- Date Of Death: July 15, 2019
- State: New Mexico
William Joseph Murchison, (Bill) was born in Jackson, TN Wednesday, April 29, 1931. He graduated from Malesus High School in 1947 and Lambuth College in 1951. Bill was employed by Baroid National Lead Company and later Magcobar Dresser Industries. His work area included South Louisiana and Texas. While employed by Dresser Industries and working as a Staff Engineer in Houston, he developed a product called Spersene XP-20 which is still used in controlling drilling fluids today. Bill was sent by his company to Iran in 1962 to solve a drilling problem. This project required a longer time than was originally estimated and ended up with working directly for the Oil Consortium until 1977. During this time he served as a drilling engineer, drilling superintendent, drilling supervisor and lastly was asked to set up a training department. He wrote the training manuals and conducted classes in Drilling and Well Control. His children grew up in Iran until high school and then attended boarding schools back home in the USA. Bill volunteered in many community projects, i.e. revived a nine hole golf course that had one time earlier been developed by a group of British employees, raised money from contract companies to build a gymnasium for the international School in the south in the later years of his stay, built an entire softball field and raised funds to put grass on nine holes of a desert golf course complete with irrigation system, taught golf lessons to children and organized tournaments for them. Upon returning home and upon the recommendation of major oil companies, he and his wife, Anna Laura moved to Albuquerque, NM and started a training company, Murchison Drilling Schools, Inc. His company is still in operation and his son, Bill Jr. is President and CEO.
Bill is survived by his wife, Anna Laura Palmer Murchison; daughters, Sandra (Rick), Della (Jim), William J. Murchison Jr. (Karen), Molly (Scott); grandchildren, Anne Marie, Brian, Richard, Mark Wade, Jeannie, Grace, Kevin, Jennifer, Amy, Bill III, Laura, Sarah, David, Julie, Kathleen, Joanna, Chad, Benjamin, Christian, and Sean; plus twenty-four great-grandchildren. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Turner and Rebecca Murchison, Jean Murchison Paschall, John Turner Murchison, and Rebecca Murchison McWherter. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Turner and Rebecca Murchison, Jean Murchison Paschall, John Turner Murchison, and Rebecca Murchison McWherter.
Bill is a member of Lodge 45, F. & A.M. in Jackson, TN, Malta Commandery No. 12 Knights Templar, Lake Charles, LA, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Santa Fe Lodge of Perfection, Santa Fe, NM, Ballut Abyad Temple, NM Shriners. Bill grew up in the Malesus Methodist Church in Malesus, TN, and has been a member of St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, NM since 1977 where he served in various chair positions.
