Hal Curtis Porter
August 10, 1930 ~ June 20, 2009
Hal Curtis Porter, prominent Wichita oil producer, passed away June 20, 2009 at his weekend home on Lake Wilson. He was born August 10, 1930 to Curtis Grace Scott Porter in Gallipolis, Ohio. He and his two brothers and one sister were raised on a farm a few miles outside of Gallipolis and attended Gallipolis schools, graduating in 1947. He attended Western Union Telegraph school in Indiana in 1947 before entering the USAF, AE Mechanics school in 1948. He received an appointment to the USMA at West Point in 1949, graduating in 1953 with a BS in General Engineering. He received a medical discharge upon graduation because of a bronchial condition acquired while on a training mission in Biloxi, Miss. Not receiving a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation was one of the biggest disappointments of his life. Through the help of the USMA Association of Graduates, he was able to get a petroleum engineering job with Delhi-Taylor Oil Corporation of Dallas, Tx. where he worked from 1953- 1957. In 1957, he attended Texas AM for graduate work in Petroleum Reservoir Engineering. In 1958 Hal formed CIMA-Capitan, Inc. with partners Wood and McShane, specializing in waterflooding in West Texas and New Mexico. In 1969 he moved to Denver, Co. and founded Antares Oil Corporation, a public corporation. He was President and CEO of Antares until 1982. From 1982- 1985 he was an investor in oil and gas and real estate. In 1984, after the death of his son Phillip, Hal retreated to Rio Verde, Az., where he owned a home. After living there a year, he moved to Roswell, NM to be closer to his oil interests. In 1987 Hal returned to Fountain Hills, Arizona and became a general building contractor involved in real estate. In 1997 he moved to Wichita and formed Imperial American Oil Corp. and became a pioneer in 3-D seismic exploration in Kansas. Hal is survived by his wife of 55 years Bobbie, son Clay and grandson Kenny of Wichita and granddaughter Kirsten of Roswell, N.M., two brothers John of Akron, Ohio, Bill of Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia and a sister, Joanne Downes of New York City. He was preceded in death by his son Phillip Curtis Porter who died in 1984, at age 25, of a rare inherited blood disease called “Fanconis Anemia.” Hal refused to “retire”, as the oil business was his favorite “hobby”. He could think of nothing more challenging or rewarding. He said, “If I retired, what would I do? Just hang around the house?” So having listened to lots of wives whose husbands had retired and “just hung around the house”, Bobbie strongly encouraged him to continue his favorite hobby! He loved the oilfield; going out to “check out” new leases and to observe the wells being drilled. He was never happier than when his cell phone was ringing with reports on new wells being drilled. Hal was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in west Wichita and was founder of the West Point Society of Greater Wichita and was very active in recruiting candidates for the Military Academy. Visitation will be held Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 6-8pm at Downing and Lahey West Chapel, 10515 W Maple, Wichita, Ks 67209. Services will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1750 N Tyler Rd. in Wichita, at 10 am, June 24, 2009, with burial being in Artesia, NM. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions be made to Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy, Class of 1953 Gift Fund, 698 Mills Rd, West Point, NY 10096-1607.
Mr. Porter will be in state Monday, June 22 from 4:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. and all day Tuesday, June 23. Visitation with the family will be from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., Tuesday, June 23, all at Downing Lahey Mortuary West.
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BOBBIE & FAMILY, SO SORRY TO HEAR OF HALS PASSING. WE ARE SURE YOU HAVE MANY FOND MEMORIES TO CHERISH. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU. SINCERELY, BERN & MIKE PROCTOR