos with captions provided by Rufus, Jr. and Paul LeBlanc, sons of Rufus LeBlanc, Sr.)

Rufus LeBlanc, Sr. [Oct. 12, 1917 – June 19, 2007], son of Aladin and Aurore Nunez LeBlanc, was born in the “Heart of Cajun Country” on a sugar cane farm in Erath, LA (Pleistocene Terrace).

Rufus intended to study agriculture at LSU, but he quickly changed his plans after taking one geology course under his mentor, Dr. Harold Fisk. As oil became big business in Louisiana, Rufus became more inspired and intrigued by the geological concepts and petroleum finding technologies that were being introduced. After marrying his childhood sweetheart, Alva Mae "Bede" Broussard - See Tribute to Bede, in 1940, he later earned his Masters degree in Paleontology at LSU. He went on to join Dr. Fisk in research that he was doing for the Mississippi River Commission. Their report which involved charting the abandoned courses of the Red and the Mississippi Rivers in an effort to predict how the Mississippi River would move in the future was later recognized by Gen. Max Tyler, of the U. S. Army Corp. of Engineers, who at the time was seeking a way to control the Mississippi River. He in turn hired Fisk, who in turn hired Rufus to continue his study of the distribution of river sediments. This project lasted seven years and Fisk and LeBlanc became recognized pioneers in their field.

The photo below was taken in 1942. At this time, their study on the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley had been going on for 5 years and they were still 2 years from completion. The General in the picture was with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Rufus was the # 2 person in seniority behind Fisk on the project. This is what started the scientific communities' first understanding of the how the Recent and Pleistocene deposits of south Louisiana were formed.

Rufus went on to join Shell Oil Co. in 1947 to head research on clastic sediments. During his 38 year career at Shell, Rufus held various positions in research, technical services & offshore exploration, but what he loved the most was teaching in Shell’s Research department for 21 years. Among Rufus’ numerous awards over his 45 year career, his most distinguished honor was the AAPG’s 1988 Sidney Powers Memorial Award winner [see photo below]. He was selected over some 40,000 geologists. Not only was he cited for his outstanding contributions relating to specific areas of sedimentology but for his unique and inspiring educational field of courses and lectures which have contributed to the education and advancement of literally thousands of geologists, geophysicists and engineers. (His field trips with Cajun stories mixed in have become legendary!) Other accomplishments include: his work as technical director and producer of several films produced by Shell, and his role in an award-winning Houston public television film, The Big Thicket. He held memberships in AAPG, receiving the President’s Award for Best Paper Published in 1974, SEPM, GCAGS, and the Houston Geological Society.

The three pictured in the photo above are from left to right Hugh Bernard, another Cajun who joined Shell and was Rufus’ best friend. They had some very important collaborations in river delta geology. Center is Bob Nance followed by Rufus. The caption below was written by Rufus from an album he kept in his home office. It says PE (Petroleum Engineers) Convention Houston 1953. He gave a presentation during the convention.

Rufus receiving the very prestigious American Association of Petroleum Geologists [AAPG] Sidney Powers Memorial Award in 1988, which put him in a very elite group of American geologists - see description and history of award below.

Description of Award The gold plated medal features a bas-relief likeness of Sidney Powers and the name of the Association on the obverse side. On the reverse side are inscribed the words, “Awarded for Distinguished Achievement in Petroleum Geology,” along with the name of the recipient. The medal is mounted in multi-sided acrylic and is presented along with an embossed certificate and a lapel pin tack. Honorary Membership is automatically bestowed upon recipients of the Sidney Powers Memorial Award, if they have not already received that honor. History The Powers Medal was established in 1943. The first recipient was Wallace E. Pratt. Sidney Powers was a founding member and 14th President of the Association. He died in 1932 at the age of 42. Frank R. Clark, in his memorial to Sidney Powers said, “Sidney Powers will be known by future generations for his able contributions to pure and applied geology, but, important as are his scientific achievements, his character was greater, because it typified service to others.”

Note: In 1987, Joe Wilson, a Shell Oil Colleague of Rufus, won the Sidney Powers Award. In 1989, The Shell Oil Company Magazine had an article entitled Back to Back. The article is reproduced in PDF Format - click here to view.

 

Photo above was used for a Shell publication, and the degree of hair loss puts this in the mid-50s.