The HGS After the War Changes In the Profession and Notes from Past Presidents

Geologists entered the modern era after the second World War. Technology brought vast improvements in the speed, accuracy, and volume of geologic data. Everette DeGolyer summarized it best during the dedication of the AAPG headquarters in 1954:
"I should like to take a moment to point out a tremendous change which has taken place in geological work during the life of the Association. Field work has been the basis for geological study since long before geology emerged as a science. 'Go my sons, buy stout shoes, climb the mountains, search the valleys, the deserts, the seashore, and the deep recesses of the earth' is the injunction with which a German mineralogist of the late 1700s dismissed his students. It would be regarded as good advice doubtless to the general geologist of today. It is no longer good advice to the petroleum geologist. His has become largely a job of interpretation - an office job - and he is dependent generally upon specialists for the data which he interprets. He works with the results of geophysical surveys, with electric logs, with micro-paleo calls, with core analyses, and with other data most of which he is not competent to go into the field and take. Even in areas where he requires surface mapping, it can be done more rapidly, more accurately and more cheaply by airplane photography and geo-photo interpretation. This is a far cry from the work of the 1917 mid-continent geologist who dragged a rod through the blackjacks establishing points to be recorded by his instrument man. Boots are no longer essential equipment for the petroleum geologist."
A,F, Childers, Jr.HGS President, 1948'Chili' Childers was HGS president in 1948. He recalls HGS as being composed of very hard workers. "In those days, everybody helped everybody else, "he said.
In 1953, the HGS hosted the AAPG Annual Convention and Chili was involved with raising $50,000 for the Society from convention exhibits. And $50,000 was real good money in those days! He specifically remembers that the booth space for the exhibitors was reserved by small companies which, naturally, had small booths. Tobin came in after space was reserved and wanted a big space up front, and Chili had to tell them that, no-space had been reserved and assigned. Tobin sicced a Gulf VP on him but he stood firm and Tobin ended up in the back corner. He's not sure, but one of those events was the likely reason for his receiving Honorary Life Membership in the HGS!
Ralph CantrellHGS President, 1951Ralph was president in 1951. He remembers that "everyone was so busy in those days! The VP really earned his way back then. Talks were given every two weeks, and he'd have a speaker all lined up and the speaker would call and cancel two days before the meeting! The VP would have to hunt up another speaker and then get in front of the crowd and explain why the speaker they came to see wasn@t there!"
Papers and talks of field histories were popular-you could see what the other fellow was doing. The HGS had also started to slide towards the GCAGS, and Ralph helped hold the line with AAPG. Membership reached 820 during his term, with about 795 active members. One of the things he really enjoyed in those days was taking the "special trains," which were trips that were organized to places like Denver and California for annual AAPG conventions.
Ray C, LewisHGS President, 1952Ray was president in 1952. "I don't recall anything world-startling that we did," he started off. He remembers the AAPG convention in 1953 and how they were worried about how much money they had. "But, everything turned out OK!" "There is one thing I think we did do that was a contribution. I had been AAPG District Representative, which is what it was called then. When I was president I recall they (the representatives) weren't well organized. I got them all together and got them to have periodic meetings.' He went on to say that he doesn't keep up with the younger generation in the society, but enjoys coming to the HGS Past Presidents Luncheons and meeting the younger presidents.
Jack 0, ColleHGS President, 1954Jack was president in 1954. He remembers that money was a lot tighter than it is today. The first evening meetings were held during his term. Previously there had been two luncheon meetings each month. There was increased attendance at the evening meeting, partly because the program chairman found various organizations to sponsor happy hour!
"One of the first things that happened to me on the opening meeting, we had about 250 people there, and we had a lawyer from Vinson & Elkins talking. It was about the time the Natural Gas Act, or something like that, came into effect. It was very important to the oil and gas industry, maybe not from the standpoint of being good for it. Big crowd. And I was naturally nervous, anyways. One of the members, it might have been a past president, brought up something that happened the year before. And I had read all the minutes from the year before, but it never occurred to me that it might come up again. He brought it up, and there were some arguments on both sides, and I had to get Colonel Olin Bell at that time to act as parliamentarian. He had to rule on some parliamentarian deals and it was getting to where we weren't getting very far. Somebody in the back held up his hand and called out 'Question!' So I read off the question and called for a vote! We settled the problem right then, but found out later he wanted to ask a question! So I got of a jam right there.'
The GCAGS convention was held in Houston that year, and he remembers Robert Rieke did an exceptional job as general chairman. The society also started a student loan program in 1956 with W.A. Gorman as committee chair- man. Geology graduate students could borrow up to $500 with no interest expense. "It worked out to be a nice thing,' he said. Both of us wondered what happened to that program since it doesn't seem to be in existence anymore.
There was about 1,100 members then, and the HGS claimed title to the largest local geological society in the world. "Of course, the society gained members every year after that, so the title has continued on."
As for social events, it wasn't during his term but he remembers a bunch of geologists started the "Terra Club." The first meeting had a lot of people there because "they felt like they were down too low on the totem pole with the majors, and smaller companies were not sponsoring memberships to the Petroleum Club or anything like that. It functioned well and we had a lot of good social events, but it kind of died on the vine after several years,"
He remembers another big event. 'In '51 they had a special train to Beaumont to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Spindletop discovery. That was when Ralph Cantrell was president and I was first vice-president.' More than 250 people went on that trip. Hard to believe that we might be celebrating the 100th anniversary in three short years!
Walter W. McMahan, Jr.HGS President, 1956Walter was HGS president in 1956. He now lives in Denver, but fondly remembers his term in office. 'I was almost amazed that I was elected president: " he said. "It happened just eight years after I came to work in Houston. I was only, what, 34 years old?! That was pretty young back then since there were many older and willing members. But, I had served the society several years in different capacities" and the presidency was the next step.
One thing Walter remembers that did raise quite a bit of concern with the membership was an increase in dues. The society was losing money on dances and picnics. Dues were $3.00, and there was a push to raise them to $6.00. There was a lot of bickering by the member