But he's equally determined to honor his past teachers and to motivate future student engineers toward improving the industry. I want to acknowledge those who inspired me, and I want students to have exposure to great people. Both men taught Nelson and continued to be in touch with him throughout his life. Whiting attended the presentation.
Scholarships are a marvelous thing.
He remains as director. Nelson began work there in 1958 after 10 years as a roughneck and drilling engineer with Thompson-Carr Drilling Company in the Permian Basin and with Starrett Oil Company in South Texas. Born in Waco and raised in Bryan, Nelson spent nearly half a century drilling oil wells in Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming and Louisiana as well as Israel, Mexico and Columbia. The couple have lived in Houston since 1960. Nelson expects his gift will encourage others to pledge support to the petroleum engineering department, which he considers the best in the world.