The New Orleans Geological Society was formed in 1941, with an initial membership of only 55. It has always been an active professional society and presently has a membership of 520. Below is a link to our constitution and some of the significant highlight's in our society's history.

1930 - New Orleans was host to the national convention of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

1938 - The American Association of Petroleum Geologists again held their annual convention in New Orleans. The local Shreveport and Lake Charles Geological Societies were quite helpful in making these early conventions successful. Some of the people who helped with these conventions were C. L. Moody of the Ohio Company in Shreveport, C. I. Alexander of Magnolia Oil in Lake Charles, John Mahoney of Union Sulphur Company in Sulphur, Roy Hazzard of the Gulf Refining Co. in Shreveport and the personnel of the Louisiana Department of Conservation.

1941 - Founding of the New Orleans Geological Society. Some of the people who were instrumental in this origin were George Schneider of Texaco, J. W. Hoover of the California Co., Pete Petersen of Freeport Sulphur, and D. D. Utterback of Freeport Sulphur. The first meeting was held in the old St. Charles Hotel (since torn down, the site of the present Place St. Charles building) on October 6. At that time there were 11 independent operators of small oil companies in New Orleans. Oil was selling at this time for $1.25?1.50 per barrel for 40 degree gravity and gas had a very limited sale.

1942-44 - World War II. Many of the best personnel were inducted into the service and government control of the oil effort was exercised by the OPA. Membership declined to 48 during this period.

1947 - The New Orleans Geological Society was the only local organized technical group dealing with the petroleum business during this period. To fulfill its implied obligations of industry relations and technical progress all segments of the industry were invited to join and share in the advantages the Society had to offer. Many non?geological members of the industry joined at this time. The membership and attendance at the meetings then held in the St. Charles Hotel more than tripled. Social features such as the Spring Party and the Christmas Dance were begun.

1950 - A preliminary meeting of representatives of several Gulf Coast societies was held on May 12. Out of this endeavor was formed the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS) which later became a section of the AAPG. A mimeographed newsletter was initiated for NOGS and the first membership roster was published.

1951 - The first convention of the then controversial GCAGS organization was held in New Orleans Nov. 15-17 at the Roosevelt (now Fairmont) Hotel and was a resounding success. NOGS membership was now 233. The first Honorary Life memberships were given to select members.

1954-56 - Publication of four strike and four dip sections across the area was instrumental in introducing newcomers to the micropaleontological nomenclature of the younger Cenozoic sediments. On Oct. 13, the Auxiliary's first meeting was held at the Valencia Club. The first Boy Scout Committee was organized. Luncheon prices at the St. Charles Hotel were $1.50 per plate, while oil sold for $3.00 per barrel. The first photo directory was published in 1956.

1957 - NOGS hosted the Annual GCAGS convention with 2352 registrants, a new attendance record. NOGS membership totaled 510 people. The Roosevelt Hotel became the monthly meeting place of the Society.

1959 - The First School Information Committee was organized. The first Group Insurance effort was organized. This endeavor was later taken over and continued by the AAPG as the GeoCare Insurance program.

1960 - The first Salt Dome Volume was published. The Society began the publication of the NOGS LOG, replacing the previous mimeographed newsletter.

1961 - The first field trip to the Jefferson Island Salt Mine was conducted, as well as an airplane field trip and aerial observation of the Mississippi Delta.

1962 - NOGS was host to the GCAGS convention and conducted the first Yucatan Peninsula field trip.

1963 - The second Salt Dome Volume was published and the first "New Officers" party was held.

1964 - Oil & Gas Fields of Southeast Louisiana, Vol. 1 was published. NOGA held its tenth anniversary party at the Vista Shores Club.

1965 - NOGS was host to the AAPG convention, which featured a Yucatan Peninsula field trip as well as field trips to the Mississippi River Delta Shale Diapirs (Mud Lumps) and the Belle Isle Salt Mine. There were then about 800 members in NOGS.

1967-84 - Southeast Louisiana Oil & Gas Fields, Vol. II was published in 1967. After various trials at Howard Johnson's and the New Orleans Athletic Club, luncheon meetings moved to the St. Charles Hotel in 1969, and then to the Saxony Restaurant on Canal Street in 1972, where the price at the time was $4.25. NOGS sponsored the "International Symposium of Underground Waste and Artificial Recharge" in 1972 and hosted the AAPG Convention in 1976, and GCAGS conventions in 1971, 1978 and in 1982, where the registration was 4700. The price of oil rose to $11 per barrel in 1973, and to $35 in 1981.

1985 - In March NOGS, with the able assistance of the auxiliary, hosted the AAPG convention. The convention was a huge success with a total attendance of 9,116.

