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BOLIVAR, N.Y. — Two from Bradford will be among six men to be inducted into the New York State Oil Producers’ Association Wall of Fame, located at the Pioneer Oil Museum in Bolivar, on June 23.
Honored will be the late Bill Cline and Al Fenner as well as the late Bob Benson, Bob Keller, Dave Hollister and David Haskins — each for making significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania.
The public is invited to the attend the ceremony, which begins at 6 p.m. with the inductions, followed by a wine and cheese tasting. Tickets for the wine tasting are $20 and may be purchased at the Pioneer Oil Museum’s Main Street site, the Bolivar Free Library, via mail, or the night of the event.
BILL CLINE (1925-2020)
Cline, a lifelong Bradford resident, served in World War II in the Pacific Theater aboard the destroyer tender USS Hamul. Upon returning home, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of having his own oil production company (Cline Oil Inc.), a job that he carried on until his death.
An advocate of the small oil producer, he served as president of the Bradford District Pennsylvania Oil Producers’ Association. He remained an active member of its successor organization, Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Independent Petroleum Producers (PIPP) for almost 40 years.
Interested in educating local youth, he was instrumental in forming the original Petroleum Production Training class at Bradford Area High School in the 1970s, and he helped write the curriculum for that course.
Cline received numerous awards over the years for his years of service to the industry. In 2012, PIPP recognized him and his wife Joyce for their many years of leadership. In 2014, he received the Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award from the Petroleum History Institute, the highlight of his career.
AL FENNER (1914-1972)
Fenner was a graduate of Bradford (Pa.) High School. He was employed as a nitroglycerin “shooter” for many years in the Bolivar area. He worked for the Otto Torpedo Company of Bolivar and Duke Center, Pa., for some 25 years as well as for the Bolwell Torpedo Company shooting wells in many areas of Western New York.
Jenner was a member and past master of the Macedonia Lodge #258, F&AM, in Bolivar, and a justice of the peace for a time for the Town of Bolivar. He was involved in numerous local children’s organizations including team manager and president of the local Little League and a leader for the Boy Scouts. He was a gifted softball pitcher for the Bolivar men’s team and he was a fine bowler who placed fourth in the New York state doubles tournament in 1954.
BOB KELLER (1893-1980)
A veteran of World War I, among the battles Keller fought in was the Argonne Forest. He spent his entire life in the oil business starting as a youth “running tower.” In 1923, he became partners with Bill Hughes of Bolivar and Nat Hill of Portville. They purchased the Waid Oil Company located on Daggett Hollow, later changing the name to the Hill, Hughes, and Keller Oil Company.
They started the pressure plant on that lease on Dec. 23, 1923, and it ran 24/7 for 365 days a year thereafter until Keller cut back his work hours when he was 84 years old.
He operated the Keller family lease on Daggett Hollow near West Clarksville. In the 1950s, he bought the Gowdy Lease on Ford’s Brook with Sepp Hendrix. Late in his career at age 84, he was still pulling tubing with a 1938 red International Caterpillar tractor.
DAVE HOLLISTER (1952-1997)
Dave (“Red Beard”) Hollister lived his entire life in Bolivar, graduating from Bolivar Central School in 1971. He was a well-known and life-long oil producer in this area he was employed as an independent oil field contractor for many years.
He was the owner/producer of a number of small oil companies including Moore Producing, Inc. on Salt Rising Road, CHW Oil and Gas on Daggett Hollow, Empty Tank Oil, and Hopewell Oil Company.
DAVID HASKINS (1924-2020)
A Wellsville High School graduate, Haskins attended Columbia University before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Forces, serving in Europe in World War II. He began his career in the oil business working for his father at Custer Oil Company in Wellsville, which had leases and production in nearby Allentown. He also had positions with Wellsville-based Haskins Oil Company and Ebenezer Oil Company.
His contributions to the oil and gas industry extended beyond New York state as Ebenezer branched out into other states such as Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, as well as into Canada. While working for Ebenezer, he worked as foreman where he oversaw drilling and production operations on various Alma Hill and Whitesville leases and for the McEbenwood lease in Andover.
Haskins was a member of the board of directors and held positions of secretary/treasurer and vice president for Ebenezer. He was instrumental in an experimental program known as Maraflood. The Marathon Oil Company of Ohio utilized Ebenezer properties in nearby Allentown as a location to experiment their new program for water flooding.
He was a member, director, and officer of the New York State Oil Producers’ Association (NYSOPA) as well as a life member of the Penn Grade Crude Oil Association. In 1991, he was honored by NYSOPA by receiving their “chairman emeritus” honor. Haskins was a First Trust Company Bank director, a David A. Howe Library director and he was also elected to the Allegany County Legislature.
BOB BENSON (1927-2022)
Benson attended Bolivar High School before dropping out at age 17 to join the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II. He was later drafted into the U.S. Army, serving during the Korean War. He was employed for many years by Joyce Western in Andover as a superintendent.
Eventually he began a long career as an independent oil and gas producer, a position at which he worked through the end of his life. He was a longtime member and had served on the board of the NYSOPA.
The NYSOPA organized this Wall of Fame in 2005 to honor those individuals who had been involved with the local oil/gas industry anywhere from the late 1800s to the present day. There are 64 names on the Wall of Fame, all honored posthumously.
NYSOPA works in combination with the Pioneer Oil Museum, which compiles research on the honorees, displays the plaques, and provides the setting for the event.
Bronze plaques with the inductees’ photos will be placed on a wall in the museum. During the ceremony, family members will be provided time to speak about their loved ones.
