I am very excited that the 11th annual Family Fossil Hunt is again scheduled this year at the Wright Brothers’ Gravel Pit and Quarry. This is a tremendous opportunity for students, parents and geologists to find bones of a diverse number of extinct Pleistocene mammals in our own county. The species diversity of fauna compares to the La Brea Tar Pit in Los Angeles---the same animals they find there, we find here and all are referred to as the La Brea Fauna.

So come out on May 19th and see what everyone finds at the pit—see why I am so excited about my Phase II— Safari in South Texas. One of these bones, a drawing of the skeleton of the animal, an artist’s rendition of the animal and a paleographic map of the Nueces River 11,000 years ago need to be in the Trophy cases of each school in the Coastal Bend. Come out and be a part of a Safari in South Texas. Dr Jon Baskin and Mr Ronnie Thomas of TAMU-Kingsville will be on hand to identify the discoveries.

Owen Hopkins, current president of the local Geological Society, gave a presentation on the “History of Oil and Gas in Corpus Christi”. Did you know that the first oil well in Corpus Christi was drilled right down Leopard Street where the “Old Mexico” Restaurant stands today? Hundreds of wells were drilled in the area along Leopard and I-37 from the 1920’s through the 1970’s producing both oil and gas. Did you know that when demand for oil for lighting was satisfied by whale oil, the Bowhead whale provided the greatest number of barrels per whale at 275? The oil and gas industry saved the whale population from almost certain extinction. The first gusher well in the U.S., “Spindle Top”, initially produced 100,000 barrels of oil a day. This immediately saved 363 whales per day from harvest for their oil. So Owen says that anytime someone gives the oil and gas industry a hard time, be sure to educate them about how they are actually “Saving the Whales!”.

Owen also has a program on Astronomy, so if you have an interest in that one, email the office.

Another terrific program.

Phase I - Fifty-one USGS Time and Terrain Geologic Maps of the US are on the walls of local schools thanks to the efforts and donations from many members of our society. The goal of getting 100 of them placed by the end of this school year is on track.

Phase II - Safari it South Texas has started with donations of extinct Pleistocene mammal bones (collected by Ronnie Thomas TAMUK and me in December) to Ella Barnes Elementary and to Kostoryz Elementary during Public School Week March 5th to March 9th. A flyer about the movie Ice Age has been prepared that indicates that the animals depicted in that movie lived in south Texas and our fossil assemblages here are similar to those from the La Brea tar pits in California.

The Phase I--Maps in School Project 2006-2007 to place the USGS Time and Terrain Geologic Map of the US in 100 schools in the Coastal Bend before the end of this school year is on track.

The Phase II--Safari in South Texas
Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMU-K) has collected bones from more than 20 species of extinct animals from a gravel pit just west of Corpus Christi over the past 16 years. The diversity of animals rivals that from the La Brea tar pit fauna and also of the Anza-Borrego fauna in California. The plan is to prepare a permanent display for each middle school that contains:
1- large, actual bone from an extinct mammal that was collected in Nueces, County
2- drawing of the skeleton of the extinct animal with the displayed bone highlighted
3- artists drawing of what the animal looked like when alive with reference scale
4- a map showing the Nueces River flood plain as it looked 18,000 years ago
5- an artists rendition of the Corpus Christi Bay “Serengeti Plain” showing the diverse
flora and fauna

This plan includes cooperation of the TAMU-K and the Corpus Christi Geological Society. We had this incredible diversity of animals and we think all the students in our area should be aware of this. The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History is in the process of changing its emphasis and being renamed the Corpus Christi Museum of History—so all the more reason to get these displays in the schools because they won’t get it in our local museum.

Funding for a project like this will be considerably more than for Phase I, but I think it is worthwhile. And like Win Sexton has always said, “good ideas will get drilled”—so I am hopeful this will get drilled also. I have been in contact with two foundations that have suggested that we submit a written proposal—should be done by April. And I am attending an AAPG leadership conference in Tulsa with other society presidents where I hope to get some ideas. And I would like input from the membership on any ideas or comments or suggestions.

At Sexton Oil in the late 1980’s, after the prospects were put together and brochured, we needed to sell 100% of each one we generated and that entailed a lot of traveling—we showed our big one to over 80 companies with, at the most, two showings per day. A quarter was the most any company generally wanted and some did not want to be the first to take a piece or they wanted the last quarter and on and on. And then we scheduled the companies to review the seismic data at Dick Brewer’s office in Houston. And if a company liked the prospect, then they needed to negotiate the deal with Win—and he was tough. The better the deal, the tougher the trade.

