Alumni Newsletter Summer 2012

And just like that, Summer is dissolving into Fall. Looking out over the Bayou City skyline, one can't help but note the carnival of construction cranes which has sprouted in the Galleria area - which tells a cheerful tale for the Houston economy, if not for the symmetry of my view. In general, it's good to be a Texan these days.

Stampede 2 Needs You

Before we say anything else, we want to remind everyone of the parlous state of the upcoming Stampede 2 reunion, which at the moment looks more like a slow dance in an empty saloon than its name might imply. Stampede 2 is scheduled for October 26, but as of now do not have sufficient pre-registrations to hold the room past September 26. So, if we are to do this in the style envisioned, we need you to contact Mary Brashear at mdb5223@gmail.com with your checks and signups or to use the PayPal link in the sidebar at right to sign up directly. As in, right now.

Failing a sufficient signup - for which no one will be particularly accountable, as dispersed and far flung as we have become - a reunion affair of some sort will occur on the same date at a location to be determined. We're a predictable bunch, so whatever does occur will be obnoxiously boisterous. We'll let you know how it all is going to work out shortly. But do sign up if you want to Stampede.

Ruminations

If ever there was a time for a US national energy policy, that time is now. 

I find it amusing (in a not-funny sort of way) that the current administration takes credit for the explosive growth of shale oil and gas production in these United States, which is happening due to technological advancement and entrepreneurial investment in spite of the onerous regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency and other "protective" agencies. The shale boom has nothing to do with administration policy and, in context of the aforementioned regulation, is constrained only by an unexpected surfeit of natural gas. We are in the strange position of having too much of the stuff. This of course has secondary unintended effects, which are the ready availability of feed stock for a wide range of industries, thereby lowering costs of production, and - dare we say it - massive, sustainable job creation. 

And this does not consider the role of increasing offshore production, which is occurring in spite of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which only in the last year or so has attempted to put on an industry-friendly face. At the same time critically needed infrastructure (read pipelines) cannot get approved, leading refiners to move raw stock by rail and driving further supply away from the US market and into the arms of foreign markets. 

And of course there is coal, of which we possess a world-beating abundance; nuclear, in which we possess a fading but nonetheless potent technological capacity; and yes, alternative energy, in which we possess an increasing expertise and which should be exploited.

All of these resources could be harnessed to provide an extraordinary degree of energy independence for the North American continent for the foreseeable future; could be done without wasting food stocks which the world desperately needs; and could be done without destroying the natural beauty of the nation or endangering the public welfare if managed thoughtfully and with purpose. 

We really can do this, and I see no reason why not - except for the inexplicable impulse to deny ourselves success and independence through a focused national energy policy.

*****

Otherwise I've given up reading the political tea leaves as I'm pretty much convinced that if anyone had any cogent ideas for running the country they would have appeared by now. Alas, amid the sturm und drang of the current to and fro I see precious little of substance and a damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don't outcome. This leaves us with an unprecedented orgy of political advertising and the flinging of bread to the masses as the high points of an otherwise miserable campaign season.

This must be the reason that the Wall Street Journal reports that sales of ammunition and the wherewithal to use it are projected to increase 50% by year-end if a certain individual is elected to the presidency of these United States. I myself prefer the cold comfort of gold, which I am assiduously accumulating. 

I did, in spite of my initial misgivings, enjoy the London Olympics very much. Maybe it's just a nostalgia thing (Chariots of Fire and all that). Or maybe it was watching the whole thing in HDTV on a screen as big as a house. I do think that there are way too many sports of little consequence included in the Olympics, but on the other hand speed walking does provide vast opportunities for comic relief (Monty Python's "Ministry of Silly Walks" skit springs to mind) and beach volley ball in front of Buckingham Palace was a surprise hit. On the whole it was well done and no one got blown up.

Except for the Astros, but they fortunately were nowhere near Jolly Old so there was no collateral damage. At least the annual Texans hope-fest will take our minds off that for a while. In that way Houston sports teams are very much like the current administration - give the population enough distraction and they'll forget how hot and sticky they are.

I'm very much looking forward to a little cool weather and the prospect of some really bad golf. At least any damage to my psyche will be self-inflicted...

Look Ma - (Almost) No Legs! And More...

Transocean has taken the long rumored step of divesting most of its "standard" jackup fleet to a new company, Shelf Drilling, which will be headquartered in Dubai. After disposal of seven older rigs not involved in the transaction, only nine harsh environment jackups will remain with Transocean.

We expect that a large chunk of Transocean's staff will be making the move to Shelf Drilling with the rigs - we anxiously await to hear who ends up where. 

It is the end of an era, though, and many of the rig names involved will bring a pang of remembrance to those of us who have been around for the last three decades or so. See Shelf's site at http://www.shelfdrilling.com to see more.

Transocean simultaneously announced a $1.5Bn offering of senior debt, proceeds of which will be used to construct four newbuild drillships.

ADTI, long a fixture in the US turnkey business and near and dear to our hearts, is rebranding as Applied Drilling Technology International.

In other offshore news, Rowan Companies has redomiciled to the United Kingdom. The effect of this maneuver on the local workforce isn't fully known, but a major presence in Houston seems to be a given. Stay tuned.

EPL Oil and Gas has purchased a large portfolio of shallow water prospects in the Gulf of Mexico from Hilcorp Energy, thereby proving that the ol' Gulf is not out of tricks yet. Expect some ultra-deep shallow water drilling from EPL in the near to mid-term.

Seadrill has contracted for a major expansion of its Houston office in De Vry's Westway Park development on Beltway 8 near Clay Road, joining Cameron in the emerging North Energy Corridor. Further south on the Beltway Phillips 66, recently spun off from Conoco-Phillips, has contracted for a large office campus in the Westchase area just north of Westheimer. Phillips 66 was originally a candidate for the Skanska development on the site of the former GlobalSantaFe headquarters, which has finally met its end.

The Business of the Tribe

Old friend Mel Grahn has appeared out of the mists (as was always his wont) and reports "I'm alive and well. I've been consulting since I left in '98 for Ocean / Devon Energy, & now for Kosmos Energy in Ghana through my Co., Roseland Consultants, and rotating from my home in Bali, Indonesia." Very unlike Mel in brevity, but the Bali part does sound entertaining. I can still remember Mel in the full mandarin regalia which he pulled out for each Pearl Harbor Day party in the seventies. And those were some parties.

We had a major scare from old friend Andy Anderson, who suffered a serious stroke last month but is now recovering. Yours truly can testify that this was going well when we last spoke, but the road may be a long one. Old friend Charlene Taylor has been going through a round of surgeries which cannot possibly be fun. Your kind thoughts and support for these two are invited. Finally on the health front, I myself have completed rehabilitation from a lengthy illness of my own, with many thanks to my friends and colleagues for their unwavering support and to the golf gods for letting me swing again.

