BOLIVAR — Four individuals were honored with induction into the New York State Oil Producers’ Association Wall of Fame at the Pioneer Oil Museum.

Honored were the late Wallace Sawyer, Jim Macfarlane, Bob Wilkinson, William McEnroe and Paul Plants, each of whom made significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania. The Wall of Fame began in 2005 and now has 75 inductees with the inclusion of this year’s class.

After the presentation of a large plaque with biographical information and a photograph, a family member for each inductee provided thanks and some memories. The initial inductee was Sawyer, a driller whose career took off in the relatively early days of the oil industry during the 1920s and ’30s.

WALLACE SAWYER

Sawyer was the grandfather to John Wilkins’ wife, and Wilkins noted his accomplishments that were included on Sawyer’s plaque. While doing research for this inductee, it brought back his own memories of times spent in the oil field. He noted that he briefly worked for Empire Gas in the 1950’s, and he became acclimated to what was going on in both the oil and gas industries.

He was invited to a “shoot” where nitroglycerin was used to help increase production in the oil/gas fields. Wilkins remembered that the shooter made careful measurements and then filled his nitro cans. He took the two corks out of the can and carefully wiped the bottom of them on the lip of the can. “He did this in order to create a constant pour of the liquid. He did not want a ‘glug-glug-glug’ of the nitro, because if he DID get a ‘glug-glug-glug’, it very easily could change to ‘glug-glug-bang!”

He remembered the shooter filling the tube with rocks, dynamite, a cap, a fuse, dropping it into the well, and then calmly walking away. “Suddenly the ground shook, and then everything came out of that well – water, stone, whatever. I never did hear if it was a successful well or not.”

JIM MACFARLANE

Macfarlane was a highly-successful petroleum geologist who worked in both New York and Pennsylvania. He worked throughout much of the eastern U.S. designing and completing horizontal drilling programs through highly-regulated areas of public and private lands. As a result, he became a member of numerous professional organizations throughout the country.

His wife Sandy spoke of her gratitude for the honor of his induction into this Wall of Fame. “We are honored that he has been able to be recognized for his accomplishments in the oil and gas industry. We are so happy that he was able to work in this great industry.”

BOB WILKINSON

Wilkinson worked in the local oil field industry as a self-employed drilling contractor and oil producer for many years. He was also a self-employed logger, operated a waste disposal business, and supervised the Town of Bolivar landfill. He was a member of the New York State Oil Producers’ Association (NYSOPA)for many years.

Bob’s grandson, Alex Cole, spoke of his memories of his grandfather. “Our family is honored, as I know he would feel honored, to be recognized for his accomplishments and his hard work. He did instill in me a love for the local oil business. I do appreciate all the history of the local oil business, and I do participate some in the business, but not nearly as much as he did.”

WILLIAM MCENROE

McEnroe and his family were active in the oil business in Allegany County as drilling contractors and producers. In 1921, his company promoted the early development of secondary oil recovery by introducing the first successful use of artificial water pressure in the local oil fields. Eventually he developed the most productive five acres of oil property in all of New York State. William worked in oil production in Kansas and Oklahoma as well as Allegany County.

Ric McEnroe, great nephew to William, discussed the family’s background as they played an important part in the history of the local oil business. In the early days, one of Ric’s great, great uncles worked for O.P. Taylor on the legendary Triangle #1 well in Allentown.

Two great uncles, William and Walter, bought a 5-acre parcel in 1880 from the brother-in-law of Mark Twain. In 1926, that section was prepared for water flooding, and with new pressurization techniques applied, eventually this acreage produced 106,000 barrels of oil, this becoming the richest five acres of oil property in New York State’s history.

Ric reiterated one memory of his family. “My grandfather, Chester, wanted to buy an oil lease east of their family farm. I find this very amusing, but he approached his brothers, Walter and William, who at that time were VERY, VERY wealthy men, about borrowing money to buy this property, but they wouldn’t lend it to him.”

PAUL PLANTS

In 1970, Plants formed Plants & Goodwin Corporation, an oilfield service company along with his close friend, George Goodwin. Eventually he served as a member of the board of directors of NYSOPA for over 40 years and its president for many years. He was on the inaugural board of directors of the Pioneer Oil Museum for 24 years, serving as president for 15. He was instrumental in the expansion of the museum including its move to the new location, and he envisioned the NYSOPA Wall of Fame.

Paul’s son, Steve, spoke on behalf of the family. “This honor means a lot to us because it meant a lot to him. The oil business meant a lot, and in his life, I think it was only surpassed by this museum. He lived and died for this museum.

“It’s a great honor to have Dad’s plaque among these 75 men, all of whom have made a significant contribution to the oil industry over the years. It’s especially meaningful that Dad joins his long-time business partner and his closest friend, George Goodwin, on this Wall of Fame.

“I’ve been attending these induction ceremonies since the beginning; I don’t think I’ve missed one,” he added. “Over the past few years, as I watched Dad hold these plaques, the reality came to me that I was very likely going to be speaking on behalf of my family one of these years to honor Dad in this capacity. I didn’t expect it would be this soon; I thought I had more time to come up with adequate words that would capture his life as a family man and an oil man.”

AFTER THE FIVE INDUCTIONS, museum board president, Kelly Lounsberry, reminisced about his personal memories with Paul beginning with the inaugural meeting of the board of directors in September 2000. He explained how he nominated Paul for the Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oil Man Award in 2014. This honor from the Petroleum History Institute was a result of Paul’s extraordinary dedication to and support of the Pioneer Oil Museum.

The evening’s festivities concluded with the dedication of the museum’s new wing in memory of Plants. His family and friends in attendance (as well as all other guests) were able to see the unveiling of Plants’ name on the museum exterior and made visible to the public for the first time.

The evening’s ceremony began with Lounsberry providing remarks about the work completed by the museum over the past year. He discussed the ongoing changes including the construction of a large wing on the main building which will allow for an enhanced visitor experience and eventually serving as a destination location. Inside that addition, a replica gas station was built which houses a 1930 Ford Model A truck that was recently donated to the museum. This truck is in working condition and was originally used to travel on the oil lease roads in the woods near Bolivar.

The truck was one of the highlights of the Pioneer Oil Days parade on Saturday. Also in that new wing, a dynamite packing machine was on display. This rare piece of technology from the late 1800s provides a view into the past about an important part of the oil industry.

Following the induction ceremony, there was a wine-and-cheese tasting with a record 275 people in attendance. One highlight of that portion of the evening was the inclusion of a beer from The Wellsville Brewery. They developed a special dark blend called “Bolivar Black Gold” to tie in with the Bolivar Bicentennial which also took place last week.