Paul J. Post, 2006 Distinguished Service Award
Paul
J. Post, currently with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals
Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region in New Orleans, Louisiana,
is one of the recipients of the GCSSEPM Distinguished Service Award for
2006. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Paul was educated at Our Lady of Peace
Elementary School and Benedictine High School in Cleveland. He attended
Kent State University from 1966 through 1968 before transferring to Virginia
Tech where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1970.
Upon graduating, Paul joined Texaco in New Orleans in 1970, where he was initially assigned to the Lafayette district, which was responsible for southwest Louisiana. In this area, he directed exploration for Hackberry and other deep-water reservoir objectives. Transferred in 1971 to Texaco’s Jackson District, Paul handled new venture exploration in North Louisiana, where his work kept up to five seismic crews busy acquiring data for Late Jurassic objectives. (If you are familiar with North Louisiana, Paul came up with the Troy prospect for Texaco, and thus the Troy Limestone was born.) He also participated in Smackover exploration projects in central Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle. Paul was moved to one of Texaco’s New Orleans staff positions in 1972; and in 1973, he was promoted to Assistant District Geologist in the Lafayette District.
Paul joined CNG Producing Company in New Orleans in 1974 where he guided exploration efforts throughout the Gulf Coast Mesozoic basins, South Louisiana, and in various offshore Gulf of Mexico blocks located in High Island, West Cameron, Ship Shoal, and Eugene Island. In 1976, Paul went to work for Louisiana Land and Exploration Company. As an exploration geologist, he generated prospects and plays in the Mesozoic throughout the Ark-La-Tex area. He subsequently generated plays and prospects throughout the Appalachian fold and thrust belt from Alabama to Vermont. He was promoted to Senior Staff Geologist and Exploration Supervisor, participating and directing multi-disciplinary teams engaged in exploration and development in the Black Warrior, Illinois, and Michigan basins.
Later in his career with LL&E, Paul initiated, generated, coordinated, and supervised geological and geophysical exploration activities in South America, the Far East, and Australasia. Within corporate guidelines, Paul and his teams built an exploration portfolio throughout these regions. Located in LL&E’s New Orleans headquarters, Paul often was called upon to lend expertise for corporate level analysis of plays and prospects from LL&E’s other offices.
In 1995, Paul became an exploration consultant working with Edgehill Petroleum Consulting on projects in China and with Petroconsultants as a researcher and editor for their Basin Monitor series. He joined World Geosciences in 1996 as Geological Manager – The Americas. At WGC he interpreted airborne geophysical data in a variety of areas (offshore Gulf of Mexico, Papua New Guinea, sub-Andean areas of Argentina, the Cook Inlet, Western Canada, and rift and wrench-related basins worldwide) identifying hydrocarbon traps, plays, and prospects as well as generating new business development opportunities utilizing airborne geophysics in hydrocarbon exploration and development. Paul returned to consulting in late 1996.
In 1998, he joined MMS in New Orleans where he is currently assigned to the Resource Studies Section. At MMS, Paul has conducted field studies, mapped new discoveries for field determination, and placed newly perforated reservoirs in pools and field reservoirs for reserve determination in the central and western Gulf of Mexico. He also has participated in the National Assessment of OCS resources in 2000, 2003, and 2005, developing and mapping a variety of plays and associated prospects throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic OCS regions.
Paul has been convener and lead editor of the 2004 GCSSEPM Foundation’s 24th Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference, “Salt-Sediment Interactions and Hydrocarbon Prospectivity: Concepts, Applications, and Case Studies for the 21st Century,” and in 2005, the GCSSEPM Foundation’s 25th Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference, “Petroleum Systems of Divergent Continental Margin Basins.” The “Salt” conference and its CD contained 48 papers from 44 authors with the conference CD totaling approximately 1,174 pages and containing 11 animations. Forty-six of the papers were complete manuscripts. The “Pet Sys” conference and its CD contained 46 reviewed and edited manuscripts, extended abstracts, and abstracts, totaling over 1,200 pages. One of Paul’s goals was to “internationalize the conferences.” In 2004, 30% of the authors or presenters were from outside the U.S.; in 2005, that percentage increased to 45%.
In addition to being a member of GCSSEPM, Paul is also a member of AAPG and NOGS. He has been an associate editor for AAPG during 2005-06, editor-elect and editor for the NOGS Log in 2005 and 2006. Post-Katrina, Paul assumed web direction duties for NOGS.
Paul and his wife, Gwen, live outside of Covington, Louisiana, approximately 35 miles north of New Orleans. They have bred, raised, trained, and shown Borzoi since 1972. Paul and Gwen are both life members in the Borzoi Club of America. They have an extensive collection of Borzoi art, and their porcelain collection exceeding 1,500 pieces. Gwen teaches English at Fontainebleau High School and is an American Kennel Club licensed dog show judge. She is a respected expert on canine porcelains and has an extensive list of articles about them in national breed and sighthound publications. They both enjoy Mardi Gras in the French Quarter.
The above tells you everything about Paul Post but nothing about the person. We first met in Texaco’s Jackson District. As we were both from Cleveland, Ohio, and relatively newbies in the district, we became friends. It was Paul who taught me one of the most important, fundamental rules of life: drink Jack Daniel’s Black Label, not the Green.
Paul and I have remained in contact for over 30 years. He has a remarkably complete understanding of geological specialties and how they relate to each other. He is exceptionally well organized. He is an avid reader and has a most remarkable collection of geological literature. If you ever get into a discussion with Paul, make sure you know your facts, because I assure you, Paul will know them, and yes, he will let you know that he knows them.
Several years ago, I talked Paul into becoming technical chairman for two conferences in a row. As a result, Paul has become a remarkable editor in the true sense of the word. He brought his skills as an organizer to the job, in many ways making my job very much easier. It is no joke that after not having a phone after Hurricane Katrina, Paul first called his family and then called me because he was concerned the hurricane would cause the conference to be cancelled.
The picture of Paul is several years old and was taken at one of our conferences. Paul’s aversion to photography is not because he feels the camera steals one soul (his claim): Paul prefers to remain anonymous. For the work he has done the past two years, for being chairman of our fund raising committee for 2006, we are pleased to give him our distinguished service award.
Norman C. Rosen
Executive Director
GCSSEPM Foundation