Jim and Ann Ginnings of Wichita Falls have endowed a Texas A&M petroleum engineering scholarship in memory of professor emeritus Robert L. Whiting.

Their $60,000 gift creates the Ginnings-Whiting Scholarship in Petroleum Engineering, funded through the Texas A&M Foundation, for undergraduate students who will pursue careers in the petroleum industry. Recipients will be selected on the basis of leadership, strong work ethic and desire to succeed.

"Mr. Whiting was the head of the Department of Petroleum Engineers for 25 years, and his career at Texas A&M began in the 1940s. It is fitting that one of his successful former students, Mr. Jim Ginnings, and his wife Ann, honor Mr. Whiting with the establishment of this scholarship. Mr. Whiting would be proud, and the scholarship will be used to recruit and retain the students we need to provide the engineers required by the oil and gas industry," said Dr. Stephen A. Holditch, department head and holder of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering.

Whiting was named one of the 100 most influential people in the 20th century petroleum industry by worldwide industry publisher Hart Publications.

"There are several reasons why I decided to make this gift," said Ginnings, an independent oil operator and owner of Ginnings Co.

"When I was at A&M, the petroleum engineering department gave a Senior Scholarship to the student who made the most progress - not the one who 'aced' everything. This impressed me greatly. In addition, Mr. Whiting personally helped me get through some curriculum substitutions without which I would not have graduated when I did. Finally, my education at A&M served me well, and we are blessed to make this gift," he said.

Ginnings earned a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering in 1956 from Texas A&M. After graduation he worked as an engineer for Sunray-Midcontinent Oil Co. and Expando Production Co. before becoming co-owner and production manager of Morgan Brothers Oil Co. in 1966.

He founded the Ginnings Co. in 1974. His son, Marke Ginnings, Texas A&M Class of 1979, is currently president of the firm.

The senior Ginnings' service to the profession has included roles as vice president of the North Texas Oil and Gas Association and chairman of its Ad Valorem Tax Committee, governor of the Independent Petroleum Association of America's North Texas Area and member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

Ginnings, who also was a rancher for 34 years, is a member of the Wichita Falls City Council. He is a graduate of Leadership Wichita Falls and Citizens Police Academy, and has served as a child advocacy monitor He previously was a board member for the North Texas Council Boy Scouts of America, Hardin Simmons University Board of Development and Wichita General Hospital, where he was chairman of the Finance Committee.

He completed eight years with the U.S. Army Reserve, achieving the rank of captain.

Ann Ginnings, a native of Dallas, served 20 years as office manager for Ginnings Co. and is a long-time member of the Petroleum Engineers' Wives Association. She is a member of the United Regional Health Care System Auxiliary and is a former volunteer for Wichita Falls State Hospital.

The Ginnings have been married 52 years and have four children. The couple is active in their church conference and local church, where Ann teaches children's Sunday School. Both have served as tutors for the Adult Literacy Council.

At Texas A&M they have been Century Club members of The Association of Former Students for 32 years. Their gift counts in the One Spirit One Vision Campaign, a $1 billion multiyear fund-raising effort with the goal of helping Texas A&M attain national top 10 status among public universities while sustaining the distinctive Texas A&M spirit.

The volunteer-led campaign, which concluded Dec. 31, encompassed all private gifts benefiting Texas A&M and was coordinated by the Texas A&M Foundation. The foundation accomplishes its mission through fund-raising and managing assets that benefit Texas A&M.

For more information, contact

Reporter: Exa York
e-york@tamu.edu

News Story 1471, May 11, 2007

Direct page link:
http://engineeringnews.tamu.edu/news/1471

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