This year the Kansas Geological Society is honoring an individual who originally planned on a career in Chemical Engineering.  Fortunately for the oil industry and geological profession, a latent interest in geology was awakened and he has gone on to be one of the premier “oil finders.”

     Joe was literally born to the "oil industry."  His father worked for Cities Service Oil Company for 45 years.  Due to the transient nature of the industry, the family moved within the state to a number of different areas.  Joe's elementary school was in Hamilton and Teetersville.  After two years at high school in Eureka he completed his secondary schooling in El Dorado where he graduated in 1942.

     Joe then entered El Dorado Junior College, completing one semester before joining the Army Air Corps in September 1943.  After training, as he says all over the United States, he "shipped out" to England where he was to fly 25 missions with the Eighth Air Force. 

    Joe found time in 1943 to marry Virginia Coffman of El Dorado who he had dated while they were both attending El Dorado High School.  Virginia and Joe have four children: Annette who lives in Wichita, Joseph III residing in Topeka, Angelique who makes her home in Emporia, and Jim their youngest who lives in El Dorado.

     While in the service, Joe had encountered a fellow officer who was enrolled in geology at Tulsa University.  His conversations with the officer awakened a latent interest in geology and after his discharge from the Air Corps in 1945 he went to Tulsa to examine their department of geology.  He liked what he saw and enrolled there in January 1946.  While attending Tulsa, Joe received many honors: including being a member of Sword & Key, a men's honorary society, being tapped for Phi Beta Kappa, and, in his senior year, he was named King Pat, an honor that goes to the senior engineering student with the highest grade point average.

     Joe left Tulsa University in May 1948, three hours short of the number needed for graduation.  He soon completed those hours and graduated in January 1949.  In the meantime, he had secured employment with Carter Oil Company in their research library.  In 1949 he left Carter to join his father's old oil company, Cities Service Oil, as a production engineer.  With CSO he worked in Bartlesville and at his old birthplace of Oil Hill, Kansas.

     In 1951 he was recalled to the service as a 1st Lieutenant.  He joined the crew of a B-29, stationed in Japan as a navigator.  On July 3rd, 1952, they were shot down.  Joe spent over a year in prison camps, first in North Korea, later at Mukdun, China.  He returned to American control on Labor Day, 1953.  During his tour of duty, Joe was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.  After remaining in the Air Force Reserve until 1964, Joe was discharged with the rank of Major.

     Joe resumed employment with CSO, this time as a geologist, in January of 1954.  In 1955 Joe left employment with CSO and joined Petroleum, Inc. in Wichita.  During his time with Petroleum, Inc. Joe worked with a number of prominent Wichita geologists: Gus Messinger, Gene Falkowski, Jene Darmstetter and Dick Linehan.  After reaching a position as District Geologist with Petroleum, Inc. he returned to his hometown of El Dorado to work for the firm of Rex and Morris in 1964.

     After some changes took place at Rex and Morris, Joe joined Kenny Martin at Martin Oil. At Martin Oil he pursued successful exploration efforts in Kingman, Ness and Stafford counties.

     Joe has been active in the Kansas Geological Society serving as its president in 1996.  He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Kansas Geological Foundation.

     Joe attends many AAPG annual meetings,  where he has been known to sit all day listening to technical papers and soaking up information "like a sponge."  Joe's "desire to learn" fits very well with his advice to young geologists.  "Join a major company, even though the employment may be international, for the education and learning experience," he advises.

     Joe has truly been a dedicated geologist worthy of honorary membership.