The Leading Edge; 2005; v. 24; no. Supplement;
p. S8-S17; DOI: 10.1190/1.2112386
© 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists
In their own words—former SEG presidents reflect on their terms
There is no way that all significant events in SEG's 75-year history could be highlighted, or even pointed out, in this special publication. Therefore, in an attempt to cover as many major developments as possible (and perhaps to uncover some that had been overlooked), SEG's former presidents were asked to briefly summarize the major decisions taken or the industry trends that dominated during their term of office. The replies, which cover slightly more than the final third of SEG's story, follow. Bill French summarized the events of his own presidential year (1991–92) and the previous year when he was president-elect on the executive committee led by the late Bud Grant.
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Robert B. Rice (1975–76):
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In the mid-1970s, improved methods of detecting "bright spots" in gas-containing sandstone significantly increased the success ratio for wildcat wells. The success ratio for these wells jumped from 11% in 1972 to over 14% in 1973 and 1974, with a gas/oil ratio of 55/45. In May 1975, Shell's general manager for geophysics indicated that his coworkers had been "routinely predicting hydrocarbons" for a few years. By 1980, the success rate had hit 19% for a wildcat and nearly 30% for all exploratory wells.
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Roy O. Lindseth (1976–77):
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What seemed most important at the time was to increase the recognition of SEG as an international, rather than a national, organization. During my tenure I made it a point to visit every SEG section and affiliate. That alone illustrated to me the truly worldwide nature of our industry and our society.
A common plea from geophysicists in other lands, particularly the many under authoritarian rule, included a request to make SEG more accessible to them. This included delivery of GEOPHYSICS, more SEG recognition of the local group, better communication, more visiting lectures, and assistance (documentation, financial) to attend SEG functions. Dan Skelton had a somewhat similar experience during his term.
Therefore, we drafted and proposed an amendment to the SEG Constitution which defined more international sections and assured that there would be a local section representative in each to represent the members of the section at SEG council meetings and otherwise. The amendment was approved.
In retrospect, such things as the Internet, the changes to many political regimes, and the associated proliferation of local geophysical societies (most now affiliated with SEG) have been much more effective in achieving the objectives.
Again in retrospect, perhaps a more valuable and long-term contribution was simply to raise the dues. As I recall, SEG was having some difficulty in leasing the surplus space in the building, which led to a shortfall meeting mortgage obligations, and there were rumblings of moving the business office to Houston.
Several previous SEG presidents, I believe, were a frugal lot who were reluctant to raise the dues. We authorized a fairly healthy increase, which passed not without protest, but it probably contributed considerable ease of mind to the excellent staff that actually run the organization.
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Cecil H. Green (SEG president, 1947–48) and his wife, Ida Green, on a Sunday at Turner Falls, Oklahoma, USA—photo taken in 1930 as Green began his first assignment as a GSI Party Chief in Maud, Oklahoma. Over the next few years, the couple would traverse the United States many times in the search for oil (Courtesy Texas Instruments).
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E. John Northwood (1977–78):
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SEG was not as international as it is today and my main travels outside of the USA were to countries that I visited on business. At that time, I was exploration manager for Africa for Chevron, which made things difficult as it was an operational position and I had to continue to respond to emergencies such as drill-stem testing on a well in Sudan.
It was a time of turmoil for the oil industry as oil shortages were occurring. SEG made a major effort in public relations to seek out the media for interviews. I had many press interviews and met many politicians. This culminated in an interview on NBC's Today show.
One big step was made in internationalizing SEG—the 1978 convention was the first one which a group of geophysicists from China attended. None could speak English except the interpreter. We were concerned that there would be protests by the Taiwanese community or even the "pro-Mao" faction in the San Francisco (USA) area (of which there were many at that time). Fortunately, nothing happened.
This was the year that Howard Breck retired after many years as SEG business manager. The executive committee had the duty to select a successor. We did not conduct a search but looked internally and chose John Hyden who was executive director until the 1990s.
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T. Norman Crook (1978–79):
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My term of office followed the oil shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo, and exploration activity was beginning to rise. Earlier, exploration drilling and seismic activity had been in a real slump. We were hearing dire predictions that all the promising areas had been explored, that petroleum would become scarcer and scarcer, and that the only solution was conservation and the development of alternate energy sources.
In the meantime, geophysical technology was advancing. Seismic field techniques were improving with the development and widespread application of CDP techniques, and the beginnings of 3D seismic. Sophisticated processing techniques were being developed and increasingly applied with the advance in speed of digital computers. Interpretation methods were being developed to predict rock type, age of sediments, and fluid content based on seismic and other geophysical data.
Direct correlation could be shown between the development of geophysical technology and the success rate of exploration drilling. I advertised this through my speeches to promote further development and application of geophysical techniques.
