Charles E. Kolodzey (1914-2009). "Texas Oil Industry engineer who designed and constructed the first offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. From his obituary: Charles Edwin Kolodzey, engineer, died the morning of February 3, 2009 at the age of 95. Charles was born in Yorktown, Texas and attended St. Edward's University in Austin and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1936. He enrolled in graduate school at the University of Texas, but his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. Charles served in the U.S. Navy during the war and saw action in the Pacific. After the war, Charles returned to U.T. and completed a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1946. He was involved in the design and construction of offshore oil platforms, including the first deep water operation in the Gulf of Mexico. The author worked for Humble Oil for over 45 years in the design, and left a $1.5 million endowment to the University of Texas at Austin, including the Charles Edwin Kolodzey Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Engineering." (This information was provided by the seller of the Kolodzey diaries)
