Horace M. Shearin, Jr.

Horace M. "Johnny" Shearin, Jr., age 92, died in San Antonio on Monday January 12, 2015. Born November 5, 1922, in Wickliffe, Kentucky, to Nancy and Horace Shearin, Sr., he was a nearly lifelong resident of Texas.

Johnny was a P-38 fighter pilot during World War II, entering the Army Air Corps in 1942 and serving until 1946. After the war, he completed his studies in chemical engineering, graduating from the Rice Institute in 1948. He then worked as an engineer in the petroleum engineering and production research division of Humble Oil & Refining Company.

In 1955, Johnny accepted a position as a senior petroleum engineer in the engineering and consulting department of Core Laboratories, Inc. in Dallas. While at Core Laboratories, he rose through the ranks from senior engineer to assistant department manager in 1958, and in 1960 became the co-manager of the international consulting and engineering department of the firm. He travelled extensively throughout the world and directed significant engineering projects in Algeria, Brazil, Japan, Turkey, and other locations while authoring and co-authoring a number of technical engineering papers. He was well respected in his field as an engineer, researcher, and consultant, which led to his hiring in 1971 as President of SPG Exploration Corporation in San Antonio.

During his tenure with SPG, Johnny oversaw its expansion from a small operation with 15 employees to a large company of 200 employees and the acquisition of several other companies. He retired in 1988, recognized as a leader in the South Texas oil and gas industry, having been honored as Boss of the Year in 1979 by the Desk and Derrick Club. He remained active in the industry for over a decade in a variety of other pursuits in the oil and gas industry, including serving as a Director of Rio Grande Drilling Company.

He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Annette, having been predeceased by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, in 1996. He is also survived by his three daughters Laura Kowalik, Nancy Foltyn, and Tracy DeVage, his step-son Scott Catlett, and their families.

A visitation will be held on Saturday January 17, 2015, from 2-4 PM at Porter Loring Mortuary, 1101 McCullough Avenue in San Antonio, burial to follow in Wickliffe, KY.

In lieu of flowers, please make contribution to: In Memory of Horace Shearin, Jr., Rice University Office of Development MS-81, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251 or P-38 National Association, PO Box 6453, March ARB, CA 92518.