Union College - Stespean Yearbook (Barbourville, KY)

Page 10 text:

We ' ve Got Gas The spectacular picture of the flaring of Union College ' s own new gas well was taken about 6 a.m. one morning in early November, 1983, shortly after drilling begun on October 19 and ending on Oc- tober 26, had struck natural gas in two rock formations over 2,000 feet down. Shortly after assuming office, President Phillips appointed an energy committee after Mr. Harold Jones, a Barbourville businessman, suggested that it might be possible to strike gas on college proper- ty. Mr. Jones, as chairman, worked with Dr. Deril Mays, Professor of Psycholo- gy, Mr. Samuel Davies, a trustee, and Mr. Walter Powell, Jr., President of our Alumni Association. The president im- mediately felt that the advantages outweighed the risks. Dr. Mays had al- ready done considerable ground work on the project. More than $50,000 in cash contributions and gifts-in-kind, all from citizens of the Barbourville area, financed the project. Alpha Gas, Wiser Oil, Allegheny Nucle- ar Surveys, Argo Energy Co., and Samar, who supplied the drilling rig, all helped with bringing the well in. With $141,000 budgeted for gas in the 1983-84 fiscal year, with a line run from the well just south of College Park to the campus by Delta Natural Gas Co., early in 1984 the college was already begin- ning to realize substantial savings. Flaring 60 feet in the air, the flame of the gas well casts its light on (left to right) Harold Jones, Deril Mays, President Phillips, Samuel Davies, and Walter F. Powell, Jr. Copyright e 1983, The Courier-Journal. Reprinted with permission.

Page 9 text:

The President ' s Lady, Mrs. Juanita Phillips, smilingly poses here with daughter Annette. The president ' s wife plays an important role in the life of the college, serving as its official hostess and lending much time and effort to a variety of projects in its behalf. Serenely happy smiles — and a bit of hand- holding — are typical of the college ' s new president and his wife. They are shown here at the reception in the Student Center following the ceremonies in the Conway Boatman Chap- el. . . . And more facts Mayor Charles Buchanan proclaimed Septem- ber 30, 1983, the day of the inauguration, as Jack and Juanita Phillips Day in Barbour- ville. During the ceremonies, Dr. Robert L. Ander- son, minister of Barbourville ' s First Methodist Church and a trustee of the college read the Scripture passages. Dr. Douglas L. Blair, Chairman of the College ' s Board of Trustees, presided at the ceremonies. The Union College Singers, under Dr. Joe Tar- ry, sang the anthem Praise the Lord by George Frederick Handel.

Page 11 text:

■ Tension mounted as the drilling rig (right) bore downward into the earth. Harold Jones and Dr. Deril Mays (above) were frequently on hand to observe progress. Mr. Jones proposed to President Phillips that a gas well on Union College property might be feasible, and Dr. Mays contributed much to the project from his experience in drillin oil wells in the Barbourville area. Wiser Oil Co. officials (below) measure the flow of gas from the well as Marshall Potter, Union ' s Director of Buildings and Grounds (left), and Edward Black, Vice President for Adminis- tration (center) look on in the background. Cecil Wilson (right), Union College trustee, expresses the concern everyone felt at this crucial moment. The gas was there, however! Wiser Oil employees put a control device on the outlet of the well as Milton Town- send and Walter Powell look on.