Gene R. George was an integral part of the Casper community. He fell in love with Wyoming at the age of 14 and moved here with his wife Cathy in 1966. Gene worked as a consultant in Wyoming for most of his life, participating in several consulting firms as partner focusing on petroleum exploration and prospect generation in all parts of Wyoming with specific emphasis on the Powder River, Big Horn, Green River, and Wind River Basins.
One of the most notable of Gene’s projects involved remediation of the old Shannon Oil Refinery site in downtown Casper (this facility operated from 1895 to about 1907 and was located near Center & Collins). In 1994 former First Lady Jane Sullivan initiated a project to address the closing in late 1991 of the Amoco Oil Refinery west of downtown. Because of his geologic background and familiarity with refinery remediation, she called on Gene as well as other individuals (Rob Hurless, Bill McDowell, Maggi Murdock, and Bart Rea) to help develop a plan to turn the Amoco Refinery site from an environmental liability to an asset for the community. By early 1998 this group of six individuals evolved into what became the Community Facilitation Initiative Committee, working with the City of Casper, Amoco, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to lay the groundwork for the formation of the Amoco Reuse Agreement Joint Powers Board in late 1998. The successful outcome of this collaborative process resulted in the approval and formation of the Platte River Commons site in 2002, which includes the 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Three Crowns Golf Course, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission offices, and an associated business park throughout the Commons. Gene participated “behind the scenes” throughout this time and was one of the original members of the Three Crowns Management Committee formed in 2005.
Gene was a proud member of many organizations including the Wyoming Geological Association (WGA), Vision 2000 and the Amoco Reuse Joint Powers Board. He published numerous studies in WGA and AAPG bulletins and guidebooks from 1969 to 2000. Gene seemed most pleased to be part of the University Park Elementary School “Earn to Learn” Reading Program and often spoke of his pride in the children with whom he worked. Gene was an accomplished storyteller with a wonderful, dry sense of humor. He truly loved golf (especially at Three Crowns in Casper) and was an avid fly-fisherman. Gene was honest, kind, considerate, and was the symbol of integrity for all who knew him.
After Gene’s passing in 2012, the WGA, along with the Wyoming chapters of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), established the inaugural Gene R. George Memorial Golf Tournament to remember Gene and raise money for scholarships. The tournament, held at the very course Gene helped establish - the Three Crowns Golf Club, is a 4-person net scramble tournament with all proceeds benefiting the scholarship funds of each member organization in support of our future energy professionals. Each year, we will continue to honor Gene’s contributions to our community and to the energy industry through this great tournament. We greatly appreciate the support of our sponsors and golfers!