1986 - The monthly meetings of NOGS moved to the Petroleum Club at the Energy Center. NOGS, for the first time opened an office of its own, with a secretary, in space donated by Charles Corona. The average price of a barrel of oil was about $15, but briefly dipped below the $10 mark.

1987 - NOGS office moved to the AMOCO Building in space donated to the Society by AMOCO.

1988 - NOGS significantly increased its membership to 1500. The Society succeeded in eliminating deficits from most of its income producing committees. The NOGS LOG was greatly expanded and improved, with no increase in cost, through the use of our laser printer. NOGS continued to increase its recognition of individuals and institutions that have supported it. Two publications were introduced: Offshore Louisiana Oil & Gas Fields, Volume II and Oil & Gas Fields of Southeast Louisiana, Volume III Supplement. Two short courses were presented and one field trip made. A comprehensive Photo Directory was published.

1989 - NOGS was host to the GCAGS Convention held in October 1988. Management Appreciation Day continued to be an important program with 32 executives and managers honored. The Memorial Scholarship Program awarded $6,000 in scholarships, four $1,000 undergraduate and the J. A. Gilreath Memorial Scholarship, a $2,000 graduate scholarship.

1990 - The NOGS office was moved to the Mobil Building into space donated by Mobil. A second $2,000 scholarship was added to the Memorial Scholarship Program, increasing annual scholarship awards to $8,000.

1991 - The NOGS office was moved from the Mobil Building after 16 months, to its own office, the 234 Loyola Building in September. Six of the Charter Members, Pete Peterson, Des Utterback, Harold Hickey, A. P. Claudet, Larry Eustis and Ken McWilliams were still active and honored. The NOGS Memorial Scholarship Fund received $240,010 from the Olga Braunstein Succession and a $10,000 matching grant from GCAGS. A resolution was passed to change the name of the Fund to the NOGS Memorial Foundation. Undergraduate scholarships were named in honor of Olga and Jules Braunstein. A graduate scholarship was named in honor of Lee Meltzer. Fifteen scholarships were awarded with a total value of $26,000. An important new publication, An Introduction to Central Gulf Coast Geology, was completed and offered for sale in September.

1992 - On May 30 NOGS held a 50th Anniversary Birthday Bash, one of several activities held to commemorate our mid-century of existence. A Super 50 Book Sale of the Society's publications was kicked off in July and concluded on December 31. In August the long awaited 50th Anniversary Membership Directory was delivered to the 1108 members of record. This special directory contains ten pages of vintage photographs of members and of Society activities along with a brief historical capsule of each decade. Four Continuing Education short courses and one field trip were held. Attendance at the monthly meetings averaged 179.

1993 - In late January the joint HGS-NOGS publication "Productive Low Resistivity Well Logs of the Offshore Gulf of Mexico" was received from the printer and by mid-year almost a thousand copies had been sold. The focal point of activity for the year was the hosting by the Society of the 77th Annual AAPG Convention. The total registration was 5,444. Approximately sixty NOGS members and ten NOGA members served on the coordinating committee, and many others volunteered during the convention to stage this successful event. In August, the School Information Committee brought to a successful conclusion their Rock and Mineral Identification Sets Project. Fifty sets, each with over fifty hand samples, were presented to area high school science teachers. Monthly luncheon attendance for the year experienced a decline to an average of 130, reflecting the persistent downturn of the domestic petroleum industry.

1994 - The Bylaws of the Society were revised and four new committees, Best Paper, Office Operations, External Affairs, and Environmental, were created. Also created was the "Friends of the NOGS Office Fund" which accepted contributions totaling over $6000. The income from this fund will be used to support the continued operation of the NOGS office. The publication "Productive Low Resistivity Well Logs of the Gulf of Mexico" has sold out and will be reprinted. A sequel, "Productive Low Resistivity Well Logs of the World", is in preparation. The attendance at monthly meetings continued to decline, averaging 114.

1995 - NOGS membership requirements were expanded to include those geoscientists working in the environmental and geotechnical services fields. A new publication was printed: "Salt Tectonic Map of the Gulf of Mexico". The Continuing Education Committee sponsored three short courses on salt tectonics, deep water deposition and faults and seals. Field trips were held to Ship Island and Arkansas. The Entertainment Committee sponsored six events including an event with The Society of Petroleum Engineers.

