HGS Awards 2004-2005
Gerald Cooley Award
Dan Smith
Honorary Life Membership
Deborah Sacrey
Paul Britt
Distinguished Service Award
Carl E. Norman
Craig Dingler
Linda Sternbach
Rising Star Award
Mike Jones
Mike Allison
Frank Walles
Corporate Star Award
Dominion E&P
A2D/TGS-Nopec
BHP Billiton
Diversified Well Logging
HRA Gray & Pape
President''s Award
Art Berman
Ken Nemeth
Cheryl Desforges
Marsha Bourque
Andrea Reynolds
HGA Distinguished Service Award
Shirley Gordon
Dan Smith - Gerald A. Cooley Award
Written by Jeff Lund
The Gerald A. Cooley Award honors the memory of the man we knew, loved and remember as the personification of dedication, service and leadership continuing long after official office terms expire. It recognizes true dedication to the profession of petroleum geology in general, and to the Houston Geological Society in particular. No one I know would disagree that Dan L. Smith is a profoundly deserving recipient of the Cooley Award.
I have known Dan since he welcomed me to my first Houston Delegates meeting many decades ago, through our current simultaneous service on the AAPG Advisory Council. He has been a friend, a mentor and an inspiring leader to me and countless other geologists, and he continues doing so actively every day!
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1958 and immediately began his career as a petroleum geologist with Pan American Petroleum (now BP). In 1967 he joined independent oil company Roberts and Whitson Petroleum as exploration manager.
Continuing his entrepreneurial bent he became part owner, executive vice president and exploration manager of Texoil Co., until 1992 when he joined Texas Meridian (now Meridian Resource Corp). He retired from Meridian in 1999 as vice president of new ventures. More recently, Dan brought his prospect generating expertise and business skills to Sandalwood Oil and Gas where his prospects are a key factor in Sandalwood’s notably successful drilling program.
Dan’s business career has always been paralleled by his contributions to the profession of petroleum geology. Joining AAPG in 1959, he has held many offices including President of the Association in 2002-2003. He is a Certified Petroleum Geologist and an AAPG Foundation Trustee Associate.
Dan has been active in the AAPG House of Delegates (HOD) for nearly 20 years serving as a delegate and foreman of the Houston delegation. He was elected chairman of the HOD in 1997-98. He has served as chair of the Constitution and By Laws Committee, Nominations Committee, Special Resolution Committee on International and Domestic Representation and as a member of the HOD Procedures Committee. Dan’s extensive HOD service was recognized in 2000 when he received the first Distinguished Service Award made by the body.
AAPG Standing Committees have benefited from Dan’s leadership. His contributions include service on the Committee on Conventions, Committee on Committees and the Visiting Geologist Committee. He chaired the Summit on Sections Meeting in 1997.
The Department of Professional Affairs (DPA) of AAPG has been an arena of great interest to Dan. He served as DPA vice chair for the 1995 annual meeting as well as being DPA program chair and receiving the Best Paper Award.
Most of us in HGS see Dan’s service more directly through the Houston Geological Society, and for sure HGS, has been another beneficiary of Dan’s dedicated talent. His term as President in 1987-88 and Vice President in 1985-86 capped years of service recognized by HGS having presented him Honorary Membership and Distinguished Service Awards. Not all of us remember how he lead the HGS during a painful decline in the price of oil when optimism was a critical leadership quality, and required unusual to budget challenges.
Dan has long been concerned with scholarship support of young geologists and has served many years as chair of the Graduate Memorial Scholarship Board and the HGS Advisory Committee.
HGS is the largest local society in the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS). Dan co-chaired a very successful 1991 GCAGS Convention and served for many years as the GCAGS Convention Committee chair. GCAGS awarded him Honorary Membership and Distinguished Service Awards and in 2001 dedicated the Transactions volume to him, one of the rarest of honors.
Of significant note is his participation in other earth science organizations including the Society of Independent Earth Scientists, Association of Independent Professional Earth Scientists, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Houston Producer’s Forum and regular attendance at the Chief Geologists and Exploration Manager’s Luncheons.
I believe the most important contribution Dan’s long service has brought to our profession is his optimism and positive vision for petroleum geology. His term as AAPG President emphasized his concept of making AAPG every geologists “Career Partner for Life” as industry rapidly evolves away from lifetime employment with a company.
Dan’s Presidential address at the Salt Lake City Convention Opening Session focused on the “big picture” of the earth’s energy future and its importance not just to geologists but to mankind.
Even today, Dan chairs