CAS CONNECT 2013

2 Oilman Vaughn Vennerberg credits his parents and a stable childhood for his success M uch of who 1976 alumnus Vaughn O. Vennerberg II is goes back to his childhood. He was born and raised in Midwest City, Okla., by parents who were prod- ucts of the military. Mom was in the Women’s Army Corps; Dad in the Army Air Corps. They settled in Midwest City, where his dad worked for Tinker Air Force Base as a civilian. The family remained in the same house, allowing him and his sister to attend the same public schools all 12 years. Today, the 58-year-old has a stellar reputation in the energy world. But oil and gas wasn’t on his radar at Midwest City High School, where Vennerberg’s dream was to study developmental psychology. He took intro psychology classes, served as co-editor of the newspa- per and participated in intramural sports. In 1971, he attended the American Legion’s Boys State at Oklahoma State University. “It was my first foray to Stillwater — one entire week in Stillwater,” he says. “I was duly impressed with the campus and the facilities. That stuck with me when I later was making a decision on where to go for college.” story by Lorene A. Roberson photography by Matt Strasen