2013 Distinguished Alumni Honorees
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November 08, 2013
Alumni, spanning 65 years of classes, gathered at The Driskill Hotel for the fourth annual UT PGE Distinguished Alumni Program. The signature event, hosted on November 1, honored six outstanding alumni for their key contributions to energy production, the Texas economy, and higher education.
2013 Distinguished Alumni Honorees (l to r: Fred Stephens, Harry Trueblood, Jr., Karen Hagedorn, Jeff Hildebrand)
The recipients included successful entrepreneurs who have advanced the oil and gas industry; a corporation director and inventor; a well-known independent oil and gas operator; and a leading production manager.
Robert M. Leibrock – BSPE ’43 (deceased)
Robert M. (Bob) Leibrock graduated from UT Austin with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 1943. Leibrock worked for Stanolind Oil and Gas Co., and then served during World War II as Master Sergeant, 104th Engr. Combat Battalion, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the Pacific Theatre. Upon returning, he resumed work at the Stanolind Research Facility in Tulsa. In Midland in 1955 Bob formed the consulting firm Leibrock, Landreth, Campbell and Callaway, specializing in petroleum reservoir engineering.
In the early 1960's the LLC&C partners branched out into oil and gas exploration, and discovered a large gas field in Alberta, Canada (Olds Field). In 1965 the LLC&C partners and W. F. Ortloff founded Elcor Corporation, now Ortloff Engineers, Ltd., a world leader in proprietary gas processing technologies. Bob was also a founder of Tipperary Corp., originally devoted to farming and oil exploration in Australia. In 1972 Bob and partner C. E. Marsh, II discovered and developed one of Alabama’s largest gas fields, a sour, retrograde condensate reservoir, the Big Escambia Creek Field. From 1981 Bob and son, Robert C., were actively involved in oil and gas exploration and production, primarily in the Permian Basin, until his retirement in 2001.
Bob was a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and served as Chairman of the Permian Basin Section in 1956. He was a founder of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association (PBPA) and its second president (1964-65). In 1994 he was honored by PBPA as its "Top Hand". In 2003, Bob was honored as "Top Pioneer" by the Permian Basin Petroleum Pioneers.
Supporting higher education was important to the Leibrock family. They actively supported his alma mater, The University of Texas at Austin, establishing an endowed scholarship in the Cockrell School of Engineering, and later, Bob and Prudie established the first endowed professorship in the newly-created Department of Biomedical Engineering. In 1995 he was honored as a Distinguished Graduate of the Cockrell School. Together, the Leibrocks supported other higher education causes, including establishing the Harold Glenn Brown Chair at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University. He was a founding member of the Midland College Board of Trustees (1969), where he served ten years and was the second president of the board. Leibrock was a trustee of the Abell-Hanger Foundation from 1979 to 1996, during which time the foundation made nearly $50 million in grants.
Bob and Prudie's first son, Robert Charles, was born in Tulsa in 1948, and son Eric William was born in Fort Worth in 1950. Bob and Prudie were blessed with three wonderful granddaughters, Susan, Jane and Christa. Robert M. Leibrock passed away on April 3, 2006, followed by Prudie in 2008.
Charles Simmons – BSPE ’48 (deceased)
After serving four years as a naval aviation cadet, Charles Simmons went on to receive a petroleum engineering degree from UT Austin in 1948. Following his graduation, Charles went on the work with the Western Company of North America, where he worked for 38 years, serving in various positions including chief engineer, division manager, marketing manager, and senior vice president of corporate sales. He served as director of the corporation from 1966 to 1985. Charles served as a director of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and was an active direction of Photoprotective Technologies.
In 1954, Charles invented the perforation ball sealer process, which became an important part of a well-completion process designed and used by Exxon Mobil. Charles’ invention has been used all over the world in well-drilling processes and has resulted in the recovery of billions of barrels of oil and cubic feet of gas.
Charles retired from Western Company in 1985 but continued to be involved in the petroleum industry. He was a president of the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth and president of River Crest Country Club. Charles served as a distinguished lecturer for the Society of Petroleum Engineers in 1987 and 1988, presenting a talk naming strategies for the petroleum industry in various locations all over the world. Charles was named a Distinguished Graduate of the Cockrell School in 1987. Charles passed away on January 4, 2011.
