Through decades of working for oil and gas companies and starting a few that bore his name, William “Bill” J. Barrett always thought of himself as a wildcatter, a person who strikes out in search of the next promising play.

Barrett’s death on Sept. 16 “kind of represents an end of an era, where the objective was to explore and find new fields,” said his son, Joe Barrett.

Barrett died at his Denver home from complications of a stroke. He was 96.

Originally from Topeka, Kansas, Barrett served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and earned a master’s degree in geology from Kansas State University. His first energy job was with El Paso Natural Gas Co. in Utah and New Mexico, where he was a stratigrapher. He analyzed the geology to guide exploration.

Barrett went on to work with Amoco Co

See Full Page