Alumni & Friends Spotlight
Archie W. Dunham
Archie W. Dunham was born in Durant, Oklahoma, graduated from Ada High School and came to the University of Oklahoma where he received a degree in geological engineering in 1960 and, most importantly, was a member of the Pride of Oklahoma. Following graduation, Mr. Dunham received his commission in the United States Marine Corps and two days later married his long-time sweetheart, Linda. Mr. Dunham served four years in the Marines before returning to OU where he graduated with his MBA from Price College in 1966. He joined Conoco that same year as an associate engineer and served in various operating and commercial positions involving natural gas and the planning and economics department. |
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Mr. Dunham was elected an officer of Conoco in 1983 and became executive vice president for North America in 1985. In 1987, he was asked to transfer to Conoco's parent corporation, DuPont, where he rose to the position of senior vice president for DuPont Polymers. He returned to Conoco and Houston in 1992 and was named CEO in 1996. In 2002, Mr. Dunham was at the helm during the $15.6 Billion merger of Conoco and Phillips Petroleum and was named chairman of the new company. He retired from ConocoPhillips in September 2004.
He has served on numerous corporate and philanthropic boards including the U.S. Energy Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the Energy Institute of the Americas, the National Board of the Smithsonian Institution and the board of trustees of the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation. Mr. Dunham also has served on the executive committee and the board of directors of the U.S.-Russia Business Council; as vice chairman of the National Petroleum Council; as a member of the Bretton Woods Committee; and as a member of the Business Council, a group of 100 industry leaders who develop constructive views on public policy matters that affect U.S. business interests.
Mr. Dunham was recognized as a distinguished alumni of the Price College of Business in 1994, became a member of the College of Engineering's Distinguished Graduates Society in 1996, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1998 and received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1999. Archie and Linda Dunham continue to be some of the university's most generous benefactors and have established undergraduate scholarships, been major donors to several prominent buildings and have recently established the Archie and Linda Dunham MBA Scholars program.