1997 - A membership drive was conducted which resulted in a 6% increase in membership (56 new members added). Improvements to the NOGS Office include a new desktop PC and software with Internet E-mail capability, a fax machine with dedicated phone line, a new answering machine, and equipment to allow members to make payments with major credit cards. The NOGS Home Page appeared in the World Wide Web permitting members with Internet Access to electronically keep current with Society affairs. Average luncheon attendance rose to 140 with a timely agenda of state-of-the-industry topics including Offshore GOM Field Studies, Salt Tectonics, Basin Studies, Modern Logging/Evaluation Techniques, etc. The School Information Committee utilized a substantial budget increase to expand their Fossil and Rock/Mineral Kits and exhibits. Two Continuing Education Short Courses, one short course on "Petroleum Geology for Non-Geologists" and one field trip were held. NOGS was the host society for the 1997 Annual GCAGS convention, which had a total registration of 2035, including 1341 professionals.

1998 - The 47th Annual GCAGS Convention stands at the top of the Society's list of events in 1997-98. The meeting was hosted and run by over a hundred NOGS and NOGA members who volunteered time and talent. Their tireless work resulted in a resounding success. Over two years of planning and scheduling preceded the convention and it showed. More than 2000 attendees were on hand for the October event. An excellent technical program and successful social gatherings proved to be the winning combination. Monthly luncheon meetings at the City Energy Club continue to be the main regular activity of the Society. Attendance continued to increase throughout the year with the average attendance being 168. New members at the meetings are mostly recently hired college graduates. The program topics, one reason for the high attendance figures, plus the recent upswing in the industry, centered around deep water oil and gas developments in the Gulf of Mexico. Committees are the backbone of the Society. The School Information and Employment Committees were especially active this year. Many members volunteered time and effort to present and display geological principles and facts to area schools. Drawing on the increased industry activity, the Employment Committee was busy developing seminars and workday visits for area college students and those in need of employment. Finally, the NOGS LOG, the mainstay of the Society's publications and its "public face", continued to grow in size and quality. The average issue contained 32 pages in 1997.

1999 - Faced with $11.00 per barrel oil, corporate downsizing and relocation, 1999 was a year of challenge for our Society and its membership. With tremendous effort, dedication, and sacrifice by the Society officers and membership alike, a budget was adopted which will ensure future financial health of NOGS. Volunteers, the lifeblood of our organization, were once again very active this year. NOGS members assisted the University of New Orleans in establishing a 3-D seismic workstation lab at the university. With the help of corporate sponsors, the School Information Committee set up a permanent fossil display at Chinchuba Elementary School on the north shore for all area schools to utilize. Our Employment Counseling Committee was very active arranging numerous social coffees and talks designed as networking opportunities for displaced geoscientists in the New Orleans area. Our monthly luncheons continued to provide the membership with quality speakers and talks. The attendance averaged 120 for the year. The annual golf tournament was a big success. Our web site continues to grow in size and importance to our Society as a means of disseminating information to our members.

2000 - Of prime importance, NOGS hosted AAPG Convention April 16-19th. Erik Mason ably served as General Chairman. The convention drew over 6,856 delegates, the second largest since 1988. The All Convention Luncheon, with speaker Daniel Yergin, drew over 850, to date the largest ever. It was also the first AAPG convention to utilize computer-assisted PowerPoint presentations and the first to have electronic submission of abstracts. Over $530,000 in sponsorship for the convention was raised by George Rhoads and his committee. Rhoads also served as Vice General Chairman. The NOGS Auxiliary provided excellent support for the Spouses Hospitality Suite and assisted in other ways. On April 8th NOGS hosted a very successful Super Science Saturday at LA Children's Museum. Prior to the event, Tom Bergeon, Chair of the School Outreach Committee, presented a talk on dinosaurs at the April 3rd luncheon. Also, the Information Committee was officially renamed the School Outreach Committee in recognition of its major thrust in geoscience education in New Orleans area schools. Other activities included a Golf Tournament at Money Hill on May 15th, a NOGS Night at the Ballpark for a Zephyrs game on July 14th. On August 22nd NOGS participated in the Fourth Annual SPE-NOGS-AADE Deepwater Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Geoscience Technical Session for the symposium was organized by Michael J. Roberts. A Kickoff Party was held at the Hyatt Regency on October 6th, a Field Trip led by Greg Jones to Southeast Louisiana on November 4th, and very successful Annual Holiday Party was held at the City Energy Club on December 8th. Initial work got underway on a joint NOGS-HGS Deep Water Fields volume. Also, through the efforts of Bob Sabaté, a special NOGS lapel pin was designed, manufactured and placed on sale for members to show support of the Society.

