The University of Tulsa's Petroleum Engineering Department

Charles J. Mountford received his B.S. (1972) and M.S. (1974) in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa. He is a senior reservoir engineer with ONEOK Field Services in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His responsibilities include reservoir engineering and well workover field operations for two natural gas porosity storage fields and four natural gas liquid salt cavern fields in Kansas. He also evaluates the reserves and performs other reservoir engineering studies for new and existing wells in Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming.

After graduation from the University of Tulsa Mr. Mountford joined Transok, Inc., in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He became their Manager of Drilling and Production responsible for all operational and geological activities for the company’s oil and exploration efforts in Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi. Mr. Mountford was also a principal and petroleum engineer with Oil Capital Land & Exploration Co., where he developed and led a strategic marketing plan for the sale of oil and gas drilling programs to industry, institutional and individual investors. In 1992 Mr. Mountford rejoined Transok, Inc. (an affiliate of Shell Oil Co.) and was responsible for leading a team to evaluate the acquisition of producing and gathering properties and a drilling program in western Oklahoma. He was also responsible for drilling of horizontal wells in Oklahoma.

Mr. Mountford is a past president of the Oklahoma Well Log Library and has held various committee chair positions with the Mid-Continent Society of Petroleum Engineers. He is active with the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board as a Petroleum Professional in the classroom. In 1974 he married his college sweetheart, Carol, who is also a TU graduate (B.S.B.A. 1973) in Accounting. They have one son, Charles, who is at Saint Louis University majoring in Bio-Medical Engineering.

Why did you choose TU?

I choose TU since it appeared to be the best petroleum engineering school in the country and had the most petroleum engineering students. Being from Chicago, I liked that
TU was in a large city and was also known as the Oil Capital of the World. (Could there be a better combination?) Another reason for selecting TU was its Petroleum Engineering Honors Program and the opportunity for a petroleum engineering scholarship.

Did TU prepare you well for your career?

TU definitely prepared me for my career. The classroom experiences as well as the summer jobs in the oil field helped bring together the engineering fundamentals and practical field experiences.

Any fond memories you would like to share?

Here are a few: 1. Living in John Mabee and Twin Towers dorms and the lasting friendships that developed. 2. Riding the blue bus to the North Campus. 3. SPE student meetings with Dr. James Brill as advisor. 4. Graduate school with Dr. Gordon Thomas as advisor. 5. Getting married in Sharp Chapel.