George Berkeley Ross
Encyclopedia
George Berkeley Ross (January 24, 1918-September 1, 2006) was an early pioneer of information technology in the American petroleum industry.
in Midland, Texas
, the epicenter of the oil boom. Fifty years later after serving on the team that had developed the software to computerize the geological exploration for oil, Ross ended his long and successful career as a Senior Analyst for Exploration Systems in Computer Geology at Exxon
.
Ross’s innate integrity, gracious manners and mathematical aptitude brought him a steady series of elevations up the corporate ladder. After short stints as a gas station attendant in Odessa
and the mailroom in Midland, he was tapped for the assignment of Field Lab Assistant plotting well logs in the Geologic Lease and Scouting Department, a post that permitted him to work alongside the Scouts in West Texas. World War Two intervened, and Ross served as a First Lieutenant in the artillery corps of the Ozark Division of the 102nd Infantry in the Allied invasion of Europe
.
A member of the US Army Reserve since his high school days in San Antonio, Ross’s mathematical ingenuity made him a natural for field artillery. He served with distinction in the European theatre. After landing at Normandy
, Ross saw action as the Ozark Division moved across the border between the Netherlands
and Germany
. They crossed the Wurm
and Roer Rivers and occupied the sector from Homburg
to Düsseldorf
. In April, 1945, Ross and the Ozark Division crossed the Rhine where they encountered stiff opposition in the Wesergebirge
, then pushed on to the Elbe
where they halted on orders and established an outpost forty-eight miles from Berlin
, occupying their position until V-E Day.
During the post-war period, he remained in the US Army Reserve. Shortly after his return to Texas, Humble’s Chief Scout, Dave Fransen, urged Ross to accept the position of Junior Scout in West Texas. In his new capacity, Ross worked with wildcats drilling in the Kelly-Snyder Field and the Sprayberry Trend Area Field, an area fifty-five miles long and twenty miles wide that now contains two thousand oil wells.
In 1949, they moved their growing family to Roswell, New Mexico
, which had become a hive of wildcatting that kept Ross busy monitoring leases, expiration dates and drilling schedules.
The Korean War
intervened, and Ross was recalled to active military duty. Serving as a major
in Field Artillery
Operations with the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea and Japan
, Ross supervised supply chain management for forces engaged on the peninsula. After he completed two years of service, Ross returned to his home in Roswell now as a Senior Scout, but soon he and his family returned to Midland where he continued to contribute to Humble’s drilling success.
At the same time, Ross maintained his military commission and served annual tours at the Pentagon
under a succession of Secretaries of Defence: Charles E. Wilson
; Neil H. McElroy
and Thomas S. Gates. With twenty years of military service behind him, Ross retired from the Army
, but he remained an active veteran attending annual reunions into this century. It was at the Pentagon in the late fifties where Ross first learned about the potential of computerization and information technology and became privy to the work of the Short Range Committee that led to the origin of Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL
).
The need to control and manage the torrent of information and geological data flooding into the petroleum corporations inspired Ross and a small group of perceptive industry savants to pursue the adaptation of computing technology and harness it to the geological exploration for oil. In order to contribute to the design of a viable corporate information technology strategy, Ross taught himself COBOL and the IBM Mathematical Formula Translating System (FORTRAN). Very esoteric subjects in 1962, computer programming and software development would have mystified the average person, but for Ross, a gifted mathematician, they were a piece of cake. He was to become a self-taught expert in many fields. In addition to his studies of computer programming, he studied law, geology, economics, mathematics and government.
In the early 1960s, the major companies set up the Permian Basin Well Data System, and Ross was selected for work on three of its key committees. In addition to developing computer codes, Ross helped design formats for reporting data relevant to geological exploration. In 1966, Humble began to organize its own internal Information Systems project, and Ross was appointed a member of the first group in Midland. By this time, Ross had been named Scouting Supervisor, but with the pace of technological change his duties increasingly focused on the analysis of records that could best be done by computerization.
In 1970, Ross was promoted to his new post as a Senior Analyst in Computer Geology for the Exploration Information Systems based at the Humble corporate headquarters in Houston. In his new capacity, Ross managed the computerization of an important portion of the oil industry, geological exploration. He had started working in geological analysis when recordkeeping was completely manual, and he had been an integral player in the digitization of the most crucial part of the industry, exploration for new sources of petroleum.
