Global energy explorer, athletics champion
When Robert Keiser, EE’65, joined Sun Ray DX — one of the world’s largest oil companies that would soon become Sun Oil — he knew nothing about the oil industry. “But from my education at Rolla, I had the tools to learn,” says Keiser.
“We were taught to work hard, study and comprehend—that part was what allowed me to progress throughout my career,” he says.
Keiser grew up in Mount Olive, Illinois, where he graduated from high school in a class of 38. “All we could do there was play sports or get in trouble, so I played in all four sports,” says Keiser, who took his athletic abilities to the Miner gridiron as a captain, guard and tackle.
While athletics shaped his character, Keiser’s engineering mindset would direct his future. “When you bring the skills of leadership, teamwork and collaboration that athletics teaches into business, combined with an engineering degree, the benefits are huge,” he says.
With an affinity for fluid flow dynamics, Keiser relied on his rigorous academic foundation to guide the calculated risk-taking required for his emerging leadership career in oil and gas exploration. “As long as I had all the information, I was happy making those risk decisions,” he says.
At Sun Oil, Keiser worked as a junior engineer, district reservoir engineer, computer lab researcher (who applied water flood computations and recommended drilling sites), and divisional engineer. After completing Harvard’s Program for Management Development, he joined the corporate ranks of Sun Oil, where he became involved in acquisitions.
“We were taught to work hard, study and comprehend — that part was what allowed me to progress throughout my career.”
In 1989, Sun Oil spun out Oryx Energy, a company solely dedicated to oil and gas exploration and production; Keiser was named president and chief operating officer of Oryx two years later. His work grew globally as he negotiated and developed production assets in Africa, Indonesia, Australia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. He also headed Oryx’s United Kingdom subsidiary. In 1999, after 34 years in the oil industry, Keiser retired as Oryx’s chairman and CEO.
But for all the lessons learned in oil fields and boardrooms, Keiser credits his wife, Mary, as the greatest influence in his life. Her support and care of their three children was the mainstay for the family’s many moves during his career.
For over three decades, the Keisers have supported numerous initiatives at Missouri S&T. In 2000 they established the Robert Keiser Endowed Faculty Award for Teaching, Research and Service, along with the Robert Keiser Endowment for Athletic Scholars. They are members of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh.
“Our scholarship is for STEM students who participate in varsity athletics, and the young men and women are really appreciative,” says Keiser, noting there were no female varsity athletes when he was a student. “S&T’s student body is now nearly 25% female and includes people from all over the world.”
Keiser is an emeritus member of the Missouri S&T Board of Trustees and a member of the Mines and Metallurgy Academy. He received an Award of Professional Distinction in Electrical Engineering in 2000. In 2002, following the commencement address he delivered, he was awarded the doctor of engineering honoris causa.
“Engineering is the basis of so many things you do in the world,” says Keiser. “While I stepped into the oil industry about as green as they come, S&T gave me the foundation to innovate and pioneer new ways to discover and produce oil and gas.”