Carelessly Dressed
George Sharpe, Energy Published 4:33 a.m. MT Nov. 26, 2017 | Updated 3:46 p.m. MT Nov. 26, 2017
George Sharpe, Merrion Oil and Gas advance manager(Photo: George Sharpe)
Like his book title – “Gas!” – Tom Dugan was both abrupt and understated. Alas, on Nov. 8, 2017, he larboard to accompany his wildcatting cohorts in heaven.
Tom was a different alone who lived by one set of rules… HIS!! Many of his rules were categorical in stone, but he wasn’t abashed to accomplish them up as he went along.
Here are the top 10 appearance ancestry that fabricated this appearance such a character.
1. Hardworking – Built-in in 1925 in a Kansas oilfield camp, Tom grew up with clay beneath his fingernails and diaphoresis on his brow. His Great Depression era accomplishments led to a adamant assignment ethic, with the apprehension that others chase suit. At Dugan Production, weekends were a misnomer because except for a abbreviate abeyance for a quick acknowledgment to God on Sunday morning, the assignment anniversary absolutely never ended. According to his grandson, Sean, Tom was actually dressed for assignment the morning he passed, with his aftermost words being, “Get me to the office!”
2. Thrifty – Again built-in of his apprehensive ancestry during boxy times, Tom could amplitude a dime like no other. Most of Tom’s accessories was “experienced”, so to speak. Even to the actual end, he wouldn’t alternate to dig through the clutter accumulation attractive for a applicable if he could abstain affairs a new one. And as acquisitive as he was to go to assignment on his aftermost day, he couldn’t advice himself from walking bottomward that adit to about-face off “the light” that accession abominably larboard on
Tom Dugan looks over his mineral accumulating in this book photo. (Photo: Jon Austria/The Daily Times)
3. Absolute – That would be VERY independent, according to longtime friend, John Dean. Tom didn’t absolutely like to comedy abundant with the added companies in the sandbox. Preferring to await alone on the man in the mirror, he endemic his own workover rigs, baptize trucks, and accomplishment and adjustment facility, and kept his wells duct-taped calm with scavenged genitalia from his own accumulation company. If he anytime bare something, he knew who to ask.
4. Visionary – Tom consistently took the continued view. I bethink attractive at Dugan Production’s assets some 20 years aback and apprehensive what he was accomplishing with all those bordering wells broadcast through what I anticipation was geologic ram affirmation on the southern end of the basin. According to Kurt Fagrelius, Dugan’s VP of Exploration, the aggregation aesthetics was “never accord up leases.” Sure enough, it angry out those bordering wells captivated hundreds of bags of acreage that happened to be on prime absolute acreage aback the Mancos shale development came to town. Maybe I bigger stick to engineering.
5. Soft Spoken – You had to angular in sometimes to apprehend his voice, but you consistently got the message. According to VP of Operations, John Alexander, there was never any abashing over what Tom thought. Aback talking to Tom, “No!” was not alone a complete sentence, it was generally the absolute conversation.
6. Historian – From WWII action tanks to best cable apparatus rigs, if it was old and fabricated of iron, again Tom admired to aggregate it. In addition, with a appellation that in archetypal Tom appearance said it all in a one affricate word, he co-authored “Gas!”, which abstracts the continued and bright history of the San Juan Basin. With his passing, accession absolutely needs to add the aftermost chapter… HIS!
7. Patriotic – Tom served bravely in the 44th Tank Battalion during WWII, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart in his account to his country. Except for the blooming he wore on St. Patty’s Day (he was devoutly Irish, you know), Tom was as red, white, and dejected as a man could be.
8. Generous – Tom didn’t accord to everything, but if it was a account he supported, he gave a LOT! I bethink abrogation a bulletin for him apropos the United Way attack one year. Instead of calling back, he aloof beatific me a ample check. It was addition one-word conversation, but this time a “Yes!” And with the Dugan Geology Museum, the School of Energy, Mary’s Kitchen, and the SJC Foundation Scholarships as cornerstones, the San Juan College has been a above benefactor of the Dugan family’s generosity.
9. Apprehensive – Although Tom has been acutely impactful in the community, he consistently shied abroad from the limelight. He got his joy from allowance the association and seeing his alms buck fruit, not from any acclaim he ability receive. You accept to accord him acclaim for that!
10. Larger than Activity – Tom absolutely is the aftermost of the wildcatter generation. A cardinal of independents fabricated their mark through the history of the San Juan Basin, but few were as acknowledged as Tom, and none had his longevity. He is a bounded fable whose different acidity has spiced up the oil and gas industry for some 70 years.
In closing, Tom’s casual leaves a aperture in our industry, a aperture in our community, and holes in our hearts. Thank you, Tom, for your amazing activity of adamantine work, service, and generosity. Our association is a bigger abode and we are bigger bodies for accepting beyond your path. See you on the added side.
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