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ED HOLT |
John Edgar "Ed" Holt was vice president and operations manager of the Noble Drilling Corporation for both the Sherwood Forest and the CANOL projects. These were pioneering oil drilling efforts during World War II, growing out of the desperate need for oil and petroleum products to maintain the war effort. Holt was born in West Texas, grew up in a ranching community, and was educated at Texas A & M University. While in college, Ed spent summers working at a variety of jobs, mainly in the oil fields. This early employment taught him the oil drilling profession from the ground up. In later years, this early education paid off when he could go into an oil field where there were problems, and often solve them on the spot. On many occasions, Ed took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and showed the workers how to perform a task correctly. After college, Ed joined Lloyd Noble and his Noble Drilling Corporation in Oklahoma. At the time, he never imagined he would wind up working with Mr. Noble and his organization for over 60 years. By 1940, Ed was vice president and operations manager for the firm. As the Noble Drilling Corporation expanded, and drilling operations extended into state after state, these developments put Ed Holt right in the middle of numerous operations. For example, Ed might be at the oil field near Casper, Wyoming, and he would get a telephone call from Mr. Noble instructing him to clear up a problem at a field in West Texas...or Illinois...or any one of 10 other states where the company was drilling. Later, Ed Holt supervised drilling offshore in Cuba, and on the island of Jamaica. Once he was sent to Australia to drill for water on a huge ranch, or "station," the company owned there. The ranch sprawled over 2,700 sections--1,728,000 acres ( a section contains 640 acres). When World War II erupted, the free world needed more and more oil to supply the Allies' efforts, and The Noble Drilling Company suddenly had more demands for drilling operations than can be imagined. In addition to expanding operations in many states, they were called upon to expand the number of producing wells in both England and Canada. These two major war efforts took place at the same time--and half a world apart--in England's Sherwood Forest, and Canada's Northwest Territories (the Canol Project). As operations manager, Ed Holt was at the center of all company projects. When Ed Holt was elected President of the Noble Drilling Corporation he was especially mindful of Lloyd Noble's wish that his "family" stay together. Even after Ed Holt retired from the Noble Drilling Corporation, he continued to be deeply involved in the Noble Foundation and Noble Affiliates. The Noble Foundation was established as a research tool for science and agriculture, and funded from the net profits of Lloyd Noble's oil, gas, and drilling companies. He was also called back from retirement four times when presidents had to step down due to ill health. Each time, Ed and his family moved back to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a period of two years or more, until the position could be filled from Noble company ranks. Loyalty to the company was always paramount. For these, and may more contributions to the success of the Noble Drilling Corporation, he has been honored in many ways. Two examples stand out: First, the Samuel Robert Noble Foundation endowed two chairs in the name of John Edgar Holt at his alma mater, Texas A & M University. One chair is in the Petroleum Engineering Department, and the other in the Hands On Drilling Department.
The Holt family at the rig's dedication ceremony in 1981.
Photo courtesy of Ed Holt. Prepared By: Boulton B. Miller
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© 1996, 2000 Boulton B. Miller. "I,
Witness to History" and logo are trademarks of Wesley
Retirement Communities, Inc., d/b/a Larksfield Place. All rights reserved. This page was last revised August 04, 2003. |
Second, Noble Drilling Corporation named its first offshore deep
well drilling rig for Ed Holt in 1981. The rig is a "jackup rig" (in oil field
terminology), and a pioneer in providing hotel-like accommodations for 80 workers living
miles out at sea. In addition to living quarters, recreation facilities are also provided.
Mrs. Edgar Holt, Ed's wife Betty, christened the rig in Texas in 1981, breaking the bottle
of champagne on her first try. After initial operation in the Gulf of Mexico, the ED HOLT
rig is now operating off the shores of India. 
