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Today's Featured Biography

 
James Weith

You might remember me as the shortest kid in the class. The rest of you just had your growth spurts too early. I was 5' 1/2" at graduation. By the end of my freshman year at CU I was 5' 8", and nearly reached 6' by the end of my sophmore year. Was nicknamed the Road Runner. Never figured out if that was an endearing name or not.

Graduated from CU in 1964 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a commission as a reserve officer in the US Navy. Served two years active duty, and then ski bummed in Aspen the spring of 1967 before going to work for Universal Oil Products, a petroleum refining engineering/design firm in Chicago. Met my bride in Denver in 1967, and we married in early 1968. She also was a CU grad, but was from Colorado Springs. UOP sent us around the World for the next four years to start up processing units in various refineries. We spent on average four to six months each in Alberta, Montana, Wales, Argentina, Denmark, Spain, Northern Italy, Sardania, South Korea and Japan. Lived off the economy in all of these locations. It was a challenge learning enough of the languages to get by.

UOP brought us back to the office in Chicago when our World tour was over. We hated it so much we opted to move to Montreal. Chicago was just not Denver, but Montreal was even worse. Left Montreal after four years for a job with a new employer in Farmington, New Mexico. Lived there for five years, and then got the call to go to Venezuela. Voni was an Army Brat, and was always ready to move. Stayed in Venezuela for a year, and then landed a job at the Unocal Shale Oil Project in what was then Grand Mesa, Colorado. Got to live 59 miles from Aspen Highlands for ten years, and really loved Western Colorado. Supervised the operation of the Retort, and oversaw the production of two million barrels of Syncrude from Colorado Oil Shale the last three years before Unocal shut the project down.

Unocal moved us to Mission Viejo in Southern California after that. Figured we'd only be there a year, and wound up staying thirteen. Did get an MBA in Finance and an MSBA in Organization and Management from USC while there. Have a couple of articles on Management published in Chemical Engineering Progress. Established Practical Enginuity in 2001 to provide engineering services to the petroleum refining industry.

Escaped California for Arizona in 2004, so Voni could be closer to her parents. I would have opted for Western Colorado, but Voni did not want to go back to snow country. I am semi retired, but still provide services to the petroleum refining industry from time to time.

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