American Oil and Gas Reporter - PBIOS 2016 Official Program Guide - 15

Honoree

Richard Gillham - Oil Show Honoree
All honorees named by the Permian Basin International Oil Show Board of
Directors are selected for the character and commitment they have demonstrated
throughout their careers. They are considered for their dedication to the
industry, but that is not all. Honorees also are chosen for their contributions to
their communities, their civic leadership, and the impact they have had on the
lives of people around them.
That purpose could not have been clearer through the selection of Richard
Gillham as PBIOS's 2016 Honoree.
Gillham was born in 1928 in Hot Springs, Ar., grew up in Razorback country,
and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1950 with a civil engineering
degree. From college, he went on to serve in the Korean War with an engineering
construction battalion.
Following the war, Gillham moved to Odessa, Tx., in 1953 to take part in an oil company engineering training program.
During those early years, he paid his dues in the West Texas oil fields as a roustabout, pumper and roughneck.
Gillham ultimately set his roots in Odessa, excelling at business, growing a family, and serving in many civic leadership roles.
He enjoyed tremendous success in his career as owner and chairman of the J.H. Marks Trucking Company, and the
Marks Crane and Rigging Company, which he bought in 1970. His companies served the oil, natural gas and nuclear
energy industries with an assortment of trucking and mobile crane operations.
His 40 years in the energy industry took his companies to major construction projects in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Wyoming, Nevada, Minnesota, Ohio, Idaho,
Connecticut and Alaska. His companies also ventured to eight foreign countries: Mexico, Venezuela, England, Norway,
Puerto Rico, Canada, Sweden and Indonesia.
Accolades Gillham and his company earned through the years included the Specialized Carriers and Rigging
Association's (SCRA) 1968 Outstanding Hauling Job of the Year Award, the Odessa Chamber of Commerce's 1988
Citizen of the Year Award, the Odessa Heritage Foundation's 1988 Businessman of the Year Award, and the SCRA's
1990 Outstanding Rigging Job of the Year Award.
Just as important as his business accomplishments, Gillham is a dedicated family man. He and his wife, Iola, have been
married since 1974 and between them have seven children, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
They are members of Westminster Presbyterian Church where Gillham serves as an elder.
Beyond his career, Gillham has demonstrated a commitment to community through contributions of his time, his
financial resources, and his leadership. Gillham's civic recognition includes the Odessa United Way's 2006 Donivan
Williams Award for service to the community, the Odessa United Way's 2015 Bill Elms Award for Outstanding
Community Service, and the Arkansas Area Sigma Alpha Epsilon Alumni Association's 2004 True Gentleman Award.
Gillham also received the 2016 Odessa Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.
His positions have included director of the First National Bank of Odessa, director of the Colorado River Municipal
Water District, president of the Odessa College Foundation Board, president of the Industrial Foundation Board,
director of the Odessa Housing Finance Corporation, president of the Southwest Golf Foundation, and president of
the Odessa Country Club.
Gillham is a member of the Greater Odessa Rotary Club and the Ellen Noël Art Museum. As a dedicated supporter of
the arts, he has been instrumental in placing more than 20 pieces of major public art in Odessa.
The PBIOS Board takes great pride in recognizing Gillham as its 2016 Honoree. Gillham's accomplishments and
contributions personify the energy industry's commitment to excellence in business and dedication to community.
Those are the same values the Permian Basin International Oil Show was founded on in 1940, and they remain at the
heart of the organization today.
OCTOBER PBIOS 2016 15

American Oil and Gas Reporter - PBIOS 2016 Official Program Guide

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