Margaret McMillan

Margaret McMillan of Lafayette was recently inducted into the Offshore Energy Hall of Fame for pioneering work in the development of an offshore survival program and the eventual development of the Marine Survival Training Center in Lafayette.
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Whether offshore, or in the classroom, McMillan is at home wherever there is water.

"I started teaching swimming when I was eleven at a pool in Gramercy," said the St. James Parish native."That was 74 years ago."

In 1937, as a member of the Lutcher High School girls' swim team, McMillan held 11 Southern AAU records for the 100-meter breaststroke.She has been challenging records ever since.

McMillan and her brother, the late Dr. John Henry McMillan Jr. of Baton Rouge, had little choice but to take swimming lessons.Their father insisted upon their participation in aquatics as well as other athletic endeavors.

At age 15, McMillan attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and later earned a degree in 1940 in physical education.

McMillan also earned a master's degrees from the University of Texas in psychology, and health and physical education.

She joined the American Red Cross when World War II erupted.

She then returned to SLI as a professor and the assistant dean of women, tasked with the development and oversight of the "Marine Survival Training Center."

McMillan is also credited with being a founding member of the "Red Jackets," a women's organization developed to support the school's athletic programs.

It has been almost three decades since Lafayette honored her by proclaiming "Margaret McMillan Day" on Dec. 6, 1977.

City officials, ULL faculty, former students, family and friends gathered that day to highlight her commitment to ULL and the community.

Dropping her name into conversations around Acadiana today still elicits enthusiasm.

McMillan took an early retirement in the 1970s to enter the world of the offshore industry.

"I was definitely a different kind of person to appear in this field," recalls McMillan."It was a male-dominated field."

When the Red Cross had asked her to develop training, it was obvious that the traditional emphasis had been placed solely on in-water survival training.

"In the offshore industry, men work on platforms, crew boats, in helicopters and on mobile offshore drilling rigs," said McMillan.
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The Soviet government soon began consulting with McMillan.

McMillan says she started her company to accommodate offshore companies begging for training resources.
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Though basic swimming skills are necessary, McMillan says that survival training stresses critical training in advanced techniques for underwater escape, helicopter egress, inland water survival and crisis management.There is also an important leadership component.

"When you are working with untrained people, panic is a reality," said McMillan."You have two types of people, those who panic and those who stay cool, calm and collected.You have to know instinctively which one to follow in an emergency."

The emphasis on making the right decision quickly is often the only difference between rescue and tragedy.

In 1992, McMillan gave her company to ULL and agreed to remain as a consultant for many years.

McMillan boasts that three of her nephews, all graduates of Catholic High in Baton Rouge, followed her into the safety business.
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The survival training industry is constantly evolving, noted Margaret McMillan.Today, the Coast Guard might be pulled off a rescue attempt for a homeland security event, a new priority since the events of 9-11.

Family members and longtime friends accompanied her to the recent induction ceremonies in Houston.Among them was Corinne Randazzo, a former ULL "Red Jacket" member and student of McMillan.
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"What can I say," says McMillan.