STONER ENGINEERING - Key Persons
Bill Mitchell was a good mentor and often stood up for the underdog. He always found time to listen and offer a suggestion. In a nutshell - he had honor. I will miss him and his unmistakable aura. We spent hours in the fields in northeast Colorado chasing pheasants.
Bill Mitchell had quite an influence on me at Mines. Even years later he was a supportive and valuable resource and friend. I'm still kicking myself for not accepting his numerous invitations to go the gun club and "blow shit up" with the 375mag.
Bill Mitchell was more of a legend than a teacher when I was there.
Billy Mitchell functioned as roughneck, derrick man, toolpusher, rig supervisor, drilling superintendent, drilling manager, and/or drilling engineer on holes in the U.S.A., Canada, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia; on tender, floater, and land rigs. He was an expert witness in oil well drilling, a computer software analyst, and an author of multiple detailed drilling manuals and handbooks for major corporations and industry. He was a mentor, a consultant, a renowned lecturer, a business owner, and a friend to many. Dr. Mitchell joined the Colorado School of Mines faculty in 1966 as the professor of oil well drilling within the P.E. Department. He became an Associate Professor in 1970 and received full Professorship in 1976. At his retirement in 1996 after three decades of service to CSM, he was awarded the rank of Professor Emeritus. Dr. Mitchell died August 14th, 2011, at the age of 76.
Billy Mitchell also played Oklahoma Sooners football for Bud Wilkinson and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers; served in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Army Reserve; was an undefeated heavy weight boxer during his military stint; was an airplane pilot; was a nationally ranked fast-pitch softball player; was an avid skier of black diamond runs; was a competitive A-class handball player; was a national competitor in sanctioned Trap and Skeet tournaments; was an avid big-game, upland and waterfowl hunter and fly fisherman.
Dr. Mitchell had profound effects on literally 100s of CSM P.E. students.
ADVANCED OILWELL DRILLING ENGINEERING HANDBOOK & COMPUTER PROGRAMS, Mitchell Engineering, Golden, Colorado, 1990, 417 pages, and revised in 1993 to 616 pages. It was distributed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Dallas, Texas. Twenty-eight oil well drilling programs accompanied the book.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Specialist
Dave is responsible for SES licensing logistics and nearly all non-geotechnical aspects of running the company. He commands exemplary attention to detail and authentically enjoys assisting people. Dave has worked for Stoner Engineering for 14+ years.
Before joining the company, Dave honorably served 21 years in the United States Navy. He worked at bases from Florida to California, overseas in Guam, and aboard the USS Dale, the USS McInerny, the USS John F. Kennedy, and the USS Nimitz. Dave served the U.S.A. during Operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. His military decorations include Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medal.
While serving our country, Dave earned a multi-disciplinary bachelor's degree and an applied science associate's degree from Grantham University, Kansas City, Missouri.