Wanda Jablonski
Encyclopedia
Wanda Jablonski was a journalist who covered the oil
and petroleum
industries.
She was the daughter of Polish petroleum geologist Eugene Jablonski, and was immersed in the oil industry throughout her childhood. She was at St Georges School Harpenden in England til July 1937, she gained her school certificate and got the form prize in July 1938 before leaving to study in America. She and her parents travelled widely, and although she became an American citizen, she developed great sympathy for other cultures - an attribute which as an adult enabled her to make deep contacts across the world oil industry, from the major oil companies to the heads of state of the big oil producing countries. She earned a B.A. from Cornell University
in 1942 and an M.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
the following year.
She began as the oil editor at the Journal of Commerce, where she made her mark with an 1948 interview with Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
, then the Venezuelan oil minister, which cleverly synthesised the developing nations' viewpoint, in those days rarely heard in the west. She moved to Petroleum Week in 1954 and cemeted her reputation, speaking on equal terms with oil ministers and company chairmen. A rare woman in a man's world, she was known throughout the oil industry simply as "Wanda". She then founded Petroleum Intelligence Weekly in 1961, which came to be known as the "bible of the oil industry", and ran it until 1988.
She is credited with arranging the 1959 meeting of oil ministers Abdullah Tariki, Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
, and others to sign the "Gentleman’s Agreement," a precursor of OPEC
.
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
industries.
She was the daughter of Polish petroleum geologist Eugene Jablonski, and was immersed in the oil industry throughout her childhood. She was at St Georges School Harpenden in England til July 1937, she gained her school certificate and got the form prize in July 1938 before leaving to study in America. She and her parents travelled widely, and although she became an American citizen, she developed great sympathy for other cultures - an attribute which as an adult enabled her to make deep contacts across the world oil industry, from the major oil companies to the heads of state of the big oil producing countries. She earned a B.A. from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1942 and an M.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
the following year.
She began as the oil editor at the Journal of Commerce, where she made her mark with an 1948 interview with Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso , was a prominent Venezuelan diplomat, politician and lawyer primarily responsible for the inception and creation of OPEC.-Early career:...
, then the Venezuelan oil minister, which cleverly synthesised the developing nations' viewpoint, in those days rarely heard in the west. She moved to Petroleum Week in 1954 and cemeted her reputation, speaking on equal terms with oil ministers and company chairmen. A rare woman in a man's world, she was known throughout the oil industry simply as "Wanda". She then founded Petroleum Intelligence Weekly in 1961, which came to be known as the "bible of the oil industry", and ran it until 1988.
She is credited with arranging the 1959 meeting of oil ministers Abdullah Tariki, Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso , was a prominent Venezuelan diplomat, politician and lawyer primarily responsible for the inception and creation of OPEC.-Early career:...
, and others to sign the "Gentleman’s Agreement," a precursor of OPEC
OPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
.
See also
- The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and PowerThe Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and PowerThe Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power is Daniel Yergin's 800-page history of the global oil industry from the 1850s through 1990...
- Anna Rubino (2009): Queen of the Oil Club – The Intrepid Wanda Jablonski and the Power of Information