We now have the opportunity to profile the life of one of the best known geologists in Wichita who has pursued a very successful career as a geologist, but is recognized as possibly the number one fan of K-State sports in the state.

     Bill's story commences in Sylvia, Kansas in November of 1932.  His father was a farmer  in that area and his mother a housewife although she had worked for the Carey Salt Company in Hutchison prior to her marriage.  Bill had three brothers and one sister.  One brother, Marion was tragically killed in 1944 while serving aboard  a destroyer, the U.S.S. Spence, in the South China Sea when his ship and others encountered  a  record setting typhoon.  His brother John lives in Perryton, Texas where he retired after working in the production department of Alpar.  Brother Joe lives in Hutchison where he works for A.D. Rayl Motors.  Bill's sister Betty, a retired school teacher, now resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

      Although Bill commenced grade school in Sylvia, the rest of his school years were spent in Langdon, culminated by his graduation from Langdon High School in 1950.

      After graduation, Bill attended Hutchison Junior College for one semester, before enlisting in the Navy for four years as an aviation metal smith.  His navy duty involved time at Jacksonville, Florida; Memphis Tennessee; Alameda, California and finally 18 months in Guam. 
 Following his discharge in November of 1954, he returned to Hutchison Junior College where he graduated in 1956.  Bill then enrolled  at Kansas State where he chose Geology as a major.  When asked why, Bill says his brother, who by that time was roughnecking for Sterling Drilling, told him geologists made $75 a day and had a trailer house on location in which to sleep.  At Kansas State, two of Bill's classmates were Bill Barrett who was a graduate assistant at the time instructing in Optical Mineralogy and Gary Sandlin, both now prominent geologists and operators in Denver.  Bill recalls the high quality of instruction that he received from Dr. Joe Chelikowsky and Dr. Henry Beck.. 

     Following graduation, Bill was interviewed and hired by Franks Brooks of Sterling Drilling, who left the company the next week .  The owner, Rollin Mead, at first did not know what to do with the new hire, but found much for Bill to do later as he stayed with the company for 16 years.  During this period Sterling did a lot of work for Lario and Bill became well acquainted with Charlie King, Orvie Howell and John Brewer.

     In October 1961, Bill married Annetta B. Long of Ellsworth.  Bill and Annetta  have two children: Michael who lives with his wife, Steffanie, and their two children in Plano Texas; and Mary who resides with her husband, Rocky Dvorak, and their three children in Olathe, Kansas.

     In 1974, Bill resigned from Sterling drilling and commenced his employment  with Zenith Drilling which was to last until 1981.  At Zenith he worked with KGS member, Sherrill Compton.
 
     Bill joined Northern Lights Oil in 1981, which is owned and operated by KGS member John Sutherland.  Bill was at Northern Lights until 1984 when he became a consultant which has continued until the present.
 Bill has maintained an active professional life as a member of the KGS where he has served on a number of committees and was President of the organization in 1990.  He is also a member of the AAPG and at one time was a member of SIPES.

     When asked what advice he would give to a young geologist just starting his professional career, Bill says that he would tell him  "be well grounded in looking at the rocks."  Bill credits fellow geologists, Orvie Howell, Fred Stump, Dick Roby, Walter Martz and Sherrill Compton with having an influence on his own career.  He identifies Dick Hoover as being one of the 'larger than life" characters that he has known in the industry.  Bill ,like most petroleum geologists, would still be a geologist if he had the opportunity to do it over again.  He sees it as one profession where the opportunity exists to become reasonably wealthy.

     Although definitely not retired, Bill does find time for recreational interests such as racquetball and golf.  He and Annetta have also been active in the First Methodist Church..

     He does not have any plans for retirement although he and Annnetta have what is  rumored  to be an extremely nice "getaway place" near Ellsworth.   Bill plans to keep his mind as well as his body reasonably active.  He has as his idol , F.G. Holl, longtime Kansas operator who at 82 years of age drilled 80 wells and was still drilling wells at age 86.  We are sure, with his energy and drive, at that age he will still be doing something similar.