Regina to Host 2017 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference

 

Williston Basin Petroleum Conference
Image: wbpc.ca

A graduate of the University of Texas Law School who has gone on to accrue more than 35 years of experience practicing energy law, Duke Ligon currently serves on numerous boards of directors for publicly traded or closely held companies within and beyond the Oklahoma City area. Although he has worked primarily in Oklahoma City throughout his career, Duke Ligon is currently a board member for Emerald Oil, which is based in Denver, Colorado.

An oil exploration and production business, Emerald Oil has ownership of approximately 121,000 acres in the Williston Basin, one of North America’s largest oil resources. The Williston Basin is a sedimentary basin area that covers more than 250,000 square kilometers in three states and two Canadian provinces and each year a petroleum conference is held to enhance crude oil education and development.

The 2017 conference will be held in Regina, Saskatchewan from May 2-4 and it will feature exhibitors and presenters from throughout the oil and gas industry, with an emphasis on topics such as production optimization, remote capture technologies, and environmental issues, among others.

To learn more, those interested can visit wbpc.ca.

The American Civil War Guarantees a Future for Democracy

The Civil War Trust
Image: civilwar.org

Holding leadership positions at several energy companies, Duke Ligon of Oklahoma City also finds time for community organizations, including the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Civil War Trust. Duke Ligon is on the Civil War Trust’s board of trustees.

The Civil War Trust is committed to preserving the history of the American Civil War. Ligon’s intere is borne not only from his own experience as a Bronze Star-holding U.S. Army captain, but from a family history that counts three ancestors in the conflict.

The Civil War was the single bloodiest experience in U.S. history in terms of American casualties. At the same time, it was also a critical transformative experience. New Constitutional amendments abolished slavery and expanded citizenship and voting rights, the federal government had established its supremacy over the states, and northern entrepreneurial capitalism become the economic ideal over southern traditional agrarianism.

These consequences were not limited to the US itself, however, as the country was still very much an experiment in republican government – one which firmly held the attention of Europe and its former colonies.

As the Civil War progressed, many of the monarchs, emperors, and aristocrats anticipated that the US would emerge broken, conclusively proving the failure self-government. Spain and France even initiated plans to reclaim portions of the Americas. Instead, the US emerged from the war with a formidable military, thriving industry, and renewed commitment to its principles, emboldening other proponents of self-government throughout the hemisphere to take action. Spain and France withdrew their interests, Britain allowed the dominion of Canada to become self-governed (expecting that the US would attempt to annex it anyway), and Russia sold its Alaskan territory to the US, resulting in a complete European withdrawal from the Americas. In the case of Britain, Spain, and France, all three nations would see their monarchies either removed or severely limited in power by the end of the 19th century, adopting democratic reforms in their place.

New Leash On Life Trains Shelter Dogs Through Prison Pen Pals Program

New Leash On Life

Mekusukey Oil Company founder Duke Ligon established the Oklahoma City-based company in 1970 and possesses more than four decades of experience in the energy and oil industry. Duke Ligon also serves on the board of directors for Heritage Trust, which supports various community organizations such as New Leash On Life, which aids Oklahoma residents and their pets. Its programs include the Pen Pals Prison Program.

The program prepares shelter dogs for adoption through mutual beneficial training sessions with prison inmates, who provide the dogs with the necessary training to become well-mannered companions. Over the course of 10 weeks, participating inmates receive a dog to care for and train with the assistance of experienced New Leash On Life trainers. Dogs live in the cells with two inmates who share training responsibilities for house breaking, basic obedience, and correcting behavioral problems.

New Leash On Life trainers visit correctional facilities on a weekly basis to conduct dog-training classes and instruct inmates on training techniques and proper care. The organization also pays for all expenses involved in caring for the dogs, such as food, treats, veterinary care, and other supplies. A graduation occurs at the end of the 10 weeks, during which inmates will hand over the dog to its new owners and receive another dog to train.

In addition to helping shelter dogs who may otherwise have been euthanized, the program offers several benefits to inmates. Inmates who participate in the program receive an opportunity to contribute to the community and learn valuable skills of patience and tolerance. Training sessions also promote confidence and empathy, as inmates share emotions with the dogs they work with and develop new ways of relating to others.

Melvin Moran – Portrait of an Oklahoma Philanthropic Leader

Melvin Moran
Image: ohehs.org

Oklahoma City-based Duke Ligon is the head of Mekusukey Oil Company, LLC, and a board member of several other energy-focused companies. Outside of work, Duke Ligon supports numerous nonprofit art and cultural organizations and is a member of the board of directors of Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum in Seminole, Oklahoma, an organization that promotes learning through play.

The museum’s co-founder, Melvin Moran, is the subject of a 2010 biography published by the Oklahoma Heritage Association and promoted by the museum. Entitled Moving Heaven and Earth – The Life of Melvin Moran, the book details the life of a man who experienced the Great Depression as a child and later achieved prominence in the oil and gas industry.

Moran, a Seminole resident for most of his life, is the son of European Jewish immigrants. He served with the United States Air Force and met the woman who became his wife while stationed in London. Although Melvin and Jasmine Moran made central Oklahoma their home, their influence extends around the world.

The Morans were the major fundraising force behind the creation of one of the first museums in the country dedicated to the needs and interests of children. A quarter of a century after its creation, the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum continues to provide enriching experiences through its interactive replica of a functioning town, complete with opportunities for children to engage in pretend play as doctors, firefighters, government officials, and many other professions.