The University of Tulsa's Petroleum Engineering Department

Born in Pennsylvania, Jonathan always wanted to study Petroleum Engineering. As per the advice of his high school counselor, he decided to come to TU, 1,200 miles away from his home. Jonathan finished his Petroleum Engineering degree in 1953, and joined Standard Oil in Venezuela as a Petroleum Engineer. Shortly thereafter, he was called upon to join the family trucking business in Pennsylvania.

Under his watch, the business grew and flourished. What was once a small enterprise evolved into a number of companies offering land and sea transportation-related services. One of the largest of these, Autoport, provided North American automobile manufacturers with export services from the port at Wilmington, Delaware.

In 1998, Jonathan sold his business and retired. His lifetime career achievements are many and notable, and he is equally respected for giving back, having served on numerous boards including those of the YMCA, Philadelphia Heart Institute, Continental Bank, and National Truck Leasing System, a consortium of more than 120 independent truck leasing companies.

Aside from his well-known business acumen and extensive community involvement, Jonathan is also a gentleman who knows how to play! Since retiring, he and his wife, Gloria, can be found summering in Montana, salmon fishing in Alaska, golfing in Florida, and touring the U.S. – and spending time with their five children and six grandchildren.

Jonathan has always given generously to TU and has been a longtime supporter of TU Annual Fund and has been a member of Circle Society – TU’s most distinguished group of donors. This month, he has gone even further and endowed a Chair in the Department of Petroleum Engineering. The Chair will be named as Jonathan Detwiler Endowed Chair. The first recipient of this Chair will be Professor Stefan Miska.