George Hickox Jr. Selected As Texas A&M Foundation Trustee
George K. Hickox Jr., a Philadelphia-based oil investor who holds two degrees from Texas A&M University, will begin serving on the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees on July 1. The Texas A&M Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that raises money to support academics and student leadership programs at the university.
Since 1991 Hickox has been a principal 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.
Hickox served as chairman of the board and CEO of The Wiser Oil Co. from 2000 to 2004, when it was sold. Previously he worked in investment banking for Butcher & Co. in Philadelphia and Copeland, Wickersham, Wiley & Co. in Houston.
He established the endowed George K. Hickox Jr. Professorship in Petroleum Engineering through the Texas A&M Foundation and currently serves on the Industry Board of Texas A&M University’s Department of Petroleum Engineering.
“I enjoy talking to other alumni about endowing the needs of the department,” said Hickox, a resident of Villanova, Pa. “It is a great way for me to connect with old friends and get back to campus a few times a year. When I talk to Aggies, I mention the needs of the university and the special pleasure I get from giving back, both in time and treasure.”
After receiving his bachelor’s degrees in geology and petroleum engineering at Texas A&M, Hickox earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston in 1985. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Hickox succeeds Bob Surovik, president of McMahon Surovik Suttle law firm in Abilene, on the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees. As Surovik rotated off the board, he also finished serving as its chairman. The new chairman is John Bethancourt, who in June retired from Chevron Corp., where he was an executive vice president.
Seven trustees, each serving seven-year terms with one newcomer appointed each year for continuity, govern the Texas A&M Foundation, which leads Operation Spirit and Mind, an initiative raising $300 million for Aggie scholarships and fellowships. Details about the Texas A&M Foundation and Operation Spirit and Mind are available at giving.tamu.edu.
Media contact: Mary Vinnedge, Texas A&M Foundation.
