Myron Kay Horn's Obituary
Myron (Mike) Horn, 86, passed away unexpectedly on March 26, 2016. He was born in Miami, Florida, on January 28, 1930, and he spent his formative years in Kew Gardens, New York, and on the coast of Maine. He attended Forest Hills High School and then graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he received a B.S. degree in Geology in 1952. Mike then served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy, working for a brief time in the United States Navy Hydrographic Office in Suitland, Maryland, before serving as Lieutenant (junior grade) on the oceanographic survey ship USS Sheldrake (AGS-19). After leaving the Navy, Mike and his wife, Barbara headed for Houston, Texas, where he worked at the Halliburton Well Logging Research lab. He earned an M.S. degree at the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. degree at Rice University, both at night, while working full-time. He then accepted a position as a research geophysicist in 1960 with the Pure Oil Company Research lab in Crystal Lake, Illinois, where he developed the first comprehensive computer system for log analysis (COMLOG). When Pure merged with Union Oil in 1964, Mike accepted a research geophysicist appointment with Cities Service Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From 1964 to 1970, he moved through several management positions at Cities Research before becoming Director of Exploration and Production Research. In 1985 he retired from Occidental to begin his career as a consultant. From 1970-1985, Mike took an active interest in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), serving on several committees and projects, and served as the AAPG Editor from 1979 to 1983. Dr. Horn received the Distinguished Service Award in 1986, the Certificate of Merit in 1993, an Honorary Membership in 1997, and the coveted AAPG Special Award in 2011. He continued to work tirelessly as a volunteer with the AAPG on several important projects centered on the digitization of geologic systems, including global databases of burial histories, source rocks, and giant fields, until the time of his death. Mike was a loving husband and father, and was married to his wife Barbara for almost 61 years. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sykes Horn, and father, Harry Horn. He is survived by his wife Barbara, daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Mark Johnson, son Marc Horn, daughter and son-in-law Nina and Michael Massey, grandchildren, Bryn (Johnson) and husband Matthew Dunn, Brett Johnson, Blake Johnson, Corinne Horn, Caroline Horn, Christopher Horn, and Henry Kersten, and great-grandchild Coleman Dunn. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law Michael and Helen Horn and their sons Cole and Whitfield. Mike was passionate about the ocean, and hand-built an extensive collection of intricate ship models. He also was an accomplished woodworker and made most of the furniture in his house. He was an avid sailor and swimmer. In his earlier years, he played flute and was an excellent musician. Private services are pending in Plano, Texas, where Barbara has been moved to be closer to her children.
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