Story Poster
Texas A&M Football

Junction Boy Dennis Goehring remembers the late Billy Pete Huddleston

August 2, 2019
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Key notes from Dennis Goehring interview

  • I'm excited to be talking about one of my best friends in life and the influence he had on me. From the time I met Billy Pete Huddleston and the two years I was roommates with him, it was always enjoyable to be associated with him. All of my roommates were engineers. I think I learned more about life, how to live life, and how to be so generous from all of my roommates.
     
  • Billy Pete was a very generous guy. I think he was a genius. The way Billy studied was incredible. He helped me with my studies, as well. He was a great friend, and you could count on him in any situation.
     
  • We met through football, and that's how we got to be close. That's how that friendship began. We went to Junction together, and we faced that adversity together. With those types of situations, you've got to see them as negatives and positives. I learned a lot in Junction. I went out there without a scholarship because Coach Bryant didn't think I was a football player. I went out there and earned it. Junction was a huge stepping stone in all of our lives. We learned more there than in our textbooks. There were some hard times, but when we came back from Junction, we knew we could handle pretty much anything.
     
  • Billy Pete was a halfback. I think he had the best running ability of any of our running backs. He could stop and go. He was like catching a rabbit. He was a good football player.
     
  • There's no question about the type of person he was off of the field. After he passed, I was trying to remember all of the times he positively influenced me. I could think of one story, and it goes like this: so many times, coach Bryant would try and test people in order to earn his blessing. Coach Bryant once told a teammate of mine that he didn't want me around anymore. I told Billy Pete to "go tell that old SOB that I'll still be here when everyone else is gone." So, Billy Pete went and told coach Bryant. I picked a fight with Billy Pete over that, and he was surprised it was me, of all people, who wanted to pick a fight with him. I had to explain the whole story to him. I had to explain that I had to prove I was tough enough because I didn't have a scholarship. Coach Bryant let me stay on the team. That fight with Billy Pete probably allowed me to stay on the team. It was my way of showing coach Bryant I could still play. Billy Pete told me after that he was glad he could take one on the chin for me and let me stay on the team.
     
  • He was successful in the oil business. He had visions of how to recapture oil that nobody had ever thought of. He went out to a field in Louisiana that other engineers couldn't do anything with. He made it work and made tons of money. In the field that he developed, he was able to put together a funding system for Princeton. He has given Princeton several million dollars. I know it was huge for him.
Discussion from...

Junction Boy Dennis Goehring remembers the late Billy Pete Huddleston

6,053 Views | 7 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by MGCraig
BigOil
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AG
Here.

Best teacher I ever had, not only from work standpoint but for personal life lessons as well.

Told us to max out our 401K contributions from Day 1 on the job... 22 years later I am glad I did.

Talked about engagement rings one day in class... "you aren't investing in the diamond, you are investing in the girl"

Mind blowing senior project in hindsight - put together a merger between two fake oil and gas companies, develop and simulate a development plan for a large gas field, then put together commercial agreement to sell that gas to a power company for a long term contract. All real life stuff that we would come across one day.

The end of the semester party at his ranch was the best.
SA Ag
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Good read.
Gabe Bock
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Sponsor
AG
BigOil said:

Here.

Best teacher I ever had, not only from work standpoint but for personal life lessons as well.

Told us to max out our 401K contributions from Day 1 on the job... 22 years later I am glad I did.

Talked about engagement rings one day in class... "you aren't investing in the diamond, you are investing in the girl"

Mind blowing senior project in hindsight - put together a merger between two fake oil and gas companies, develop and simulate a development plan for a large gas field, then put together commercial agreement to sell that gas to a power company for a long term contract. All real life stuff that we would come across one day.

The end of the semester party at his ranch was the best.
Great stories! Did you get to see the zebras and exotic wildlife at the ranch?
BigOil
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AG
Exotic wildlife, old WWII motorcycles with the side cars.

I remember another story about how he was working for an oil company that wasn't doing too good. He walked into a management meeting with a baseball bat, holding it by the barrel. He told the management team that the problem with this company is that we're batting with the wrong end of the bat. He moved on and started his own successful business in the oil patch.
Dr. Horrible
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I used to work for Dennis. Great getting to hear him tell these stories again.
Bockaneer
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AG
Here.

Agree w BigOil - loved his classes at A&M, made a 3 hour Friday afternoon lecture fly by bc the discussion was real world and practical...
MGCraig
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BP Huddleston was one my professors at Texas A&M in the '80's while obtaining my petroleum engineering degree. While all of them were pretty amazing, he was the most dynamic by far and taught us life stories along with the regular curriculum, and importantly, the business aspect. I took an extra course in oil and gas law and still remember some of the lectures. So much of what he taught was applicable to real life, even though the year I graduated (1985) the bottom fell out of the industry and I moved to Florida and changed fields. I never got to go to the ranch, though. Hmmm, lol. Sorry I missed that! - Marjorie
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