Known suspects in new places or roles: Mike Garvin has been made VP of Operations Support at Patterson-UTI Drilling, Dave Faure was promoted to VP Assistant General Counsel at Rowan, Long Khuu switched from UHY Partners to Manager of Internal Audit at Atwood, and Judy Low has been made Controller at ADTI. Andrew Tietz and Christie Watt Sade are in the sales and marketing show at Noble Drilling. David Comeaux is at Pacific Drilling, Kim Parker is at Hercules, Mandy Schaefer is at Texas Municipal Power (close to Aggieland), and Tammy Shook Holsey is at Oceaneering. Diana Kraft, Jim Brekke and Momen Wishahy have departed Transocean for points as yet unknown. We look forward to favorable updates.

Yours truly has had the pleasure of breaking bread at various times since our last report with Gregg Farris, who is CIO at Oceaneering, Mike Dawson (happily remarried and officially retired), Bob Herrin (Transocean), Doug Stegall (retired), James Stegall (Transocean), Jeff Shepard (retired), and Hugh Weatherhead (also officially retired) - and can report that all of these folks are happily engaged in their chosen pursuits.

If you detect a trend here, we can further add to the list of official retirees: Dave Boutelle has settled in Austin TX, Karen McLeod has run off to the bright lights and purple taxis of Baku with partner Damon, and Carole Driver retired at the end of June. This list is sure to grow as many of our friends of a certain age contemplate life in the hive versus life in the free air.

Recently found, in no particular order: Chip Keener, Doug Stotts, Albert Riley (now with NationalOilwellVarco), Don Wilkes (actively consulting, apparently; Transocean, Rowan, Seadrill, ACR Subsea and Chevron among others), Rus Watkins, Sandy Fraser (Transocean), Jason Haynes (Atwood), John Auth, Sandra Royalty, and Jasmine Trudo.

Information for all of the above and many more can be found in the updated Alumni Directory which appears in the sidebar of the blog. This is possibly the most useful thing that we do absent spouting off regarding subjects of utmost import. 

Should you note anyone who is missing, please do let us have any information that you can or invite them to contact us at gsfalumni@gmail.com; and if any information is regrettably incorrect, we will fix it as soon as you let us know about it.

Necrology

After an all too brief hiatus, we have two departures to the havens to report.

Jim Long, a great friend of the tribe, left us on June 7 at his home in Austin, TX. Jim was a notable character who never failed to make an impression, likable or not; he added immense color to the lives of those around him with a crafty wit and a heart of gold, which he took great pains to conceal but never really succeeded in doing so. I like to think of Jim as one of the last of the old breed in the oil patch - noisy, opinionated, and fully engaged in shaking the tree, but always there when most needed. And for my own part, a fine golfing partner with many happy hours spent in a special form of delinquency. I'll take the story of the Provisional 5-Iron ("I threw the 4-iron but wasn't sure if it stayed in bounds, so I threw the 5 as well.") to my own grave. Jim was buried in Paso Robles, CA on June 29. Many thanks to Jim's great friend Fred Brooks for keeping us apprised of events. We will all miss him, but none more than Fred.

Part of the measure of Jim's kindness was his bedside visit just months before his own passing to Rocky Dodd, who passed away in April of this year in Dayton, TX. Rocky's sister Kelly Jenkel let us know about that and about Rocky's long career with Global Marine and the joy that he took from being part of our collective lives. Rocky will be much missed.

The Parting Word

We will leave you with a much needed Rooseveltian quotation:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

It's our fond hope that at least some of the parties in the current national debate prove to be worthy of the sentiment. And, most of all, we ourselves.

Meantime, enjoy the coming of Fall, and live like there is no tomorrow. And for heaven's sake, go Texans! We'll return when the elections are done, the turkey has been eaten and the presents are under the tree. 

Your faithful Blogmaster,

Seahorse

Alumni Newsletter Spring 2012

Greetings from a distinctly summery Bayou City.  Although it is still arguably "spring", the crape myrtles are blooming, the 101st edition of the Indianapolis 500 has come and gone, and we have an actual Triple Crown contender going to the Belmont Stakes the weekend after next. Sure signs that it's time to move this issue into print.


It being a new year, we have made a few changes. First, to acknowledge that more and more of our readers hail from the Transocean side of the yard, we have rebranded the blog to include their stories. Note that we will continue to use our blog address, gsfalumni.blogspot.com, and our email address will continue to be gsfalumni@gmail.com. This is partly because we are set in our ways, but technology being what it is some things are simply too interrelated to change in any case. Second, we have added a PayPal tool to the blog sidebar to facilitate the rendering of lucre to the Alumni for upcoming events or to accept donations to fund our activities. More on that below.

This spring has been surprisingly quiet for the Alumni, which is a blessing in view of what we had to report in the recent past. Our Necrology section is, for once, absent. Nonetheless there were events of interest.

Ruminations

We have never ceased to be astonished by the willingness of our political class to pummel the population into near insensibility during an election year. At least in these United States we do have a more or less fixed election cycle, whereas in many other nations elections occur with the rise and fall of popular opinion, economic circumstance or in some cases outright rebellion. So we know what's coming  and when it's coming, which is supposedly a good thing. The obverse of this argument is that the politicians have plenty of time to inflict what is for the most part a plague of self-promotion and misinformation upon us. 


And to what end? Whom and what exactly is coming? The dumbing down of the political class from the best and brightest to the merely willing and occasionally power-mad is not very inspiring. All they seem to want is our money, and more of it. I am not very sanguine as to the outcome of this electoral season, particularly as nothing seems to be going very well nor is it likely to in the near future. 


It all makes me pine for a truly Rooseveltian moment, as in Theodore. To find someone who will leap onto his desk, pound his chest and do something about it. Is that too much to ask?


I'll admit that as I've gotten older I find that I have become crankier, and my recent near encounter with the reaper - which was supposed to put me in a tranquil and accepting mood towards life's little vicissitudes - has not lessened the tendency. Therein lies the magic of age: I really am turning into my father. I'm not looking forward to the great bushy eyebrows. Or getting to exclaim for no particular reason, "Those idiots are ruining the country!". But at least I have better golf clubs.


On a positive note, it warmed my heart to see the SpaceX orbital freighter successfully launched and docked with the International Space Station. Now there's a step forward that people in our industry can relate to. Private enterprise at work in a new frontier. It was not so long ago, really, that our forebearers came up with the idea of hanging a drilling rig off the side of a war-surplus landing ship to see what would happen... 


The FaceBook IPO caught my attention as well, although strictly as an observer. I mean, I like FB but this was like one of those old movies where Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland chorus, "Let's put on a play!". Right now I'm busy enough learning to communicate with Siri on my IPhone. I just love Siri. The last time I asked her for directions she said, "Go to Canada before it's too late." Smart girl.


The mockingbird which permanently resides on my patio rail is reminding me to move things along, so without further ado...


Nostalgia (The March of Time)


Some of you may have noted our Facebook traffic (see FB Seahorse Stampede) regarding the former GlobalSantaFe headquarters building, which is going under the wrecking ball to make way for a new office development. Too bad. There are a lot of memories in that place. Kyna Agerton penned a lovely tribute which follows.

"The GSF Building is coming down.  For me, it feels like a death all over again…same feeling when GSF ceased to exist.  As an employee of Global Marine and GlobalSantaFe, I couldn’t wait to get to work because I loved both companies so much.  But I especially loved the years at the GSF Building.  Not everyone loved the building like I did, and I could never understand that.  Maybe it is because I created my own world of decorations, and breaks were always spent outside with the animals, but I seemed to always see smiling faces.  I worked hard at my job, as did we all, but everyday no matter what, I felt like I was going to a party.  The building just felt magical to me, but maybe it was magical because of all the people…the employees, clients and vendors that made it feel that way.  Thanks to the hard work of Doug Stegall and Doug Freede, they miraculously turned the inside gloom of the building into a bright and cheerful place…at least for me."

"I have fond memories of the Thanksgiving Luncheon and the surprise Christmas Breakfast, and chatting daily in line at Starbucks or in the Cafeteria.  And what fun it was to hear the neighborhood elementary school sing Christmas Carols in the lunch area.  I loved playing music to coincide with whatever holiday was being celebrated or whatever I was decorating for, and western videos were fun when I decorated for Rodeo.  No one ever sat and watched the videos, but as they passed my area to and from the cafeteria, it was fun to hear comments like, “Wow, I haven’t seen that one in a long time”, or “that was always one of my favorites”.  Every Christmas, I’d have to get Santa Claus out of his box.  He’s a 5 foot Santa (taller than me), but in his box he’s only about 3 foot high.  It was a ritual every year that Doug Freede would help me set Santa up, and of course box him up for another year, but setting him up was the most fun.  We never failed to laugh when Doug would push down on Santa’s shoulders, and give a little twist…Santa would pop up, and out would roll Santa’s head across the floor…just such a funny sight!  Outside was busy too.  Who could forget the vultures sitting outside the Legal Department?  And we were always catching an injured duck, turtle, or bird, or rescuing an orphaned baby squirrel, or a opossum stuck on a ledge in the parking garage.  Of course I wasn’t the only one involved in these rescues… had to call on the building engineers for a lot of help.  I’m not exactly sure how they felt about it, but they always helped me with a smile..."

...And a Shameful Ending

Kyna continues,

"Not only is the building being leveled, but there is a plan to fill in Lake Thicket as well.  While Phil Richardson, a resident of Memorial Thicket, is trying to save the lake, I am trying to save the animals in the lake.  He has met with the President of Skanska, and that same President has received a letter from me requesting that I be given a chance to save the occupants of the lake.  I sincerely hope the lake is saved, but if not, the next best thing is to save the fish and turtles and of course the ducks.  A fence has been erected around the building and a separate fence around the lake.  Many of the ducks have been fenced in and cannot fly to the street where they are used to receiving their food, so I have a little trek across the lawn in the mornings now."

Since this article was penned, the situation regarding the wildlife at the GSF HQ site took a decided turn for the worse. The developer, Skanska USA, is treating the wildlife and the preserve itself in a shameful manner. Kyna has moved heaven and earth to save the animals that she so much loves. She has protested in high places and in person against their maltreatment. If you feel a kindred impulse, contact her at kagerton@gmail.com to help.


Deepwater Horizon Memorial Unveiled


It's hard to believe that it is already two years since that pride of Transocean and eleven brave shipmates slipped beneath the waves, and the drama, tragedy and contentious misfortune which ensued. To mark the occasion and in remembrance, a memorial was unveiled which we feel is quite fitting. The sculpture was created by Christopher Schultz and stands near Transocean's headquarters.

We enclose the link to Trace Adkin's moving tribute, 

Missing You.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHxyXicQ0GI&sns=fb&noredirect=1

Video provided by Fletcher Rowley

2nd Annual Alumni Reunion

Our first reunion was such a rousing success that we took immediate steps to arrange the next.  Stalwarts Kyna Agerton, Mary Brashear, Patrice Domingue, Connie Abbs and others are the organizers. The Stampede will occur on October 26, 2012 from 6:30 to 10:30PM at Dave & Busters, 7620 Katy Freeway  Houston, Texas 77024.

Having learned from experience, we're pre-registering guests for this event in order to obtain the funds to reserve our room and to cover expenses. Please do feel free to bring spouses, significant others, or anyone else who would like to see oilfield trash in their natural habitat. The fee this year will be $35.00 USD per attendee, which will buy you a seat and dinner. The bar will be cash only.

Mary Brashear has kindly volunteered to be the Treasurer for this event, and has done such a good job of it so far that we have made her Alumni Treasurer for Life. Payment can be made by the PayPal link that appears in the side bar of the blog or by check directly to:

GSF/Global Marine Reunion

c/o Mary Brashear

18006 Autumn Hills Drive

Katy, Texas 77449

mdb5223@gmail.com

There is an actual registration form which you can obtain by mailing Mary at the address above or by submitting mail to gsfalumni@gmail.com with the title "Stampede 2012". PLEASE DO REGISTER EARLY.

Should you feel the urge, we've also provided for donations to the Alumni to fund our continuing operations - we don't need much, but network, materials and related costs do add up. Your generosity will be much appreciated.

The Business of the Tribe

Pharr Smith has joined Rowan as SVP Operations Support at Rowan. John Cobbs is also working for Rowan as a new construction Project Administrator in South Korea. To complete the trifecta, Jay Stiles is working in the Upgrade Projects Group at Rowan. For those of you who have not noted, things are definitely on the boil at the Williams Tower... a regular Alumni village.

Adrian Gray has surfaced in Singapore working for Aban Offshore. Kristina McGrath and Kelly Millsap have departed Lyondell Basell. We're not sure of Kristina's current pursuits but Kelly has landed at Nalco. Susan Green is working for Condon Claims Management. Mary Brashear is working for John Moore Services.

Transocean has promoted James Stegall to Rig Manager. God help them.

Speaking of new construction, Brian and Whitney Townsend have not only completed their new home in Houston but are expecting. One would have thought that these activities would be mutually exclusive, but...

