Interviewer(s): J. Pratt; B. Beauboeuf. Houston, TX

Affiliation: University of Houston/History International

Mr. Ron Geer was born in West Palm Beach, FL in 1926 and received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1951. That year he began his 35-year career with Shell Oil and became a principal contributor to Shell's overall pioneering offshore technology efforts in developing deep sea floating drilling vessels and subsea wells. In the 1960s, Geer was Shell Oil's manager of marine technology and also helped found the Offshore Technology Conference. In 1984, he received the OTC's "Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals" for his contributions to deepwater oil and gas production technology. He also was a principal engineering contributor to Shell Oil's ice-resistant platforms in Alaska, Project Cognac, a milestone in fixed platform technology, and the deepwater drilling program conducted by the Discoverer Seven Seas. Mr. Geer retired in 1984.