Paul Alan Roales

1945 - 2023

Roales, Paul Alan

July 3, 1945 - December 13, 2023

Paul Alan Roales, petroleum geologist, military historian, and rock and rocket hound, died Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Tulsa, OK, after a brief battle with recurrent cancer.

Paul first arrived in Tulsa in 1970 as an exploration geologist with Sun Oil Co. Moving on to positions with Pennzoil Co. in Houston and Parkersburg, WV, he returned to Tulsa in 1976, working for Amerada Hess. As the oil boom cooled down, Paul launched his own petroleum consulting business and settled into Tulsa for life.

He spent the early portion of his retirement building impressive collections of the things that interested him: military history, rocks and minerals, coins, postcards, rocket mail, autographs, science fiction books and art, and fossils. Just as enthusiastically, he spent his recent years sharing those collections online and physically gifting them to "good homes".

The C. W. Correll Museum in Catoosa, OK now proudly displays more than a thousand of his rocks, minerals, and fossils. The Leroy Borden WW II exhibit at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum is a product of Paul's collections and research. And dozens of museums across the country have received materials, including the Military History Center in Broken Arrow, OK; the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO; the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA; the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, IN; and many others.

He took special pride in buying a few old photos, dog tags, or tarnished medals at a flea market or yard sale, then researching them to find the original owner and tell his/her story. He returned many such items to family members who heard their loved ones' stories for the first time from Paul.

One such purchase uncovered the story of Tulsa journalist William Russell Moore. A war correspondent for the Associated Press, Moore died in 1950 helping U.S. soldiers hit by North Korean gunfire. As a result of Paul's research, Moore was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2020.

Another purchase led to Charles E. Brown, who was killed by shrapnel while fighting in the Battle of St. Mihiel in France in 1918. There was no scarcity of Charles Browns in World War I, but careful research guided Paul to the Army's Fighting 69th and a soldier from DeQueen, AR. Long ago, the town's American Legion Post 54 had taken Brown as its namesake, but there was no record of his story. After finding no family members, Paul assembled Brown's war memorabilia, a photo, and personal effects and traveled to Arkansas to return them to the Post named in his honor. Arkansas was grateful for Paul's efforts and awarded him the American Legion Department of Arkansas Commander's Certificate of Appreciation, a letter of commendation from the Mayor of DeQueen, and the title of "Arkansas Traveler", an honorary designation given by the Governor to those who are a credit to the State.

In October this year, Paul sold 2,000 of his coveted books to a Tulsa bookseller, keeping only his collection of several hundred autographed copies. He also sold off some of his coin collection - most notably one penny for $1,600 - but the bulk of that collection remains secure in a bank safety deposit box.

Although not the least bit political, Paul ran for Mayor of Tulsa in 2009. Because it was on his bucket list, he said. He lost, of course, but he would want you to know he did NOT come in last even though he never campaigned, put up signs, or participated in the many candidate forums.

Trained in meteorology by the United States Army, he served in the Signal Corps from 1963 to 1966 at Fort Monmouth, NJ. Paul sometimes admitted to guilty feelings since all his classmates in meteorology school were shipped off to Viet Nam, while he remained in the States because he made the highest grades and got tabbed as the next meteorology instructor.

After an honorable discharge he earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology from Indiana State University and a Master's Degree in geology from University of Idaho.

Born in Vincennes, IN, in 1945, Paul was the son of Ralph and Pauline Roales, who have both preceded him in death. He is survived by an older brother, fellow military history buff and Air Force veteran Frank and wife Loretta Roales in Vincennes, IN; an older sister, retired journalist and international journalism trainer Judith Roales in Lewes, DE; and a younger sister, geographer and elementary school teacher Lois and husband Ted Mach in Battle Ground, WA. All of his siblings were able to spend time with him in Oklahoma during his last days. He also has seven nieces and nephews, 19 grand nieces and nephews plus one more nephew on the way, and one great grand niece.

Paul will buried in Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Muskogee, OK, on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 1:30 pm.