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User:Doreenamini/Elizabeth “Betsy” Bartow Campen

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Portrait sketch of Elizabeth "Betsy" Bartow Campen.

Elizabeth Bartow Campen, known to friends and family as ‘Betsy’ was born in 1936 in Massachusetts.[1] She lived a relatively active life until she passed away in her home in South Carolina on June 24, 2022.[1] Campen could always be found engaging in physical and mental activity and took a particular interest in educating about the oil and gas industry.[1]

Personal life[edit]

While Campen carried out her education at Smith College, she lived on campus with roughly 70 other students in the Gillet House.[2] Campen recalled her time at Smith fondly, noting that she became acquainted with many good friends and lived her life to the fullest.[2] Following her professors’ claims that she had no future in the oil business, and being a woman, she took on a second ambition– to move west and indulge in the great outdoors, along with ranching and family life.[1] After marrying Paul, the two moved to Montana where they became farmers and operated their homestead for the next 17 years. Elizabeth and Paul had 3 kids together who grew up on the ranch; a set of twin boys named Chris and Gordy and a daughter named Wendy.[1] The ranch provided Betsy with many diverse methods of entertainment for her children, utilizing her knowledge of the rocks and strata within their ranch to her advantage.[1] By the time the kids had grown up and left the house, Campen divorced Paul and moved to Billings, Montana.[1] Finally being on her own, she pursued admittance to a career she had longed for, a career in geology.[1] Betsy was ambitious and determined, and eventually made her way into petroleum exploration.[1] As she achieved this during a time when women were rarely permitted in the industry, this proved her perseverance.[1] Once given this opportunity, she skillfully chose mentors and developed a particular interest in prospecting for oil and gas.[1]

Attaining a membership within the Montana Geological Society (MGS), her admission was another impressive accomplishment of hers, as she was the only woman in the group at the time of her admittance.[1] Her time within the MGS exposed her to many new possibilities, including friendships, professional growth opportunities, networking, and a diversity of social activities.[1] Betsy was determined to pay forward all the help she received within the MGS, thus resulting in her participation in various committees.[1] Another result of her notorious ambition included landing a position within the society as an officer, which she then worked her way up to ultimately landing the position of president.[1]

She later married petroleum engineer Ted Campen.[1] Combining their knowledge of geology and engineering tactics, they pursued launching their own exploration company following his retirement from Schlumberger.[1] Combining their skills permitted their further success in developing a large coal-bed methane play in Montana.[1] This was a particularly significant accomplishment as it was achieved during a period of great demand for coal fuel.[1]

Education[edit]

Campen attended Winsor School, a private girls’ school in Boston. She then attended the all-girls college, Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.[1] Campen chose to major in Geology, due to her love of mountains[2] and graduated in 1958 with an undergraduate degree in Geology.[1] After having gone through four years of college, Campen made the decision not to attend graduate school because of a comment made by her academic advisor, informing her that women did not typically obtain employment in the field of geology.[2] Upon the start of her employment as a geotech, Campen took part in studying additional required classes, and expressed enjoyment in being intellectually stimulated, even following her graduation.[2]

Work and Achievements in Geology and Science[edit]

Campen was known for her involvement in initiatives for youth in science in addition to chairing section meetings.[1] She dedicated much of her time to committees such as the Youth Activities Public Outreach and the GeoTours.[1] From 2008-2009 she was the chair of the Energy Minerals Division (EMD) and she was on the EMD executive committee for 4 years.[1] During this time she received their Distinguished Service Award in 1997.[1] In the same year, she became the secretary of the association and served on the Executive Committee for 2 years.[1] In addition to serving on the EMD, she also served on the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Advisory Council from 2001-2003 wherein she received the AAPG Distinguished Service Award in 2001.[1] She went on to become an honorary member of the AAPG in 2009.[1] In 1989, she served as president of the Rocky Mountain Section of the AAPG.[1] She contributed an article to the book Hydrocarbon Exploration Techniques in the Greybull Sandstone, Northern Bighorn Basin: in Geology of the Beartooth Uplift and adjacent basin.[3] Additionally, she was an active member of the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association wherein she was awarded the Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Staff, Aapg (2023). "Memorial: Betsy Bartow Campen (1936-2022)". AAPG Bulletin. 107 (03): 537–538.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Smith College Alumnae Oral History Project: Elizabeth Campen, Class of 1958" (PDF). Smith College Archieves.
  3. ^ "Hydrocarbon Exploration Techniques in the Greybull Sandstone, Northern Bighorn Basin". AAPG Datapages: 225–232.
  4. ^ "Rocky Mountain Section- AAPG- Awards and Award Winners" (PDF).
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