Harry Trueblood, Jr. – BSPE ‘48
Harry attended UT from January, 1943 until he graduated in August, 1948 except for period 1944-46 of naval service in the Pacific aboard a minesweeper. Harry worked in Calco’s Gulf Coast division offshore and onshore as a drilling engineer until May 1951 when he resigned, returned to Texas, and joined a joint venture of two Houston independents with operations in the DJ Basin in Sterling, Colo. and West Texas. After one year with the JV, Harry saw an opportunity to become a founder again, starting his own consulting firm in Sterling supervising drilling and completing wells for operators who had no personnel in the area.
In May 1953, Harry moved his business to Denver where, once again, he became a founder—this time as CEO of a startup E&P company with about a dozen private investors. After a successful property acquisition and two significant field extensions in the San Juan Basin on a development farmout, it became necessary to access sizable funds from the public; Harry created Consolidated Oil & Gas, Inc. (CGS) in 1958. As CGS’s CEO during the next ten years, Harry completed several acquisitions of properties and companies as well as finding several significant oil and natural gas discoveries, growing to a market value in excess of $300 million. Altogether, over his corporate career, Harry served as CEO of eight public companies of which seven he helped to create.
Harry's service to industry organizations includes IPAA, where he served as VP, Director and Executive Committee member and a member of its Nat Gas Committee for over 50 years. He received its "Hard Hat" award for his efforts in helping initiate common carrier status for natural gas pipelines. He served on the Executive Committee of the Natural Gas Supply Committee in the 1980s. In 2004 Harry was inducted into the inaugural class of Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Hall of Fame. He was a founding member of IPANM and IPAMS in the 1970s and received the latter's "Wildcatter" lifetime achievement award in 2006. In that same year, he received the prestigious Distinguished Eagle Scout award from the BSA and in 2007, Harry was honored as a Distinguished Graduate of the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. Harry is currently a member of the SPE Legion of Honor, Rocky Mountain Petroleum Pioneers and was formerly a member of the API 25 Year Club.
Outside of the energy industry, Harry has been recognized extensively for his volunteer and philanthropic activities. Early in his career, he was elected a member of the Young Presidents Organization, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World, Chief Executives Organization, and World President's Organization. Harry also founded the Harry Trueblood Foundation in 1968 which funds scholarships based on merit for many Colorado educational institutions as well as the Harry Trueblood Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at UT Austin. His UT affiliations include UT Chancellor's Council, the President's Associates, and the Littlefield Society as well as a lifetime member of the Ex-Student's and Cowboy Alumni Assoc.
Fred Stephens – BSPE ‘49
Fred Stephens has been a part of the “oil patch” since his college days at UT PGE in the late 1940’s working summers as a roughneck. In 1949, after graduating from UT Austin with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering, Fred’s career began when he accepted an engineering job in Wichita Falls, Texas with Cable Engineering. During the 1950’s, the engineering firm went through various ownerships, becoming Cable & Stephens and eventually Stephens Engineering. Today, Stephens Engineering is a consulting engineering firm specializing in all phases of the oil and gas industry, including the planning, installation, and supervision of secondary recovery projects. In 1959, Fred sold part of the company to Joe L. Johnson, Jr., and this partnership continues today in the form of Stephens Engineering.
In 1962, S & J Operating Company was formed and began contract operating oil and gas properties for others and during the late 1970’s began purchasing properties and operating for themselves. In 1993, Stephens & Johnson Operating Co. was formed and took over all of the property operations. SJOC is a highly respected operator within the industry and was recently ranked one of the Top 100 largest private operators in the nation, according to the December 2012 edition of the Oil and Gas Financial Journal.
A proud Longhorn Engineer, Fred is dedicated to providing career opportunities to UT PGE graduates, having offered several young graduates their first jobs after graduation, and serving as a business and professional mentor for multiple generations of UT PGE graduates. As a result of his success in the oil & gas industry, Fred has been able to give generously to the University of Texas, as well as United Regional Healthcare System, Midwestern State University and hundreds of smaller charities. Through the Stephens Family Foundation, Fred established the Stephens Family Endowed Excellence Fund in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering in 2007. Fred is a Texas Exes Life Member and a longtime supporter of Friends of Alec.
Fred has many interests outside of the office. He owns over 12,000 acres in Clay, Archer and Wichita Counties where he runs cattle and "tries" to hunt quail and enjoy a great Texas sunset, too. He has always said that he couldn't afford to be a cattleman if he wasn't an oilman!
The family enjoys their home at Possum Kingdom Lake, as well as a home on the Taylor River in Colorado, where they spend a portion of their summer and Christmas holidays together. In addition to ranching and hunting, he enjoys fly fishing and collecting western art, as well as attending every Longhorn football game possible.
