Jack Vickers
A Colorado native, Jack A. Vickers was born in Colorado Springs on August 8, 1925. The eldest son of Jack A. Vickers Sr. and Helen E. Brown Vickers, he was one of eight children (four brothers and three sisters). At the age of 14, Vickers entered Cascia Hall Preparatory School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Upon graduation from Cascia Hall, Jack entered summer school at Regis College in Denver. Two months later he was drafted and entered the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served for 3 1/2 years during World War II.
Upon receiving his honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard, Jack pursued higher education at the University of Oklahoma. After serious consideration, he dropped out of school to pursue a career in the oil and gas business. In 1946, Vickers joined Vickers Petroleum Corporation, founded by his father in 1918, and was an oil scout for about six months. He then resigned to start his own independent oil and gas royalty business. In 1949, in addition to the royalty business, he became a vice president of Vickers Petroleum and worked in the land department. In 1951, he was promoted to president of Vickers Petroleum at the age of 26.
Vickers was very active in the petroleum industry in Kansas, serving as Chairman of the Kansas Governor’s Oil and Gas Advisory Council, and was named Oil Man of the Year in 1957. He was the second member of the Wichita Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). In 1958, Vickers moved to Denver and became the first member of the Colorado Chapter of YPO, and Esquire magazine named Vickers as one of America’s 16 Bright Young Men in Business.
In 1966, Vickers acquired Bell Oil and Gas Company of Tulsa, Okla. and became chairman of the board of Bell. In 1968, Vickers/Bell was sold to Swift & Company. At this time, Swift was the 15th largest corporation in the United States and employed approximately 80,000 employees, operating 600+ diversified industrial plants. Vickers was elected to the Swift Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and headed the Petroleum Group, consisting of Bell Oil and Gas and Vickers Petroleum. Swift subsequently purchased Trans-Ocean Oil of New Orleans, La. In 1973, these three companies were merged into Vickers Energy Corporation (formerly Vickers Petroleum) and, again, Vickers was named chairman of the board and elected to the board of directors and the executive committee of Esmark, formerly known as Swift. Vickers remained chairman of the board of Vickers Energy until 1980, when it was sold to Mobil Oil, Total Petroleum and Petro-Lewis.
A love of golf led to his acquisition of land and the founding of Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colo. Jack Nicklaus was engaged to be the architect of the Castle Pines Golf Club course, which was completed in the summer of 1980, and was home to the world-renowned The INTERNATIONAL golf tournament, one of the leading events and the first $1 million tournament on the PGA TOUR. In addition to the Castle Pines Golf Club, Vickers has been a founding member of several other golf courses. He has many active golf and country club memberships across the country.
Vickers has served on numerous boards, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, PGA of America, The International Charities Inc. and the Jack A. Vickers Foundation. He was also the former chairman and majority owner of the Colorado Rockies, the first National Hockey League team in Denver and the organizer and president of the University of Colorado’s Flatirons Club, a major athletic fundraising organization of the University, for 19 years.
Vickers has been honored with many awards, including Golf Person of the Year in 1985 by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, the Bob Kirchner Award in 1994 from the Colorado Open for his contributions to the game of golf, induction into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2003, he received the Ambassador of Golf Award presented together by Northern Ohio Golf Charities and the PGA TOUR. In 2006, Vickers was inducted into the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau Hall of Fame.
In 1976, Jack married Carolyn “Cally” Coleman Vickers, formerly of Wichita, Kansas. Their extended family includes three of her children, six grandchildren and his seven children and six grandchildren. Jack and Cally reside in one of the Castle Pines Golf Club cottages. Jack’s eldest son, Jack Vickers III, owns and runs Castle Pines Land Company and lives at Vickridge, Jack and Cally’s former residence in Castle Pines.
Upon receiving his honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard, Jack pursued higher education at the University of Oklahoma. After serious consideration, he dropped out of school to pursue a career in the oil and gas business. In 1946, Vickers joined Vickers Petroleum Corporation, founded by his father in 1918, and was an oil scout for about six months. He then resigned to start his own independent oil and gas royalty business. In 1949, in addition to the royalty business, he became a vice president of Vickers Petroleum and worked in the land department. In 1951, he was promoted to president of Vickers Petroleum at the age of 26.
Vickers was very active in the petroleum industry in Kansas, serving as Chairman of the Kansas Governor’s Oil and Gas Advisory Council, and was named Oil Man of the Year in 1957. He was the second member of the Wichita Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). In 1958, Vickers moved to Denver and became the first member of the Colorado Chapter of YPO, and Esquire magazine named Vickers as one of America’s 16 Bright Young Men in Business.
In 1966, Vickers acquired Bell Oil and Gas Company of Tulsa, Okla. and became chairman of the board of Bell. In 1968, Vickers/Bell was sold to Swift & Company. At this time, Swift was the 15th largest corporation in the United States and employed approximately 80,000 employees, operating 600+ diversified industrial plants. Vickers was elected to the Swift Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and headed the Petroleum Group, consisting of Bell Oil and Gas and Vickers Petroleum. Swift subsequently purchased Trans-Ocean Oil of New Orleans, La. In 1973, these three companies were merged into Vickers Energy Corporation (formerly Vickers Petroleum) and, again, Vickers was named chairman of the board and elected to the board of directors and the executive committee of Esmark, formerly known as Swift. Vickers remained chairman of the board of Vickers Energy until 1980, when it was sold to Mobil Oil, Total Petroleum and Petro-Lewis.
A love of golf led to his acquisition of land and the founding of Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colo. Jack Nicklaus was engaged to be the architect of the Castle Pines Golf Club course, which was completed in the summer of 1980, and was home to the world-renowned The INTERNATIONAL golf tournament, one of the leading events and the first $1 million tournament on the PGA TOUR. In addition to the Castle Pines Golf Club, Vickers has been a founding member of several other golf courses. He has many active golf and country club memberships across the country.
Vickers has served on numerous boards, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, PGA of America, The International Charities Inc. and the Jack A. Vickers Foundation. He was also the former chairman and majority owner of the Colorado Rockies, the first National Hockey League team in Denver and the organizer and president of the University of Colorado’s Flatirons Club, a major athletic fundraising organization of the University, for 19 years.
Vickers has been honored with many awards, including Golf Person of the Year in 1985 by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, the Bob Kirchner Award in 1994 from the Colorado Open for his contributions to the game of golf, induction into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2003, he received the Ambassador of Golf Award presented together by Northern Ohio Golf Charities and the PGA TOUR. In 2006, Vickers was inducted into the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau Hall of Fame.
In 1976, Jack married Carolyn “Cally” Coleman Vickers, formerly of Wichita, Kansas. Their extended family includes three of her children, six grandchildren and his seven children and six grandchildren. Jack and Cally reside in one of the Castle Pines Golf Club cottages. Jack’s eldest son, Jack Vickers III, owns and runs Castle Pines Land Company and lives at Vickridge, Jack and Cally’s former residence in Castle Pines.
