WICHITA — An oil producer who gave $12 million to Wichita State University will receive an honorary doctorate from the school.
The Wichita Eagle reports that 87-year-old Wayne Woolsey will receive the honorary degree during the university’s fall commencement ceremony Sunday. He’s the fifth person to receive an honorary degree from Wichita State in the past 30 years.
He founded an oil and natural gas exploration and production company in 1978. He’s been involved in large-volume wastewater disposal methods used to recover deposits of oil and natural gas in south-central Kansas.
Woolsey’s gift was the largest of its kind in the school’s history. The bulk of it $10 million went toward building a new business school. The rest will go toward the petroleum geology program and field camp experiences for students.
