May 2006

I would first like to say thank you to all of you who have made donations in order to make sure the web site continues in existence. I also want to thank those of you who have sent in pictures for the web site.

Passing Announcements: Calvin Weide, 1991, Shirley Weide, 2002, Craig Weide, 2003. (I miss them so much! Just my little brother, Mark, and me, left.)

Graduation Announcements: I am graduating with my M.Ed, and plan to teach fulltime, FINALLY :-)

Your Other News: I am finally completing my Master's degree in Elem. Ed., with a Bilingual Endorsement. I have been wanting to teach for 20 years, and I am living proof that YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS! :-P I think often of my childhood and wonderful friendships from San Tome`. I am TRULY blessed!

Your Other News: The San Tome/Anaco Reunion will be July 27-July 30 at the Howard Johnson Conference Center in Austin.

Submitted by: Bill McTear

Date: 05/26/2006

Your email address: mbmctear@yahoo.com

The years you were in Venezuela: 1933 to 1952

Year graduated from Staff School:1948

City and State you live in now: Escondido, Ca.

Birth Announcements: 2 daughters, Erin, born 12/05/64 & Leah, born 03/28/67

Passing Announcements: Dad(Sandy McTear in 1970) & Mom(Nan McTear in 1999). Also my older sister Maureen McTear Sams in 2000

Graduation Announcements: Graduated from San Diego State U. in 1960, B.S., Geology & graduate work at SDSU for business mgmt. degree

Moving Announcements: moving to Rancho Bernardo, Ca. later this year Your Other News: I've been calling San Diego County home since 1952. Dad retired from MGO in 1952 & we all moved to San Diego County in same year.

I've always wondered how many of the "kids" I grew up with stayed connected in some way to the oil biz. I worked as a geologist for 2 years in Ca. & Alaska, but when I saw various geologists with 15-20 years experience being laid off in early 60s I decided to go back & get a degree in business & wound up being a real estate appraiser for 38 years right here in San Diego Co.

By the way that "unknown" in the group picture of some of us guys in the San Tome' history section is Jack Harris. His dad was head of the gas repressuring section in the Production dept. Also, I believe the guy standing at John Sherman's left is actually Don Abel. His dad was camp mgr. for Halliburton in El Tigre. Anyone know about some of those persons? Talk some more later, Bill McTear

Terry,

The company I work for is looking to hire personnel to work in the offshore drilling industry. Details are at: http://DeepWater.com

Submitted by: Brian Goddard
Date: May 1, 2006

Terry: Thanks for the news letter and to bring you up to date with a few Santomaniacs living in Valencia and a now Houstonian who recently visited Valencia is as follows:

1. Alfredo Garcia who moved here to Valencia fm Maracaibo about 15 + years ago lives nearby and I visit him and his wife (Reyna) about once a month and really enjoy reminiscing about San Tome in the 50´s & 60´s!!?? El now Houstonian for over 20 years now Ed St Aubyn came thru here last month! He still does some international trade with Venezuelan Companies (brave guy); in as much as the Venezuelan economy at present is really tipsy-turvy...to say the least!!??

Submitted by: Mildred Venitucci
Date: May 1, 2006

Terry,

Didn’t know if you knew that Sam Gilbert, engineer for both Texaco and Gulf, resident of Campo Mata before San Tome, died unexpectedly on Saturday at his home in Wise, Virginia. You can find the obit online at the Bristol Tennessee Courier. Google for the website. Sam was 73.

Mildred

Submitted by: Deborah Garrett
Date: May 1, 2006

To the San Tome community,

Edward B. Walker died in Houston on April 28 after a brief illness. You can go to the link below to read his obituary and sign the guest book.

http://www.legacy.com/Denver/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=17559885

Kind regards,

Deborah Garrett

Submitted by: Sonia O'Docharty-Tersigne
Date: May 2, 2006

Message: Terry, Judy Bell said Mr. Walker worked in San Tome and was the president of Gulf. See obituary. Thanks, Sonia

Please visit the Notice for Edward B. Walker III.

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?Id=LS17561258X

Submitted by: Linnea Takacs
Date: May 2, 2006

Hi Terry,

Thanks for keeping the lifeline with San Tome' open. I was going to write to Mike and suggest the State Dept. or the Embassy in Caracas, but luckily others think the same way.

Keep up your good work, and when we have settled back in the States, I will be sending you a check of support. Please tell Bobby Henderson that we received her email but are in the process of moving and hope to make contact from CT sometime in the summer.

Best Regards, Linnea Takacs

Submitted by: Carlos A. García N.
Date: May 26, 2006

I think the hardest part of what I would like is to be able to tell my very long story of San Tome. It would begin in 1941 when my family first moved to San Tome, or to be exact, to some houses that Mene Grande Oil Company had rented in El Tigre very close to the Oficina Camp, where the first light crude oil well was drilled, Oficina No.1, yes and Hooley McSpadden was one of the toolpushers on that rig. Our stay in El Tigre was not long because the San Tome camp was being built at a very fast pace and we moved to the North Camp sometime in June of 1941.

School was originally given in Mrs. Shoop’s house, a wife of one of the employees and her home was the first place where English classes were offered. My name is Carlos A. Garcia N., they use to call me Charlie Garcia and I am one of the graduating class of 1948, I believe the others were: Aquiles Garcia, my brother, Elizabeth Chacin, Aurea Chacin, Mary Powell, Jim Estrada, Guy Allaud, from Schlumberger, Jimmy Haynes, Bill McTear and Ann McTear. I have the picture of that first graduating class and I’ll confirm the names. The school principal was Mr.Woodrew Wilson and one of the teachers that appear in the picture is Miss Rowen.

I am presently retired from the Venezuelan oil industry since 1992 where I gave 41 very good and wonderful years of my life. I am a Petroleum Engineer graduate of Texas A&M, class of 1959. By the way, I was an outstanding student in San Tome' and was the boy that gave the name, The Wildcat, to the school year book. I have many pictures of that time of my life and I’ll try my best to somehow get them to you. The San Tome' period of my life was very important in forming my lifestyle and I have excellent recollections of those wonderful years.

Best Regards,

Carlos A. García N.

cgarcian@cantv.net

Submitted by: Carlos Ruibal
Date: May 29, 2006

Hello Terry. I don't know if you remember me. Carlos Ruibal from San Tome.

We had a couple of fights when we were kids, you were bigger than me and I always lost. Glad to see that you created this page. I am going to pass it around my old friends from home. To give you a hint, I am one of the Venezuelan guys.