Gregg Burt has been located in Austin, Texas, where he lives a few blocks from Buddy and Linda King.

On the retiree front, Bruce Watson now calls Granite Shoals, Texas home. Connie and Jim Abbs are now firmly settled in the Great White North in Trego, Wisconsin. One of our all time favorites, Bruce Kerr of Brisbane, Australia is pending retirement for oh, say, the twentieth time. We'll see if he actually goes for it this time.

We have confirmed that Neil Patience continues his long standing addiction to golf on company time and football on his own time. 

Keith Watts let us know that he has copies of the Global Marine News going back to 1974 (which incidentally was the year in which yours truly joined up) and thus joins Colin Murphy, Milton Bade, Dan Hansen and other notables as keepers of the Global Marine relics. We would love to get a more consistent idea as to who has troves of information of this type... do let us know.

All of these folks and more can be found in the latest update of the Alumni Directory, which you can access from the sidebar of this blog. Keep up with the latest peregrinations of the Alumni on Facebook at Seahorse Stampede.

Missing Persons: several of the Alumni have dropped off the radar and we are desirous of finding them if they wish to be found. In no particular order, Myra Pickett, Dave Webb, Brooke Wooton, Clay Coan, Bob McKechnie, Jeff Ivory, Jeff Todish, Trevor Howard, Randy Sivils, Richard Greff, and Larry Sparks. Most of these we find by dropped emails, and we hope that they are well. You can either let them know that we are looking for them or turn them in - we won't tell. 

One Last Thing

In spite of the trying times there seems to be much good amongst us and much good in our lives for which we should all be grateful. The politicians will in due course go away and (here we are being really hopeful) the economy will recover. It's all a matter of time, and being wise by necessity of our trade we know that all tides turn. For those of you who are in travail, remember that you are not alone.

Our best wishes to all of you. Your faithful Blogmaster and helpers.

GSF Alumni Fall/Winter 2011 Newsletter

Greetings from the Bayou City. We've had more than our fair share of excitement in the last half of 2011, both not good (see the Necrology) and very good (see The Seahorse Stampede).

Yours truly has been enjoying the view from the penthouse as the weather has been absolutely miserable for golf for months. When your pro calls and says that it's 40F with winds blowing 35 mph and the driving range is flooded, you know that you'll be spending the day indoors. Ergo this missive.

Ruminations

It seems to us that the energy industry may be the only functional industry in the country outside of Apple, which happily supplies us with expensive applicances. My cat is fascinated with my IPhone 4S. I have trouble figuring out to work it.

Since we're officially in an election year we'll forgoe the usual tirade and just let everyone vote with their minds and hearts, which you must surely do. Our hatred for the EPA continues unabated, but there you are. As was once famously said, everyone needs someone to hate.

The Stampede

The first Stampede, which we have been promising for many years, was held in west Houston in a margarita-drenched and very happy episode of re-communication and remembrance on November 4th. Kudos to Kyna Agerton, Patrice Domingue and Mary Brashear for organizing the event, which turned into a hug-fest relatively quickly and was only moderately noisy for an oil-field trash event. Of course we drove almost everyone out of the restaurant. Great fun and many friendships renewed. We did come up a little short on the promised attendance, but Billy Spear, Dan Munoz and in turn yours truly covered the loss. There's nothing like an LLC with a bank balance.

There will be a next time; just let us know if you're coming or not beforehand.

The Doings of the Tribe

Having let six months go by, there is much to report.

Alan Breed has joined Rowan as a VP of Marketing for deepwater drilling; Myrtle Jones is happily esconsced at Service Corp International; Drew Baker has moved to Atwood as General Counsel; Brooke Wooton has moved to Noble; Terry Bonno has been promoted to Senior VP Marketing at Transocean; Kathi Grier has moved to Vantage Drilling.

Dave Faure has been promoted to VP Assistant General Counsel at Rowan. Fred Brooks has joined at Rowan to oversee deepwater operations.

Scott Bell married Christie Sciandra and has gone off to Kuala Lumpur, as has James Stegall and his lovely bride. Ya'll have fun; great town except for the occasional cobra.

As we have said before, GSF was like a supernova; we have friends throughout the industry. Do help your alumni friends.

Necrology

This comes way too early in our news but we have much to report.

Bob Rose

One of the founders of our feast, and especially mine (he was crazy enough to hire me in 1974) has left us. Carolyn Rose was kind enough to have a celebration of Bob's life at the Lakeside CC on 9/29. It was a true celebration and rememberance, as is deserved. Bob made at lot happen for many of us, and I personally will miss him very much. Bless Carolyn for her generosity, and think well of the man who made so much possible for so many of us.

Steve Mershon

A much beloved senior engineer from the GMDI days of Global Marine and many years after. Kyna has penned a beautiful obiturary which can be read by replying to her at kagerton@gmail.com.

Dave Alfson

A good friend and a fantastic humorist. The kind of guy you could literally die laughing from. Dave died after a fall. Bob Barnard forwarded the news.

Peter Braddick

Scott Brittin forwarded the news of Peter's passing in Rio Rancho, N.M.

Marcus Thomas

Marcus did not work for either GSF or Transocean directly but he was a special friend. Always on board, always courteous, always happy. A good thing. Sad he is gone.

The Last Thing

I hated to write the last chapter of of the news because we lost so many. But you know - I had dinner last night with Jeff Shepard - the goal of life is to accomplish something. Do good, be good, and follow through. Nothing else actually matters.

With all best regards, your webmaster and faithful helpers.

GSF Alumni Summer 2011 Newsletter

Welcome from the steamy banks of Buffalo Bayou (well, actually, the equally steamy terrace of yours truly's Uptown penthouse, but close enough). Our rule of thumb is that when you see permanent shrubs and grass dying in the River Oaks and West University districts of Houston, then we really are in complete drought. For those of you who ranch, we empathize deeply. What a nightmare. Hope your stock tanks and wells hold out. For those of you who golf, one phrase: wait until the heat breaks in late September. Many of us just don't need to be hacking about in 104F degrees in the shade, yours truly included. An hour a week with my admittedly sadistic golf pro is enough for me.

Ruminations

The tribe has suffered several grievous losses since our last issue which we will get to in due course. But, for every loss there have been happy events which we will chronicle as well.

In the meantime, the oil patch has been hopping, our government continues to act in the strangest and possibly most dangerous manner, stock and bond markets are reacting accordingly, and gold briefly hit $1,900 per ounce last week. This is not great news for our retirees or near-retirees, unless they happened to shop heavily in the gold souks of the Middle East at some point in time and can still find all that stuff.

