Gulf Energy Information/World Oil’s retired Chairman and President Robert W. Scott has passed away
Gulf Energy Information (Gulf) and its World Oil subsidiary regret to report to our global subscribers/readers that our retired Chairman and President, Robert W. (Bob) Scott passed away on Wednesday morning in Houston at age 93. Scott had suffered a terminal injury on Sept. 16, which doctors were not able to improve.
Early years. Bob Scott joined Gulf Publishing Company (the predecessor version of Gulf) in 1958 as Engineering Editor. He had graduated from The University of Texas (Austin) in 1951 with a BS degree in petroleum engineering, but his first oilfield work began in 1947 with Magnolia Petroleum. He later worked for Gulf Oil before joining Gulf Publishing (Gulf).
Years later, Scott remarked that the first time that the name World Oil became predominate on the magazine’s cover (as opposed to its previous name, The Oil Weekly) was its 382-page issue of October 1947. Ironically, that year also saw his first exposure to both oilfield work and to the magazine. After nine years as Engineering Editor, Scott was promoted to Editor of World Oil in 1967.
Later tenure. Scott served as Editor for 17 years until he was promoted during mid-1984 to Editorial Director of World Oil and additional titles at Gulf. He fulfilled that role until 1994, when he was elevated to President of the company and later assumed the title of Chairman. In the latter part of 1996, he relinquished the position of President but remained as Chairman until retiring in early 1999.
Industry figure. During his career, Scott was well-respected as an expert on the international upstream industry, and he was in demand as a speaker and commentator on various issues. Accordingly, he led the first U.S upstream oil and gas delegation to China in 1978, and he subsequently led two more industry trips to China.
Scott also participated heavily in industry associations, including more than 50 years of membership in the Society of Petroleum Engineers and service as Secretary of the National Ocean Industries Association. He also was President of Houston-based National Oil-equipment Manufacturers and Delegates Society (NOMADS) in 1984 and a member for multiple decades. At the time of his retirement, Scott still held Registered Professional Engineer credentials in Texas and Louisiana.
Retirement years. In retirement, Scott remained busy in the industry, serving as a senior advisor to the then-Offshore Energy Center (now Oilfield Energy Center) and participating in committees for OEC’s Hall of Fame. He also served for a number of years as emcee for the OEC Hall of Fame’s annual Induction Ceremony. Indeed, Scott, himself was inducted as an “Industry Pioneer” in the Hall of Fame during 2016 for his long, illustrious service to the industry.
Bob Scott will be missed greatly by his family, his many colleagues at Gulf, and his numerous friends in the oil and gas industry and community at large. Funeral arrangements are pending.