A strong emphasis of my presidency was to increase the internationalization of SEG. I was the first SEG president to visit and make speeches in Australia, Malaysia, and China. Perhaps the highlight of my term was the first visit to China by an SEG delegation, which I headed. We held a symposium at the research center near Beijing and visited other exploration offices around the country. A Chinese delegation had visited the SEG annual meeting in San Francisco the year before. Another highlight during my term was the purchase of the property for the current SEG business office.
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Bob Hohmann and Milo M. Backus (SEG president, 1979–80) ponder a "megacrop" during SEG's 1987 Annual Meeting.
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Milo M. Backus (1979–80):
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1980 was a banner year for exploration geophysics, and for SEG. We had a wonderful 50th anniversary celebration at the convention in Houston. At the council meeting, we managed to defeat a strongly promoted move to require preprints for presentations at SEG meetings and to substitute the Expanded Abstracts as a compromise; this turned out to be a good innovation. My wife Barbara introduced tables and chairs at the president's reception for the first time. With the good times, an outstanding executive committee was free to focus on the promotion of the science of exploration geophysics and the exchange of technical information, and on the promotion of exploration geophysics as a career for young people.
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J.C. Karcher (SEG president, 1937–38), the "father" of the reflection method, cuts the ribbon at the 1971 unveiling of a monument honoring his achievement. Lillian R. Wolfe, president of the Oklahoma City Geophysical Society, also is pictured.
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Eugene R. Brumbaugh (1982–83):
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THE LEADING EDGE had been launched before my presidency. I was, however, a strong supporter of this publication as it developed into its present form. It has fulfilled an important need in communicating with the membership.
During my tenure as president, it was my privilege to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the SEG business office in Tulsa. This completed a process that had begun in 1979 when the land was purchased for the site. It consolidated office space for the SEG staff and provided rental income as well. This building is now paid for.
In April 1983, I was accompanied by two SEG staff members on an eight-day trip to Beijing. As a result of this trip, we were able to negotiate an agreement to cosponsor a meeting in China in 1985. This meeting was a success and gave geophysical contractors a great deal of exposure to the Chinese market. China was exporting oil to Japan at that time, and I commented to one of our Chinese hosts that, when all of the people who were riding bicycles started driving cars, they would not be exporting oil ... and they are not.
At this time, the SEG staff was reorganized to create the title of executive director. This was done in order to reflect and define the increased duties and responsibilities of the business manager. SEG membership was growing at an annual rate of 8–9%. The annual budget was about US$5 million and the annual meeting was spinning off a cash flow of US$1 million per year.
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Thomas R. LaFehr (1983–84):
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The most contentious issue of this year regarded the future of TLE. Most former editors wanted to kill it and most recent presidents were in favor. Since I (unlike most former presidents) had also served as SEG editor, I was able to command attention from both sides on this divisive issue. After much discussion (including the most rancorous dinner meeting I have ever witnessed), we changed the constitution to exempt TLE from the control of the editor and later created the TLE Editorial Board to provide oversight of this publication.
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A.M. "Red" Olander (1984–85):
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It was, and still is, amazing to me that a Swedish farm boy from Hutto, Texas, was elected SEG president. It was indeed an honor to be president and also a high point of my career in the exploration industry.
Following the election of 1984, the executive committee met in Denver with a process specialist. Our gathering was for all of us to "get on board" and to develop some goals for the term. These goals included a sound financial policy, a 10-year plan, an increased Continuing Education program, launching an endowment program for the Foundation, and restructuring the staff with the addition of a Technical Service Director. Progress was made on all goals, some of which would still be applicable today.
In 1985, the council approved changing the executive committee to eliminate the position of past president and to establish the position of president elect, which I think has been good. Some high points include the dedication of the Cecil and Ida Green Tower, meeting with representatives of AAPG and EAEG (known as EAGE after 1995) and other societies, the 1985 meeting in Beijing and being entertained in the Great Hall of the People. The Vice Premier asked why I was called "Red" and whether I was a communist.
It was a challenge to be SEG president ... but a joy to meet and work with a great bunch of people. I thank SEG for allowing me to be president, the executive committee for wonderful support, Exxon for approval to be a candidate, and my wife Rose who was always there for me.
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The Playboy Lounge that catered to geophysicists—in this case Don Lawler, Robert J. Graebner (SEG president, 1986–87), and Jim Douglas (1963). However, this club, in Umiat, Alaska, did not have bunnies.
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Marvin R. Hewitt (1985–86):
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I remember several "firsts" during this year—the first annual meeting in Washington (USA); the first woman, Valerie Neilson, to serve as first vice president; the election of our first president-elect. We improved our relationship with EAEG by changing their status from "affiliated society" to "associated society" and this soon led to more joint activities.