While we never take sides in this column, it seems inconceivable to us that the executive and representative branches of our government continue to dither on matters of utmost importance. Due to the considerable influence of the Speaker of House well and craftily employed, there is at least a chance that the saner heads in both houses of Congress and the executive itself will move to the center and compromise in the best interests of all. There was a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal last week which compared the finances of the Federal government to those of an average household. In the case of the former, should it have been in the circumstances of the latter, the Federal government would be a candidate for foreclosure and repossession of all of its remaining wealth. Except for the Federal printing presses, which must be overheating at this point. Where do they get all that ink? 

Certain very wealthy folks who will go unnamed have suggested that taxes on the "rich" would be a good idea. We wish them well as they on average pay 17% or so of income per year since most of their income is constituted of long term capital gains, and they can afford to make such suggestions. The majority of our population (52%) pay no income tax at all. This means that everyone in the middle is by definition "rich", which has ominous connotations for the future unless addressed by our ultimate weapon - our votes.

  

Meantime, the U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate in the world or very nearly so. And we wonder why our corporations hold vast, useful amounts of cash overseas rather than contribute to the spending machine that we have created and give it into the hands of the aforementioned government; and continue to flee the predations of that government.

Our friends in Europe have been reaping the same sour harvest that in time will come to us. Of the whole group, only the Swiss, the Germans and the Scandinavians seem to have fiinancial and social control. Our very good friends the British, with whom we have long shared common bonds, are suffering record austerity measures and appalling social unrest. The same may come to France. The fate of the Union hangs in the balance, a sobering thought. A spill-over to the US of these issues is even more sobering.

At the same time as our regulatory agencies have been partly brought to heel on the issue of offshore drilling (although the dispute between Exxon Mobil and the BOREME over expired leases regarding their giant Julia discovery in the Gulf does give pause to this thesis), these agencies have now turned their attention to possibly the greatest gas and oil discoveries of the last 100 years resulting from shale drilling and fracking. For heaven's sake, the SEC is even involved in addition to the USGS and the EPA amongst others. Add this to the vilification of coal and nuclear resources in our own country and oil sands in our closest neighbor, and one has to wonder: will we take what nature and science have given us or will we persist in dependence on less friendly outsiders and the fantasy that faux-science can save us tomorrow?

We personally have no problem with energy conservation and alternative energy sources, but the latter are far from ready or available to bridge the next twenty or thirty years, if not more, to provide true energy independence.

America is a great engine of economic growth, entrepreuership, innovation and captial generation. Not to mention, in comparison with other venues, a generally nice place to live. We may be bending, but we will not break. That is our nature.

On that note, the tenth anniversary of 9/11/2001 will occur next month. Never forgive, never forget.

The Lost Shuttle

It's now official, and we in Houston take umbrage:

Enterprise goes to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York.
Discovery replaces Enterprise at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in DC/Virginia.
Endeavor goes to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Atlantis goes to Kennedy Space Center
Two shuttle command seats go the the NASA Houston Space Center

Now, not to seem regionally centric, but Los Angeles, really? Exactly what did LA have to do with the shuttle besides some highly profitable contracts and the movie "Armaggedon"? We ran it, our people operated it, and in some cases they died for it. I have this fantasy of swiping Endeavor and telling everyone else to "Come and Get It" (remember the Goliad flag?). However, they're just too big to move about unnoticed. Shame on you, Charles Bolden (NASA Administrator). Your Texas passport is hereby revoked.  

Oil Patch News

Frontier Drilling (FDR) has been sold to Noble Drilling. It seems that most of the Frontier folks have found new workplaces or have been placed with Noble, but anyone who has not yet done so and wishes to can contact us for assistance and information.

Rowan Drilling Company under the leadership of old friend Matt Ralls has completed the sale of its Letourneau Technologies division to Joy Global Inc. and its land drilling division to Ensign Energy Services Inc. Rowan thereby becomes a pure offshore play and is moving ahead very much in the model of GlobalSantaFe, including deepwater vessels. Many of our compradres have joined with Rowan; see the Alumni Directory and our last issue for contacts. 

It appears that the Keystone XL (Transcanada) pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast will finally be approved by the US government, perhaps as early as next week, for the transport of heavy Canadian oilsands crude for refining in the US. Canada now supplies approximately 22% of US crude demand and that (thankfully) is expected to rise. Who needs bad partners when one can deal with good neighbors? 

Brazil has announced $220 billion+ in projects to expand deepwater production over the next ten years. This work is expected to vault Brazil into the top five world producers.

The Business of the Tribe

Hilja Sexton reports in from SBM Atlantia that, amazingly enough, the designs for both the CR Luigs and the Jack Ryan were P10000 models designed by a sub of SBMA, Gusto. She is back in the Enclave Parkway area and is quite happy with that. In addition, Hilja reports that SBMA is hiring; engineers, pay attention. 281-848-6460 or hilja.sexton@sbmoffshore.com.

Mike Dawson and fiancee Julie Shapiro wedded and immediately embarked on a tour of northern Italy in July. A definite "parent trap"; the two met via their daughters, who apparently are joined at the hip. A better arrangement can't be imagined. Brian Townsend married Whitney Supak and is apparently quite happy in wedded bliss.

Old friend Neil Patience, now of Northern Offshore, paid a visit to Houston in July and a small celebration was had at Sherlock's on Westheimer to welcome him to the sauna. Attending amongst others, yours truly, Gary Sullivan, Bob Herrin, Dana Elliott, Chris Fearing, Ian Clydesdale, Al Schneider, Scott Waller, and Scott Osmond. Neil seems to be in fine fettle, so yours truly evacuated for a dinner party before things got out of control Aberdeen-style.

Having last been sighted at Rowan in a consulting role, Drew Baker has been made General Counsel at Atwood Oceanics. Neil Voohies can now be found at W&T Offshore. Jana Coates has moved to NFR Energy. Stuart Cory has popped up at Callum and Associates in a consulting role. Suzanne Jamison has landed at GL Noble Denton.

Job Seekers

Engineers, see Hilja Sexton @ hilja.sexton@sbmoffshore.com above.

Cathy Bolin, long-time HR and Benefits supervisor for GSF is job hunting for a similar role.

Mary Brashear, a highly experienced AP supervisor and analyst, has returned to us after an absence at Intsel Steel (Triple S) and is looking for a similar role.

Rowan is actively hiring as their mission transforms.

Check the Alumni Directory attached in the sidebar for all available information regarding the current activities of the Alumni and their current locations. We are now more or less 380 strong, and have considerable breadth and influence across our various companies and industries.

Contact us directly at gsfalumni@gmail.com if you have anything that might suit for Cathy or Mary. Likewise, if anyone else is in the market please let us know.

