George K. Hickox Jr., '81, received the Dwight Look College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Honor Award on April 3 for his “distinguished career and leadership within the oil and gas industry; for his continued support of Texas A&M University through his service to the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, the Dwight Look College of Engineering and Texas A&M Foundation; for his commitment to education through numerous contributions to Texas A&M University.” Hickox is shown in the photo (standing) with his parents Virginia and George Sr.
The Outstanding Alumni Honor Award was established in 1981 to recognize engineering graduates of Texas A&M University who have brought honor to their profession by outstanding leadership in engineering activities, by enhancing the professional development of engineers, or by their creativity or ingenuity in the field of engineering.
"Congratulations to George on becoming the latest petroleum engineering alumnus to be named one of the outstanding alumni of the College of Engineering,” said Dan Hill, head of the department of petroleum engineering.
Committed to higher education, Hickox currently serves on the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees. The Texas A&M Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that raises money to support academics and student leadership programs at the university. Prior to this, he served as an advisory member to the Texas A&M Foundation’s Investment Committee and was a member of the Industry Board of Texas A&M University’s Department of Petroleum Engineering for many years. Hickox also established the endowed George K. Hickox Jr. Professorship in Petroleum Engineering through the Texas A&M Foundation a few years ago. He was inducted into the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Graduates in September 2011.
After receiving bachelor’s degrees with honors in geology and petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University in 1980 and 1981, Hickox earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston in 1985. Since 1991 he has been a general partner of Philadelphia-based Heller Hickox & Co., a partnership that invests in and sponsors oil- and gas-related transactions such as restructurings, recapitalizations and acquisitions of producing properties, pipelines, gathering systems and oil field service companies. From his graduation from Texas A&M in 1981 until now, Hickox has filled such positions as drilling and production engineer for an oil and gas corporation, assistant vice president in an energy lending group for a banking firm, and worked in investment banking and energy finance until he formed his present partnership. He presently serves as a director and officer of several private oil and gas and oilfield service companies.
He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.