2001 - The site of the monthly Luncheon shifted from the Hyatt Regency Hotel to the Fairmont Hotel with the January 8th meeting. Of perhaps equal importance for the membership, in February, the NOGS business office relocated to Suite 300, 810 Union Street, from the 234 Loyola Avenue location it had occupied since September 1991. During the year NOGS received from AAPG $186,535.11 as the Society's share for hosting the 2000 AAPG convention. These funds were distributed between the Operations Account, the FONO Account, and the Memorial Foundation. Also, $4,000 was donated to the NOGA (New Orleans Geological Auxiliary) for their assistance in hosting the convention. The donation to the Memorial Foundation was instrumental in setting up the Bill Craig Memorial Fund. Constitutional changes approved by the membership included changing the Society's fiscal year to run from July 1 to June 30 and created an Editor-Elect position. Previously, the fiscal year ran from October 1 to September 30. Also, the Editor will be a member of the Board of Directors, reflecting the importance of the position. With the October issue of the NOGS LOG, Rick Abegg assumed the reins as Editor from retiring Ed Picou who handled the position for six years either as Editor or as Assistant Editor. Abegg will serve as Editor two years. An Editor-Elect will be elected in the next administrative cycle. Because of the change of the fiscal year of the Society, Volume 42 of the NOGS LOG published only nine issues. Due to increasing costs for producing a formal printed Membership Directory, the Board voted to eliminate this expense item. Members desiring a printed version may call the NOGS business office and receive a basic directory for a nominal fee. Following the lead of our sister organization, the Houston Geological Society, NOGS formed a "Neogeos" type committee, called NGNO's, with David Rains and Nathan Kuhle as its organizing chairmen. The 3rd Annual Super Science Saturday was held at the LA Children's Museum on March 31st. About 1200 folks attended the event. On May 14th NOGS held its popular Golf Tournament at Money Hill. The National D-Day Museum Family Event was held on April 21st. A Field Trip led by Cliff Cuffey to the Chandeleur Islands was held on June 2nd. NOGS participated in the Fifth Annual SPE-NOGS-AADE Deepwater Symposium held August 23-24. Richard A. Eisenberg organized the very successful Geoscience Technical Session for the event. Over 85 folks attended the Annual Kickoff Party hosted at the home of Ed Picou on October 6th. A second Field Trip, also led by Cliff Cuffey, was held on November 2-3 to view and collect fossils from Alabama and Mississippi Upper Cretaceous and Lower Tertiary outcrops. The Annual Holiday Party was held on December 1st at the Garden District home of Mike Fogarty.

2002 - All NOGS oil and gas fields and salt domes volumes, including the Tuscaloosa Trend of South Louisiana volume, were released for sale by AAPG/Datapages on CD-ROM in March at the AAPG convention in Houston. The CD contains information on 324 fields. Hard copies of these publications, and all other publications, are being sold through the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. Once these copies are exhausted, the publications will be available only on CD-ROM. AAPG/Datapages is currently digitizing all remaining publications, including many now out-of-print, and these will be issued on two CD-ROMs in 2003. The Fourth Annual Geology Super Science Saturday was held at LA Children's Museum on April 6th. The Annual Golf Tournament held at Money Hill on May 13th and, as usual, was a resounding success. On May 15th NOGS presented its Petroleum Geology for Non-geologists short course. Instructors were Duncan Goldthwaite, Robert Branson, Clifford Cuffey, Penne Rappold, Devi Subramaniam and Frank Hall. On June 13th NOGS sponsored the short course "Applied Biostratigraphy for Geologist, Geophysicists, and Engineers." Instructors included Brian O'Neill, Rome Lytton, Bruce Robertson, and Garry Jones. On June 28th The Board of Directors participated in a "Board Retreat" hosted by BakerHughes at their fishing camp in Lafitte. The purpose of this activity was to organize the coming year's activities, as well as for long-range planning for NOGS. During the year approval by the membership changed the administrative year from October 1-September 30 to July 1-June 30. This decision necessitated a number of changes in the by-laws. Two new committees were added: the Sponsorship Committee and the NGNO (New Geologists of New Orleans) Committee. Also changed was the requirement for the Committee Councils to meet annually instead of quarterly. Reference in the by-laws to the newly created Editor-Elect position was made. Other additions were that the President-Elect (or his/her appointee) will be the Entertainment Chairman, the immediate Past-Treasurer will be Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and the immediate Past-President will be the Chair of the Office Operations Committee. Also, the duties of the Directory Committee were updated. The Board also voted to drop the requirement to publish by-laws changes in the NOGS LOG. In the future these will be posted on the NOGS Web site. Members not having Internet access can call the NOGS business office for a mailed hard copy. Due to a transfer to Houston, incoming President Erik Mason (on July 1) enjoyed less than a one-month presidential rein of the Society. Before August 1st Vice President Tom Bergeon took over as President of the Society. With Tom's move to the presidency, Bill Whiting volunteered to take over the duties of Vice-President. On August 22-23 NOGS participated in the Sixth Annual SPE-NOGS-AADE Deepwater Symposium held at the Hyatt Regency. For a second year, Richard A. Eisenberg handled the organization for the Geoscience Technical program for the symposium. September 21st was the date of the Annual Kickoff Party which was hosted by Trudy and Charley Corona in their Harahan home. Ninety-three folks attended this great event. The Annual Holiday Party was once again hosted by Mike Fogarty in his Garden District home on December 6th. Jim Zotkiewicz accepted appointment as General Chairman for the 2005 GCAGS convention. During the year NOGS entered into an affiliation with the Shell Federal Credit Union.