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Milton B. Dobrin (SEG president, 1969–70).
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Robert J. Graebner (1986–87):
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The issues confronting my executive committee ranged from the quotidian to the epochal. Well maybe that's too strong a word to describe our efforts and accomplishments.
The first issue we had to deal with was certainly on the trivial side—a petition signed by a substantial number of the membership to lower the dues by US$7 per year. On the more substantive side, we had two major objectives, one arrived at by default and the other by choice. The first was to maintain the health of the society in the face of a dramatic downturn in the geophysical industry.
In 1985, oil prices were about US$35 per barrel and many pundits were forecasting they were on the way to around US$70 per barrel. Instead, after about 25 years of spectacular growth in our business, propelled by the digital and 3D revolutions, oil prices started to plunge (eventually dropping to less than US$10 per barrel) and employment in the geophysical industry plummeted by more than 50% by the end of 1987. All of a sudden we were worried about survival rather than growth. In the event, however, SEG fared better than did the industry itself. The membership declined only 13% from its peak in 1987, a remarkably small decline relative to the precipitous drop in employment during that period.
Through a variety of cost-cutting programs, the society managed to break even financially on a cash basis without suspending essential programs.
Beyond trying to stay afloat, the main thrust of our executive committee was to expand SEG's international base.
We finally consummated an agreement with China about 10 years after the first contact. An Agreement for Technical Cooperation, signed by Meng Ersheng for the China Society of Petroleum Geophysicists and by me for SEG, detailed the timing of joint conventions and other seminar type functions.
An agreement of association between the EAEG and the SEG was signed dealing with a number of joint programs ... the first joint conference between SEG and Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG) to be held in 1988 was agreed upon ... dialog with the Eastern European Geophysicists was initiated at the EAEG convention in Belgrade ... so went the year.
As a historical footnote, I was the last SEG president who had not been a president-elect. The new arrangement has proved far superior.
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Samuel J. Allen (SEG president, 1972–73) presents C. Hewitt Dix (right) with the second Maurice Ewing Medal in 1979.
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L.C. "Lee" Lawyer (1987–88):
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During the year previous to my term, a downturn in the oil industry occurred. The price of oil dropped to a very low level. Industry cutbacks were the norm and membership in SEG fell. By my term we had lost about 4000 members and would continue to lose before hitting bottom some years later. This made it a challenge just to maintain minimum services and few new initiatives were launched.
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Ken Larner (1988–89):
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Perhaps the decision and activity to which I devoted most time and energy was the dues increase for SEG members that was agreed on by the executive committee and approved by the SEG council at the conclusion of my term as president. The year of my presidency was a difficult one financially for SEG due in large part to the ongoing recession in the exploration industry over much of the 1980s. Dues had been held fixed for well over a decade, at a level lower than all other somewhat closely-related professional societies. A great deal of lobbying, via the President's Page in TLE and communications with council members throughout the year, followed by presentation of the numbers at the council meeting, resulted in approval of a substantial dues increase (to US$70 for active members). To avoid the need for future quantum increases in dues, also approved was the institution of a policy whereby annual dues could be increased in small amounts approved by the executive committee. Dues, unfortunately, have again held constant in the succeeding 16 years.
A key, very informal, two-day meeting of the executive committees of the SEG and EAEG, and spouses, in Williamsburg, Virginia, signaled a turning point toward closer relations between the two societies, with agreements on many new joint activities, including cooperation on exchange of distinguished lecturers at annual meetings, continuing education, and joint listing of publications in the cumulative index. This new period of cooperation benefited in large part from the openness toward such interaction by EAEG president, Mike Cox.
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L. Decker Dawson (1989–90):
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Executive committees in the late 1980s were faced with a rapidly declining SEG membership, resulting from bottom-of-the cycle oil prices. I remember executive committee agendas with 50 items that covered the gamut of geophysical concerns ... but saving the society trumped them all. Obviously we succeeded. Much credit is due to then executive director John Hyden and business manager Don Stoddard who provided outstanding leadership during the period.
The SEG Foundation was rejuvenated on our watch, given a new corporate identity and membership awareness which has carried on very well in ensuring years. Serving on the executive committee was truly the most fulfilling experience of my career. My counsel to those who are asked to serve on future executive committees: Do it.
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H.L. "Bud" Grant (1990–91), William S. French (1991–92):
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The period 1990–92 set the stage for the internationalization of SEG. During the ASEG meeting in Sydney in February 1991, Lee Lawyer and I (locum tenens for SEG President Bud Grant) set up an impromptu meeting with a delegation from the Soviet Union to discuss cooperation including the possibility of joint sponsorship of one of the Eastern European geophysical meetings.
