2016 UT PGE Distinguished Alumni Honorees
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October 26, 2015
The growth and stature of the UT PGE Department is largely due to dedicated, passionate alumni who go on to change the oil and gas industry with their leadership and innovation.
Thanks to our supporters, almost 200 people filled the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom on Friday, Nov. 11 during the 2016 Distinguished Alumni (DA) Ceremony. The program honored six alumni for their significant contributions to energy production, the Texas economy and higher education. UT PGE graduate and DA Committee Chair Russell Parker (BS PE '00), who is a 2010 DA honoree, served as the emcee for the evening.
As some of the industry's leading entrepreneurs, engineers and noteworthy executives, the 2016 honorees have positively influenced the field.
Jack Smyth Josey: Josey was born in Beaumont, Texas on July 11, 1916. Attending public schools in Houston and graduating from San Jacinto High School in 1934, Josey entered The University of Texas at Austin where he obtained a bachelor of science in petroleum engineering in 1939. Josey was president (grand master) of Kappa Sigma, a Goodfellow, Outstanding Student, and foreman (president) of the Texas Cowboys. Read more
Joe M. Parsley: When Parsley retired after more than 30 years in the oil and gas industry, he left behind a legacy of successful, independent Texas oil companies. Parsley graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1951 with a degree in petroleum engineering and began his career as a reservoir engineer for Marathon Oil Corporation. Read more
Scott D. Sheffield: Sheffield is CEO and chairman of Pioneer Natural Resources, one of nation’s largest independent oil and gas companies. The son of a petroleum engineer and international executive with ARCO, Scott Sheffield was raised in Tehran, Iran, and grew up in the oil business. Read more
Alex M. Cranberg: Cranberg was appointed to a six-year term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Rick Perry in February 2011. Regent Cranberg is chairman of the Health Affairs Committee and serves as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee and the Technology Transfer and Research Committee. Cranberg is chairman of Aspect Holdings, LLC. Read more
John A. Weinzerl: Weinzierl, PE co-founded Memorial Resource Development LLC, an oil and gas production company, in 2011 and currently serves as the CEO of its successor company, MRD Holdco LLC. Since the company’s formation, John led the public listing and of two subsidiary companies, Memorial Resource Development Corp. and Memorial Production Partners LP, and was CEO of an organization that had over 500 employees, produced over 1 billion cubic feet equivalent of gas per day, and operated in six states. Read more
Sue Park: Summer internships, college courses and professors, and the bonds she built with her classmates convinced Sue Park of her place in the global energy industry. Upon earning her bachelor of science degree studying petroleum engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, Sue moved back to her hometown of Houston, Texas to start her professional career with Chevron. Read more
