Randy Ray
 | |
| Latest company | R3 Exploration Corporation, Denver |
|---|---|
| Membership | SEG, AAPG |
| BSc | Geophysics |
| MSc | Geophysics |
| BSc university | Colorado School of Mines |
| MSc university | University of Texas at Austin |
SEG Special Commendation 2014
It is fitting as we meet in Denver that we honor the founders and continued sustainers of the annual Denver Geophysical Society and Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 3D Symposium.[1] This 20-year-old event, launched by William Pearson and R. Randy Ray, now attracts more than 600 participants from the United States and Canada. It provides an opportunity for cosponsorship with AAPG and encourages student participation by including the SEG regional Challenge Bowl on its agenda.
Biography Citation for SEG Special Commendation 2014
Contributed by Stuart Wright
As a graduate of Colorado School of Mines and the University of Texas–Austin and with the encouragement of his father, a petroleum engineer, there was little doubt that R. Randy Ray would become involved in the oil business. Since landing in Denver in 1974 as a staff geophysicist with Cities Service Oil Company, he has stayed in Denver and has become a well-known consulting geophysicist who also understands geology. He is the only person to have served as president of Denver Geophysical Society (DGS) and the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG). Naturally, he wanted to bring those two societies together, given their common interest of using seismic data to understand subsurface geology. Ray also served as chief editor of the 1995 RMAG guidebook High Definition Seismic: 2-D, 2-D Swath, and 3-D Case Histories, published in conjunction with the initial RMAG-DGS Joint 3-D Symposium.
The annual RMAG-DGS 3-D Seismic Symposium, now in its twentieth year, is a result of that special perspective and opportunity. Ray and his longtime friend Bill Pearson, the 1995 DGS continuing education chairman, envisioned bringing an audience of geologists and geophysicists to a technical meeting at which everyone could learn about the rapidly evolving tool called 3-D seismic. Through their cajoling, persistence, and all-around good natures, Ray and Pearson — aided by a committee of like-minded Denver G&G professionals — served as cochairmen for 15 years to make the annual symposium a success. It has become the signature event in Denver supporting both local societies. The conference has created many lasting friendships among a long list of committee members, and after 20 years, the event continues to thrive.
Ray remains committed to the integration of geophysics and geology, most recently on the AAPG Executive Committee 2013–2014 when AAPG agreed to join SEG in launching the new quarterly Interpretation journal — the first joint SEG and AAPG publication dedicated to interpreters of geophysical and geologic data. He serves as Deputy Editor- in- Chief, along with Yonghe Sun, Editor –in- Chief. The journal is completing its first year of publication with subscription support from a broad audience of SEG and AAPG members.
Ray is the 2014 URTeC SEG Cochairman for the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference held in Denver this August. It is a unique multidisciplinary meeting which combines forces from SEG, SPE, and AAPG by focusing on interdisciplinary work related to resource plays in North America. Now in its second year, the conference promises to become a flagship for integrated science for geophysicists, geologists, and engineers.
Ray is a long-serving member (1992–2003) and past chairman of the AAPG/SEG Geophysical Integration Committee and was editor in 2001–2003 of the monthly AAPG Explorer “Geophysical Corner,” a column for geologists to learn about geophysical applications. He has also served on the SEG/AAPG Cooperation Committee for the past six years, seeking opportunities for the two organizations to work together on publications, technical conferences, and continuing education opportunities. He is chairman of the AAPG Global Events Committee, which is charged with coordinating future joint AAPG-SEG international meetings.
Throughout all this, R. Randy Ray has worked as a consulting geophysicist at R3 Exploration Corporation in Denver. He is a dedicated family man, recently celebrating his fortieth wedding anniversary with his wife and soul mate, Kathy, along with their two sons, Brandon and Austin. He is an active outdoorsman who spends time hiking the canyon country of Utah, fishing the lakes and streams of Colorado, and attending numerous geologic field trips in the greater Rocky Mountain area.
References
- ↑ SEG Honors and Awards Ceremony in Official Program and Exhibitors Directory, SEG Denver 26-31 October 2014 p.36-49.