So I had to do a lot of traveling and my kids were 9 and 6. I remember a Southwest Airlines magazine ad in the late 80’s that had a picture of a little girl looking out of a window of her home in the evening and the ad stated:
        “We will get you, on time, to your most important meeting of the day—Home.”

I left Sexton Oil & Minerals to join Harkins & Company in early 1987—my continuing saga of 35 years in the oil business continues in this issue with Lessons Learned.

Owen Hopkins 2/08/07
Picture at the top was taken at Sal de Atacama in the Atacama desert in northern Chile—this 1300 square mile closed salt field is 7500’ above sea level. A smoldering, 18,334’ Lascar Andes volcano is in the background.

The Phase I--Maps in School Project 2006-2007 is progressing well— nine CCGS members will have placed or scheduled to place the USGS Time and Terrain Geologic Map of the US in 41 local schools by the end of January. The map is also hanging in the office of Acting CCISD Superintendent, Scott Elliff.

“The object of the Corpus Christi Geological Society (founded in 1942) is to promote the science of geology, especially as it relates to the development of oil and gas and other resources in South Texas.” But in order to get into oil and gas, we had to take a Geology course. Some of us knew we wanted to be geologists—I never heard the word until I was 19. But we all took Geology I in college—and became hooked. But what got us to take that first Geology course? Who helped us in that decision? Can we help students now to take science in school and Geology in college? To help us do that, we have started a new section in our bulletin called “How We Got into Geology. This can get us to thinking about those pivotal days, those decisions we made changed our lives. Many of us will be talking to our Coastal Bend students encouraging them into science and geology. It might help us to see what diverse backgrounds and paths other CCGS members took to become geologists, and it will help us to see that our diverse students could be excited about geology also. Send in a few paragraphs and a picture of yourself from those years to share with our members in the coming months in the CCGS Bulletin.

Bill Maxwell, our Vice President, has excellent speakers for our February luncheon that fit well into the purpose of the CCGS—“…oil and gas and other resources in South Texas.” Be sure to make reservations to hear the presentation by Mestena Inc. on “The Newest in situ Uranium Mine in South Texas”—we expect a large turnout. Reservations need to be made by noon Monday February 19th to jbockelman@braytoncc.com.

Check out our updated website-- www.ccgeo.org --David Brink, TAMUCC geology major has accepted an appointment to be the CCGS Webmaster. If you need anything added to the site or if you have any ideas of improvement, please email him. He has some ideas to further enhance the site—so watch for changes. The last few Bulletins are always available to be downloaded from the website. Thanks to the TAMUCC geology club students who have been helping with our Junior Rockhound Program by preparing a set of minerals and another set of rocks that are being distributed to science classes along with the Geologic map. They are using the minerals and rocks that have been collected by members and purchased through the years by the CCGS.

I remember the feeling I had walking to school when I was six years old one day wearing my new Magic Decoder Ring—“that boy had a ring that could do anything, and that boy is so lucky”. Well, I had that same feeling again back in June 1980 while walking along Carancahua street between the bank buildings in uptown Corpus Christi——“that guy just moved to town a couple of years ago from Lafayette and now he is working for Win Sexton--he is so lucky.” My continuing saga of 35 years in the oil business continues in this issue—with Lessons Learned.

Owen Hopkins 1/14/07

Dennis Moore, your Past President of the CCGS, suggested in his term that we take our educational activities to a higher level. He suggested we start informing the community of what the Corpus Christi Geological Society has been doing in our schools for many years and to raise the awareness of care and concern the CCGS has for our local students and their education. Many of our members have worked under the radar screen for many years by going to individual schools to make presentations in classrooms. We have made some impact, but with limited resources of manpower, time and money we have not been able to talk to all the local schools. Dennis’ point was that we could have a greater, longer lasting, permanent influence on our schools and we needed to do something more.

So, I took Dennis’ plan to heart and have conceived a three prong educational attack. The first, and easiest one, is the Maps in Schools Project 2006-2007, the second is Safari in South Texas and the third one is Bring the Outcrop to the Schools. The Maps project is already well underway. The other two ideas have not been presented to the Executive Committee yet, partly because the expense will be considerably greater and we will need outside funding from companies, foundations and caring individuals in conjunction with our own CCGS member support and the Don Boyd Continuing Education Fund. But I am planting the seeds of my next two ideas at every opportunity and getting some general community awareness of the CCGS. I made a presentation to the Uptown Rotary Club in December titled “Planting the Seeds of Geologic Curiosity” and brought that organization up to speed on what the CCGS is doing and has been doing for many years. And I have scheduled another Rotary talk in early January and have been approached about doing one in Sinton and in Alice in the early spring.

