Mal
passed
away in
the
early
hours of
the
morning
from
complications
of
excessive
fluid in
the
thoracic
cavity.
His wife
Julie
was at
his
side.
Mal was
a
classic
exploration
geologist
who
practiced
his
trade
during
the boom
years
(1950’s
through
the
1990’s)
of the
oil
business
being
continually
moved to
the
areas
where
the
action
was and
his
expertise
was most
needed.
During
His
career,
which
covered
over 45
years,
Mal
worked
in the
following
locales:
New York,
Wyoming,
the
Rocky
Mountain
region,
Jackson,
Mississippi,
Holland,
London,
Jakarta,
Nias,
Sumatra,
Indonesia
and
Australia.
That
covers
quite a
bit of
the
world!
Mal grew
up in a
large
family
in
Tenino,
Washington,
a small
town in
the
Olympia/Centralia
area.
After
high
school
he
entered
the
University
of
Washington
graduating
with a
degree
in
geology.
Openings
in the
field of
geology
were
bleak
when he
graduated,
so Mal
went to
work for
Boeing
Aviation
in
Seattle
and
stayed
with
them
during
the
war.
When the
war
ended,
openings
in the
field of
geology
improved
and Mal
went to
work for
the
United
States
Geological
Survey
as a
field
geologist.
In 1948
Mal
accepted
employment
with
Standard
Oil
Company
of
California
and
entered
the “Oil
Patch”.
Over the
next 38
years he
worked
in
various
locations
throughout
the
world
with
ever
increasing
levels
of
responsibility.
Mal
retired
from
CHEVRON
in 1986
but
still
stayed
in the
oil
business
by
opening
a
consulting
practice
specializing
in work
throughout
Southeast
Asia
and
Australia.
During
his
career
Mal was
an
active
member
in the
AAPG,
SPWLA
keeping
abreast
of the
most
recent
advancements
in
geology
and log
analysis.
He also
attended
the
meetings
of the
local
societies
wherever
he was
stationed.
While he
was busy
with his
practice,
his wife
(Julie)
was
working
for
several
oil
companies,
exploring
in S.E.
Asia,
as a
Consulting
Social
Anthropologist
making
sure
that the
company
employee’s
didn’t
violate
sacred
taboos
in their
interaction
with the
natives.
Mal was
an
excellent
example
of one
of our
profession
who
transgressed
from the
good old
days of
the good
old boys
to an
industry
of more
technical
and
social
awareness.
Mal
terminated
his
consulting
practice
in 1991
and he
and
Julie
began an
odyssey
doing
something
that
they
both
enjoyed;
traveling
throughout
the
world to
exotic
and
interesting
places!
Between
trips,
they
spent
the
summer
in the
islands
of
British
Columbia
and the
winters
in the
Santa
Barbara
area.
He will
be
sorely
missed
by all
who knew
him and
we will
have
fond
memories
of our
good
times
together.
