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Every December the College of Engineering recognizes Distinguished Graduates who have
successful professional careers and have shown a strong commitment to education and public service.
It is an honor awarded each year to only five out of the more than 50,000 graduates of the College of Engineering.
We are proud to say that Don Sparks, one of our own, was among the five engineers honored at this year's ceremony on December 9th.
Sparks earned a bachelors degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at
Austin in 1962. After positions with Shell Oil and Freeport Oil, he returned to Midland to
co-found Discovery Operating Inc. and to open a private consulting business. In 1980, Sparks
merged his consulting business with that of an Austin colleague to form Platt, Sparks &
Associates Consulting Petroleum Engineers, Inc. Don Sparks is Chairman of the Board for
Discovery Operating, which has 280 wells that produce about 1,500 barrels of crude oil and
condensate daily, and about 10 million cubic feet of gas.
Actively involved in energy-related associations including the Independent Petroleum
Association of America (IPAA) Sparks has received the association's Leadership Award and
Membership Hall of Fame Award, among other honors. His longtime support of the University
of Texas has included hosting a gathering for Midland area students to interest them in
attending UT Austin and serving for three years on the External Advisory Committee of the
Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. He's not only a Friend of Alec, but a
UT parent, two of his children have graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and
he has a grandson who is currently studying petroleum engineering here.
It is a great pleasure to congratulate Don Sparks and the other Distinguished Graduates! For more about
the ceremony see the complete story at the College of Engineering site.
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