WorldWide Drilling Resource

48 SEPTEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Tribute to the Memory of W. S. “Wes” Heitman 1934 ~ 2015 by Veronica I. “Ronnie” Jones Managing Publisher As each of us look around, we see many hard-working friends, relatives, associates; and each of us is growing older. Life is short and precious and to have such a valuable history as Wes had in the drilling industry is not to have gone unnoticed and remembered by us all. Yes, I am sorry to say we lost this wonderful man on July 10, 2015, at the age of 81. Wes was the founder and president of W. S. Heitman Drilling & Pumps. He was born and raised in Red Bluff, California, where he remained and served the entire north state. In 1976, Wes bought his first drill rig, a mud/air combination. There he did not stop. No not Wes, he was bound and determined to grow his company and provide top- notch service. He purchased the first Schramm T64 to be brought into California and mounted a Tigra Tierra casing hammer on it. Wes attributed the quality of service to his outstanding employees, many of whom worked there for over 20 years. Its value and appreciation can be viewed on the company’s Web site testimonials. He expanded the operation and the company joined not only the California Ground Water Association (CGA) but the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) as well. Wes was a true supporter of the scholarship programs at CGA. His BIG heart drove most of his decisions in life, as is well evidenced by his dedica- tion to help found and sustain the CGA Scholarship program. Neither Wes nor his loving, devot- ed wife Linda, wanted praise for their efforts as they quietly helped many attain their goals. It was just their way. A Celebration of Life was held for Wes in Chico, Sunday, August 23, 2015, at the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) Lodge. Let’s all share in some of the won- derful memories of Wes as we look through these photos dating back to 2004. Lest we forget... Let’s Talk Talc Talc is the softest mineral on earth. With a 1 on the Mohs hardness scale, it can be easily scratched by a fingernail and is a fairly common mineral. It is be- lieved the name came from the Arabic word talg which means mica. You may guess that talc is used for baby powder and foot powder, but do you know what other ways it is used? j Pure, fine talc has no known aller- genic, skin, or eye-irritating prop- erties, which makes it ideal for its use in a variety of cosmetic items and in toothpaste, soap, antiper- spirants, and detergents. j As a filler, you will find talc in polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polyester, and other plastic items. It is also used as a filler in paints, ceramics, plaster, paper, tiles, rub- ber, insecticides, and pottery. j You have probably even eaten talc without even knowing it! Talc is used on chewing gum and other sweets to keep sticky sugar particles from sticking to wrappers. j Some other uses of talc include animal feed, fertilizers, olive oil pro- cessing, roofing, printing inks, pen- cils, putties, and even wastewater treatment. j In pharmaceuticals, talc is used as a basis for powders and as a filler for tablets and ointments, as well as a lubricant in pill manufacturing. j Talc is highly resistant to heat and electricity which is why it is also used in electronics as an insulator. Mankind has been using talc for over 15,000 years when cave dwellers used it as an ingredient in their paints. Ancient Egyptians and the Vedics of India were using it to lighten their skins as much as 5000 years ago. There are hundreds of talc deposits of various sizes all over the world and most talc is mined in open-pit mines. This soft rock has kept our lives running smoothly for centuries and is pretty spe- cial for being a common mineral. WWDR photo of a talc sample from the Montana Mines in Cameron, Montana.