Joseph O'Brien Jerome

Jerome Joseph O'Brien Call me Jerry, as he told all friends, associates and employees. The great one had a massive stroke as he sat amongst his pals at the "Round Table" in the San Antonio Petroleum Club on August 17, 2006. He tried and tried to come back and finally on September 18, 2006, about three weeks away from his 100th birthday, he passed on to be with his first wife, Mary Thompson O'Brien who preceded him in death on April 5, 2001. He was born in Spalding Nebraska on October 6, 1906. He attended school in Spalding and graduated from Creaton Prep School. He then attended U.C.L.A. where he began his college career as a pre-med student. Not having the money to continue in medicine he switched to geology and received a masters degree in geology as well as in petroleum engineering. The rest became history as he went from the Signal Hill and Huntington Beach fields in California into Texas working for Sunset Oil Company. He returned to California where he founded Shamrock Drilling Company and partnered in McCarthy and O'Brien Drilling Company. In 1946 he went back to San Antonio as the Executive Vice President of Jergins Oil Company and resided in Terrell Hills. From there he became President of Monterey Oil Company in San Antonio. He moved the company offices to the oil patch of Midland, Texas in 1955. When Monterey was purchased by Humble Oil, he became Executive Vice President of Humble, handling New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. When Humble folded into Standard Oil of New Jersey, now known as Exxon, he became the Executive Vice President of Standard Oil of New Jersey. In 1960 Washington, D.C. and his Nation called. Thusly, for $1.00 per year, he became the first oilman to become director of the Interior Department's Office of Oil and Gas for the United States. That Department is now known as the Department of Energy. He was appointed by President Kennedy and was the only Republican in the Kennedy Cabinet. Senator William Proxmire on the floor of the Senate, called President Kennedy, Jerry O'Brien, Secretary of the Navy John Connally, Lawrence O'Connor, member of the Federal Power Commission and John Kelly, assistant Interior secretary for mineral resources, the "Irish Mafia." After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Jerry moved from Washington back to California again. There he became the Vice President of Union Bank of California followed by becoming Chairman of the Board and President of Jade Oil Company and later President of McFarland Energy both of which were nationally traded oil companies. Early in the 70's Jerry returned to Texas and San Antonio, a place he and his wife Mary loved passionately. He purchased Colonial Production Company from Roberto and Ernesto Ancerra of Mexico City and ran it as his own. Jerry and his wife Mary helped found The Argyle Club along with the Slicks, Urschels and Moormans of San Antonio. He was the founder and the first president of C.I.P.A. in California and the sixth president of T.I.P.R.O. He was also a world traveler, sportsman, philanthropist and a gentleman to the core always full of humor and jest. His words linger on with a last request, which could have been serious... "Should you find me in a chair, not moving and passed on, go over to Walgreen's and buy a Playboy magazine. Open it to the centerfold, put it in my lap so the boys at the Round Table know I went standing pat." He is survived by his son, Thomas Michael O'Brien and daughter-in-law Mary Christian Grant O'Brien; by his granddaughters Terin O'Brien Johnston and husband Dara of Australia and Kim Jordan of California; by his great grandsons Raen Johnston and Maxmillian Jordan; his nephew and his namesake Jerry Williams and wife, Patricia of New Mexico; nieces Phyllis Morris and husband Stanley of Sweetwater, Texas and Angela O'Brien of New York City; plus the Pfeifer, Cockrell and O'Brien families of Nebraska. His soul and spirit have gone to heaven; his body will reside at Sunset Memorial Park. But thou, O Lord, are a shield for me: My glory, and the lifter up of mine head." Psalms 3:3. Funeral Mass Friday, September 22, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anthony De Padua. Honorary Pallbearers are: Bill Miller, Phil Sfair, and all the "guys" at the Round Table, Bartell Zachrey, Rusty Crowley, Chico Newman, J.R. Hurd, Tres Kleberg, Billy Freed, George Clifton, Jack Leon, Bobby Thornton, Alan Tucker, Donald Starkweather, Gary Henning, Bert Conlay and Budge McDonald of Midland, Texas; also Paul DiAmico, Don Oliphant, Ambassador Glen Holden, Ambassador William Wilson and Brooks Firestone of California.