E. Murray Gullatt*, a native of Ada, received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in petroleum engineering in 1958 and 1959 from OU. He also received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gullatt began his career as a petroleum engineer with Delhi-Taylor Oil Corp. in 1960. Gullatt assumed the position of chief engineer with LVO Corp., an independent oil and gas exploration company, in 1963. During the next 11 years, he held several positions with LVO Corp., including executive vice president, president, chief financial and chief operating officer, and director. After founding Southport Exploration in 1974 and serving as chairman and CEO, and then president, he currently serves as a management consultant, primarily in the energy industry.
1997
Jerry D. Holmes was born in Jenks, and received his B.S. in geological engineering in 1958 and his M.S. in aerospace engineering in 1964 from OU. While at the university, he was a member of the Air Force ROTC unit and was commissioned as an officer in 1958, thus beginning a distinguished 31-year military career. Holmes completed pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, in 1959 and served in the Air Training Command until 1962, when he returned to OU to pursue his master’s degree. In 1964, he was assigned to the Space Systems Division as a project officer on the Titan III space launch vehicle and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program. Holmes retired from the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of major general, and now serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Engineering.
Howard C. Kauffmann, a native of Tulsa, graduated from the College of Engineering at OU in 1943 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. He served in the South Pacific as a naval officer during World War II and began his career with Exxon Corp. in 1946 as an engineer trainee with Carter Oil Co., a domestic Exxon affiliate. After serving in various engineering and management positions with Carter, Kauffmann became producing coordinator for International Petroleum Co. Limited, an Exxon affiliate with operations in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. During the next 17 years, he worked with Latin American, European and African operations from Exxon offices around the world. In 1975, Kauffmann became president of Exxon Corp. and held that position until his retirement in 1985.
David E. Mitchell* graduated from OU in 1950 with a B.S. in petroleum engineering. He was chairman emeritus of Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. Mitchell started Alberta Energy Co. in 1975 and was president and CEO until 1993 and chairman of the board until April 1999. Alberta Energy grew to be one of Canada’s largest oil and gas exploration and production companies. At his retirement in 1999, Alberta Energy Co. had a market capitalization of $6.3 billion. Alberta Energy Co. merged with PanCanadian Energy in April 2002 to become EnCana Corp. Prior to joining Alberta Energy Co., Mitchell was president and CEO of Great Plains Development Co., a successful oil and gas exploration company. Mitchell also founded the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation and was president of that organization for 26 years.
Robert C. Thomas grew up in Pawnee and graduated from OU in 1951 with a B.S. in geological engineering. Following graduation, he served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Thomas joined Tenneco Gas in 1956 and over the next 14 years held successively higher engineering and management positions in Tenneco’s domestic exploration and production operations. He was elected vice president of Tenneco’s Canadian subsidiary in 1970 with responsibility for all engineering, drilling, production and processing plant operations. In 1973, he was elected vice president of Tenneco Gas in charge of all international energy contracts. He was elected president in 1983 and chairman and CEO in 1990, a position he held until his retirement in 1994.
E.L. “Chick” Williamson* was born in Perry, Texas, grew up in Grady, and graduated from OU with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1950. He began his distinguished career in the petroleum industry in 1950 with Hughes Tool Co. Two years later, he moved to Phillips Petroleum Co., and, in 1954, he began his 34-year career with the Louisiana Land and Exploration Co., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans. He retired as chairman and CEO in 1989, and continued to serve as a director until 1995. Throughout his career, Williamson assumed a leadership role in his profession. He served as a director and member of the executive committees for the American Petroleum Institute and the Association of Petroleum Landmen.