May has come and gone and, with it, another OTC. That's a bunch of OTCs for me, and for many of you. It was good, with some nice new technologies on display. But, of course, the best thing about OTC, or any conference, is the chance to see old friends, many of whom you don't see any other time of year. The ranks of those old friends - mostly of the gray-haired variety - are thinning. That leads to a lot of reminiscing about the good old days. But, one look around any of the major conferences brings into question most of the warm feelings about the old days. One thing that comes to mind immediately when I attend any of the conferences is the increased sense of professionalism in our industry.

It wasn't that there was a lack of professionalism in the good old days - far from it. The industry was built by men and women of character and vision. But, many times, that professionalism was marred by what might best be called sustained ethical lapses among elements of the industry. All of you who were there will know what I mean. For those of you who don't, here is an example.

I was working on a well north of Lake Charles, La., in the late 1970s. We had a restricted mud and pit system and were making an early attempt at cuttings reinjection. The reinjection pumps were skid mounted rental units and the fellow we rented them from, whom I will call Larry, was mighty happy to get the business. He drove up on location one day, got out of his pickup and ambled over to me.

"Bill," he said, "I bet you need a new pair of cowboy boots."

"Don't wear them," I replied.

"Well, Bill, it's getting mighty close to duck season and I am betting you could use a new shotgun," he said.

"Nope," I said, "got plenty of fire power."

"Hmmm," Larry said. "A new tool box for your pickup? Everyone needs a good tool box."

"Don't own a pickup," I said.

"Damn, Bill," Larry chimed in, "you don't have a pickup?"

The previous conversation actually took place and, yes, I stopped Larry short of giving me a new pickup. I actually think he would have. TVs, shotguns, boats and other pieces of expensive equipment were not rare "gifts" - in fact, they were commonplace in the Gulf Coast oilpatch of the '70s and early '80s. I had one co-worker who collected TV sets - a new one for each rig. Others took this and that. This is not a condemnation. And yours truly was not squeaky clean. The practice was endemic and accepted. It's just that it was, and is, a very poor way to do business.

What made me think of this at OTC? Along with the other payoffs came the booze and the broads, especially at OTC. Many of us in the old days "went" to OTC, but rarely actually attended. OTC for many consisted of a ride over on a vendor's plane, an extended visit at the vendor's hospitality suite and a less than sober ride back on the same plane. Like I said, it is not a good way to do business.

I am not foolish enough to think that these practices have vanished. But dwindling budgets, an increased sense of ethics and more than a little age on the part of some of the industry have severely curtailed the bad practices. And that is reflected most at OTC. What used to be a 100,000-attendee-plus party is now a much more focused technology venue. And that is good.

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