Lloyd G. Jackson
Lloyd Jackson was born May 30, 1918, in the oil fields of Lincoln County, West Virginia, in the boom town of Yawkey. Lloyd's grandfather, Richard Jackson, was a rig builder in the oil fields of Oklahoma and Kansas near the turn of the century, and Lloyd's father, Guy, served as a farm boss for the South Penn Oil Company prior to being fired for his involvement in Democratic politics in what then was a Republican Lincoln County. Guy and his wife Ella then moved their family to the county seat of Hamlin in 1923, where he started his own drilling business and where the Jackson family has resided to this day.
Lloyd was educated in the public schools of Lincoln County and worked in the gas fields of southern West Virginia in the family oil and gas business prior to enlisting in the Army in 1941, just before the outbreak of World War II. He served as a member of the 150th Infantry and was stationed in Panama. He rose to the level of Master Sergeant before his discharge in 1945.
Upon his return to Hamlin, Lloyd took control of and began expanding the family business. His early operations involved the use of Number 2 National and Ideco machines, eventually evolving into spudders. At the peak of the drilling business in the late 50's and early 60's, he operated up to 13 rigs and employed over 50 men in the field, not to mention his office staff. His activities ranged from McDowell County to Jackson County, and from Wayne County to Nicholas County in West Virginia, and also included operations in Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.
As the era of the spudder ended, Lloyd shifted his operations to the well service business, known as Lloyd Jackson Well Service, Inc. His business included service rigs, power tongs, excavation and other equipment, and ranged from well completion and plugging to building and reclaiming locations. Lloyd estimates that he has drilled at least 500 wells in his lifetime, plugged nearly as many, and been involved in the completion of hundreds more. He has worked for every major producer in West Virginia and the surrounding areas, and still enjoys good working relations with all of them.
In 2004, Lloyd sold his well service business to Joe Pettey, which now is operated as Pettey Oilfield Services, Inc. Lloyd and his son, Lloyd II, still own and operate their natural gas production business. Their various businesses own over 200 wells and operate many others for various producers in southern West Virginia.
Lloyd was honored as the 1997 West Virginia Oil and Gas Man of the Year at the West Virginia Oil and Gas Festival at Sistersville, West Virginia. And he also received the Distinguished West Virginian award in 1997 from Governor Cecil Underwood, who Lloyd served with in the Legislature in the 1950's.
Politics has been a passion for Lloyd and his family as well. After his return from the army, Lloyd was elected to the State Senate in 1946. He served 6 terms as a Senator from the 7th District, representing Boone, Lincoln and Logan Counties for 24 years. During his tenure in the Senate he rose to the position of Senate President in 1968, making him only a heartbeat away from the Governor's office. Lloyd always was active in national legislative organizations including the National Council of State Legislatures and the Council on State Government, where he served as national chairman in the mid-sixties.
Lloyd was a board member of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association for many years. He was a faithful member who rarely missed a meeting and who always contributed both his practical and political experience to the deliberations of the board.
Lloyd was married in 1948 to Pauline Adkins Jackson, whose family also was involved in the oil and gas business. Pauline's father, Dick Adkins, operated a business which built locations and pipelines and moved rigs in the days of the old national machines. Until the 50's and the advent of the four-wheel drive and the wide use of the bulldozer, Dick moved rigs with teams of horses. He eventually switched over to trucks and ultimately sold his franchise upon retirement.
Lloyd and Pauline have two children, Suzanne and Lloyd II, and two grandchildren, L.G. III, and Ryan. All of the Jacksons, except Suzanne, still reside in Hamlin where Lloyd and his son Lloyd II, run the natural gas production businesses.
Lloyd is a faithful member of the Central United Methodist Church of Hamlin, where he serves on the Board of Trustees. He is life member of Masonic Lodge #79 of Hamlin, a life member of Huntington Elk Lodge #313, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a life member of the American Legion. Lloyd also is a member of the Beni Kedem Shrine Temple of Charleston, a 32nd degree Scottish Right Mason, and a member of the Royal Order of Jesters.
|
|
|