A lifelong enthusiast of museums, libraries, the theatre and cultural institutions, Ross launched into a whirlwind of activities to support worthy causes. The Alley Theater, the Commemorative Air Force
, the Pioneers of the Permian Basin, American Indian College
, Lindenwood University
and Mount Holyoke College
all benefited from his patronage.
Ross was keenly interested in the conservation of natural resources, especially petroleum, and he was an authority on public transportation. A great advocate of rail travel, he supported many railroad organizations in Texas and in several other states. Ross firmly believed that government could and should do much more to invest in rebuilding America’s railroads and adapting new light rail systems for urban transport.
In Europe, Ross admired the much more advanced public transportation systems. While travelling on Eurostar
, a high speed train that runs through the Channel Tunnel
between Paris
and London
, Ross experienced a vision of the future of swift, clean, efficient and ecologically sound mass transit that inspired him to carry his message to the powers that be back home in America. Many public officials benefited from Ross’s analyses of the need for a more serious approach to mass transportation in America in general and Texas in particular.
In addition to his many public and official pursuits, Ross was a highly accomplished ballroom dancer who cut a dashing figure at the Petroleum Club and Lechner’s, a favourite restaurant in Houston. Ross performed elegant versions of the Waltz
and the Polka
, and he did a masterful and energetic version of the Texas Two-Step.
Career
In 1936, Ross started his career working as a mail boy for Humble OilHumble Oil
Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon.-Early history:...
in Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, the epicenter of the oil boom. Fifty years later after serving on the team that had developed the software to computerize the geological exploration for oil, Ross ended his long and successful career as a Senior Analyst for Exploration Systems in Computer Geology at Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
.
Ross’s innate integrity, gracious manners and mathematical aptitude brought him a steady series of elevations up the corporate ladder. After short stints as a gas station attendant in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and the mailroom in Midland, he was tapped for the assignment of Field Lab Assistant plotting well logs in the Geologic Lease and Scouting Department, a post that permitted him to work alongside the Scouts in West Texas. World War Two intervened, and Ross served as a First Lieutenant in the artillery corps of the Ozark Division of the 102nd Infantry in the Allied invasion of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
A member of the US Army Reserve since his high school days in San Antonio, Ross’s mathematical ingenuity made him a natural for field artillery. He served with distinction in the European theatre. After landing at Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, Ross saw action as the Ozark Division moved across the border between the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They crossed the Wurm
Wurm
The Wurm is a river in Germany , a left tributary of the Rur. The source of the Wurm are several brooks in the forests southwest of Aachen, which form the Wurm after the Diepenbenden reservoir. From there the Wurm nowadays flows through canals through the city of Aachen, until it resurfaces at the...
and Roer Rivers and occupied the sector from Homburg
Homburg
-In Germany:* Homburg, Saarland, capital of the Saarpfalz district of Saarland* Bad Homburg, town and spa in Hesse* Homburg Forest, a hill range in Lower Saxony* Homburg, a quarter of Triefenstein, Bavaria...
to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. In April, 1945, Ross and the Ozark Division crossed the Rhine where they encountered stiff opposition in the Wesergebirge
Wesergebirge
The Wesergebirge is a low mountain chain up to high in the Weser Uplands in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony....
, then pushed on to the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
where they halted on orders and established an outpost forty-eight miles from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, occupying their position until V-E Day.
During the post-war period, he remained in the US Army Reserve. Shortly after his return to Texas, Humble’s Chief Scout, Dave Fransen, urged Ross to accept the position of Junior Scout in West Texas. In his new capacity, Ross worked with wildcats drilling in the Kelly-Snyder Field and the Sprayberry Trend Area Field, an area fifty-five miles long and twenty miles wide that now contains two thousand oil wells.
In 1949, they moved their growing family to Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
, which had become a hive of wildcatting that kept Ross busy monitoring leases, expiration dates and drilling schedules.
The Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
intervened, and Ross was recalled to active military duty. Serving as a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in Field Artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
Operations with the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Ross supervised supply chain management for forces engaged on the peninsula. After he completed two years of service, Ross returned to his home in Roswell now as a Senior Scout, but soon he and his family returned to Midland where he continued to contribute to Humble’s drilling success.
