Dean A. McGee

Born in Humboldt, Kansas, Dean Anderson McGee (1904-1989) was a petroleum geologist and philanthropist. He first came to Oklahoma while working for Phillips Petroleum. He became vice president of Anderson and Kerr Drilling Company in 1937, which eventually became Kerr-McGee nine years later when he became president of the company. A pioneer of offshore drilling, McGee also worked in coal and uranium exploration. He was named Chief Executive Officer by the Kerr-McGee board of directors in 1954. In 1958 McGee was named to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

McGee was also a noted philanthropist. He belonged to dozens of charitable organizations, many of which benefited Oklahoma City, the arts, and medicine. McGee is the namesake of the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute.