Tommy Taylor
PBPA Chairman
The PBPA Top Hand Award Banquet was a wonderful evening honoring Mr. Dick Sivalls just a few days ago. Thank you to all those that participated in the honoring of another incredibly worthy recipient this year. The Top Hand Dinner has become one of my favorite events of the year. Each and every time I attend, I learn something new about the exceptional individuals we honor who have represented our industry so well. This year was no exception.
Dick Sivalls has been a tried-and-true member of the oil and gas industry for many, many years and has shown us all that where much is given, much is expected in return. Dick has given back to his community over and over again, with a smile on his face and gratitude in his heart. He is truly a humble man and to meet him is, in itself, a lesson in humility. He is a very straight forward person, an engineer of course, and you don’t have to guess what is on his mind. If you are listening, he is giving you some friendly advice.
I have looked up to Dick over the years from afar and observed the man I thought I knew. However, when the curtain is pulled back, you see so much more, and it is impressive how selflessly dedicated to his family and his community he is, and in ways that are difficult to list in their totality. I think it is worth saying that Dick is a part of the very fabric of Odessa, Texas, and the Permian Basin at large. We should all strive to be the type of person who qualifies to be a “Top Hand” like Dick Sivalls and the others who have been honored before him. Whether applying oneself at home, or in one’s own work, or as a member of the business community, or whether contributing one’s efforts at a church or at a non-profit organization, the person who adopts the attributes of a Top Hand honoree is a person who makes the Permian Basin a unique and ideal place in which to live and raise our families.
Thank you to Dick and to all of the previous Top Hands for your contributions to making the Permian Basin such a wonderful place. We all owe you a debt of gratitude for showing us how giving back and supporting our community should be exhibited.
The year 2024 has begun in earnest and we are in the middle of a legislative session to the west in the Land of Enchantment—New Mexico. Hopefully, the importance of oil and gas development for energy use in the state, and of course for the significant portion of the general budget supported by the tax revenues from oil and gas, isn’t lost on the state legislators. We are all abundantly aware that how oil and gas go, so goes the state of New Mexico.
Our focus is not only on Santa Fe, however. The PBPA is also planning a trip to Washington, D.C., this spring (March or April) and we would love to have a group of PBPA members attend along with myself, Ben Shepperd, and Stephen Robertson. Let us know if you are interested in attending and we will try to solidify the schedule. As the saying goes, you must be seen and heard to really be understood. We have a compelling story to tell and many need to understand what we are doing in the Permian Basin. Let’s go be seen and be heard. The understanding—with your help—is more than possible.
Related: https://pboilandgasmagazine.com/sivalls-an-exemplary-life/