I have had short meetings with two CCISD board members and the interim Superintendent and alerted them as to what we were doing and what our overall plan was and told them that the CCGS was going to be more involved in exciting our students about science in general and geology in particular in the coming year. Also, I have been talking to architects about incorporating and using more and varied rock types in the building plans of new schools and their landscaping. The CCGS can use your help and influence also—use your juice.

The Wooden Rigs—Iron Men book reached payout in December and now the profits from the remaining books to be sold can be used for educational purposes. The History Committee is planning a video documentary as a follow up to the book with details to follow.

Be sure to rent the DVD “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore. He has presented a shortened version on Oprah and I have already been asked what I thought about it. You will be shocked, or at least I was, on the quality of the lecture that Al Gore is essentially giving in the 4th highest grossing documentary ever done. The general public is watching. Oprah is watching. We geologists better see what is going on also. He claims, and I think most of us now agree, that global warming is happening—it has been happening because we have been in a interglacial period for 16,000 years—but the question is whether man’s influence has exacerbated the situation. He has some suggestions of what we could do (like change light bulbs), but I think the bigger issue is what the government should do long range—that is what Presidents are for, to look to the future, look at the big picture, change the future, do something. Let me know what you think.

Owen Hopkins 12/12/06

The Maps in School Project 2006-2007 is well underway with 20 schools receiving the maps— see pictures in this bulletin of the students at some schools in Corpus Christi and also in Palacios, Texas.

I traveled with Bill and Marjorie Walraven to San Antonio last week to attend the South Texas Geological Society luncheon and to promote some sales of our book— Wooden Rigs- Iron Me. I introduced the Walraven’s and reminded the STGS members that the book was not just about Corpus Christi but about the history of all South Texas oil and gas activities. The CCGS is remembering and honoring the past by creating this tremendous book and continuing to work on a video documentary as well. But that we were looking to the future also by planting seeds of geologic curiosity in the minds of students in the Coastal Bend with the placement of USGS Map of Time and Terrain in all 5th-6th grades in the Coastal Bend. Mandy Medina, STGS President- Elect, bought one of the maps for himself and is considering it as a project that the STGS may take on during his term as President.

Red McCombs was their guest speaker and before his speech, he said “the book was priceless to anyone interested in oil, gas and ranching in South Texas and that I highly recommend it”. Red McCombs, I found out, has been a handshake partner with Charles Forney in Houston since the early 1960’s. The tremendous Charline Field-- 1978 Wilcox discovery in Lavaca County was named after Red’s wife, Charline.

So, be sure to buy your copy of Wooden Rigs Iron Men before the end of the year when the price increases to $75.00 for 2007. The Walraven’s will be at our December luncheon to personalize and sign copies for you—get some signed for Christmas gifts as well. Bring your checkbook and buy one for the reception room coffee table in your office.

Nobody can be nine! When I was 9, I heard a song on the radio that said “for he is a jolly good fellow, for he is a jolly good fellow, for he is a jolly good fellow-- that nobody can be nine”. I remember saying to myself that “the song is wrong, you can be nine, I’m nine!” I tell this story to 4th and 5th grade students and tell them to be proud they’re nine—they’re the oldest of the little kids. “Stand up straight and be proud—you’re 9”. The nines birthdays have been good to me. At 19, I took my first geology course at OU—that changed my life. At 29, I got married—that changed my life. At 39, I drilled my first 20BCF well-- that changed my life. At 49, I shot my first 3D—that was fun. At 59, I am a grandfather—that will change my life. So I say the nines have been good to me.

Somebody can be nine! Happy Holidays

Owen Hopkins 11/13/06
CCGS President

What a great response to my The Maps in Schools Project 2006-2007 –we sent out invoices to everyone who signed up to sponsor a map for a school at the KickOff BBQ and almost immediately started receiving the funds to kick start our mapping project. Zdansky’s map store has laminated, dry mounted and framed 25 of the maps and we are in the process of putting them into area schools—as of the writing of this letter five have been placed and the remainder of the initial order should be done by months end.

The Don Boyd Continuing Education Funds are being used to leverage member donations so that we can do all the schools in the Coastal Bend—not just the schools that our member’s children are attending. I called Patricia Boyd and told her of our plan to put these maps in the schools. She was very pleased to hear that and thought it was a very good use of the funds, and she knew Don would have highly approved of the project.

I was recruited to work in Corpus Christi from friends that had moved here from Chevron in Lafayette, and I still remember the pitch they gave me after taking me to lunch at the restaurant at the top of the old Sheraton Hotel (the blue Best Western hotel now) on Shoreline Boulevard. The sales pitch was “Owen-- if you move to Corpus Christi, you can play here in the bay, work up on the hill and live down the street!”

