Through its history, SPE has counted among its members many oil and gas pioneers, high-profile executives, noted educators, some politicians, and others who have made important contributions to the industry and to society. Many of these individuals belonged to both SPE and one of its predecessors and were honored with some of the society's top awards during their distinguished careers.
The work of many members helped shape petroleum engineering technology as we now know it, and much of it has been in the realm of reservoir engineering. Ralph J. Schilthuis, Jan Arps, and William Hurst were all pioneers in reservoir science; M.R.J. Wyllie made major advances in the interpretation of reservoir analytics; Sylvain Pirson wrote one of the first reservoir engineering textbooks; and A.F. van Everdingen did significant work in the mathematics of reservoir performance.
Other important contributions to oil and gas technology came from individuals such as noted educator and author Donald L. Katz; Stuart E. Buckley in petroleum conservation; Keith Coats, who helped create and introduce the first reservoir simulation software; Preston Moore and William C. Goins, who broke new ground in drilling engineering technology; Forest Dorn, credited with being the first to use waterflooding to boost recovery; and Joseph Clark, R. Floyd Farris, George C. Howard, and C. Robert Fast, who developed much of the fundamental work in hydraulic fracturing.
Many prominent industry executives have belonged to SPE over the years, including Robert O. Anderson, who merged Atlantic Refining with Richfield Oil to create Arco in the 1960s; Herbert C. Otis, the founder and chairman of Otis Engineering; Fritz Huntsinger, the founder of Vetco; J.L. Huitt, president of Gulf Oil Exploration and Production; Wayne Glenn, one-time president of Conoco; and John Browne, who recently stepped down as BP's chief executive officer (CEO), to name but a few.
The following list of notables is by no means a comprehensive one of all the members responsible for important advancements or who are deserving of recognition, but one that highlights some of those who have received special attention over the years for their contributions, in the industry and beyond.
Michel T. Halbouty's name was synonymous with the petroleum industry for decades. He was active in SPE, AIME, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) throughout his long and distinguished career, and he was recognized as one of the world's foremost geologists and petroleum engineers and an expert on exploration and production. The legendary wildcatter—he struck oil 6 weeks out of graduate school and was the first independent to explore in Alaska—received the society's Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal and the DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal, and he was an SPE Distinguished Member. He was among the first of SPE's Distinguished Lecturers. He died in 2004 at the age of 95.
