Richard "Brock" Wallace Powers
Richard (Brock) Wallace Powers, age 84, passed away peacefully at the Christopher House in Austin, TX on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. He was born on January 20, 1926 in Boise, Idaho.
Richard (Brock) Wallace Powers
At the age of 16, Brock attempted to join the Canadian Military during World War II, but was rejected because he was too young. He waited until he was 17, and then enlisted in the Marines. The Marines selected Brock to return to the States from the Pacific to continue his education. He earned his BS degree in Geology from the University Southern California (USC) in 1947. Brock was hired by the Arabian American Oil Co (Aramco), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, from 1947 to 1949.
He returned to USC to work on his Masters degree, but in the fall of 1950 was recalled by the Marines during the Korean War at the rank of 1st Lt. He was assigned to Marine Corp School in Quantico, Virginia to train reserve officers of the rank of first and second lieutenants. It was during this period he met future wife of 59 years, Marte Marie Ledahl. They were married January 20, 1951, on his 25th birthday.
After the Korean War he rejoined Aramco in December 1952. Marte joined him the following year in Saudi Arabia. Their second and third child, Dirk Fredrick and Cydnie Christin, were born in the Aramco Hospital in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1954 and 1957. In 1958, Aramco granted him a sabbatical which he used to earn his PhD in Geology at Yale University.
Upon completion of his doctorate and before returning to Arabia Brock completed several months on assignments with Aramco US Owner Companies affiliates in the Southwest and Canada. When he returned to Saudi Arabia in 1961, he was named Chief Geologist. In 1966, he was named Manager of Exploration.
In 1969, he was appointed Assistant General Manager of Oil Operations in the Aramco New York Offices. In 1970, while still in New York, he was elected Vice President of Aramco. In 1971, he was elected to the position of Senior Vice President and concurrently President of Tran-Arabian Pipeline Company (Tapline). In 1971, he also attended Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies in Aspen, Colorado. He was elected President of Aramco in November 1973, and Vice Chairman in 1978, a position held until his early retirement in 1979. He served for several years on the Aramco Board of Directors.
The Powers settled in Austin, Texas in 1979. From Austin, Brock worked as a Consultant for Bechtel Corp on their oilfield investments for a number of years until he decided to fully retire.
Brock was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Donald Ulmer Powers, his daughter Christin Purcell Power and his son Dirk Frederick Powers.
He is survived by his wife Marte Marie, his daughter Cydnie Christin and her husband Larry Dale Sharpe, his Granddaughter/Grandniece Samantha Marie Powers, his Grandniece/Granddaughter Joy Leanne and her husband Nathan Mathew, and their parents Brock's nephew Michael and his wife Joane Powers.
Brock will always be remembered as a loving Husband, Father and Grandfather. He will be missed more than can be put into words but we release him to a place without pain. He knows we love him and wish him well on his onward journey.
He will be remembered fondly by Saudi and American friends as their notes of condolences have described him having an outstanding personality, a good human being and always a real gentleman. A joyful celebration of his life is planned in the near future.
Donations in his remembrance can be sent to Hospice Austin's Christopher House, 2820 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX, 78702-1544 or a charity of your choice.