People in industry

Adel al-Subaih was named Kuwait’s new oil minister on Feb. 19, 2001. The U.S.-educated engineer told Reuters that there would be no change in Kuwait’s policy towards OPEC, and he would push ahead with the plan to bring in foreign oil companies.

Phillip A. Gobe joined Nuevo Energy as COO, responsible for worldwide exploitation and exploration operations and business development functions.

Ocean Energy, Inc., named Philip J. Iracane marketing VP.

H. Baird Whitehead joined Penn Virginia Corp. as executive VP and president of Penn Virginia Oil & Gas.

Grant Prideco elected Curtis W. Huff president and CEO.

Lundin Oil AB appointed Keith Hill general manager of Lundin Malaysia Ltd.

Transocean Sedco Forex named Jon C. Cole U.S. shallow and inland waters executive VP.

Balmoral Group Ltd. appointed Mike Aitkenhead group business development director, and Gerry L. Weeks sales and marketing VP.

Harbison-Fischer Manufacturing Co. promoted Benny J. Williams to engineering VP and Mark W. Mahoney to senior sales application engineer.

Co-op Communications, Inc., appointed Greg Hatch as sales and marketing VP.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. elected Michael B. Walen as senior VP.

Horizon Offshore Contractors, Inc., appointed Eric T. Stagg international operations VP. George G. Reuter became sales and marketing VP.

Wieland Electric Inc. promoted Bruce Burroughs to product group manager. Ken Carraway was promoted to eastern regional manager.

Valero Energy Corp. promoted Greg King, Danny Gibbons and Keith Booke to executive VPs.

BJ Services Co. appointed Kevin deVerteuil country manager for Nigeria with the Well Services-Europe / Africa division.

UWG Group appointed John Hogan chairman.

Noble Denton Holdings appointed Capt. David Wells to the operations board, which controls technical activities.

Don Robson and Marc Shroeder joined Energy North Inc. as land manager and senior exploration geologist, respectively.

Terry W. Carter joined Range Resources as E&P executive VP.

Glenn Breed was named president and CEO of UpstreamInfo.

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments appointed Kimberly Abramo product manager of spectroscopy instruments.

PYPSA International named Jamie Dunlap executive VP, responsible for corporate development and operations.

Object Reservoir, Inc., named Dr. Stephen R. Kennon chief scientist.

Mark S. Siegel will become chairman of Patterson-UTI, and Cloyce A. Talbott will become CEO.

Integrated Production Services’ new project management and engineering division will be managed by Al Ronney.

Deaths

David Crittenden Guinn passed away on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2001. He was born on Nov. 29, 1926 in Port Arthur, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas with a BS degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1951, and an Associate of Arts from Lamar University in 1948.

Following service in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Republic of Philippines, he began his career as a drilling and production engineer in South Louisiana, with the California Company, then became division manager for Shaffer Tool Works in Beaumont and Houston. He developed the first subsea oil and gas wellheads in the first complete subsea oilfield, offshore Louisiana. Through the consulting business he formed in 1967, he pioneered new concepts in deepwater drilling and production equipment, which are still used worldwide.

He also authored numerous technical articles for various trade journals as well as industry organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and he held four U.S. patents dealing with offshore drilling equipment. He was a member of ASME, SPE, IODC, NOMADS, API, Houston Engineering and Scientific Society, TIPRO and MidContinent Oil and Gas Association.