HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

- 1993 -

Don Seaman

Don Seaman was the third of three brothers to graduate from the U of S with a degree in engineering. After a brief start with Canadian Industries Ltd., he went on to join his brothers in Seaman Engineering and Drilling Company Limited. After a few years, Don moved up to become the General Manager of a company that would drill up much of the Southeast Saskatchewan oil patch – Sedco Drilling, a division of Bow Valley Resource Services.

This was only the start of a career that would see Don take on responsibility for all of Bow Valley’s Canadian oil well drilling and diamond drilling companies. Don also assumed the responsibility for supervision of Bow Valley’s forest products companies.

Don was appointed Senior Vice-President and Director of Bow Valley Industries in 1975. During this time the Seaman Brothers had grown the company from three brothers to more than 3000 employees.

Under various titles, Don Seaman has operated one of Canada’s largest and probably most profitable land drilling fleet. Don held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of the Bow Valley Resource Services Ltd. for the ten years between 1977 and 1987 and was managing a personal investment company in 1993.

He remained active in charitable and community organizations and with his brothers and other Calgary business people. He was a co-owner of the Calgary Flames.

The world fraternity of oilmen knows and respects the Seaman Brothers – Doc, B.J., and Don. Under the Bow Valley name their exploration, drilling, production and manufacturing, service, and supply operations have served Saskatchewan and Canada proud.

The activities of Don have added immeasurably to the educational, cultural, recreational, and business life of Saskatchewan and Canada.

Gerry Maier

Gerry was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1928 and attended Notre Dame College in Wilcox. Later he attended the Universities of Manitoba, Alberta, and Western Ontario.

It was at Wilcox that Gerry honed his hockey skills and became good enough to have a choice of career in the NHL or an opportunity to join the oil industry. It was a difficult choice but he chose a career in the patch.

Before and after graduation, he worked in the petroleum and mining industries in Canada, the United States, and Australia, and the United Kingdom. During his career, he held responsibilities for petroleum operations in Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and South East Asia with some of the industry’s largest companies.

Gerry assumed the office of President and Chief Executive Officer of Trans-Canada Pipe Lines in 1985. By 1992, he was also appointed Chairman. In 1993, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TransCanada PipeLines, and a Director of that company as well as the Bank of Nova Scotia, BCE Inc., DuPont Canada Inc., Great Lakes Gas Transmission Company, TransAlta Utilities Corporation, and Alberta Natural Gas Company Ltd. He was Chairman of the Board as well as a Director of Western Gas Marketing Limited.

During his career, he has been active in professional, technical, and business organizations and is a Past President of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta. In 1993, he was Chairman of the Canadian National Committee of the World Petroleum Congresses, Chairman of the Van Horne Institute for International Transportation and Regulatory Affairs, a member of the Business Council on National Issues, and the Board of Trustees of the Manning Awards Foundation.

In September 1987 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment after serving as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel since April 1984.

In May 1989 he was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Gerry is also a recipient of the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada and in 1990 was named Resource Man of the Year by the Alberta Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Dutton

Bill was born in Virden, Manitoba in 1933 where he attended school until the excitement of the oil patch lured him away.

In the next fifteen years, Bill worked his way around the patch and up the ladder.

In 1958 Bill started with Monsanto Oil Ltd. as a battery operator. Eight years later he was Monsanto’s Drilling and Production Superintendent working in Sask. Alta. B.C. and North Dakota.

In 1968 he went to work for Helton Engineering Ltd. as drilling and completions foreman. In 1969 W.E. Bakke Oil hired him to do the same job for them. The dark cloud of nationalization led Bakke to pull out of Sask. in 1973 and Bill struck out on his own.

In 1976 Bill and partners started a production and exploration company called Adanac Oil Ltd. with Bill as president. By 1979, the company was bought out by Dome Petroleum.

In 1979 Bill formed a new company, Clan Resources Ltd., and again started drilling. In 1982, Bill was a founder and Chairman of the Saskatchewan Small Explorers and Producers Association, where he is still a Director.

By 1987-88 Clan had grown and was looking for money to expand. The idea of a publicly-traded junior got its first serious consideration and led to the creation of Upton Resources in 1989.

Bill has also been active in the community serving as President of the Estevan Bruins hockey club, Estevan Oilmen’s Technical Society, and as a member of the Estevan Strippers Oldtimers Hockey Club (defense).

George McLeod

George was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and attended the University of Saskatchewan where he received a degree in geology. After leaving university, George worked with two U.S. and Canadian exploration companies as their chief geologist and division manager. Then, he began working for Samedan Oil of Canada as the division geologist and worked his way up to vice-president of the company in 1973. George was promoted to President of Samedan Oil Corporation and held that position for 10 years while working in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

From 1984-1986, George was President and Chief Executive Officer of Noble Affiliates Inc. and in 1993 was the President and CEO of Geolock Resources Ltd.

He sat on the Board of a number of companies and held professional Associations with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Engineering Institute of Canada, and The Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.

Don Barkwell

Don was born in Eston, Saskatchewan, and earned an engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

After his education, Don spent four years in the Saskatchewan Department of Mineral Resources as a principal engineer.

Seeing the opportunities developing in the oil patch, Don made the move into the private sector in 1957 to a company called New Superior Oils of Canada Ltd. This company went on to become Norcen Energy Resources Limited. After serving in various positions with the company, Don eventually became Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the company.

Don is responsible for taking Norcen to the world by developing plays from North America to the North Sea to Australia. Under his guidance, Norcen grew to be a consistently profitable Canadian company that was and is envied around the world. After almost 30 years with the Norcen group of companies, Don decided to change careers.

In 1988, Don took over as President and Chief Executive Officer of POCO Petroleum Ltd. and once again worked his magic. In the span of four years, he restructured the company and returned it to profitability. Don retired as President and CEO of POCO in 1992 to manage his own company – Barkwell Investments Ltd. and to sit on the Boards of Co-Enerco, Morgan Bank, POCO Petroleum Ltd., Golf Lease Inc., and the Advisory Council to the University of Calgary.

Jerry Gossard

Jerry was born and raised in Cabri, Saskatchewan. After graduating from the local high school in 1956, he took a position with Mobil Oil in the Swift Current area. He spent a couple of years with Mobil and then decided to move into the provincial Department of Mineral Resources as a junior petroleum and natural gas technician. After holding various positions with the department, Jerry was promoted to head up the field office in Kindersley, and following that, to head up the Swift Current office. Jerry was promoted in 1981 to Director of the Petroleum Development Branch in Regina where he assumed responsibility for all of the field offices in the province and a major portion of head office.

Among Jerry’s many duties, he was responsible for implementing government policies and ensuring that the province’s oil and gas exploration development and production operations were undertaken in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Jerry managed his responsibilities in a way that was friendly and productive with the oil and gas industry. His common sense and his pragmatic approach to developing workable solutions to address environmental issues with the industry are a credit to his profession and a model to his successors.

Jerry Gossard retired from public service in 1993 after 35 years of dedicated effort.

George Grant

George Grant was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and attended the University of Saskatchewan where he received a degree in Geological Engineering.

George is one of those rare individuals who spent his entire 44-year working career working for one company, Chevron Canada Resources. He comes from a long line of Saskatchewan residents who worked at Chevron but none have equaled his career or service in the oil patch. During this time with Chevron, George held many positions and after 44 years he retired as General Manager of Business Development.