Q&A With Dennis Denney, JPT Technology Focus Creator

Abstract

_ In 1997, JPT debuted a monthly feature that represented an unconventional approach in meeting SPE’s goal of disseminating technical information to its members. Soon titled “Technology Focus,” the feature brought together subject-matter experts (SMEs) in a range of important industry topics to review technical-paper abstracts gathered from the previous year of SPE meetings, as well as the Offshore Technology Conference. Its architect, engineer, and pilot was Technology Editor Dennis Denney, who would become a familiar presence to SPE members and staff alike over a 17-year career, although his industry roots extended to his college days. Dennis helped recruit SMEs for review service; sent them hundreds of abstracts and full papers (monthly, that is; the cumulative count of papers he handled is likely a six-digit figure); answered their questions and concerns with prompt, supportive guidance; and then, once papers had been selected, synopsized them for publication in the magazine with the longtime help of Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee. As this writer well knows, condensing a 10,000-word paper on, say, distributed quasi-Newton derivative-free optimization methods for field development optimization into a 1,500-word summary that captures the novelty and technical sophistication of its authors’ work can be a daunting task. Applying his own background as a petroleum engineer to methodically analyze and trim each chosen paper, Dennis did just that dozens of times a year, transforming these texts into svelte packages that included only one table or figure to deliver the highest possible quantity of quality to JPT readers. When Dennis retired in 2013, I initially split his eyebrow-raising workload with fellow Technology Editor Adam Wilson (now JPT’s Special Publications Editor). It was immediately clear from the way that reviewers spoke about Dennis, and his contributions to the magazine and SPE itself, that he was held in the same high regard outside of the organization as he was within it, a testament to the reputation he had earned while working with so many members and SMEs. It was entirely fitting that, for JPT’s 75th anniversary celebration, we caught up with Dennis to reflect on his achievements in the industry and with the groundbreaking Technology Focus feature he created. Dennis lives with his wife Linda in Rockwall, Texas—not too far from SPE headquarters in Dallas, but not too close, either!—enjoying his retirement and his family. (Note: For more on the development and history of the Technology Focus features, read the companion piece to this article, “Technology Focus Topics Reflect Industry Growth, Evolution Over 25+ Years.”) Why did you decide to go into the field of petroleum engineering? I worked several years as an engineering tech, testing gas wells, tracking well and reservoir pressures, and writing computer programs to analyze pressure data. The department manager encouraged me to finish my degree and become a petroleum engineer. So, after I received a scholarship from J. Harold Dunn (at age 28), my wife and I sold our house, packed our things into a U-Haul truck, and loaded two young kids into the car to move to Bryan/College Station to attend Texas A&M University.