Distinguished Alumni Award Honorees

2023 UT PGE Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

The Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering recognizes select alumni and faculty from the department and the Cockrell School of Engineering annually with Distinguished Alumni Awards. See past recipients of the award.

most recent

2025 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

Mark Agnew

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1989

Hossein Kazemi

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1961
Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1963

Tony Podio

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1963
M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1965
Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1968

Mike Riley

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1974

Tara Sharmer

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2015
Past Honorees

2024 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

H. Kent Brock

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1980

Kenneth Bowen Ford

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1940

C. Susan Howes

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1982

Horacio Daniel Marin

M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1994

R. Graham Whaling

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1977

Sanzhar Zharkeshov

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2010
past honorees

2023 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

David Baldwin

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1985
MBA 1991

Yogashri Pradhan

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2015

Kamy Sepehrnoori

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1973
M.S., Engineering, 1974
Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1977

Harold “Hal” Silberberg

B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1947
M.S., Chemical Engineering, 1951
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, 1958

Brian Sullivan

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1976
J.D., 1979

Jerry Windlinger

B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1976
M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1976

2022 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Myra Dria
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1988
  • Larry Lake
    B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1967
    Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, 1973
  • Chuck Farmer
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1981
  • Robert MacDonald
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1970
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1972
  • Will Hickey
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2009
  • Ken Nelson
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1970
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1973

2021 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Paul Bommer
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering
  • Nick Steinsberger
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1987
  • William “Bill” Edward Findley, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1944
  • Mariya Townswick
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2008
  • Eugene “Gene” B. Shepherd, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1981
    MBA, 1986

2019 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • James “Jim” M. Barnum
  • Larry Folmar
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1947
  • John H. Campbell III
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2009
  • Michael J. Minarovic
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1987
  • James Dupree
    B.S., Natural Sciences
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering
  • Charles John “Chip” Rimer

2018 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Thomas D. Barrow
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1945
    M.A., Geology, 1948
  • Jillian Jopling
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2004
  • Richard Folger
    BBA, Finance and Petroleum Land Management
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering
    M.S., Finance
  • Autry C. Stephens
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1961
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1962
  • Steve S. Sabachy
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2000
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2006
  • Gary L. Thomas
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1972
    MBA, 1983

2017 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Malcolm Abel
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1947
  • Gabe Muoneke
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2000
  • Fraser H. Allen
    B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1941
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1947
  • Tim Taylor
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering
  • Helge H. Haldorsen
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering
    Ph.D., Reservoir Engineering
  • Peyton Yates, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1965
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1966

2016 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Alex M. Cranberg
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1977
    MBA, 1981
  • Joe M. Parsley
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1951
  • Jack S. Josey
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1939
  • Scott D. Sheffield
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1975
  • Sue Park
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering
  • John A. Weinzierl
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1990
    MBA, 1998

2015 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • C. Ronald “Ronny” Platt
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1962
  • Don L. Sparks
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1962
  • Margaretha “Peggy” C.M. Rijken
    M.S., Mining and Petroleum Engineering, 1999
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 2005
  • Fred Kerwin Fox
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1949
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1950

2014 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Gail Chenoweth
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1982
  • George L. Stegemeier
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1952
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1954
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1959
  • George H. Fancher, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1961
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1962
  • Jack C. Zarrow
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1947
  • Robert Schechter
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1948

2013 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Karen Hagedorn
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1986
  • Charles Simmons
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1948
  • Jeff Hildebrand
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1985
  • Fred Stephens
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1949
  • Robert M. Leibrock
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1943
  • Harry Trueblood, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1948

2012 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • James C. “JC” Anderson
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1954
  • Arlen Edgar
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1957
  • Kermit E. Brown
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1959
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1962
  • Stephen E. Skinner
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2001
  • Varadarajan “DW” Dwarakanath
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1992
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1997
  • Joe C. Walter, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1949
    M.A., Geology, 1951

2011 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Louis A. Beecherl, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1948
  • Charles Brady Grant
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1942
  • Ben H. Caudle
    B.S., Natural Sciences, 1943
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 1963
  • William J. Murray, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1936
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1937
  • Jeff R. Edgar
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1997
  • Omar J. Varela
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1999
    Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, 2003

2010 Distinguished Alumni Honorees

  • Ernest Cockrell, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1936
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1936
  • Robert L. Parker, Sr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1944
  • Lois Folger
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1984
    M.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1995
  • Russell E. Parker
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 2000
  • W.A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1942
  • Dan C. Williams, Jr.
    B.S., Petroleum Engineering, 1935