Larry Folmar
Laurie W. “Larry” Folmar, B.S. in petroleum engineering (1947), served as director and senior vice president for producing operations in the Eastern Hemisphere at Texaco.
Raised in Alabama and the Rio Grande Valley, Folmar joined the Army Air Corps during World War II. He achieved the rank of Captain, flying 62 combat missions in the South Pacific. Upon his return home, he enrolled in The University of Texas. Graduating in 1947, his memberships at UT Austin included Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Gamma Epsilon, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
His professional career began shortly after graduation when he joined Texaco as an engineering trainee in Midland, Texas. After various assignments in Midland and Ft. Worth, in 1958, he was appointed division petroleum engineer in Tulsa, Okla. Three years later, he was transferred to New York City as a staff petroleum engineer. Folmar revisited Tulsa as assistant division manager from 1963 to 1965, and then returned once again to New York as general manager, producing - Eastern hemisphere.
In that capacity, Folmar worked with various Middle Eastern operators, navigating the increasingly complex global oil market as organizations like OPEC rose to prominence. Promotions leading to senior vice president and Texaco’s board of directors followed soon thereafter, and by 1971 he held responsibility for the company’s production operations in the entire Eastern hemisphere as chief negotiator. Folmar also held director positions in the National Foreign Trade Council, American Overseas Petroleum Company, Arabian American Oil Company, and the Bahrain Petroleum Company.
Folmar retired in 1978 and resided in Lakeway, Texas. Proud of his roots as a Longhorn, he maintained his connections to The University of Texas through his career and retirement years through scholarships, volunteer work, and speaking engagements.
