Charles E. Spahr

Charles Spahr was honored for his leadership of the Standard Oil Company (Ohio) and for his efforts in opening Alaska's North Slope oil reserves to the U.S.  As chairman and CEO of the company, he negotiated a merger with British Petroleum (BP) and headed the American Petroleum Institute during the Arab oil embargo of the early 1970s. The KU School of Engineering awarded him the Distinguished Engineering Service Award in 1980.