2003 - By far, the most important event of the year was the presentation of the South Louisiana Onshore Petroleum Exploration Symposium held on May 22nd at the Marriott. Twenty-seven papers were given in two concurrent sessions for 332 participants. George Rhoads served as General Chairman and was ably assisted by an experienced committee. From a financial viewpoint, the symposium was a big success. Earlier in the year, on March 31/April 1, NOGS was an endorsing society of the Gulf Coast Energy Marketplace Exposition, also held at the Marriott. This was another 'first-time' event for New Orleans and it was spearheaded by John Jurasin. Also early in the year, the society began organizing for the 2005 GCAGS convention scheduled for September 23-28 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Jim Zotkiewicz, who had volunteered as General Chairman in the Fall of 2002, made significant progress in committee appointments and in advertising the event at the October 2003 GCAGS convention. The theme of the convention will be: Gulf Coast Geological Gumbo - "a recipe for success." On April 5th NOGS sponsored a Super Science Saturday event at the Louisiana Children's Museum with the theme of "Dinosaurs, Earthquakes and Oil." President Tom Bergeon coordinated the event and over 900 children participated in this science education effort. On May 5th the annual spring Golf Tournament was held at Money Hill Golf & Country Club. It was a sellout with 128 golfers hitting the links. On May 15th the NOGS Non-Technical Education Committee presented a one-day short course entitled "Petroleum Geology for Non-Geologists." Instructors included Duncan Goldthwaite, chairman of the committee, Robert Branson, Penne Rappold, Devi Subramanian, and Dr. Frank Hall of the Physics Department at UNO. The 7th Annual GOM Deepwater Symposium was held on August 25-26th at the Hyatt Regency. NOGS co-sponsors this event with the Delta Section of SPE and the Amer. Association of Drilling Engineers. Again this year, Rick Eisenberg assembled an outstanding geoscience technical session. Over 500 participated in the symposium. After a two-year digitizing process by AAPG/Datapages, a three-CD set of NOGS publications was released for sale on September 5th. The set contains 67 NOGS publications or NOGS sponsored publications. The set sells for $95.00; however, the original CD of Oil and Gas Fields of Southeast Louisiana can be purchased separately for $50.00. Purchase information is posted on the NOGS and AAPG/Bookstore Web sites. The annual Holiday Party was held on December 13th atop the Andrew Jackson Condominiums in the Garden District. Approximately 76 folks attended the event, which was hosted by Nathan and Rachel Kuhle.

2004 - After holding steady for several years at $20.00, the monthly luncheon cost was increased in October to $25.00 with reservations and to $30.00 for those without reservations. This increase was overdue, as NOGS had been running a monthly deficit on luncheon meetings for some time because of increased costs for audio-visual equipment and incremental increases in food costs. Early in the year, work on a new technical publication was announced. The working title is: "Go Deep"- A Multidisciplinary View of Deep Analogs, Fields, and Prospects from Onshore Louisiana and the Shelf." Work continues on this important project. On March 27, many NOGS volunteers assisted at the Super Science Saturday event at the Louisiana Children's Museum. This year's event was titled "Dinosaurs, Earthquakes and Oil." Approximately 800 children attended the four-hour activity. The NOGS Annual Golf Tournament was held on May 10 at Money Hill Golf Course and Country Club. This marked the fifth time the tourney was held there, and it must be the preferred venue, as it was a sellout with 120 golfers. Funds derived from these events are donated to the Bill Craig Memorial Fund, which is part of the NOGS Memorial Foundation, Inc. On August 19-20, NOGS was again a co-sponsor (with SPE-Delta and AADE) of the Eighth Annual Deepwater Technical Symposium and Exhibition held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel. This was the first time the event was held at the Hilton. Owing to its huge success and better accommodations, the organizing committee indicated the event will be held there in 2005. NOGS shares in the proceeds of this event. The Annual Kickoff Party was held in association with the 50th Anniversary Celebration of NOGA on October 2nd at the Metairie Country Club. All planning for the party was handled by the NOGA committee. The party was a huge success, with 133 attending. In late November members received their copy of the 2004 Membership Directory. This is the first directory printed since 2001 and it reflects the significant decrease in membership. As of the October 10th cutoff date of the database, membership stood at 610. On December 4 the annual Holiday Party was held at the home of Ed Picou on the lakefront. Approximately 84 folks attended this superbly catered event. Late in the year the FONO fund received an unanticipated gift of $3000 from the GCSSEPM Foundation. Two other items of interest for 2004 should be noted. Hurricane Ivan on September 14-15 caused many to evacuate the city, which was thankfully spared, but Ivan did significant damage to offshore platforms and pipelines. Secondly, the price of oil climbed to a high of $55.67 per barrel in mid-October, partly because of loss of production due to Hurricane Ivan, and because of a heighten concern for world supply of crude. However, at year's end oil traded at $43.24 per barrel.

