Eugene McDermott

Eugene McDermott (February 12, 1899 – August 23, 1973) was an American engineer and geophysicist who co-founded Geophysical Service Incorporated (GSI) in 1930 and later its parent company Texas Instruments in 1951. One of his most widely acclaimed early patented inventions enabled oil exploration equipment that used reflection seismographs to map underground rock strata using sound wave technology, a method still widely used today in oil exploration. Other inventions ranged from geochemical applications to antisubmarine warfare, often focusing on the use of sonar.

Early life and career Born in Brooklyn, New York, McDermott graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1919 with a mechanical engineering degree. Upon graduation, he began working for the Goodyear Rubber Company. In 1923, McDermott found work with Western Electric Company where he first met J. Clarence Karcher. Earlier, Everette Lee DeGolyer, vice president and general manager of Amerada Petroleum Corporation, had learned of Karcher's 1921 experiments with the seismograph and held a meeting with Karcher that resulted in the creation of Geophysical Research Corporation (GRC) of Tulsa, where Karcher was made vice president. GRC was created as a subsidiary of Amerada Oil, of which DeGolyer was a board member and rose to the office of President. Karcher and McDermott launched Geophysical Service Incorporated, a pioneering provider of seismic exploration services to the petroleum industry with Karcher as president and McDermott as vice-president. McDermott's early work in petroleum exploration led to multiple papers and five patents. During the first year of operation, McDermott hired Cecil H. Green. These two would have a lasting relationship for the next 43 years.

In 1939, the company reorganized as Coronado Corp., an oil company with Geophysical Service Inc (GSI), now as a subsidiary. On December 6, 1941, McDermott along with three other GSI employees, J. Erik Jonsson, Cecil H. Green, and H.B. Peacock purchased GSI. During World War II, GSI built electronics for the United States Army Signal Corps and the Navy. After the war, GSI continued to produce electronics. The rugged nature of oil equipment proved particularly suitable for use in the military which required durability in their instruments, so the military become a ready market for the company's products. In November 1945, Patrick E. Haggerty joined GSI.

The couple gifted Fredericksburg, Texas with a home for the county's Pioneer Memorial Library by restoring the 1882 Gillespie County Courthouse.

McDermott was actively involved in the arts, on the Boards of the Dallas Public Library, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and aided in the conception of the Margo Jones Theatre, an early experiment in theatre in the round.

The annual Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts was created at MIT in 1974, and carries a $100,000 stipend . The Award celebrates individuals whose artistic trajectory reveals that they will achieve the highest distinction in their fields and continue to produce inspiring work for many years to come. The stipend represents an investment in the recipient's future creative work, rather than a prize for a particular project or lifetime of achievement. The awardee becomes an artist in residence at MIT, studying and teaching for a period of time.

He died at his home in Dallas on August 23, 1973, after an illness of several months. He was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas after services were held at Dallas's Highland Park Methodist Church.