History Lessons

We have two interesting history lessons on Global Marine and Santa Fe. You know, we all didn't realize it because we were in the middle of it every day, but we were making history.

Kyna Agerton found the following which is most interesting to the oldsters amongst us (and perhaps the young, to understand where we really came from). Rather that reprint in full, here is the link:

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/GlobalSantaFe-Corporation-Company-History.html

Jay Gregory reports on the fate of the Global Marine drillships which were at one point the pride of our world (lightly abridged, Jay).

"Am on the the run [headed out tomorrow for Cape Town]  Jay Gregory here, on Celtic Sea in Cape Town for a well deserved, and needed overhaul. Headed to Angola to work for Esso.  Story: Met 3rd party electrical testing type [checking switchboard breakers] that actually works on :Glomar Atlantic, Pacific, and Coral Sea.  The Glomar Coral Sea is anchored not far from the Celtic in the bay not far from Cape Town.  These Drillships are still in the mineral recovery business, and still operational."

"I was a Java Sea hand in the Gulf of Mexico, and I know first hand how those old "Gals" could infect your mind."

"Glomar Grand Banks is active off of Namibia doing diamond mining right now. I have the man that was working on their ROV crawler doing work on the Celtic Sea during our shipyard here in Saldahna Bay, (S. Africa).  I don't remember where the other fellow said the Glomar Atlantic and Glomar Pacific were anchored (in South Africa) but they are not active right now (no idea why?).  Regretfully I didn't have anything really cool to input, with that said I wish y'all adeiu."

We who remember the "Gals" thought that was quite cool. Thanks, Jay.

A Few Scares

Gregg Farris of Oceaneering reports regarding old friend Dick Hudson, formerly head of Global Marine's IT Department:

"On April 18th while handing a letter to the postman at his neighborhood post office in Richmond VA, Dick suffered a blown disk and vertebrae breakage that has left him paralyzed from the waist down. He is currently in a top rated rehab center until May 31st learning how to live as independently as possible. His wife Margie, daughter and grandchildren are by his side rooting him along. Dick has chosen to move forward with a positive can-do attitude and has received the highest scores across the board of any patient at the rehab center. His physical and occupational therapy teams call him their "Rock Star". The example Dick is setting for anyone faced with adversity is simply incredible."

"What can you do? Reach out with some positive moral support, let him know you are thinking about him and his family, send your well wishes. You'll see, he will be very appreciative." We agree.

dhudson01us@yahoo.com   Cell: 804-690-5440

 

I recently corresponded with Dick and after three very scary post operative moments he is now doing much better. Do contact him and lend your support.

Mark Sacco of Transocean and ex-GSF in the enterprise financial application sphere, suffered a stroke in May. It was fortunately controllable and he is now back on the job post- recovery, but we really wish you wouldn't scare us that way, old boy. Golf when it gets cooler, OK? We'll have a mini-tournament for you.

Necrology

Now, we are sad to say, the bad news. It has been an absolutely terrible summer for the tribe, with several of our distinguished members gone to their respective angels.

Robert Forrest Bauer, who was the founder of Global Marine and the founder of many of our careers and fortunes, passed away on Saturday, April 30 at the age of 93. He was an innovator of the highest order and quite literally helped to make our industry possible. He was also a tremendous family man and sportsman who loved Montana as if he had been born there. 

Quite selfishly I'm going to reprint my own little story about Bob Bauer.

When I joined Global Marine in 1974 Bob Bauer was already an historic figure in our company; which at that time was quite smaller than the successor companies to Global Marine, particularly GlobalSantaFe, but certainly a big deal for me. It was my first job out of college. Bob was a forbidding, quite craggy figure and I was scared to death of him. Two weeks after I joined the company, Bob and I were alone in an elevator (except for the elevator operator Bernie; the old Arts building in Los Angeles which we occupied at the time was quite antique); we looked each other over (I was just about curled up in the corner of the elevator under his somewhat withering gaze), and then Bob leaned over to me and said quite kindly, "You know, I'm really not such a scary guy. I just have to be that way to keep all these cowboys in line. Do your job, and you'll always have my blessing ." With that we became hail-fellow-well-met friends and whenever I had any doubt about where Global Marine was going, I knew that we had a great leader. RIP, Bob. May the Big Sky always be yours.

Our beloved friend Allen Gott passed away untimely on June 23. Allen was our risk manager at Global Marine and GSF and cut quite a wide swath in his own way. Therefore, again selfishly, my own obituary for Allen.

 
"Allen was the most amazing man - a whole man. At first impression he was a little stern and imposing in person; but upon becoming close to him I found him to be intelligent, discerning, literate, considerate and very social. He knew the measure of others and would not tolerate fools; but having passed the bar, I found him to be a good fellow traveler. His sense of humor was dry and unrelenting; no friend was safe from a soft jibe followed by a nudge with a big smile from Allen.

I will miss that wry smile and that dry wit very much. Also his insane golf swing, which between us caused much merriment. 

Allen had his travails but at the end was a happy man and a devoted friend who would do anything for his friends or anyone in need. I am envious of his great heart and great demeanor, and only hope that I can be as good a man as he. Happiness and contentment are all that we can ask; but the search and commitment to these are so much more important. Allen made that search and succeeded."

RIP old friend.

Allen is survived by Juanita Gott, his loving partner. She can be contacted at 318 Joann Trail, Livingston, TX 77351 or nita.gott@yahoo.com. We are all gathered 'round.

Terry Rutherford, Performance Division Manager passed away on March 24 after battling cancer. He will be much missed by his Transocean collegues after a long and distinguished career.

Mike Malekie, a wry, highly opinionated and thoroughly amusing former member of the GSF IT department, passed away on March 25 much before his time. Our arguments were more fun than the making up after. One of the few people in my life who ever told me that I was an idiot - and in those particular cases he was usually right. An original.

Jock Mirrey (William Thorburn Mirrey), whom I did not know personally but appeared to be fond of living large (see his Facebook profile photo of he and a giant brandy snifter, still posted), passed away on June 19. Seems like the kind of fellow that I would have liked to work for and to know. A fine Scot by all accounts.

Norm McGuire passed away in early May. Unfortunately no further details available.

Finally, Kyna Agerton's mom passed away last weekend at the age of 99. Do lend her an ear in her grief.

The sincere condolences of the entire GSF alumni go out to the families of these fine individuals. We all together share in their loss.

Gone Missing

We have been having difficulty with interfacing the latest version of GMail to AOL users, which means that you may not hear from us. Conspiracy theory? Probably. In any case, we will contact all AOL users by private email to advise them of the problem and urge them to consider using a second service such as GMail, Yahoo, or HotMail to resolve the problem.