Well, I thought about that a lot in the next few weeks back at Chevron as I rode the street car to work at 7:30am every morning with sweat dripping down my neck and my necktie too tight. And I finally decided to take a chance and move to Texas.

It was a risk—I did not know anything about the geology of this area, did not know the rocks, did not know if I would be able to find any oil and gas over here, and on and on. But I decided to do it. I reasoned that I could always go back and work for a major again—but I really did not want to look back on this opportunity in the future and regret that I did not give it a try. So I did. I have always had my boats to play with in the bay. I have always worked up on the hill. I have always lived about a mile away just off Ocean Drive. Tommy and Bruce were right--- Corpus Christi is a great place to live, work, play and raise a family.

Moral of the story is: Take a chance. When you come to a crossroads in your life, take the harder path.

Owen Hopkins 10/10/06
CCGS President

As I alluded to in my September letter, after my 20 years of giving presentations in Corpus Christi area schools, I have noticed that what is missing are maps on the school walls. So, my recommendation is to put the large, colorful, framed, laminated USGS Time and Terrain Geologic map of the US in every 5th and 6th grade school in the Coastal Bend. They can be mounted in a hallway or library as a permanent map for the school.

The CCGS approved, in 2004, that we give a rolled version of the Time and Terrain map at each Junior RockHound presentation. This large, striking, colorful map of the surface geologic age of the United States that is overlain onto a computer generated relief topographic map (go online to http://tapestry.usgs.gov/ to check it out for yourself) has been well received by teachers and students.

Due to the enthusiastic response for the Maps in School Project 2006-2007 that I presented at the KickOff BBQ, we received pledges from CCGS members to place 30 maps in schools in time for Earth Science Week October 8-13th, 2006. We are now on the way to our long term goal of placing a map in all 5th and 6th grade schools in the Coastal Bend.

The Executive Committee has authorized the use of the Don Boyd Continuing Education Fund to leverage CCGS member donations and increase the number of schools in the project. A label on each map will acknowledge that the gift is from the Corpus Christi Geological Society with support of the Don Boyd Continuing Education Fund.

This project enables the CCGS to contribute more Geologic resources to the local schools, to give something back to the community, to get some good PR for GeoScience and to put needed educational materials into the schools and hopefully get young students interested in science and geology.

The CCGS Student Members that are in the TAMUCC Geology Club have volunteered to distribute the maps to the schools as needed and to assist our members as GeoScience Liaisons with each school.

John Bockelman did a fine job of coordinating the KickOff BBQ at the museum—we had 99 RSVP’s. I look forward to seeing all of you at our future Town Club luncheons.

Owen Hopkins 9/12/06
CCGS President

As you all know, I have been the Academic Liaison Cochairman for the Corpus Christi Geological Society for twenty years, and I have made presentations to most of the CCISD elementary and middle schools and to many private and parochial schools in Nueces and surrounding counties. There is something that I have seen lacking in all those schools and there is something that our CCGS can do to help. We can do it as a way of giving something back to our community and something that we can all be proud of. Your Executive Committee will be meeting in September to discuss the proposal and if approved, then more details will follow.

With all that in mind, the VP’s of the CCGS and CBGS have a great slate of speakers already lined up for the year that will be of interest to us all and especially should be for the students, recent grads and new hires. Our younger geologists may think that all there is to generating a prospect is working up some time maps and arbs on the computer, but the leadoff speaker, Cindy Yielding from BP, will reaffirm that we must use geologic sense and logs in conjunction with our maps. In the following months, some speakers will be locals presenting their own prospects and leading us through the process, pitfalls and struggles of generating, selling and drilling a prospect.

I want to encourage the students to come to our luncheons and to sit at different tables and to talk to other geologists. When there is a break in the hunting and sport talk, ask someone that you may not know what their greatest discovery was?—ask what was the most pay you have seen on a log?— what rocks do you explore for?—ask what was the reason you got into geology in Corpus Christi?—ask to go to their office and show you one of their discoveries—ask them what is their ‘claim to fame’?—ask them if they ever drilled any dry holes? Part of being an exploration geologist is being curious, asking questions and being interested in the business. You students may be working for one of us someday, so get to know us. We have not found all the oil and gas in South Texas—there is plenty for you to discover.

Since I did not take any petroleum geology courses from the University of Oklahoma, I have had to learn the business ‘on-the-job’ from a variety of companies—Chevron, Holly Energy, Sexton Oil, Harkins and Company and Suemaur Exploration. In my President’s letters in the coming months, I will share some things I learned in my 35 years in the oil and gas business that may be of interest to students or younger geologists.

See you at the KickOff BBQ at the Museum on September 7th.

Owen Hopkins 8/10/06
CCGS President