Doug Mims interview conducted by Anthony G. Potoczniak, 2012-09-13

Doug Mims was born in 1960, in Vicenza, Italy. He travelled extensively in Europe while his father served in the military. After the Vietnam War, his family moved to Hitchcock, Texas, where he attended school. The interviewee describes how growing up near the water influenced his decision to work in the maritime industry, and, ultimately, at the Port of Houston. He became a pilot and then captain of the M/V Sam Houston. Several facets of the Sam Houston boat tour are described including the types of participants, the sites it tours, and how the channel has changed over time.
Recorded at the Offices of the M/V Sam Houston dock, Houston, Texas, September 13, 2012.
Interviewer's note: The interviewer had the opportunity to take a tour on the M/V Sam Houston several days before the interview on September 11, 2012. On that particular day, the ship channel was very busy, and required the tour boat to make adjustments around the day-to-day operations docks at that time. These changes are underscored by the captain's remarks about how the tour may reflect the activities of the channel (see remarks at 15:45). There was one moment when the captain parked the Sam Houston near an available dock to let a large cargo ship pass. The interviewee expressed his pride in the department's staff and its service to the community in showing the typical work day in the port.
Working the port of Houston: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2011-2012 (AFC 2012/006: 00333) Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
To honor the memory of Archie Green (1917-2009), a fellowship program was established at the American Folklife Center in 2010. Archie Green Fellowships support new research in the contemporary culture and traditions of American workers.
In English.