He went to the McDonough 9 Grammar School and Warren Easton High School. He then studied chemistry at Loyola University and transferred to L.S.U. in Baton Rouge where he graduated in 1938 with honors in Mechanical Engineering. He was employed by the Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, the predecessor of Exxon, to work at its Baton Rouge Refinery. At that time a parental approval letter was required for the 20 year old to work inside the refinery. In Baton Rouge, A.J. served in a great variety of positions at the refinery, Safety Director, Assistant Manager of Traffic and Purchasing, and later, Assistant Manager of the Technical Division. He met his wife to be, Patsi Wells, in Baton Rouge and they were married in 1952. In 1956, they were transferred to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he served as Manager of Crude Oil Purchasing. Their life in Shreveport was a wonderful experience and they made life-long friends there. A.J. greatly appreciated the opportunity to live and work in these three key cities across Louisiana and to experience the wide variety of life styles Louisianan has to offer. In 1961, A.J. and his wife and family of four, plus Polly the Collie, moved to Houston upon the merger of Esso with Humble. They resided in Tynewood, which proved to be a delightful neighborhood, where they made many marvelous friends. A.J. served in the Humble Crude Oil Department and later helped organize the Royalty Owner Relations Department, where he served as manager until his retirement, with 41 years of service. A few years after moving to Houston, the family built a lake house on Lake Livingston. The house and boat pier were built before the lake actually rose. That happened a year or so later when water started to accumulate behind the newly constructed Lake Livingston dam. It turned out that all facilities were in the right place when the water reached its designated level. A.J. spent a lot of his retirement leisure time at the lake. He contended, although not without dispute, that he caught more white bass than most any other private fisherman on the lake. During his earlier retirement years, A.J. was frequent contributor to Sound Off a column in the old Houston Post. He was delighted to receive many phone calls from friends who enjoyed the “AJF Take” on events. His family wishes to thank Drs. Geoge Keith, John Buergler, and David Litowsky for their kindness and perseverance. These fine doctors helped A.J. live to age 90 in his home. He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends who treasured his unique slant on life. In addition to his wife, Patsi, he is survived by his four children, their spouses and ten grandchildren. They are Andrea and Bill White, their children, Will, Elena, and Stephen; Doug and Becky Ferguson and their children, A.J. and Joan; Jayne Oliver and her children, Thomas and Austin Cosby and Katelyn Oliver; and Susan (Dede) Ferguson and her children, Brittan Byars and Andi Ferguson. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. It is worth mentioning that A.J. has had the same best friend from the time they were five years old, Wallace Lagarde of New Orleans. Always organized, this obituary was composed by A.J. himself, with a few additions from his family.