A Diamond Anniversary Leadership, Discovery and Technology

The Houston Geological Society is seventy-five years old, and now is a fitting time to pause and reflect back on its history. What a history it is! The HGS has been at the forefront of the science and profession of geology, hence the theme of this special anniversary publication: Leadership, Discovery, and Technology.
Time passes at rates that make us think that our actions are not significant and that no one will ever notice our efforts and accomplishments. I have found just the opposite while preparing this look at the society. The endeavors of our earlier members were important, intriguing, often amusing and there is no reason to suppose that our descendants will find us any less so!
Our society's members are leaders. The charter membership role reads like a Who's Who of Geology that includes the likes of wildcatters to boardroom executives. Wallace Pratt, Sidney Powers, and Alexander Deussen defined the science of petroleum geology while practicing their profession. Everett DeGolyer and Donald Barton paved the way in geophysics. John R. Suman established the field of petroleum engineering. Among our present members we have many luminaries recognized by peers and nonprofessionals alike as leaders in the field of geology, the petroleum industry, and academia. Michel Halbouty, George Mitchell, Merrill Haas, Michael Huffington, Peter Vail, Kevin Burke, the list goes on and on!
This has been a time of discovery. Breakthroughs, findings, and developments in the science of geology over the last 75 years have been prodigious, most notably in the theory of plate tectonics. For the Texas petroleum industry, it all started with the discovery at Spindletop in 1901. Salt diapirs have been a focus of study ever since. Today, attention is focused on the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and international exploration. The HGS is a local society, but because Houston is the oil capital of the world, our members have international influence and responsibilities. Certainly now, more than any time in our past, we operate in a global economy and the worldwide aspects of petroleum exploration are of vital importance.
Technology and geology have kept pace with each other, and the advances have been astounding! The science of geophysics may have been born in Europe, but Schlumberger and others promptly brought it to Houston. HGS members quickly embraced, used, and advanced the technology. Computers have pushed our means of investigation and productivity to levels that our early society members could not possibly have imagined in 1923.
The Houston Geological Society is intrinsically linked to the petroleum industry. It has made for a colorftil past. Most of our members make their living in the oil patch. However, as you will note from Jeff Lund's letter, the objectives of the society do not pigeonhole us to any specialization. Our early members were quite general in their geological studies, concerning themselves with basic mapping, water resources, and even volcanology. The society continues to be open to all professionals in geology.
We record our work in the scientific literature, industry publications, and corporate reports. The history of other parts of our professional lives is just as meaningftil, but not as well documented. The geological profession is competitive, no doubt, but our society's history is full of jocularity! Perhaps it is the geologist's ever-present optimism, but the hard times of the Great Depression, oil gluts, and war are glossed over in the few historical documents we have related to the society. We are fortunate that the society's first vice president, Miss Alva C. Ellisor, wrote a history of the HGS up through 1947 called Rockhounds of Houston . I hope that you will write your autobiography and memoirs like one of our early presidents, J. Brian Eby, did in My Two Roads. Every life has a story that mingles with others-and that is how history is recorded in the close-knit community of geologists.