Hubert S. Barger
Hubert S. Barger was born November 10, 1913, the eldest of five
children. He grew up on a farm in Southeast Missouri.
When he was fourteen, his father, a teacher and farmer from Stoddard
County, Missouri, died leaving him to care for his mother and four
younger siblings. After high school graduation, he managed and
worked at a mercantile store before enrolling in the Missouri School
of Mines and Metallurgy. He married the former Miss Amalie L.
Ford, March 18, 1938. Mr. Barger has three daughters, four
granddaughters, five great granddaughters, and finally, after all of
those girls, a great grandson.
In 1939, Mr. Barger graduated with a degree in Petroleum Engineer from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. After graduation, he went to work for the US Army Corp of Engineers in Southeast Missouri. After a few months, he headed to Evansville to visit with the major oil companies. Unfortunately for him and especially for the oil companies, “they didn’t realize they needed him”. In February, 1940, he began his oilfield career in Centralia, Illinois working as roustabout, a teamster (the real kind), and a truck driver. By April of the same year he had joined Adams Oil & Gas as a derrick man, but soon, a company geologist pulled him off the rig and he began is engineering career. In 1945, he became the Chief Waterflood Engineer for the Felmont Corporation. The Felmont Corporation sold to SOHIO and Mr. Barger worked for SOHIO until he “went independent”.
He founded Barger Engineering, Inc. in 1950 in Evansville, Indiana. Barger Engineering, Inc. had a staff of seven petroleum professionals in the late 1950’s and in the 1960’s it became an operating company as well as a consulting firm. Mr. Barger and his employees have engineered, designed, installed and supervised the operation of over 100 water flood projects throughout the United States. Many successful Illinois Basin engineers and geologists have worked for Mr. Barger. After 67 years in the oil business and 57 years in Indiana, he still works full time as President of Barger Engineering, Inc.