2005 - In February the society received a donation from the Gulf Coast Section of SEPM Foundation for $3,000, in appreciation of NOGS' continuing support of their annual research conferences. Also in this month, the society received a check in the amount of $9,097.14 for its share of the proceeds of last August's Deepwater Symposium. Another major contribution was received in March. A $46,151.95 check was presented to the society by the executor of the estate of Olga Braunstein. These funds represent NOGS' proportional share of the residual of her estate. These funds were donated by the society to the Memorial Foundation to supplement scholarship awards. NOGS and other organizations participated in the annual Super Science Saturday event at the Louisiana Children's Museum on April 2nd. In spite of the perfect sunny spring day, about 650 children and parents enjoyed the event. May was a busy month, as four activities were held. On May 2nd the annual Bill Craig Memorial Golf Tournament was held again at Money Hill Golf & Country Club with a full compliment of 120 golfers. On May 9th NOGS and SGS sponsored a continuing education seminar by Dr. Bob Hardage titled "The Long and the Short of It: Using 4-D Seismic Data to Image Super-Deep Targets (the long view) and to Determine Geomechanical Properties of Near-surface Strata (the short view). Thirty members attended the course. On May 10th a one-day short course titled "Petroleum Geology for Non-Geologists" was presented. A Field Seminar was held on May 14th for fourteen participants. Dr. Harry Roberts conducted the seminar titled "The Wax Lake and Atchafalaya Deltas: The New Regressive Phase of the Mississippi River Delta Complex." As a co-sponsor, many NOGS members attended the 9th Annual Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Technical Symposium held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel.

By any measure, the "event" of the year was Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city on August 29th. Perhaps Hurricane Cindy on July 6th and Hurricane Dennis on July 10th were practice runs for Katrina. Hurricane Dennis forced the cancellation of the July 11th luncheon, and Katrina effectively shut down the Society and the city for the remainder of the year, as our members were dispersed across the Gulf Coast. By far the greatest disappointment was the cancellation of the 55th Annual GCAGS Convention hosted by NOGS. The Convention Committee, under the able leadership of General Chairman Jim Zotkiewicz, and the NOGA Auxiliary, had everything in place for the convention scheduled for September 25-27. Thankfully, GCAGS had cancellation insurance which softened the economic loss. On November 12th an informal "first-gathering" of members after Katrina was held at The Garden Gate in Metairie. The final event of the year was the Holiday Party at Ed Picou's home on December 17th with fifty-five attending.

2006 - Like the rest of New Orleans, much of the year was devoted to renewing and rebuilding from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Of special note, the NOGS LOG experienced a publication hiatus from October 2005 until the February 2006 issue. Also, the society's membership dipped significantly. In 2005, the member ship stood at 657. After the 2006 renewal period, membership dipped to 502. However, with a vigorous drive during the balance of the year, the membership numbered 590 at year end. Another Katrina casualty was the Web site. By March a new and much improved Web site was designed and made available. Recognizing the impact of the hurricane to the UNO Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, in August, the NOGS Foundation donated $8,000 to assist students and faculty in their recovery. In October, NOGS created an Ad Hoc University Support Committee which will focus on re-establishing a curriculum in petroleum geosciences at UNO. NOGS was informed by UNO officials that the campus building housing the Department of Earth & environmental Sciences Department will be named W.W. Craig Hall, honoring deceased geology faculty member and NOGS past president Bill Craig. At the October 9th luncheon NOGS celebrated its 65th birthday with charter member Lawrence Eustis cutting the birthday cake.

