Mr. Vanorsdale’s Master’s research, focused on Devonian Shale reservoir evaluation (subsequently SPE 14446, first published in SPE Reservoir Engineering May 1987), was instrumental in being awarded U.S. Department of Energy research funding in the 1980s. Thereafter, he was heavily involved in coalbed methane exploration and development efforts in the 1990s and early 2000s before shale reservoirs again became a critical component of energy security. His technical analysis contributed to the 2020 booking of the first unconventional gas reserves in Saudi Arabia.