The late F. Marie Hall along with Kenneth B. Nolen, Edward E. Runyan and Don L. Sparks have been named to the Petroleum Hall of Fame of the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum. They will be honored April 30, 2023, at Bush Convention Center in Midland. Their selections bring the number of members in the Hall of Fame to 152 starting in 1968 when Frank T. Pickrell was the first selection.
A native west Texan, Hall graduated from SMU, worked in banking and law, and established the FMH Foundation with many philanthropic and volunteer interests before her death in 2017. Nolen graduated from Texas A&M in 1957, served in the U.S. Air Force and began his career with Shell before forming Nabla Corp. He continued his career with Lufkin Automation, GreenShot and WellWorx.
A graduate of University of Tulsa in 1955, Runyan began his career with Sohio Petroleum, served in the U.S. Army and transferred to Midland as district engineer for Sohio in 1960. He also worked for Permian Enterprises, Elcor and Mid-America Petroleum and served as president of SPE International. A native of Pampa, Sparks graduated from University of Texas in 1962, served in the U.S. Navy and began his career with Shell. He worked at Freeport Oil and Halliburton and formed Discovery Operating, which in 2023 will celebrate 50 years.