Alums whom we cannot find at all in no particular order:

Mark Denkowski, M Hynes, Bruce Watson, Sam Owens. If you know these folks please ask them to contact us at gsfalumni@gmail.com with new emails or contact numbers.

Also, you will note a large number of entries in the Alumni Directory (see sidebar to the blog) with incomplete information (cells marked in grey). If you wish this information to remain private please feel free, but if you wish to update please contact us at the email above.

On the same note, if we have listed any information incorrectly in the Directory, please let us know. There are quite a large number of us to keep track of, and we frankly don't always get it right.

To Sum Up

In the simplest terms it's been a lousy summer, with a few (hopeful) bright spots. As the oilfield folk that we are, we remain eternally optimistic; there will always be a bottom, and there will always be a high; there will be frustration and sadness and high times and great joy. Think well of each other, and help each other out when you can. We are after all the Tribe.

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Blog Instructions

The URL for this blog is http://gsfalumni.blogspot.com. If you know an alum who wishes to view the blog but cannot find it, please pass it on. You can contribute by contacting us at gsfalumni@gmail.com. A current directory of the alumni is to be found in the sidebar of the blog under "Hot Links".

Please do remember that if you don't tell us what you are up to or if you have a comment, then we can't let others know. All quite voluntary.

Your faithful Blogmaster and Associates

GSF Alumni Spring 2011/Winter 2010 Newsletter

My, where has the time gone? Here we are in the midst of a gorgeous spring, which follows a cold and rainy winter, and we are just now publishing our periodic update. You'll note that we have combined two issues into one; with good reason as yours truly was on the road pretty much throughout the holidays and into February. As in, California and Nevada at Thanksgiving, Christmas in Houston, New Year's in Toronto, back to California and Nevada, then myself in Houston whilst spouse galivanted in Chile and Argentina. So do forgive me, but the chain is unbroken if not timely.

We hope that those of you who could do so had excellent holidays in the warm embrace of your families.

Due the passage of time, we have a large amount of news which is chronicled below. In a rare change to the blog format, we have moved instructions as to how to view the site, how to use the links at right and and various other technical details at the bottom of the newsletter. Headline real estate is just too valuable (unlike actual real estate, which is another matter entirely).

Ruminations

Is it us, or has the pace of natural disasters acclerated in the last decade? My cousin thinks that it is the beginning of Armaggedon, but he is of the excitable sort. The Mayan calendar predicts that the world will end in 2012; such predictions have come and gone before. In my view the world has always been reinventing itself, and life will survive in some form or another until the Sun goes out, which really would be the end. To get some perspective, look at the following link to the American Museum of Natural History:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U&feature=youtube_gdata_player.

Returning to the world as we know it, northern Japan was rocked by an earthquake and tsunami in March. We tend to think of the Japanese as being so organized that they can cope with anything, but even so there are limits to human endeavor in the face of an angry planet. The human suffering of this disaster is unbelievable in a highly developed nation - could you really conceive of how we would feel if we had just lost something in the neighborhood of 30,000 dead due to a disaster in our own country? Displacement we are familiar with due to Katrina and Ike amongst other tropical storms, but think in terms of millions displaced with - really - nowhere to go. They don't have the luxury of moving over a few hundred miles.

We've all seen the videos, but modern media tends to be remote and unfeeling. We see the pictures in a cocoon, real yet unreal. Do the right thing and dig out a donation to one or more of the agencies that are attempting to provide aid to the Japanese people. Without bias, here is a link to ABC News that lists agencies that are actively involved: http://abcnews.go.com/International/japan-earthquake-donating-relief-funds/story?id=13122660. Or, follow your heart and donate to the organization that you think will do the most good. In any case, just do it. You'll be doing a good thing.

The business of extracting useful hydrocarbons from under the sea in these United States has just begun to thaw. Not in time for many offshore drilling and service companies who have departed the scene, either by relocating operations or liquidating; and certainly not in time for the American consumer, who is now paying  just south of $4 per gallon of gasolene.

Our friends at  the unpronounceable BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement nee MMS; if there had to be an acronym, we would have preferred BOREME, which has multiple amusing interpretations) have finally realized that a storm of adverse public opiniion and political pressure is not what they had in mind, and have finally begun to do something about permitting in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. Gracious, even BP is in the permit queue. Not fast enough for us, but at least there is motion. It's fair to say, however, that readily available reserves in California and West Florida won't be touched for years, or at least until they are worth ten times what they are today. 

On the whole, fascinating behavior for a government which is trying to stimulate the national economy and to save jobs. 

In the long and tangled saga of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Det Norske Veritas has concluded that a flaw in the design of the shear rams in the DWH blowout preventer was the primary cause of the ensuing oil spill. This is small comfort to the families and friends of our compatriots, who were already dead by the time that the rams were actuated by as yet unidentified means; but at least there is some illumination there. Keep those eleven close in your hearts and never let their memory fade.

In our corner of the oil patch Ensco PLC of the UK (formerly of Dallas) has agreed to purchase Pride International of just down the street from me. This will create the second largest offshore driller by rig count and significantly augment Ensco's deepwater capabilities, but the effects on our friends who work for Pride are as yet unknown. Think well of them and help them out if they need it.

Speaking of offshoring, CBS's Sixty Minutes news show visited Transocean's office in Zug, Switzerland and found one person in the office, a receptionist (a nice one who we suspect was confused by Leslie Stahl and bright lights; what can one do but stammer in the face of mighty CBS with an absent boss?). They also tried to visit Weatherford's office in the same building but no one in the building knew where it was.

This expert crew apparently failed to notice the corporate signage for both companies on large office buildings in Geneva until after they had visited Zug. No interviews with the drilling services folks and most other companies mentioned in the piece; although the CEO of Cisco Systems was kind enough (and brave enough) to explain to Leslie on the air that the US 35% corporate tax rate has a sobering effect on the management and stakeholders of companies that choose to domicile in our fine country. 'Nuff said.

On a different and lighter note,  Houston hosted the NCAA's Final Four, the Shell Houston Open, the Astros season opener, Rockets vs. Spurs, Rockets vs. Hawks and Dynamo vs. New York all in the same week. Must be some sort of a record for simultaneous major sports events outside of the Olympics (and far more interesting). Being good citizens we watched all this on TV from San Antonio so as not to have to deal with the 150,000 or so attendees of these various hoe downs. Our usual traffic is crazy enough. 

The Business of the Tribe

Dave Geer reports that he has retired in Portugal after one last year-long hitch doing marketing for RIG  in Angola. Still working as consultant (aren't we all?) but on a less hectic basis. This sounds like a good thing, but I wouldn't be stuffing Portuguese government bonds under the mattress unless you want to have more padding. They would make good wallpaper, though. Pictures of your place please, Dave.

