The Organization: The Houston Geological Society

The geologists in Houston, a gregarious lot, sought out those who spoke their language. The old Bender Hotel, now the San Jacinto Hotel, was the meeting place of many of the rockhounds for lunch. According to D'Arcy Cashin, one day early in January 1920 someone suggested they organize into a social group. They did and elected him president. A few months later when Wallace Pratt moved to Houston, he was extended an invitation to meet with this group. In jest, he said he would - provided he was not made president. According to Mr. Cashin, that is exactly what happened - Mr. Pratt was elected president. Cashin also remembers that, as many of the geologists were bachelors, they dined at Mrs. Allen's Cafeteria on Fannin Street.
Evidently this organization which Cashin remembers was short lived. Early in the summer of 1923 at the invitation of Donald C. Barton of the Rycade Oil Corporation, geologists began meeting for luncheon on the first Friday of each month at the University Club, then located over the present Liggett's drug store on Main and Rusk. About this time Alexander Deussen and Wallace E. Pratt, two past presidents of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, thought that the time had come to extend an invitation to the Association to hold its Ninth Annual Convention in Houston. They discussed the idea with Donald Barton, John Suman and others. At the monthly meeting on August 8 at the University Club, this matter was brought up, and it was unanimously decided to extend the invitation. As an organization was necessary to prepare for this meeting, the Houston Geological Society was formally chartered on August 8, 1923, with John R. Suman as president and David Donoghue as secretary-treasurer. At this time there were about 73 geologists in and out of Houston, all of whom were elected charter members of the society.