Subsequent correspondence between Bud Grant and the Soviet Union geophysicists revealed that 1991 would be the last of their government-funded meetings. As a result, Bud proposed that the SEG fully underwrite a joint meeting to be held in Moscow in 1992. Gordon Greve, and John Hyden, and I went to Moscow in September 1991 to get support from various government officials. With the backing of Valery Garipov, then the Deputy Minister, USSR Ministry of Oil Industry, the SEG group went to Kiev to present the proposal at the plenary session of the final Eastern European geophysical meeting. An agreement was reached.
Building on this concept, Bud Grant's 1991 executive committee adopted a policy of holding a midyear meeting annually in a venue outside North America, and the successful Exposition and Technical Meeting held in Moscow in July 1992 was the first of many to follow.
Bud Grant and I also introduced incentive rewards for increases in revenue and reduction in costs of SEG operations. Despite declining SEG membership and a general downturn in the industry, 1992 produced record income for SEG and paved the way for the subsequent retirement of the mortgage on the SEG business office in Tulsa.
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Marion Bone (1992–93):
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Two important events of this term were the second SEG-led meeting in Moscow—Bill French and I (when he was president and I was the elect) went to the first the previous year—and the SEG-led meeting in Beijing. The executive committee voted to pay off the outstanding loan against the SEG business office and it became totally owned with no debt. The Foundation was challenged to play a leading role in the move to multidiscipline interaction within the SEG organization and to foster that activity by supporting university programs that promoted that interaction.
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W. Harry Mayne (SEG president, 1968–69).
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Michael Schoenberger (1993–94):
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During this term, we put into action the long-expressed desire of previous executive committees of moving SEG towards becoming a global society. At the beginning of our term, SEG had active sections in the United States, Canada, and Australia; no active section had been added in the preceding 21 years. By the end of our term, we had active sections (or associated societies) in China, Mexico, Argentina, Great Britain, Russia, Malaysia, and Turkey. Another five societies had initiated internal discussions or petitioned to become SEG sections (or associated societies). An "associated" society, a term we adopted, has exactly the same relationship to SEG as does a section but perhaps identifies better the autonomous nature of a national society.
The administrative changes we introduced were less obvious to the rank and file SEG member but are perhaps more important to the society. Written policy and procedures replaced an oral tradition; business office oversight was revamped; and the business office was reorganized to be more effective and more responsive to society needs.
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James D. Robertson (1994–95):
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At the conclusion of that year, I tried to sum up the year's major accomplishments in the President's Page in October 1995 issue of TLE. To quote directly from that page:
"A decade from now the establishment of an SEG Home Page on the World Wide Web likely will be remembered as the most significant action of the 1994–95 executive committee. The Home Page is a start on comprehensive electronic networking among members, conversion of much of the Society's business to electronic interaction, and effective projection of the value of exploration geophysics to the general public. I fully expect that, within five years, SEG will be using worldwide computer communications to (1) publish its journals and books including receipt/review of technical papers, (2) offer continuing education, (3) organize conferences including publicity, registration, abstracts, etc., and (4) promote the science of geophysics to governmental and business organizations and to students and educational groups. This initiative is entirely appropriate for a global society of professional scientists, and I look forward to attending my first SEG virtual workshop on some geophysical topic from the convenience of my office."
Now that we actually are 10 years out from my term, I would not change that assessment. The establishment of the SEG Web site was by far the most significant accomplishment of my presidential year. Some other noteworthy events of that year were Don Stoddard succeeding John Hyden as executive director and continuing to add associated societies (a major thrust of Mike Schoenberger's presidency) to globalize SEG. However, the SEG Web site clearly has been the dominant strategic legacy of the 1994–95 executive committee to the SEG membership.
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Gordon M. Greve (1995–96):
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During this year, attention was focused on activities of the SEG Foundation. A system was set up to identify projects for funding and fund them; and a new Board of Directors of the Foundation was established with the aim of generating more income. During this period, SEG moved into the digital age with the introduction of a Web page and other associated activities. A new advisory committee was established to oversee this new phase of activities. Finally, much time was spent defining the role of SEG in meetings and conferences held outside the United States.
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Fred J. Hilterman (1996–97):
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The 1996–1997 executive committee laid the groundwork and/or developed a series of programs labeled as "distinguished" of which the Distinguished Instructor Short Course (DISC) has emerged as one of SEG's most popular offerings. We initiated a "matching" donation program that supported endowed scholarships, student grants, the student-section book fund, etc., and a brochure was distributed announcing the various programs with naming opportunities. Thanks to the dedication of Kay Wyatt (first vice president), the Virtual Museum was brought online. During this time period, we, through Editor Sven Treitel, were involved with other executive committees in approving and/or assisting the Online Governing Board and online GEOPHYSICS.
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Brian H. Russell (1998–99):
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Robert B. Rice (1975-76):
Roy O. Lindseth (1976-77):
