Wilkinson, McEnroe, Sawyer, Plants, and Macfarlane will join the wall
BONUS PODCAST with Kelly Lounsberry, President of the Pioneer Oil Museum
From the NYS OPA,
The New York State Oil Producers’ Association will induct five men into its Wall of Fame, located at the Pioneer Oil Museum’s Hahn & Schaffner site on Boss Street, on Friday, June 27.
Honored will be the late Bob Wilkinson, William McEnroe, Wallace Sawyer, Paul Plants, and Jim Macfarlane – each for making significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania.
The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which begins at 6:00 p.m. with the inductions, followed by a wine and cheese tasting. Tickets for the wine tasting are $20 and may be purchased at the Pioneer Oil Museum’s Main Street site, the Bolivar Free Library, via postal mail, or the night of the event.
Bob worked in the local oil field industry as a self-employed drilling contractor and oil producer for many years. For side businesses, he was a self-employed logger, operated a waste disposal business, and supervised the Town of Bolivar landfill. Bob attended the West Clarksville Baptist Church and was a life-member of the NRA. For many years he was a member of the New York State Oil Producers’ Association.
William B. McEnroe (1887-1983)
An Allentown native, William attended Immaculate Conception School in Wellsville and later was a graduate of Elmira Business Institute. He and much of his family were active in the oil business as drilling contractors and producers. In 1921, his company promoted the early development of secondary oil recovery by introducing the first successful use of artificial water pressure in the local oil fields. Eventually he developed the most productive five acres of oil property in all of New York State. He was the owner of McEnroe-Brown Oil Company, and among his operations was a lease on Hog Brook near Allentown.
William worked in oil production in Kansas and Oklahoma as well as Allegany County. He served as director of Citizens’ National Bank for many years and was a member of the Wellsville Masonic Lodge No. 230. Other social organizations included time as a fifty-year member of Corning Consistory and member of the Ismailia Shrine Temple of Buffalo.
Wallace Sawyer (1884 – 1960)
Wallace graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in business administration and marketing. Getting into the oil industry in 1904, he began a partnership with R.A. Streeter in drilling and contracting in the Bolivar area. In 1915, he formed a new drilling partnership that had locations in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Kansas in addition to New York. In 1922, he formed the Sawnett Oil Corporation, and in the late 1920’s and into the 1930’s, he purchased numerous local oil leases. Included in his purchases was the 300-acre, 85 producing well Finnessy & Kinley oil lease which he acquired in 1930, and from this property, eventually the Hickory Grove Oil Company was formed. That company’s main offices were located in Rochester, NY. Wallace started an early oil refinery in Bolivar in 1922 which was later sold to Vacuum Oil Co.
In 1935, he purchased the Graves Motor Company, a garage he later changed to the Sawyer Garage. Among his civic duties was a stint on the Bolivar Village Board for a number of years. He was a member of the Bolivar Methodist Episcopal Church and the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce. He joined the Macedonia Lodge 258, Ismailia Shrine in Buffalo, and the BPOE Elks 1495 in Wellsville.
Paul Plants (1937-2024)
Paul enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1958, where he was stationed at Fort Benning, GA. After his military stint, in 1970, he formed Plants and Goodwin Corporation, an oilfield service company, along with George Goodwin. Both men worked mornings in the oilfields while still maintaining their jobs on second shift at Acme Electric. Eventually both of these individuals worked full-time at Plants and Goodwin as it grew to be one of the largest oil and gas well plugging companies in the Northeast United States.
Paul served as a member of the board of directors of the New York State Oil Producers Association (NYSOPA) for over 40 years and as its president for many years. Paul joined the board of directors of the Pioneer Oil Museum of New York in 2000, serving as a board member for 24 years and the first president for 15 years. During that period he was instrumental in the expansion of the museum including the museum’s move to its new location as well as the implementation of the NYSOPA Wall of Fame. Paul was a life-long member of the Ceres United Methodist Church where he served as lay minister. He had a love for the outdoors as a hunter, and he spent six decades farming and raising cattle.
Jim Macfarlane (1962-2024)
Jim was a 1980 graduate of Bradford Central Christian High School. Later he earned an Associate’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Eventually he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1985 in Petroleum Geology, also from Pitt-Bradford. Jim’s oil and gas career started at Quaker State Oil Refining Corporation, and he worked at Halliburton Services while in high school and college.
In 1987, Jim started MacTech Mineral Management with his father, consulting as an exploration and development specialist. He traveled throughout the Eastern U.S. designing and completing horizontal drilling programs through highly-regulated areas of public and private lands. Later he joined Minard Run Oil Company in 2011 and served as Vice President of Operations and Business Development. He served as consultant to Otis Eastern in Wellsville and was a member of the Board of Directors of both the New York State Oil Producers’ Association and the Bradford District Pennsylvania Oil Producers Association, also serving as president of that organization. Additionally, he was a member of numerous other organizations: Western Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association, Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York, Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Association of Professional Landman, American Association of Petroleum Geologist, and Vineyard Oil & Gas. His community service endeavors included assisting the McKean County Care for Children and as President of the Olean Youth Hockey Association.
The New York State Oil Producers’ Association (NYSOPA) organized this Wall of Fame in 2005 to honor those individuals who had been involved with the local oil/gas industry anywhere from the late 1800’s to the present day. There are 75 names on the Wall of Fame, all honored posthumously.
NYSOPA works in conjunction with the Pioneer Oil Museum, which compiles research on the honorees, displays the plaques, and provides the setting for the event.
Bronze plaques with the inductees’ photos will be placed on a wall in the museum. During the ceremony, family members will be provided time to speak about their loved ones.
