John Amoruso, a longtime, legendary giant of both AAPG and the AAPG Foundation, has stepped down from his position as a Foundation trustee after having served in that capacity for more than three decades.
Trustee chair Jim Gibbs praised Amoruso for his dedication and leadership and said the Foundation does not have enough words to thank him for his service.
His resignation came at the official end of his term on June 30.
Amoruso, who served as AAPG president in 1983-84 and was named an Honorary Member in 1987, began his involvement with Foundation in 1984 when he accepted an invitation from Jim Wilson and then-executive director Fred Dix to join the Trustee Associates, a distinguished group of donors that support the Foundation's mission through fundraising and counsel.
In 1986, when the AAPG Foundation became an Oklahoma non-profit corporation, Amoruso was appointed a Trustee and became one of the original members of the Members of the Corporation. He served as the secretary until 1999, when he was elected vice-chair, a position he held until he stepped down.
During his time on the board, Amoruso saw the Foundation's assets grow from $5.4 million to more than $47 million today.
During those years he also took a leadership role in the capital campaign (2005-12) by becoming one of the team leaders who actively solicited new Trustee Associates and donors while promoting the Foundation's mission. The Foundation achieved substantial growth during this campaign, which has enabled the Foundation to fund programs and projects that have relevance in sharing and teaching the science to generations of future geoscientists around the world.
Amoruso was awarded AAPG's Michel T. Halbouty Outstanding Leadership award in 2007, given in recognition of outstanding and exceptional leadership in the petroleum geosciences – an honor that speaks volumes about his character and dedication to his career and science.
He also has taken an active role in shaping AAPG and the Foundation by giving selflessly of his time with service on numerous committees throughout both organizations. As he has himself said, as a member of these organizations it was his duty and honor to do so.
For example, Amoruso demonstrated his passion for sharing knowledge and preserving history through publications by generously supporting the Foundation's special publications fund – so much, in fact, that in 2013 the Foundation renamed this fund the "Amoruso Special Publications Fund.” This endowed fund is used to provide grants to assist with publications cost for special projects.
He has been an important part of the Foundation – and although he will be missed, his strong example and influence remain part of the Foundation's story as it begins its next 50 years.
The AAPG Foundation would like to thank Camile for sharing her husband with us.
The current AAPG Foundation Board of Trustees is:
- Jim Gibbs, chairman.
- Ray Thomasson, vice chair.
- Lee Backsen, treasurer.
- David Worthington, secretary.
- Larry Jones.
- Mike Wisda (beginning his term).
Also,Ted Beaumont was elected to be a Member of the Corporation.
To learn more about the AAPG Foundation and its activities, please review the 2016 Annual Report found at foundation.aapg.org.