William Myron Keck (1880-1964), the self-educated son of an oil worker, migrated to Southern California from Pennsylvania shortly before the turn of the century. Working in the oil fields, he learned the business literally from the ground up and eventually became a drilling contractor. In 1921 he founded The Superior Oil Company. Mr. Keck's dedication, willingness to take calculated risks and strong interest in emerging technologies enabled Superior Oil to become a global leader in the exploration and production of oil and gas. Under Mr. Keck's guidance, the company pioneered new exploration and drilling methods, including the first successful use in California of directional drilling (1930), the first use of a reflection seismograph to aid in locating hydrocarbons (1933) and construction of the first offshore oil platform, off the coast of Louisiana (1938). In 1954 Mr. Keck established the charitable foundation bearing his name, with the vision of providing far-reaching benefits to humanity through imaginative grants supporting scientific discoveries and new technologies.