O U R TOW N
PHOTO BY MICHAEL LOPEZ
People & Community
A gathering place of leaders Petroleum Club of Bakersfield celebrates 64 years of commitment to excellence Petroleum Club President Dave Plivelich poses for a portrait inside the dining area of the club.
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By Gabriel Ramirez
T
his year, the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield will celebrate 64 years of existence and it will poise itself for the next 64 years with the launch of the Chairman’s Circle of Leadership Honor Wall. The wall will include the names of individuals and business that are lead-
Bakersfield Life Magazine
April 2016
ers in the community from past generations to today’s up-and-comers. Formed in 1952 and incorporated in 1953 by founding board members; George L. Bradford, landman and real estate developer; W. D. Kleinpell, petroleum geologist; John H. Beach; Everett W. Pease, geologist; and Thomas J. Fitzgerald, geologist, engineer with Gene Reid Drilling and the club’s first
president, the Petroleum Club’s primary purpose has been to aid in the association and fellowship of men connected with the petroleum industry and to encourage and sponsor new ideas, which would benefit the oil industry as a whole. The Petroleum Club had its initial meetings at the Bakersfield Inn, then moved to the Elk’s Lodge in the ’60s, to the Bell
Tower facility in the ’80s and, in 2003, it moved to the current location on the 12th story of the Stockdale Tower. “The club has evolved and expanded their membership by including business and industries that support not only the oil industry but the entire business community,” said Dave Plivelich, president of the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield. “Over