Petroleum engineering alumni honored for 50 years of service
August 13, 2015
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Extensive careers in the petroleum engineering field earned four Bagley College alumni a prestigious industry distinction.
Ted Garner, Jerry Rodriguez, Chas Wilton Townsend, and Hal Jarrell were inducted into the Society of Petroleum Engineers Legion of Honor for 50 years of dedication to the organization.
The Mississippi State alumni were among just 26 distinguished professionals recognized at the SPE Gulf Coast Section awards banquet in Houston, Texas.
Now, more than 50 years after they got their start as petroleum engineering majors and members of the student chapter of SPE, the four will serve as examples of industry leaders and pioneers to the next generation of students.
This fall, the Bagley College will reintroduce its petroleum engineering degree program following a 20-year absence. In addition to a curriculum specifically geared towards today’s petroleum industry needs, the reinstatement of the program has also reopened the Society of Petroleum Engineers student chapter where Garner, Rodriguez, Townsend, and Jarrell started their storied careers.
“I have been very impressed with the accomplishments of our petroleum engineering alumni,” dean Jason Keith said. “The SPE Legion of Honor inductees have joined a very select group for their service to their profession.”
Twenty-seven incoming freshmen declared petroleum engineering as their major this summer, while 31 additional Bagley students have changed to it after the degree program was announced last spring.
Keith said the new petroleum engineering program will give students the opportunity to learn more about the profession through field experiences, hands-on projects, and alumni and industry presentations. It will also include career development opportunities like the reopened student chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, which already has more than 35 members and officers for the 2015-16 academic year.
“There has been incredible student interest in our new petroleum engineering degree,” Keith said. “With input from our alumni, we have assembled a modern curriculum with a reservoir engineering focus.”
As the petroleum program enters its first semester, the Bagley College is working to fill faculty positions, enhance laboratory space and identify additional opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and interact with successful alumni in the field. To help support these efforts, contact Mary Beth Langston for more information.
Visit www.bagley.msstate.edu for more information about the Bagley College of Engineering or join the college on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram for the most up-to-date news and information.
By: Erin Boozer Zimmer