Thomas Davies Barrow

Barrow
Thomas Davies Barrow, age 86, passed away on the 27th of January 2011. He was born on the 27th of December 1924 in San Antonio, Texas to Leonidas Theodore and Laura Thomson Barrow. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Janice Hood Barrow; sons, Theodore and wife Clare, and Kenneth and wife, Donna; daughters, Barbara and husband Patrick McCelvey, and Elizabeth and husband Mark Brueggeman; grandchildren, Jane Barrow, Thomas Barrow, Sarah Barrow, Lee Barrow and wife Betsy, James McCelvey, Daniel McCelvey, Eric Brueggeman, Peter Brueggeman, and Kevin Brueggeman.
Tom attended The Kinkaid School and graduated from Lamar High School in Houston. After a post graduate year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. he attended the University of Texas, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega, and where he earned his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 1945 and an M.A. in Geology in 1948. In 1953 he received his Ph.D. in Geology from Stanford University. He served on active duty with the U.S. Navy from 1943-46 and in the Naval Reserve from 1946-1961.
In 1951, he joined Humble Oil and Refining Company as a geologist in California. In 1970 he became its President and in 1972 was named Senior Vice President of Exxon Corporation and elected a member of its Board of Directors, responsible for Exxon's worldwide exploration and production activities. Dr. Barrow retired from Exxon in 1978 and joined Kennecott Copper Company as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. After negotiating the sale of Kennecott to Standard Oil Company (Ohio) he served as Vice Chairman of Sohio until his retirement in 1985. He served as a Director/Trustee of over a dozen other public companies and industry associations.
Dr. Barrow was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and served on the Commission of Natural Resources and the Commission of Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Resources of the National Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Geophysical Union and Society of Mining Engineers. He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geologic Society of America and the New York Academy of Sciences.
The University of Texas awarded Dr. Barrow the Distinguished Graduate in Engineering in 1970, the Distinguished Graduate in Geology in 1982, the Distinguished Alumnus in 1985 and Distinguished Graduate from the College of Natural Sciences in 1991. He was a life member and former Chairman of the Geology Foundation Advisory Council of the Jackson School of Geosciences, a Life Member of the Ex-Students Association, a member of the Chancellor's Council, U.T. Commission of 125 and the Centennial Commission.
Dr. Barrow was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Offshore Technology Conference in 1973; in 1974, the National Ocean Industries Association gave him the same honor. He was named Chief Executive of the Year for the Metals and Mining Industry in 1979. He was named an Industry Pioneer by the Offshore Energy Center in 1998. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists honored Dr. Barrow with their Pioneer Award in 2010. He was named one of Houston's Men of Distinction in 2010.
His strong belief in giving back to the community led him to service on the boards of Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center, and Houston Grand Opera. He was a past President of The Petroleum Club and a member of Houston Country Club, River Oaks Country Club and several other Houston organizations. He was a former Trustee of Stanford University, New York Philharmonic Society, American Museum of Natural History, Geological Society of America Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, past President of the American Society for Oceanography and the National Oceanography Association, and co-founder of the National Ocean Industries Association.
Tom loved to travel. As a boy he traveled through pre-war Europe with his mother and grandmother, and had vivid memories of scenes which presaged that conflict. His business travels included early commercial openings to Russia, China and the Far East. He and his wife Janice took many wonderful trips together, including those with their grown children and grandchildren. They eventually visited all seven continents, achieving Tom's dream to visit Antarctica in 2009 at the age of 84.
He traveled the world but he loved Texas ? its history, geography, wildlife and people. He was a gentleman rancher, a bird watcher and a bird hunter. Tom shared a love of music with Janice and they made many wonderful friends in the Opera and Symphony families. He was a lifelong supporter of his beloved Longhorns, through both sports and academic affairs. He loved God and His church, serving as Senior Warden of Christ Church Cathedral and St. Martin's Episcopal Church of Houston. He was a wise counselor to his church, his family and his community.
The family would like to thank Norma Sarmiento for her many years of loving service to the family and to Tom's caregivers, Arletha Willis, Joni Milton and Helen Rector for their special love and care.
Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances of Tom from three until five o'clock in the afternoon, on Sunday, the 30th of January, in the Grand Foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.
The memorial service is to be conducted at two o'clock in the afternoon on Monday, the 31st of January, at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue in Houston, where the Very Rev. Joe D. Reynolds, Dean, is to officiate.
In lieu of customary remembrances, kindly consider a contribution in Tom's name, to Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, TX, 77002; Houston Grand Opera, 510 Preston St., Houston, TX, 77002; The University of Texas Geology Foundation, 1 University Station, C1160, Austin, TX, 78712-0254; or a charity of one's choice.