Through decades of working for oil and gas companies and starting a few that bore his name, William “Bill” J. Barrett always thought of himself as a wildcatter, a person who strikes out in search of the next promising play.
Barrett’s death on Sept. 16 “kind of represents an end of an era, where the objective was to explore and find new fields,” said his son, Joe Barrett.
Barrett died at his Denver home from complications of a stroke. He was 96.
Originally from Topeka, Kansas, Barrett served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and earned a master’s degree in geology from Kansas State University. His first energy job was with El Paso Natural Gas Co. in Utah and New Mexico, where he was a stratigrapher. He analyzed the geology to guide exploration.
Barrett went on to work with Amoco Corp. in Wyoming and Colorado, and then became chief geologist for Wolf Exploration in Denver in 1967. At Wolf, he was credited with discovering the 20-million-plus barrel Hilight oil field and the giant Madden natural gas field, both in Wyoming.
Joe Barrett said his father had the characteristics of a true wildcatter: vision, fortitude and decisiveness. “He had the courage to take a risk and keep trying if it didn’t work out. He was always looking for the next new discovery.”
In 1969, Barrett partnered with Chuck Shear to form B&C Exploration, which the Williams Companies bought in 1978. Barrett then started Barrett Energy, which rebranded as Barrett Resources when it went public in 1983. The company discovered new oil and gas fields in North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.
Barrett was lauded by the West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association as a “Pioneer of the Piceance” for recognizing the potential of the gas-rich Western Slope basin and developing it.
The Williams Companies acquired Barrett Resources in 2001. Barrett cut short his retirement in 2002 to join his two youngest sons to start Bill Barrett Corp. He retired again when he was 77.
Bill Barrett Corp., one of Colorado’s largest publicly traded oil and gas producers, merged with Fifth Creek Energy. The company evolved into High Point Resources.
“Bill was the prototypical ‘wildcatter.’ He was the standard against which all others in the business were measured,” said Mike Bock, co-founder, president and chief financial officer of Petrie Partners, a Denver-based investment banking firm that works with the energy industry.
Among Barrett’s professional honors, he was chosen as wildcatter of the year by the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, now Western Energy Alliance; selected as the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Explorer of the Year; and inducted into the Western Energy Alliance Hall of Fame and the Southeast Utah Energy Producers Association Hall of Fame.
Barrett received an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
Bock said Barrett was an inspiration for him in his career in oil and gas investment banking. “He was always willing to take the time with me, as with others, to be a patient teacher and also a careful listener,” Bock said in an email.
And he always made time for family, Joe Barrett said of his father. Barrett was one of 10 children. Starting at a young age, he helped with his family’s poultry business. He met Louise Kuhn while delivering chickens to her home. They married in 1950 and were together until Louise’s death in 2021.
The Barretts had seven children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
“He and Mom traveled the world,” Joe Barrett said. “I think there was only one continent that they didn’t ultimately see, and that was Antarctica.”
Barrett marked his 90th birthday by writing his memoir, “Bill Barrett: Rocky Mountain Wildcatter,” detailing his family history and career.
The immediate family will hold a private memorial service at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, followed by a private celebration of life in Denver.
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