Fred had three children with Jane, who passed away in 2001: Susan Geyer (UT BA Art History '74) and Katherine Smethie, both of whom live in Dallas, and Tom Stephens (UT BBA PLM '81) who lives in Wichita Falls. Among his nine grandchildren, three have graduated from UT, Stewart Geyer (UT BS AE '05), Janie Stephens (UT BBA Finance '05), Emily Stephens (UT BS Advertising '09), and son-in-law Steven Smethie (UT BS PE '80).
Jeff Hildebrand – MSPE ‘85
From an early age, Jeff Hildebrand had a vision and a passion to run and own his own oil and gas company. After receiving his B.S. in geology, Jeff went to work for Exxon as a geologist but he soon realized he needed more education to truly advance in the industry and returned to Austin to complete his master’s degree in petroleum engineering. Jeff’s vision of starting his own company materialized in 1989. That year Jeff founded Hilcorp Energy Company with financial backing from Jack Trotter, an inspiring mentor to Jeff.
Today, Hilcorp is headquartered in Houston and has over 1,200 employees with interests in more than 8,000 wells across the Lower 48 and Alaska. In 2011 Hilcorp sold its Eagleford assets to Marathon Oil Corporation of $3.5 billion. Jeff is very proud of the fact that Hilcorp is consistently named a top workplace by both local and national publications including placing 7th on the 2013 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For list.
Jeff is active in his community by serving on the boards of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Central Houston, Inc., and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. In May 2013, he was sworn in by Governor Rick Perry as a member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents. He also recently served on the UT Board of Regents Engineering Education Task Force, and is a member of the Engineering Advisory Board at The University of Texas at Austin.
Jeff is the recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Engineering Graduate from The University of Texas at Austin, and the Leadership Award from the Houston Chronicle's Top Workplaces in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Karen Hagedorn – BSPE ‘86
A second-generation UT PGE graduate, Dr. Karen D. Hagedorn earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from UT PGE in 1986. She earned the degree in three years with highest honors, and her subsequent educational and career paths have remained equally impressive. Today, Karen is Alaska Production Manager for ExxonMobil, a position she assumed in February 2013. Karen began her career with Exxon in Houston in 1992 in the Alaska Interest Organization of Exxon Company U.S.A before relocating to Anchorage as a reservoir engineer for Prudhoe Bay and Endicott fields.
Prior to assuming her current role, she served as EOR research supervisor at ExxonMobil Upstream Research, Operations Technical Manager for US Lower 48 Production and Joint Interest Manager for Esso Angola. Karen has conducted research and field testing of leading-edge methods for improving oil recovery and has worked on design, implementation, operation and business analysis of commercial oil and gas recovery projects worldwide.
Volunteer service is an important endeavor for Karen. A 25-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Karen has served on a number of SPE committees, including the community service, editorial review, nominating and Distinguished Service Award committees. During her first assignment in Anchorage, Karen began volunteer work in the Abused Women's Aid in Crisis (AWAIC) shelter, an agency aiding women and children dealing with domestic violence. She served on the External Advisory Committee for UT PGE, the advisory board for The University of Alaska Fairbanks, and was a founding member of the UT Austin Women in Engineering Program Advisory Committee.
Karen was awarded the SPE Young Member Outstanding Service Award and was honored as the SPE Alaska Section Engineer of the Year. In 2004, Karen was honored as a UT Austin Cockrell School of Engineering Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate. In 2006, Karen was honored as a Gilbreth Lecturer, named after the first woman member, by the National Academy of Engineering.
The UT PGE Alumni Reunion and Tailgate took place on Saturday, November 2 in front of the Petroleum Engineering building. More than 250 alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered to connect and mingle prior to the UT vs. Kansas football game.
The event included a tour of the state-of-the-art drilling labs, which were unveiled at the beginning of the fall semester. Dr. Eric van Oort, who is leading the charge in redesigning the drilling program at UT, launched three labs that will give graduate students a hands-on, interactive learning experience. The labs include: the Real-time Operations Center, the Drilling Automation Lab and the Zonal Isolation Lab.
Guests also received a tour of the Ben H. Caudle Learning Excellence Center, which opened in the fall of 2012. The renovated third floor of the PGE building provides students ample work space for group studying as well as technology components that enhance overall learning.
View photos from the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Program and Tailgate on the UT PGE Flickr page.
