The University of Tulsa's Petroleum Engineering Department

Earl Johnson, along with his wife, Pat, graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1953. Upon graduation, Earl joined Texaco, and except for two year brief stint in the army, worked for Texaco till retiring in 1994. In Texaco, he served in increasingly important positions – as a reservoir engineering specialist in Venezuela, Chief Petroleum Engineer for Latin America, Manager of Operations in Ecuador, Manager of Exploration and Production in Trinidad, Assistant General Manager Latin America, Senior Vice President in Middle East/Far East Division, Senior Vice President of Texaco Europe, Vice President of Texaco Inc and President of Texaco Middle East/Far East Division, and finally President of Texaco Exploration and Production in 1991.

After retiring in 1994, Earl is active in many service activities. In addition to serving on advisory boards at International Studies at Georgetown University and Geological Engineering at University of Oklahoma, he is active at his church mentoring young people and mission work. He loves golf and travel – and visits his two sons and six grandchildren often.

Earl in his own words:

Why did you choose TU?

The University of Tulsa provided me with an opportunity to work and go to school at the same time. I always wanted to do engineering, and selected one Department which was most well known.

How did TU prepare you for your career?

I always felt that I had competitive edge because of solid background in the basic science and mathematics. The brief exposure to the petroleum industry that was available in the class room was help but those technologies change rapidly and the background in other sciences allowed me to participate in making some of those changes.

Any fond memories at TU?

The highlight was a move to the brand new John Mabee Dorm. My brother Jarl and a friend Harold Dunlap (now Dr. Dunlap) moved to a large corner room in this new dorm. This put us on campus and close to classes. This was followed by construction of new science building which gave us the feeling that things were on the move at TU. When I look at the campus now, I am really impressed with all the new things which have been built here.