MIDLAND, TEXAS—Feted by friends, family, and well wishers, oilman Don Sparks on Jan. 18 graciously accepted the Permian Basin Petroleum Association’s Top Hand Award for 2022 in a gala ceremony at the Petroleum Club. As recipient of this award, which essentially is the PBPA’s lifetime achievement award, Sparks joins a stellar list of oil people who have advanced not just this industry’s trade but its stature and its standing.
With 50 years of service both in the oil industry and the community, the cofounder and chairman of Discovery Operating has made himself a highly esteemed figure in the business and community. Over the years, Discovery became a true family operation, with three generations working together. With wells in Midland, Upton, and other counties, and plays including the Spraberry, Wolfberry, and more, the company has focused on “discovering” and developing its own production more than on buying existing wells.
The family legacy seems set for at least the near future. As Don said to PB Oil and Gas Magazine in January, “I see Discovery staying in business. I’m not ready to quit. So as long as the boys allow me to come and be part of it, I plan on doing that. At the same time, I have two grandsons, a grand daughter-in-law that work here, I have a niece that works here, her husband is the comptroller, so as we move forward I see Discovery Operating continuing to be around and be involved long after I’m gone.
“The way I see it, I had a dream, I’ve seen it move forward, and I see the possibility of it living after I’ve gone.”
That is indeed the dream of the family as a whole. When combined with vision and hard work, dreams can indeed come true.
