Mr. Harold J. “Bill” Haynes, 83, Chevron Corp.’s former chairman of the board and CEO passed away Wednesday, July 8.
“Bill drove tremendous growth in the company and solidified its preeminent position in the industry by the time of his retirement,” said David O’Reilly, current chairman and CEO. “He left an indelible mark on our company, and our industry, by encouraging open dialogue and challenging conventional thinking. He ushered in a new era of communication between the industry, public and news media on energy issues that was truly trendsetting. I speak for our board of directors and employees in saying we are deeply saddened by his passing.”
Haynes joined Standard Oil Co. of California (later to become Chevron Corp.) in 1947. In 1956, he became chief engineer of the company’s producing affiliate in Venezuela; in 1958, he became vice president of that operation. In 1962, he was named vice president of Standard’s largest subsidiary, one of the largest companies in the U.S. He was elected to the board of directors in 1966 and became president of the president in 1969. In 1974 he became the board chairman, and he retired in 1981.
Haynes was a native of Fort Worth, Texas, and graduated as a civil engineer from Texas A&M University in 1947 after serving with the U.S. Navy in World War II. He received Texas A&M’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1972, the university’s first Geosciences and Earth Resources Medal for Distinguished Achievement in 1978, the Distinguished Graduate award from the Department of Civil Engineering in 2000, and the university’s Dwight Look College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Honor Award in 2004.
Haynes also acted as chairman of Bechtel’s board of counselors and as a director of Bechtel Group Inc. He was also a director of Fremont Group, a private investment company. Past directorships included Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), Citicorp-Citibank, Hewlett-Packard, The Boeing Company, Weyerhaeuser and PACCAR Inc. He also served as a member of the Business Council.
Source: BusinessWire