At the same time, Ross maintained his military commission and served annual tours at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
under a succession of Secretaries of Defence: Charles E. Wilson
Charles E. Wilson
Charles Edward Wilson was a CEO of General Electric. He left school at age 12 to work as a stock boy at Sprague Electrical Works, which was acquired by General Electric, taking night classes and working up to president in 1939.During World War II he served on the War Production Board as executive...
; Neil H. McElroy
Neil H. McElroy
Neil Hosler McElroy was United States Secretary of Defense from 1957 to 1959 under President Eisenhower. He had been president of Procter & Gamble.- Early life :...
and Thomas S. Gates. With twenty years of military service behind him, Ross retired from the Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, but he remained an active veteran attending annual reunions into this century. It was at the Pentagon in the late fifties where Ross first learned about the potential of computerization and information technology and became privy to the work of the Short Range Committee that led to the origin of Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL
COBOL
COBOL is one of the oldest programming languages. Its name is an acronym for COmmon Business-Oriented Language, defining its primary domain in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments....
).
The need to control and manage the torrent of information and geological data flooding into the petroleum corporations inspired Ross and a small group of perceptive industry savants to pursue the adaptation of computing technology and harness it to the geological exploration for oil. In order to contribute to the design of a viable corporate information technology strategy, Ross taught himself COBOL and the IBM Mathematical Formula Translating System (FORTRAN). Very esoteric subjects in 1962, computer programming and software development would have mystified the average person, but for Ross, a gifted mathematician, they were a piece of cake. He was to become a self-taught expert in many fields. In addition to his studies of computer programming, he studied law, geology, economics, mathematics and government.
In the early 1960s, the major companies set up the Permian Basin Well Data System, and Ross was selected for work on three of its key committees. In addition to developing computer codes, Ross helped design formats for reporting data relevant to geological exploration. In 1966, Humble began to organize its own internal Information Systems project, and Ross was appointed a member of the first group in Midland. By this time, Ross had been named Scouting Supervisor, but with the pace of technological change his duties increasingly focused on the analysis of records that could best be done by computerization.
In 1970, Ross was promoted to his new post as a Senior Analyst in Computer Geology for the Exploration Information Systems based at the Humble corporate headquarters in Houston. In his new capacity, Ross managed the computerization of an important portion of the oil industry, geological exploration. He had started working in geological analysis when recordkeeping was completely manual, and he had been an integral player in the digitization of the most crucial part of the industry, exploration for new sources of petroleum.
Later life
In 1986 on his fiftieth anniversary with Humble-Exxon, Ross was the subject of a lengthy article in Exploration Update that highlighted his pivotal contribution to the industry. He retired later that year to enter an active retirement filled with travel, cultural pursuits and charitable activities.A lifelong enthusiast of museums, libraries, the theatre and cultural institutions, Ross launched into a whirlwind of activities to support worthy causes. The Alley Theater, the Commemorative Air Force
Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force , formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is a Texas-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showing historical aircraft at airshows primarily throughout the U.S. and Canada...
, the Pioneers of the Permian Basin, American Indian College
American Indian College
American Indian College is a private Christian college located in Phoenix, Arizona. Created for the purpose of "equipping Native Americans for Christian service," AIC currently educates students from about 25 tribes, but now also welcomes students of all ethnicities...
, Lindenwood University
Lindenwood University
Lindenwood University, often referred to as Lindenwood or LU, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Saint Charles, Missouri, United States...
and Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
all benefited from his patronage.
Ross was keenly interested in the conservation of natural resources, especially petroleum, and he was an authority on public transportation. A great advocate of rail travel, he supported many railroad organizations in Texas and in several other states. Ross firmly believed that government could and should do much more to invest in rebuilding America’s railroads and adapting new light rail systems for urban transport.
In Europe, Ross admired the much more advanced public transportation systems. While travelling on Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, a high speed train that runs through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
between Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Ross experienced a vision of the future of swift, clean, efficient and ecologically sound mass transit that inspired him to carry his message to the powers that be back home in America. Many public officials benefited from Ross’s analyses of the need for a more serious approach to mass transportation in America in general and Texas in particular.
In addition to his many public and official pursuits, Ross was a highly accomplished ballroom dancer who cut a dashing figure at the Petroleum Club and Lechner’s, a favourite restaurant in Houston. Ross performed elegant versions of the Waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
and the Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, and he did a masterful and energetic version of the Texas Two-Step.