Jeff Shepard and wife Trisha have executed their getaway to Reynolds Plantation in Georgia, just in time for the late season snow. For those of you who wish to harrass Jeff directly regarding this despicable defection from the Republic, his email and cell numbers have not changed. New address: 1050 Swift Creek, Greensboro, GA 30642. At least the Shepards have no black bears, unlike John and Suzie Donahoe who apparently have fauna wandering through the yard in Asheville, North Carolina at will. What more could you want? Bears and snow. Kind of like a National Geographic special, except being live.

Old friend Dan Hansen scared the willies out of all of us by having a heart attack in January. Dan survived the event and is well, but a scare like that is not something we like to hear about. If you're over 50, think about it and get thee to the gym.

James and Rebecca Stegall welcomed twins Lilly and Laney into the world in February to join son Luke. We know where Doug Stegall will be spending his time - he just loves grandbabies and finally has enough to keep him busy, we think. Bye the bye James recently made Rig Manager, so congratulations are in order.

Alan Breed and wife Tiffany have founded The Calendar Garden nursery on Hockley Road in Magnolia, Texas. Now yours truly really likes this as, being a condo dweller, one of the few things I miss about ground-level living is my garden. It takes some vision and lots of heavy lifting to open a nursery; this apparently is a boutique operation involving roses from the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence (for which yours truly has always had great affection when motivated to make the drive to Hempsted and points beyond), Texas Master Gardeners and all sorts of cool indigenous stuff (as in, stuff that won't die four minutes after you plant it). Magnolia is a lot closer than Independence; go buy a something from Tiffany and tell her we sent you. 

Carmel Finlay, who has been a fixture on the GSF and RIG circuit for some years to our great pleasure and amusement, has up and gone back to Newfoundland. We'll miss you, girl; although after long absence we would not recommend consumption of screech except under medical supervision...

Speaking of Canada, Anil Shah has made his way north and is now working for Rick George as VP Treasurer of Suncor in Calgary. Not exactly a tropical locale but there you go; great company, great town, great people, great rodeo. We want a picture with a cowboy hat, Anil!

Kyna Agerton reports: Doug Freede will be a grandfather in April. Patrice Domingue will be a grandmother in May. Laurie Hayward is engaged. We (and time) move on, do we not?

Other Sightings: We always said that when GSF went it would be like a supernova, and we were right. Points of light everywhere.

Fred Brooks has joined Matt Ralls' team at Rowan (old friends Dave Faure, Nick Postolos, Ted Lewis, Rick Bohlen, Lisa Gauthier, Brandy Picou Ehrig and Brian Daniells already having landed).

Peggy Fitzgerald has joined Helix as general counsel; Drew Baker has joined Atwood Ocenics as general counsel; Kathi Greer has moved to Seadrill as an HR recruiter; Mike Anderson joins alums Gary Sullivan and Campbell Austin, amongst others, at Northern Offshore; Paul Moreno, Noel Cipriano and Jeff Trial are at Nabors; Danny Garcia has joined as controller as Marlin Offshore; Dave Boutelle can be found at Vantage Drilling; Susan Green has landed at Aon Risk Solutions; and Larry Noyce has landed at Texas Health Resources in the Dallas area.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can visit Khaled El Barkouki at Sahara Petroleum Services in Cairo. Still handsome as ever.

Last but not least, our old friend and indefatigable correspondent Kyna Agerton is looking to make a move. Let her know if you have something that might suit. She has the Voice. Really.

Notes on locating the alumni:

First, download the Alumni Directory from the link at right. It contains everything that we know about the location and current pursuits of the alumni. If you find your own information to be incomplete or incorrect, let us know at gsfalumni@gmail.com and we'll make it right. If you know of someone who would like to be listed in the Directory, please let us know at the same email.

Second, if you have not done so, sign up at LinkedIn.com. Simply the most effective business network that we have ever found. Amazing in its scope and utility.

Necrology

Now for the sad part; it's always sad, but especially this time. Old friend and all-around fine gentleman Charlie Johnson passed away in Smithville, Texas on  February 22nd. We have not the words to describe our feelings, so we will leave it to his good friend Mike Yoakum.

"My friend Charlie J passed away this week. Of all the people I have known in the oil patch, he was one of the very best, brightest and cut a wide path through this life. A colorful gentleman to say the least who did things in his time others wouldn't dream of and was never afraid to put it on the line. May you rest in peace, my friend. We sure gonna miss you."

And Now... Roger Gosnell Channels Dennis Miller (or perhaps Mark Twain)

Old friend Roger Gosnell, who prowled the halls of the Payroll Department at GSF for many years, has revealed a heretofore unheralded aptitude for observation of the human condition which has at last been revealed. He titles these observations "I HATE" and "I WANT TO KNOW". To view the complete collection, visit Roger's Wall on Facebook. For your amusement, a few samples:

I HATE: My washer. Not to be outdone by the dryer, this machine has the uncanny ability to take a pair of brand new jeans, turn one leg inside out, thread it through the other leg, tie my best shirt into knots, stuff it through the zipper of my jeans, and just for grins, stuff my undies in the pocket. And then as if to say, "thanks for the good time", leave a dollar in change as a tip.

I HATE: That second puberty in life when hair starts growing places where it never has. Wake up one morning, your nose has decided to grow a beard, your ears a princess Leah hairdo. I have concluded men do not lose their hair. It is being relocated through the brain to ears and nose. Proof - pluck one and experience the pain of a frontal lobotomy. OUCH!

I NEED TO KNOW: Why does the bedroom closet have a door? Is it to keep your shoes from running away? Does your clothing need privacy? I often wonder when I turn the closet light off and close that door, what's going on in there...

I NEED TO KNOW; Where do brown eggs come from? Do they come from brown chickens? Were they left in the sun and got tanned?

To Sum Up

It's been a time of change and doubt - even tragedy - for several years now, but it seems to me that the light of dawn can now be seen. A new dawn, a different dawn for many of us; but better times really do lie ahead. In life, things that have been broken have a tendency to mend themselves or to fade away as bad dreams. Stick together - honor your friends, love and appreciate your families, do your best and all will be well.

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Blog Instructions 

We have quite a few new correspondents, so here are our usual reminders in abbreviated form. You can contribute by writing to us at gsfalumni@gmail.com. You can comment on any post using the Comment tool at the bottom of each post. A current directory of the alumni is to be found in the sidebar to the right of the posts.

Please do remember that if you don't tell us what you are up to, we can't let others know. All quite voluntary. Should we omit information or report incorrectly, we do apologize. We hate missing babies, marriages, relocations and so forth; but we do what we can to keep up with a very large and very active group.

Your faithful Blogmaster and Associates.