Sidney Powers (September 10, 1890 – November 5, 1932) was an American scientist and

petroleum geologist A petroleum geologist is an earth scientist who works in the field of petroleum geology, which involves all aspects of oil discovery and production. Petroleum geologists are usually linked to the actual discovery of oil and the identification ...

for whom the

Sidney Powers Memorial Award The Sidney Powers Memorial Award is a gold medal awarded by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in recognition of distinguished and outstanding contributions to, or achievements in, petroleum geology. The award is named after Sidney P ...

is named. Born in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

on September 10, 1890, Sidney Powers was of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

descent, and was the only child of A. W. Powers, a businessman, and his wife, Matilda Wheeler Page. Sidney enjoyed reading travel books as a young boy, and utilized his family's resources to gain knowledge of the world. Powers was a student at the Troy Academy college preparatory school, and entered

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1907. In the summer of 1910, he spent time at the Yale Forestry School, but after his graduation from Williams in 1911, geology was a stronger calling to him. From 1911 to 1913, Powers studied at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, which resulted in a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree. From 1913 to 1915, he studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, from which he received

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degrees. Powers passed the civil service examination to become an assistant geologist in the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

(USGS) in 1914, but he worked in the commercial sector for three years before accepting a job with the USGS in 1917. On September 10, seven days before he accepted his position with the USGS, Powers married Dorothy Edwards. Only days after joining the USGS, Powers received a second lieutenant commission for the Engineer Officers' Reserve Corps, but had his service deferred until 1918 while he studied

oil reserves An oil is any chemical polarity, nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobe, hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilicity, lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable ...

with the USGS. He traveled to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

while on active duty, and returned to the U.S. after the war had ended. He began working for Amerada Petroleum Corporation and published geologic petroleum maps of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, including in the Ouachita, Arbuckle, and

Wichita Mountains The Wichita Mountains are located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the principal relief system in the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, being the result of a failed continental rift. The mountains are a northwest-south ...

. He was affiliated with Amerada until his death, first as the chief geologist and later as a consulting geologist. During his career, Powers became a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers in 1917, a fellow of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...

in 1920, a member of the

Society of Economic Geologists The Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) is a scientific organization that promotes the study of geology as it relates to mining, mineral exploration, mineral resource classification and mineral extraction. The society's Publication Board publish ...

in 1921, and a member of the Institute of Petroleum Technologists in 1925. He died on November 5, 1932, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, following a gallbladder removal. He now rests in Troy, New York.

References

Sources

* * * 1890 births 1932 deaths American people of English descent People from Troy, New York American petroleum geologists Williams College alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Harvard University alumni United States Geological Survey personnel Fellows of the Geological Society of America {{Authority control