Long-Time Board Member David Williams Shares His Experience & Passion for Spindletop
“I first heard about the Spindletop Golf Tournament in the early 80’s, but I wasn’t able to play until the early 90’s, after we moved back from New Orleans. It was played at Old Orchard in those days and was considered to be THE oilfield event of the year! It included a Pro-Am then and was a 3- or 4-day extravaganza! As I recall, it would generally kick off on Wednesday evening, the night before the pro-am with playing partners getting dinner, drinks, or both, and it would run almost continuously through the Saturday evening party. We would get to the course early and stay late because everyone who was involved in the drilling business, primarily offshore, was there. Playing in Spindletop was a privilege where only decision makers were invited, and every customer in town was there. You could see everyone in the business in those three days, both on the operating side and the service side. It was awesome!
About that same time, I started attending the Spindletop Holiday Ball. It, too, was a premier industry event and was a place to see the entire industry hierarchy in one night. You would see your customers, competitors and friends all in the same place, at the same time. The Holiday Ball had the same “feel” as the golf tournament, and once you had attended, it became one of those events you looked forward to, planned around and wouldn’t miss. I’ve flown in on international flights to attend the Ball the night I arrived: it was that important and fun! We would arrive early, play hard and stay late. The dance floor would be packed until after midnight, and many people would stay in the hotel that night rather than venture home.
It was at the Holiday Ball where I learned Spindletop was not not just an industry networking platform, but had a vitally important mission. We were asked to bring toys to the ball and met some of the kids we served. There was always a presentation about the mission, our projects and the many different organizations Spindletop supported. In time I was able to attend some of the site visits and see first-hand the role we filled in our community, and I came to know that while the golf and the ball were exciting and fun, they were really only there to drive the mission.
Spindletop has touched so many lives in our area over the past 50 years it’s really hard to comprehend the impact – Be an Angel, Brookwood, YES Prep, The Children’s Assessment Center, Crime Stoppers, YMCA, Casa de Esperanza, The Center for Hearing and Speech and so many other great organizations that serve our community rely on Spindletop to support their mission in our area. Through getting to know these organizations and so many others like them, my wife Sue and I have come to view Spindletop as a formidable community partner and a vital force in our area. We personally support Spindletop with our time and money every year and will continue to do so.
Spindletop has a great track record of supporting our community and working with our partners, but I’m most excited about our future. The level of engagement and commitment from our Emerging Leader Steering Committee is absolutely inspiring, and it shows me the future of our industry and community are in good hands! Their ability to build a coalition and respond to a need is fantastic, and while I hope Spindletop will continue to raise money to support our many partners, I believe this model of hands-on volunteerism is a much more impactful and rewarding way to support our mission. It’s an effective working group of young industry people who share the Spindletop vision, want to make a difference and aren’t afraid to get involved. Spindletop’s future has never been brighter!”
Spindletop sends its sincere thanks to David Williams for his ongoing support, leadership and vision for our organization. We are honored to have you as part of the Spindletop family!
