Norman R. Rowlinson ’52 of Houston, Texas, died December 11, 2012. Born in 1929, Norm studied chemistry at Ripon College in Wisconsin from 1947 to 1949, and then transferred to Mines to earn a professional degree in geological engineering. From 1954 to 1956, Norm served in the U.S. military before earning a master’s degree in geology from University of Colorado Boulder in 1957.
Norm was an independent petroleum geologist for U.S. oil companies in Bogota, Colombia, where he ran his management-consulting firm, Minandina, for 40 years. During this time he founded an oil exploration company, Petrolinson. In 35 years, he drilled 14 consecutive dry holes until, in the mid-1990s, he successfully located an oil field with minimum estimated reserves of 350 million barrels. In 1997, he sold Petrolinson to Seven Seas Petroleum and returned to the United States.
Norm was a member of the President’s Council at Mines for several years and, in 2000, established the Rowlinson Endowment for Faculty and Staff Enhancement and Student Scholarship Fund. He is survived by his brother, David.
Here�s a video of a tribute to Norm from his memorial service: