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About 280 people gathered on
October 17th – 20th
to attend the fabulous 16th
Annual NALTA Conference at the
DoubleTree Hotel at Warren
Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That
may be a new record for
Conference attendees! The
increased attendance was
almost too much of a good
thing. The hotel’s meeting
and sleeping rooms were full,
and the Conference Committee
had to turn away several
people who wanted to register.
Some Conference attendees had
to stay in a different hotel.
Late registrants had their
Thursday lunch in a different
location than the general
session. In spite of all that,
most people viewed our great
attendance and busy hotel as
positive things, and few
complaints were heard.
The Conference started on
Wednesday with the
“Petroleum Engineering for
Non-Engineers” full-day
seminar, instructed by John
Farina. Mr. Farina’s
presentation was thorough, and
he kept the audience
interested with examples of
situations from his extensive
career in the oil and gas
industry. Attendees received a
comprehensive manual covering
geology, exploration, drilling
and completion techniques.
Conoco Inc. sponsored the
President’s Welcome
Reception that evening. The 19th
floor location provided a
great view of the “bright
lights” of Tulsa. This
casual reception was an
opportunity to renew
acquaintances, network with
new people and sample some
great BBQ with all the
trimmings.
Thursday morning began with
a Prayer Breakfast, led by
Frank Hulse of Phillips
Petroleum Company. After a
keynote speech by John Carrig,
Senior Vice President and CFO
of Phillips Petroleum Company,
NALTA’s first corporate
award was presented to
Phillips for their support and
contributions to our
association. The lunch keynote
speaker was Dr. Sharon Olson
Alvarez, a former NALTA
President. The Gilcrease
Museum was the site of the
Thursday evening hospitality
function. Attendees were able
to tour this world-class
collection of Western and
Indian art, and enjoy
delicious food. The evening
concluded with Indian dancers
in elaborate costumes. This
event was co-sponsored by
Phillips Petroleum Company and
Helmerich & Payne, Inc.
Four concurrent class
sessions were presented at the
Conference on Thursday and
Friday. Dave Davidson and his
Program committee brought
together an impressive group
of speakers. The speakers
covered the basics such as
Title Curative, Spreadsheets
and Joint Operating
Agreements, along with more
specialized topics including
Coalbed Methane, Indian Land
Titles, Louisiana Mineral Code
and Digital Mapping. The
Internet Resources and NALTA
Compensation Survey were very
popular classes. The
Publications committee of Judy
Epperson, Sandra Cleary and
Amy Hopmann collected the
speaker’s papers, and
created a manual that is an
excellent educational
resource.
Michael Smith received an
Outstanding Service award, and
Ginny Thomas received a
Special Recognition award from
NALTA. The awards were given
to recognize these individuals
whose commitment and
dedication to NALTA goes
“above and beyond” the
ordinary. On Friday night,
Conference attendees had an
opportunity to go to
Oktoberfest, one of the
biggest German festivals in
the world. The Saturday field
trip to Woolaroc offered a
look at the lodge and ranch of
Frank Phillips, the founder of
Phillips Petroleum Company.
Thanks to Jeanie Spradlin and
Karen Denney for setting up
this educational and enjoyable
field trip.
Ginny Thomas assembled a
wide variety of exhibitors,
including Applied Terravision
Systems, Associated Resources,
Inc., Avatar Systems, Ltd.,
Energen Resources, Gwiz
Systems, Inc., LandWorks,
Inc., Metrosoft, LLC, NADOA,
NALTA, Paradigm Technologies,
Inc. and Tobin International
Ltd. The Exhibitor Fair
enabled companies and
associations to demonstrate
their products and services to
Conference attendees.
Gwen Barber and Sheila
Hunt, the Registration
co-chairs, mailed out
registration brochures to 2000
people, tracked registration,
and provided accurate numbers
for classes, food, fees,
hospitality events and the
field trip. They ran the
registration table, and
provided help and information
to attendees throughout the
Conference. Elizabeth
Nolan’s Hotel committee
developed the menus for the
wonderful food served by the
DoubleTree – breakfast,
lunch, dinner and breaks.
Terri Bailey helped people get
to Tulsa by arranging special
rates with Southwest Airlines,
United Airlines and Avis.
David Nelson and his Site
Selection Committee
recommended Tulsa and the
DoubleTree Hotel for our 2001
Conference. David’s
experience in comparing hotels
and negotiating contracts was
invaluable. Martha
Cheshire’s diligent efforts
in Publicity and Donations
resulted in great attendance
and generous corporate
contributions. Arlene Shuman
put together the packets
stuffed full of promotional
items. Michael Smith kept our
finances in shape, and made
sure things got paid on time.
Finally, I want to thank
all the attendees, speakers,
exhibitors, committees and
NALTA Board members that made
the Tulsa conference so
successful.
Joe G. Anderson 2001
Conference Coordinator
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