Sarkeys Energy Center - University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK
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Max and 99
N 35° 12.592 W 097° 26.478
14S E 641875 N 3897429
Sarkeys Energy Center, the tallest building on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. It is named after Lebanon native S.J. Sarkeys, a pioneer in the Oklahoma oil industry.
Waymark Code: WMA556
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 11/18/2010
Views: 5
Sarkeys Energy Center is the tallest building on the OU campus, and located on the far northeast corner, at Boyd and Jenkins. There are two historical markers near the southwest corner of this 13-story building. The south side has an absolutely beautiful courtyard with a large black wall fountain, statue of oil pioneer Curtis W. Mewbourne, a dedicated bench, and solar roof windows for the underground level laboratories.
Sarkeys Energy Center
In 1981, University officials and prominent O.U. alumni in the energy industry came together to create what would become the Sarkeys Energy Center. Begun in 1982 and completed in 1990, the center was built to provide a value-added dimension to the University's nationally prominent energy-related programs. The Center has come to symbolize the University's preeminence internationally in energy-related research and education. This leadership role has continued to grow with the establishment of several interdisciplinary research institutes within the Center in 1994.
The institutes in the Energy Center continue to build on the O.U. tradition of excellence in the energy-related fields. The O.U. School of Petroleum Geology was the first school of its type in the world when it was founded in 1900 by Charles Newton Gould. He believed that knowledge of geology would be instrumental in locating oil reserves. While his theory is universally accepted today, it was not widely practiced by the oil industry until the 1920's. The school's graduates outnumber those from any comparable institution in the world, and have had enormous influence in the energy field not only in the United States but in many other nations.
A partnership of state, federal, and private funding sources provided the $50 million to construct the Center, making it the largest construction project ever undertaken in Oklahoma Higher Education at that time.
Its 200 teaching and research laboratories plunge two levels beneath the ground, while its tower rises 13 stories, making the Energy Center the University's tallest structure. The majority of the Center's 347,000 square feet are occupied by academic units of the College of Geosciences and The College of Engineering. It is one of the largest university laboratory centers in the United States.
The Center was named in honor of S.J. Sarkeys, a pioneer in the Oklahoma oil industry. Born and raised in Lebanon, Mr. Sarkeys came to the United States at the turn of the century. Once in Oklahoma, his interest in geology grew and he founded Sarkeys Foundation in 1962 with the intent of giving back to the state and providing opportunities for future generations.
In 1990, the Sarkeys Foundation donated $3.3 million to complete private funding for construction of the Energy Center. The building carries the name "Sarkeys" to commemorate the gift and memory of S.J. Sarkeys and his vision of excellence in the energy industry.
Today the Sarkeys Energy Center symbolizes the University's historic leadership in energy research and education and asserts its commitment to maintain that international leadership throughout the 21st century.
County: Cleveland
Record Address::
University of Oklahoma
Boyd and Jenkins, SE corner
Norman, OK U.S.A.
73019
Rate the Site: 
Sponsor (Who put it there): University of Oklahoma
Web site if available: Not listed
Date Erected: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:1 - Must visit the site in person.
2 - New Photo required.
3 - Give some new insight to the marker/site.