Marion Grant Bingham ’46

Not every Princeton-educated petroleum engineer gets to advise on how to drill a hole 601 feet into the seafloor, under 11,700 feet of water, in an attempt to retrieve material from the earth’s mantle. But Grant Bingham advised for eight years while the American Miscellaneous Society’s Project Mohole, seeking information on the earth’s age, makeup, and internal processes, explored its intraterrestrial frontier.

Except for assignments in Canada, Central and South America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, Grant’s career concentrated on oil and Texas, with work in both research and practical operations. As a result, by his retirement in 1983 he had published more than three dozen books and papers, including such titles as A New Approach to Interpreting Rock Drillability and Mud Equipment Manual.

In September 1947, Grant married Margery Reynolds, daughter of S.C. Reynolds 1916. She died in 1982. His death May 23, 2011, left a son, a daughter, seven grandchildren, and his brother, A.A. Bingham ’44, all of whom had enjoyed boating with him off the shores of Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri, where he spent busy retirement years building furniture for them. To them all, ’46 sends thankfulness for a long life well lived.