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Texas oilman to MHS Wall of Fame
McCOOK, Neb. -- Wallis Marsh, a McCook High School graduate in 1985, is the latest inductee onto the high school's "Wall of Fame."
Wallis attended the University of Oklahoma from 1985 - 1990 and majored in petroleum engineering. At OU, Wallis and his twin brother, Edward, were awarded "Distinguished Scholar" scholarships.
Wallis accepted a job with Texaco in Midland, Texas, where he worked for several years before being transferred to Universal City, Calif. In 1993, Wallis accepted a new position from ARCO in the Los Angeles Basin and worked at the THUMS Long Beach facility. THUMS was the operator of the famous "oil islands" in the Long Beach Harbor.
After this two-year period at THUMS, Wallis accepted a transfer to Houston, Texas, and subsequently worked in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1997, Wallis founded his own oil and gas company, Extex Production and Extex Operating Co.
Extex began modestly in 1997 with the acquisition of four wells in the Permian Basin of Texas. By 2014, Extex had grown to a company with over 700 oil wells with operations in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Michigan. Wallis is currently on the acquisition trail, recently buying a legacy Chevron field in the Permian Basin in Texas.
While in Houston, Wallis has been involved in many community events with his wife of 23 years, DeeDee.
In 2007, DeeDee and Wallis chaired the Houston Can Academy Gala that raised more than $150,000 for The Can Academy, which is firmly committed to the mission that every young person can learn while catering to the young people most would consider the least likely to succeed.
Wallis served on the board of directors of "Elves & More" for from 2006-09. Elves & More was created to enhance communities during Christmastime. The charity donates 20,000 bicycles a year to needy children in Houston.
In 2008, DeeDee and Wallis chaired "The Bicycle Ball" for Elves & More. The event raised more than $800,000 with KC and The Sunshine Band entertaining guests two weeks after Hurricane Ike struck Houston.
In 2009, DeeDee and Wallis chaired "The Bicycle Ball" for a second time and raised $500,000; the ball featured Taylor Dayne. The event was a great success considering the economic downturn that had occurred in Houston.
From 2007 to 2009, Wallis chaired or co-chaired "The Bear Bryant College Football Coach of the Year Award" benefitting the American Heart Association. Under the leadership of Wallis, Spencer Tillman and Doug Dawson, the event increased its revenue from $150,000 to more than $500,000 and obtained as a corporate sponsor, Marathon Oil Company.
During Wallis' tenure, Tom Osborne, Barry Switzer and Vince Dooley were awarded the Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award.
From 2013 to the present, DeeDee and Wallis and Carol and Michael Linn have chaired "Touchdown for TEACH," which features an interview format with Spencer Tillman interviewing athletes.
The questions focus on leadership, parenting and keys to success. Previous guests include: Archie Manning, Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan and Troy Aikman. To date, these events have raised more than $2 million. TEACH helps educators create safe, calm learning environments for students in the inner city of Houston.
In 2009, Wallis received buy-in from Brian Bosworth to produce a documentary loosely titled "Barry and the Boz."
Spencer Tillman agreed to act as a liaison with Barry Switzer and former teammates of Bosworth. In November 2011, Wallis had buy-in from the University of Oklahoma and chose a director along with two additional producers. In February 2012 Wallis helped cast the story and oversaw the original eight interviews featuring Bosworth, Barry Switzer, Spencer Tillman and Tony Casillas, among others.
From this footage, a 10-minute sizzle reel was produced and shown to ESPN and based off the content, ESPN ordered a two-hour "30 for 30" episode. The title was renamed "Brian and the Boz" and additional producers were hired by Wallis. "Brian and the Boz" premiered October, 2014 on ESPN with Wallis being credited as an executive producer. In May 2015 ESPN won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Documentary Series with Wallis being awarded an Emmy as a producer of the series.