Great Bend Desk and Derrick Club will host the 2024 Central Region Meeting, April 25-27. Events will include: Industry field trips, Friday evening members gathering, Saturday business meeting, Saturday industry Luncheon with industry speaker Warren Martin, executive director of Kansas Strong, and the Saturday evening banquet.
The Great Bend Desk and Derrick Club was formed in 1996 and has been involved with a number of community activities throughout the years. They hold monthly meetings the first Thursday of every month. Meetings are open to anyone who would like to learn more about the energy industries.
Regional meetings are held in the spring of each year with a different host club and location each year, and the Association of Desk and Derrick Club International Conventions are held in the fall with different host clubs and different locations, which include the United States and Canada.
In 1949, Inez Awty Schaeffer suggested the idea of a personal gather meeting and the idea become a reality with 79 women from 19 oil companies attending a meeting which was a huge success. Twelve women that attended the meeting, representing major oil companies, independent oil producers, oil service companies and consultants, became the charter members and the board of directors. The first meeting was June 9, 1949, at the La Louisianne Restaurant with 200 attendees. The name “Desk and Derrick” was suggested and agreed upon.
In 1981, the Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs had 115 clubs and 11,631 members. The Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs National Convention was held in Los Angeles, Calif., with 105 clubs represented and 1,174 attendees. In 1982, the Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs reached its highest membership in history, having 123 clubs and 12,750 members, the Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs National Convention was held in Fort Worth, Texas with 116 clubs represented and 1,297 attendees.
Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was the featured guest at the Desk and Derrick Club, “Salute to Industry Banquet”, in Casper, Wyo.
The Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs (ADDC), an international non-profit organization, is a premier provider of energy education and professional development. ADDC’s purpose shall be to promote the education and professional development of individuals employed in or affiliated with the petroleum, energy, and allied industries, and to educate the general public about these industries as well as the companies and global communities the members serve.
Their mission is to enhance and foster a positive image to the global community by promoting the contribution of the petroleum, energy, and allied industries through education by using all resources available.
