Philippe Bonnet 1920 – 2000

On Christmas Eve last year, World Oil, Gulf Publishing Co. and the international oil industry business press lost an extraordinary individual and loyal friend. Philippe Bonnet, 80, retired Gulf Publishing Co. sales representative for Europe, and a former member of the company’s Board of Directors, died suddenly in his favorite surroundings – with his family gathered for the holidays at his country home in Olivet, not far from Paris.

Philippe was a Type A personality before the term was invented. His desire and appreciation for excellence made him, unconditionally, the best salesman in the business. For example, in one year Philippe was responsible for placing 2,100 pages of ads into Gulf’s magazines. Another time, he sold 127 pages of ads into a single issue of Hydrocarbon Processing.

Philippe devoted his life to being, or being around, the best, the very best. He hated mediocrity, but could admire for hours anything done well, whether it was a piece of art, a well-written sentence (he loved etymology), a castle or a local cheese. He was demanding of all who were around him, but even more so of himself. To never disappoint him was a goal for both his family and coworkers.

Philippe loved children and loved to try to draw them into discussions of world events, history and the arts. On at least a few occasions he was able to keep a normally disinterested American teenager spellbound for hours with stories about his assignments while in the French Underground during World War II. Back then, Philippe became an accomplished "vehicle acquisition specialist," meaning he stole cars and trucks from the Germans whenever a specific vehicle was needed for a specific mission. And as was the case with any job he ever tackled, he became the best there was.

The story he most enjoyed telling his Gulf Publishing cohorts took place during the battle for France in 1944. Seems his Underground group was still active and needed an ambulance, so he was dispatched to find one. Since the Germans were retreating post haste, he promptly purloined one from the only source available . . . and the U.S. Army was no more successful in apprehending him than the Wehrmacht had been.

As with all his other interests, the selling process and all of its finer points were a passion to Philippe. Sometimes he would use the hardest of hard-sell techniques; the next he would use finesse. Visualize, if you can, the time he called at a customer’s home after failing to gain entrance at the office. Undaunted that the customer was taking a bath, Philippe simply barged into the bathroom, sat beside the tub and "sold" until the customer signed a contract.

Another time, a good customer with the French firm EMH told Philippe that he would sign a contract for Composite Catalog if Philippe would deliver a set of the catalogs via horseback. Such a challenge was welcomed by Philippe, and he fulfilled it only a few months later. With the help of two of his children, Philippe brought one of his horses into Paris, then rode it right up to the front steps of EMH’s office. With all the management and much of the staff of EMH, plus members of the press and a few gendarmes in attendance, Philippe rode up with the four-volume set of Composite Catalog strapped to his back like a backpack and saluted the gathering with his Texas cowboy hat.

On a visit to Houston, one of his American friends who had spent some years as an expat in Europe mentioned to him a rare French cheese that he liked very much, but couldn’t find in the U.S., or even in Paris on his last trip there. Sure enough, Philippe knew the cheese, its complete history and the village it came from. Some weeks after, his American friend got a very ripe package of same in his mailbox.

Born September 1, 1920, in Parthenay, France, Philippe was the youngest of four children. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Sainte Croix de Neuilly in Paris. From 1940 – 1942, he studied philosophy and theology at Paris Institut Catholique. When World War II came to France, Philippe joined the Underground from 1942 – 1944. In 1945, he volunteered to serve in the French 1st Army (Lattre de Tassigny). After being wounded, he was sent to the American Hospital in Livorno, Italy. In 1946, still recovering from his wounds, Philippe traveled back to Paris, where he met his future wife at the Paris hospital. Philippe and Henriette were married in 1947.

Philippe joined forces with Gulf Publishing Co. in 1962, after earlier working for Air France and Petrosynthese (part of Progil). After an incredibly successful and distinguished career in sales, Philippe retired in 1989, but remained a member of the company’s Board of Directors until the company changed ownership in January 2000.

Philippe’s favorite pastimes were horseback riding and gardening, both of which took him to his beloved country home in Olivet whenever possible. He owned several horses and rode them regularly for many years. Not surprisingly, his children are all excellent riders as well. He also regularly attended his Parisian Church, St. Léon, and was an active member of the Association Rayonnement Français Réalités Internationnales. Whenever possible, he enjoyed reading, whether it was in French, English or Italian.

Philippe is survived by Henriette, five children (Jérome, Isabelle, Christophe, Sophie and Valérie), their spouses and 13 grandchildren (ages 7 to 19). And it was through them that he particularly enjoyed his "family meetings," which was simply the pleasure of having everybody together.

If you have the opportunity, offer a toast to Monsieur Bonnet, just make sure it’s with the proper vintage of French wine.

Au revoir, Philippe.