The History of the Desk and Derrick Club of Houston

The Desk and Derrick Club of Houston began in 1950 – certainly a memorable year – for it was the beginning of an organization that now has reached the 60 year mark. What a march through progress, growth, and development it has been.

Although the Desk and Derrick Club of Houston held its first official meeting in August of 1950, we have to turn back the clock one year for our roots. In 1949, a group of women working in the petroleum industry in New Orleans, inspired by Inez Autey Schaeffer, met informally with the simple idea of getting to know other women with whom they were in contact through their jobs, usually by phone. This group immediately recognized the need of more than a social gathering to maintain and increase interest. They all agreed that women employees, particularly, needed to know more about the entire petroleum industry and how its many facets interacted. Greater knowledge would not only increase their value as employees but would make their own jobs more interesting and challenging. EDUCATION became the spark that ignited the flame of the original idea.

The spark soon became a conflagration! Industry and the press were intrigued with this unique idea of “women” being interested enough in their jobs to spend their own time and money to achieve a better knowledge and broader understanding of the complex petroleum industry.

The name “Desk and Derrick” was selected to illustrate the flow of information from the derrick, representing the technical, scientific and mechanical phases of the industry, to the desk, representing the transfer and communication of the facts, knowledge and products generated from the derrick.

One of the sparks ignited in Houston and after several months, the Desk and Derrick Club of Houston became a reality with its first meeting in August of 1950. Houston was the fourth club to organize, preceded by New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, and Los Angeles. These four clubs were besieged with requests for information and assistance from groups in localities throughout the United States and Canada, and they soon decided that a parent organization was needed to preserve the purpose, disseminate information, and protect the name. By mid 1951, they had decided on the name: The Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs of North America, now frequently referred to as ADDC (“of North America” was dropped from the name in 1977 due to the possibility of affiliating clubs in other countries). Articles of Association containing the bylaws were adopted by mail. By general consent among the four charter clubs, the President, Secretary and Treasurer would be provided by the New Orleans Club, Los Angeles would furnish the First Vice President, and Houston the Second Vice President. Jackson, Mississippi would provide a Director to work with clubs east of the Mississippi River and Los Angeles would provide a Director for clubs west of the Mississippi.

Forming the Association provided cohesion and strength to this fledgling organization. Many changes have been made. For instance, there are now seven regions in the Association – Houston is a member of Region IV that embraces approximately the eastern half of Texas. Though small geographically, Region IV has the largest membership of the seven regions. Each club, regardless of size, has one vote in Association affairs. In the spring, each region holds a regional meeting, and September is usually the month for the Association convention when all clubs meet to elect officers and conduct business.

The 50s were a decade of excitement for the Houston Club! Starting with 52 charter members, the club grew to a total of 619 members by the end of 1953. Interest was so great that for a short time membership was limited by processing only fifteen applications each month. The decade ended with membership at 420. The first special study course was a simple affair on public speaking conducted by two members in 1953. The following year inaugurated a structured series spanning several years under the direction of Dr. Kirkpatrick, head of the Petroleum Engineering Department at the University of Houston. Interesting field trips were offered monthly. Meetings were held at the Rice Hotel, which made space available for our meetings for years at no cost to the club – even furnishing the coffee and cookies for the social hour for a number of years.

Probably the most exciting event and the greatest accomplishment of the Houston Club was hosting the very first Association convention. It was a gala affair held at the fabulous Shamrock Hotel in September of 1952. By that time there were 44 clubs in the Association and its membership totaled 4400. Conventions have become more elaborate and highly organized but none have ever equaled the glamour and excitement of that very first one. The 50s ended with a bang for the Houston club with the election of Gladys Watford as Association President at the convention in San Antonio.

The 60s was a decade of consolidation. After all the excitement and the rapid growth and expansion, it was time to slow down and take stock. Membership in the Houston Club stabilized in the 300s. In 1961, Houston again hosted the Association convention, this time at the Rice Hotel. Speakers and field trips were excellent and the club hosted a regional meeting and conducted a seminar and special study course. Houston Club member Julie Wheeler served as Association President in 1969.

If the 1960s seemed quiet and uneventful, the 1970s were anything but – the petroleum industry exploded as it began an era of unprecedented expansion. Many new employees were hired and Desk and Derrick grew, too, as more employees and employers recognized the value of its educational activities.

Working with PETEX, the Association completed the Fundamentals of Petroleum course and the first one held was in 1979. This decade saw the advent of “area” clubs with the Bellaire Desk and Derrick Club being formed in 1973 and Spring Branch-Memorial in 1977. This same trend was taking place in other metropolitan areas and petroleum centers in the United States and Canada due to decentralization of the industry and growth of urban areas.

Membership in the Houston Club remained in the upper 300 range, even with the advent of two other area clubs. The club suffered a real blow with the closing of the Rice Hotel where meetings had been held every month at no cost to the club. After being nomads for several years, the club finally settled in at the Whitehall Hotel for a long stay (until they also closed). Amid all the turmoil and changes, the Houston Club in 1975 again hosted the Association convention – back to the Shamrock, the site of the very first one held in 1952.

The 1980s began in a state of euphoria but rapidly became a decade of upheaval in our industry and organization. Oil was selling for $40.00 a barrel and projected to reach $100.00 in a few years. Money was plentiful and borrowing to finance drilling projects was the order of the day. Jobs in every phase of the industry were plentiful, salaries were high, and women were advancing their careers at an unprecedented rate. The North Harris/ Montgomery Counties Club was organized in 1981, the fourth in our area. Membership in the Association reached an all-time high of more than 12,000 members in 1982, and membership in the Houston Club again approached 400. Houston hosted another regional meeting and continued expanding educational programs, tailoring many toward self-improvement themes.

There were two very great and positive achievements on the Association level, which affected all clubs. The first was the inauguration of the Desk and Derrick Educational Trust, an Association-wide scholarship program. This endowment fund was set up to provide scholarships for individuals pursuing college degrees in petroleum related subjects. This endeavor would have many beneficial results throughout the years and continues to help achieve a knowledgeable workforce. The second was the formation of the ADDC Foundation, which funds additional educational projects such as seminars and field trips at conventions and regional meetings. Both are nonprofit organizations and contributions are tax deductible.

The latter part of the decade saw many changes in the industry and in our organization, not the least of which was the decision to open membership to all employees of the industry. Membership was on the decline and the Houston Club ended 1989 with only 120 members. The size of the club’s Board of Directors was reduced by decreasing the number of Directors from eight to six. Committees were consolidated and efforts made to simplify operations and reduce paperwork.

Beginning in the 90s, the Houston Club was still suffering a membership crisis, as was the Association. Restructuring continued and the Board of Directors was further reduced. On a positive note, new members took an active part and a look at the newly elected Boards of Directors showed many new faces. Another positive note was the spirit of camaraderie and cooperation among the four area clubs as they joined hands in joint endeavors to promote Desk and Derrick and help each other. The highly successful 1992 regional meeting in Galveston, and the joint golf tournament fundraiser, both joint endeavors of the area cubs, were excellent examples of the prevailing cooperative spirit. Each year the Houston area clubs held a joint meeting.

The Desk and Derrick Club of Houston continues to strive to adapt to new and changing concepts in the industry and to meet the needs of its members. The challenges of the 21st Century are different from those the club faced more than fifty years ago – they are greater. Our members continue to work together to meet these new challenges.