During my 1953 to 1959 days of selling mud and chemicals to oilfield drillers, I remember drilling contractor Lloyd Rhea as one of the smartest people I met.
Lloyd had moved from southern Illinois to Abilene, west central Texas, and brought most of his drilling crew with him. His hair was white, but his body was still supple. His voice was soft, but his commands made his crew move quickly.
His handshake was better than a written contract. Dad and I took a handshake deal with Lloyd. We would furnish the drilling mud for a ‘whispering’ interest in the well he was drilling. Location looked good. An offset well to oil production already discovered near Sweetwater.
As we ‘sweated’ the drilling operation nearing the pay zone, Lloyd and I talked. No I talked and Lloyd disagreed with my opinions.
“Lloyd, you’re a fine friend, but why do you always disagree with me?”
“Oh Dick, if I agree with you, that’s the end of the conversation. If I take an exception, you spill all of your beans. I often agree with what you say, but if I disagree I learn more from you.”
When the drill bit reached the nearby ‘pay zone’, we discovered we had drilled on the wrong side of an oilfield that went south. Our venture was plugged and abandoned.
But I profited from Lloyd’s lesson. Maybe if I don’t always say I agree with you, maybe I really do but want to hear the best of your argument.
Maybe.
Image by AdmiralFox from Pixabay
