Families gathered to honor local energy titans at the Pioneer Oil Museum
From the NYSOPA,
Bolivar NY – Four individuals were honored with induction into the New York State Oil Producers’ Association Wall of Fame in a ceremony Friday, June 26 at the Pioneer Oil Museum.
Honored were the late Percy Jordan, Weldon Foster, Harley Thompson, and Will Plants, each of whom made significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania. The Wall of Fame began in 2005 and now has 83 inductees with the inclusion of this year’s class.
After the presentation of a large plaque with biographical information and a photograph, a family member for each inductee provided thanks and some memories. The initial inductee was Jordan, an individual who grew up during the original oil boom in the Bolivar-Richburg area. He performed all the jobs in the oil fields from a “go-fer” to a business owner, eventually purchasing several oil leases. Over the course of his life, he worked in the local oil fields for 40 years.
Tom Jordan, a grandson to Percy, thanked the museum board of directors for starting the induction process a couple of years ago and seeing it to completion. He noted, “We have an uncle in Florida who is 92 and unable to travel. He is the last surviving child of Percy and Hazel. This means a great deal to him and our family.”
Weldon Foster worked for Willets and Paul Corporation on several of their leases in the Little Genesee area. Due to his extensive experience in waterflooding technology and secondary recovery oil in mature oil field, he was eventually hired by Wichita Industries of Princeton, Indiana after working for 40 years in the local industry.
In attendance for his induction were his granddaughters, Cathy Bucher Johnson and Beth Bucher Emerson. Beth spoke of her grandfather’s background and experience in the oil industry as well as his educational background that impacted his career. She described her grandfather as “a man of stature, both in height (being over six feet tall) and in person. He was a man of deep integrity, honesty, and intelligence with a deep interest in learning.
“He avidly pursued further education and spent lots of time constantly educating himself. He took geology courses at St. Bonaventure, and he attended meetings at Penn-Grade Association on secondary oil recovery. He went to many meetings at the American Petroleum Institute, and he pursued other opportunities to learn about and implement water-flooding and gas-injection technology for oil recovery.
“He did research on water quality. He also did work on guidelines for safety and operation of compressors and equipment used in gas injection at high pressure and other technological advances. He had an inquisitive mind and a real desire to improve himself on the job, and a lot of what he did is a result of that further education.”
Harley Thompson worked for Ebenezer Oil Company of Wellsville for over 50 years. During that time, he performed all of the daily jobs required on an oil lease. His efforts led to the construction of the expansive 1200-acre Ebenezer operation on White Hill in Allentown, where eventually he was made lease foreman. Later in his career, he purchased two leases from Ebenezer and became an independent oil producer himself, while at the same time continuing to work for Ebenezer.
His grandson, Chuck Thompson, spoke highly of his time with Harley. “I don’t think you could find a more dedicated employee than him. He was a great person. I worked with him, I lived with him, and I loved him.
“He was incredibly strong. I’ve heard all kinds of stories that are unbelievable. I was told that he was so strong that it was frightening.
“He was a great guy to work for, and he was a great grandfather. He was just a wonderful person.”
Will Plants followed in his father’s footsteps in both the oil business and in his inclusion onto this Wall of Fame. His father, William Jack Plants, was one of the inaugural inductees in 2005. Like his father, Will worked for Ebenezer Oil, ultimately becoming president of that company. He spent many years as a member of the New York State Oil Producers’ Association and also served as president of that organization for a time.
Will’s son, Jack, spoke eloquently of his father’s legacy and contributions to the local industry. “Some of my closest memories are going to work with Dad, sitting three-across the bench seat of his work truck, Dan, my brother Ben, and me. He would be wearing work boots, Rustler jeans, and a flannel shirt. I can still remember the smell of those trucks, rusting wrenches, caked dirt from the lease roads, and that sweet smell of crude oil that was everywhere.
“Somehow for Ben and me, it was pleasant. It smelled like Dad, it smelled like work, it smelled like home.
“Those days were ordinary to us at the time, but I understand now how special they were. I remember watching him clear downed trees from a lease road with brute force, fix pump jacks, stop in to see Gordie Hahn and Mike Schaffner here at the oil supply shop, check in with Cleo in Whitesville, and then return to his desk in Wellsville where he had his own system for filing and organizing paperwork.
“As a kid, I thought I was just tagging along, but looking back, I realize I was learning who he was, how he treated people, and how deeply connected he was to this place and this industry.
“Dad joined Ebenezer in the 1970’s with intention. He started as a roustabout because he wanted to understand the company from the ground up. He did not want to lead from a distance. He wanted to know the work, the people, the land, and the wells.
“Over time, he became foreman for operations on the White Hill, Allentown, and Bolivar properties. Alongside his father, he managed new drilling projects and helped enhance both hot-water injection and direct natural gas flooding for release in well fields on the White Hill property.”
The evening’s ceremony began with museum president, Kelly Lounsberry, providing remarks about upcoming plans and goals for the museum. He discussed the progress of the museum’s move to a new, larger venue which is part of their plan to create an improved experience for museum visitors. On the museum’s main building, a new wing has been constructed which will house a large number of artifacts and displays centered on the area’s oil and gas industry. A large number of the artifacts in that room have already been moved from the museum’s original Main Street location to this new venue.
Also inside that addition, a replica gas station was built which houses a 1930 Ford Model A truck. This truck is in working condition and was originally used to travel on the oil lease roads in the woods near Bolivar and Richburg. The truck was one of the highlights of the Pioneer Oil Days parade on Saturday. Also on display in the new wing is a dynamite packing machine. This rare piece of technology from the late 1800’s provides a view into the past about an important part of the oil industry.
Inside the museum’s Joyce Building, board members had several antique oil field engines working for the public. All of these pieces of equipment had at one time operated in the local oil fields of New York and Pennsylvania providing power for the extraction of valuable oil and natural gas.
Following the induction ceremony, there was a wine-and-cheese tasting with 175 people in attendance. Once again this year, the Wellsville Brewing Company provided a special dark blend called “Bolivar Black Gold” that tied in with the Bolivar Bicentennial which took place in 2025.
Read more about each inductee from previous reporting:
