Back in 1981, RMR publisher Steve Reese began earning his oil and gas stripes in a Pampa, Texas field office when he unexpectedly met T. Boone Pickens. The memory of that handshake shared between greenhorn and tycoon stays with Steve to this day.

Back in 1981, RMR publisher Steve Reese began earning his oil and gas stripes in a Pampa, Texas field office when he unexpectedly met T. Boone Pickens. The memory of that handshake shared between greenhorn and tycoon stays with Steve to this day.

To say Boone enjoyed a colorful 67-year career in the energy industry would be woefully inadequate. He stood among the last of the American wildcatters who threw caution to the wind to find oil in his early years, then grew his own business—Mesa Petroleum—into one of the largest independent oil companies in the world. His feisty nature earned him a series of characterizations over the decades—some not always favorable but certainly rich in his celebrity. He was a noted billionaire spectator, political activist, author, speaker, investment manager, philanthropist, and one of the first public figures to declare the U.S. should reduce its dependence on oil exports. An Okie through and through, T. Boone Pickens lived numerous lives in his 91 years and leaves a legacy not soon forgotten.

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