Other notable events in 2006 were: A Katrina-delayed Kick-Off Party was held on February 11th at Andrea's with president Scott Wainwright and his board holding forth. Wainwright took over the presidency from Bret Hampton who was transferred to Houston in January. Being held a few weeks before Mardi Gras, the party provided a venue for folks to segue into that delightful season. The annual Bill Craig Memorial Golf Tournament at Money Hill was a sell-out success on the links of the Money Hill Golf and Country Club. NOGS was a cosponsor of the 10th Annual GOM Deepwater Offshore Symposium held August 24-25 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel. On September 15th, approximately 56 folks gathered at Chad's Bistro for the year's second Kick-Off Party, this one honoring incoming president Mike Fein and his board. Dr. Stephen A. Nelson of Tulane's Earth & Environmental Sciences Department on November 4th lead a local field trip titled "Hurricane Katrina - What Happened?" which visited sites around the city impacted by levee breaches. About 40 to 50 folks attended the field trip. On December 8th NOGS hosted its annual Holiday Party at Vincent's restaurant with approximately 60 folks attending. Since July the monthly luncheons at the LePavillon Hotel attracted an average of 91 members and guests.

2007 - On February 6, Jack Langford represented the NOGS Foundation at the LSU College of Basic Sciences Scholarship Breakfast at the Faculty Club. To date, the Foundation has contributed $133,000 to seventy Geology and Geophysics students, more than any other organization. Dr. Mike Blum, of LSU Geology and Geophysics, presented a one-day continuing education seminar on March 28. The course title was: Depositional Environments and Systems, Northern Gulf of Mexico. Once again, NOGS sponsored the Super Science Saturday event at the Louisiana Children's Museum on April 7. Many NOGS members and their families volunteered for the successful event. On April 20, NOGS held its annual Petroleum Geology for Non Geologists. For the first time ever, NOGS hosted a dual event. Concurrent wine tasting events were held on April 21 at the Cellars of Cellars in Harahan on the south shore, while on the north shore, the event was held at CRU Wine Boutique Cellar in Mandeville. One hundred-sixteen golfers participated in the Annual Golf Outing at Money Hill in Abita Springs on May 3rd. Surplus proceeds are donated to the Bill Craig Memorial Fund. Twice during the year, NOGS volunteers assisted in efforts to clean up New Orleans City Park. The first event was held on May 19, the second on November 3. With the June 4th Luncheon meeting, costs were increased to $30.00 with a reservation and $35.00 without. For many months the society had been losing money on the luncheon, therefore the increase was inevitable. The June 4th meeting featured a "Technomania" where thirteen companies and NOGS sponsors displayed their wares in booths. The event was very successful. On Father's Day, June 17th, NOGS and the SGS sponsored an outing at Zephyrs Field for a baseball game with the Oklahoma Red Hawks.
On July 20, NOGS, the Louisiana Geological Survey and the Southeast Flood Protection Authority-West, co-sponsored a one-day symposium titled "Geologic Facts of Life for Flood Protection." The event was attended by approximately 120 and was held at Holy Cross College. The 11th Annual Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Symposium was held August 19-20 at the Hilton Riverside. These events are co-sponsored by NOGS, SPE-Delta, and the AADE. The theme of this year's symposium was "New Challenges - New Solutions." On September 21, the NOGS Kick-Off Party was held at the Contemporary Arts Center. The venue of the monthly luncheon changed with the December 3rd meeting to the Holiday Inn on Loyola Avenue. On December 14, the Annual Holiday Party was held at Cannon's on St. Charles Avenue. The event was a huge success with 72 attending. Finally, a new NOGS Membership Directory was printed in December with delivery expected before year end.

