Earl George Rodman, Sr. and William Douglas Noel
Odessa, Ector County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Earl George Rodman, Sr. (1896–1976) and William Douglas Noel (1914–1987) brought the petrochemical industry to Odessa. Rodman and Noel came together in 1946 to form the Odessa Natural Gasoline Company and enjoyed major success as their venture matured. While both men had previous experience in the petroleum industry, their backgrounds differed considerably. After serving in WWI, Rodman married Fay Louis Hummel and began working for Dunigan Tool and Supply Company in 1923. He and his family moved to McCamey in 1926 to establish a branch of Dunigan tools. Later, Rodman opened his first oil field in 1935, which led to additional work in development of oil reservoirs in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Noel graduated from the University of Texas in 1935, and entered the world of petroleum as a roustabout. He moved to Wickett in 1936 as a chemist for Gulf Oil and married Ellen Witwer a year later. In 1940, he set out to form Trebol Oil Company with colleagues M.H. McWhirter and J.B. Tubb and found immediate success with drilling in west Texas. Upon meeting Rodman, Noel and he began a partnership in 1946 which caused Noel to move to Odessa in 1947. After the formation of Odessa Natural Gasoline Company, the two men expanded their venture in 1954 to explore ways to efficiently and profitably utilize wasted natural gas. Their plans influenced El Paso Products, Rexene, General Tire, and Shell Oil to open plants in Odessa, which fostered the economic prospects of the town. Rodman and Noel remained partners for 30 years, and their legacy remains a prominent part of recent west Texas history. (2015)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Earl Rodman and William Noel came from very different starts in the oil business—Rodman a WWI veteran turned oilfield developer, Noel a University of Texas chemist who began as a roustabout—before joining forces in Odessa in 1946. Their Odessa Natural Gasoline Company sought to profitably use the natural gas that refineries were wasting, and their vision drew El Paso Products, Rexene, General Tire, and Shell to open plants in the town. Over a thirty-year partnership the two men built the petrochemical industry that transformed West Texas.
Why it matters
Their partnership shows how individual enterprise turned an overlooked resource into a major industry, seeding the economic boom of postwar West Texas.
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Related people
- · Earl George Rodman, Sr.
- · William Douglas Noel
- · M.H. McWhirter
- · J.B. Tubb
Themes & tags
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