Good-by To A Legend

[jayscobras]

As most of you know I have been the the oilfield most of my life. A legend of my time and many others passed away.

"Red" Adair, legendary oilwell firefighter and all round good guy passed away at age 89 from natural causes.

I met "Red" when I was 10 years old. My birth father had been severly burned in an oilwell blowout outside of Ft. Stockton, Tx. and "Red" and his crew had been called in to put the fire out. While his crew was doing their job, "Red" drove to Kermit, Tx. to see my dad and the family.

Several years later, I saw "Red" in Houstoon while I was on a business trip. I told him i had met him in Kermit when I was a kid and he had come to visit my dad. He told me, "oh yeah, Bickerstaff rig #3 in November 1959. He even remembered that "Blackie" the tool pushed had died later. "Blackie" was my birth father.

Over the years I had run into him several times. On a few occasions I had the opportunity to supply him pipe for some of his needs. Everytime I spoke to him, he remembered who I was and the details of the fire that ultimately took my dad.

His life was immortalized by the movie "hellfighters" starring John Wayne.

The reason for posting this is some things few people know.

"Red" never lost any one of his crews in a fire. AMAZING!
He would never allow them to endager themselves more than he would.

When "Boots and Coots" who worked for him decided tha they wanted to start their own company and compete against him, "Red" offered them the money to do it.

His numerous patents on his equipment were always shared with other firefighters...never sold.

During the first Gulf war and the wells in Kuwait were set on fire, all the so called experts said that the wells couldn't be capped in less than three years.
"Red and his crews, Boots and Coots, and several other companies that were hired accomplished that job in seven months.

So long old friend! I know that you are in heaven because the devil could not afford you to go the Hell. That fire would be out in no time!!!!

Jay