2008 - Although the venue of the monthly luncheon changed to the Holiday Inn on Loyola Avenue for the December 2007 meeting, the contract wasn’t inked until in the new year. We had met at the LePavillon Hotel since Katrina in 2005; however, faced with escalating costs for meals and audio visual setups, it became prudent to move to the Holiday Inn. Our monthly publication, the NOGS LOG, witnessed a substantial upgrade due to the efforts of Editor Tim Piwowar. For the first time ever, the publication was printed with a color cover and inside cover ads are now printed in color. Another modification was that the cover sports a newly modified NOGS logo, one reflecting a more modern motif. However, the original logo will be retained for official society stationery. Another major change affecting the society, and especially attendance at the monthly luncheon meeting, was the move of Chevron to the north shore in the spring. Consistently, Chevron has supported the meeting with an average of 25 attendees. In order to support these members, the monthly luncheon presentations have been webcast to the Chevron Auditorium beginning with the May meeting. Regarding luncheon meetings, the September 7th luncheon was cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav which narrowly missed the city on September 1st, just three days after the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
On April 5-6, a Technical Field Seminar was held focusing on “Modern Transgressive Depositional Environments of the Abandoned Mississippi River Lafourche Delta Complex.” The seminar was led by Drs. Michael Miner and Mark Kulp.
On July 18, the second annual “Geologic Facts of Life for Flood Protection in Coastal Louisiana” was held in the auditorium of the Orleans Levee Board with a strong attendance.
NOGS cosponsored the 12th Annual Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Technical Symposium with the theme of “Reserves to Resources” under the capable leadership of Chairman Tom Hudson. Also in August, on the 12th, NOGS co-sponsored with AAPG and the PTTC, a technology workshop titled “Sequence Stratigraphy and its Application to Petroleum Exploration in Onshore Mesozoic Salt Basins, Gulf Coastal Plain. Dr. Ernie Mancini was the instructor.
On October 18th NOGS held its fall field trip which was promoted with the title of “The Baton Rouge Fault … and its Friends.” The excursion was well-attended and lead by Dr. Woody Gagliano, Kathy Haggar and Rick McCulloh.
On February 20th NOGS past presidents, Duncan Goldthwaite and Mike Fein, received API Delta Chapter’s Meritorious Service Awards for their life-long contributions to the geologic community. Annual events included participation in the Super Science Saturday at the Louisiana Children’s Museum on April 5th, the Annual Golf Tournament at Money Hill Golf and Country Club on May 5th, co-sponsored a one-day course on geology for non-scientists on April 30th; with the SGS, NOGS cosponsored a night at Zephyr Field for a game with the Fresno Grizzlies; held its Kick-Off Party at the New City Grill on September 19th, on November 8th NOGS volunteers participated in its second Super Saturday event at City Park assisting preparations for Christmas in the Oaks; and lastly, the Holiday Party was held on December 12th at Cannon’s Restaurant on St. Charles Ave.
The 2008 year will be memorable for the run-up on the price of oil to $147.27 per barrel on July 11th and its rapid slump to $44.60 at year’s end. Equally memorable will be the precipitous drop in the stock market of 777.68 points on September 29th, which heralded the drastic global financial crisis.

2009 - In March, NOGS launched its new Web site. The new site is designed to give the membership more information on events and has restored the “Member Search” capability. After having three months of only monthly luncheon meetings, activities picked up in April when three events were held. On April 17, the NOGS-SGS Summer Social was held at Zephyr Field for a game between the Nashville Sounds and our Zephyrs. Although it was billed as a “Summer Social,” it was a very chilly evening requiring warm jackets. On April 27, the annual NOGS Golf Tournament was held at Money Hill Country Club and Golf Course. Participation was down from last year, but almost back to pre-Katrina levels. The annual Petroleum Geology for Non-Geologists short course was held on April 29 with about 40 participants.  Dr. Royhan Gani, of the UNO Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, presented a one-day Technical Seminar and Core Display at the One Shell Square Auditorium on May 14. The seminar focused on deltaic reservoir analogs integrating outcrop, core, ground penetrating radar and fluid-flow modeling in Cretaceous sequences in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. Although attendance was light, the seminar provided Dr. Gani with his first opportunity to interface with NOGS members.

On July 16, the third “Geologic Facts of Life for Flood Protection in Coastal Louisiana” symposium was held in the Jefferson Parish Council Chambers. As a ‘first,’ the entire session was video recorded by local Fox News. NOGS, with cosponsors SPE-Delta and local chapter of AADE, held a very successful 13^th Annual Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Technical Symposium at the Hilton Riverside Hotel. The event drew an attendance of approximately 400 industry geoscientists and engineers.  As a community endeavor, a few NOGS members participated in the “Beach Sweep” sponsored by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation on September 19. Over eight tons of debris were collected – quite a successful event! On October 2, an outstanding “Kick Off” Party was hosted by NOGS president and spouse, Amber, in their home in Mandeville. With the combination of a beautifully appointed home and delicious repast furnished by Patton’s Catering of Slidell, success was assured. With an attendance of over a hundred, it is testimony that NOGS social events can be held on the north shore. On December 3, a luncheon meeting was held by a few senior members concerned about the moribund efforts for publishing Oil and Gas Fields Volume 4. Carlo Christina has volunteered to spearhead the effort. The last social event of the year was the NOGA-NOGS Christmas Party held on December 4 at the Metairie Country Club. Although the weather was cold, stormy and rainy, this didn’t dampen the festivities of the party which was attended a hundred or so folks. Both the club’s food and the music provided by the popular The Jazzmen Trio, added to the enjoyment of the evening.

As a closing note, NOGS obtained a WebEx license and began hosting its monthly luncheon meetings to the north shore and UNO.  Starting in December, the Board of Directors, as well as the Memorial Foundation Board, have used the WebEx for meetings. With the increasing difficulty of meeting “in person” at the NOGS office, this advanced way of conducting meetings has many advantages, as any NOGS member can dial in and participate. Welcome to the future!