John Wayne Tanner, a geologist and an entrepreneur, died on Saturday, August 28 in Abbeville, Louisiana. He was 61. The cause was a heart attack.
His life began on June 30, 1949 in Hutchison, Kansas. He was raised on the Tanner family farm approximately 10 miles south of Radium, Kansas. He attended Radium grade school and graduated from St. John High School. He was a member of the Eden Valley 4-H club and skilled debater. He went on to earn a bachelor’s of science at Kansas State University.
His was inspired by natural curiosity and peaceful non-conformity. As a college student he was a founding member of Psi Chi, the collegiate psychology honorary at Kansas State University. He also adopted one of the psychology lab mice as a pet. He participated in a peaceful protest of the Vietnam War while at K-State. At the same time, he was in the K-State ROTC program and provided musical entertainment for military groups in the Fort Riley area.
John was blessed with a beautiful voice and nimble fingers to strum his guitar. His children fondly remember home performances of traditional folk music. He and his brother, James, formed a duo in the late 1960s. Highlights of their musical careers include performing ahead of Glenn Yarbrough and Bill Cosby at K-State. Upon college graduation, John used his musical talents to raise money for a youth ministry and rehabilitation project in Delran, New Jersey.
In 1973, he returned to the family farm in St. John, producing wheat, corn, hay, and cattle. He served on the Cleveland township board. As the wheat and cattle markets declined in the early 1980s, he began work in the oil field and discovered his new love: geology. He spent the rest of his life exploring his geologic interests and sharing them with those around him. He was the Antrim Streamliners’ 4-H geology project leader. He loved studying geologic maps and treasures. He explored geologic formations and oil drilling potentials in different parts of the world, including Australia, Guyana, and Thailand.
In 1992, he moved to Wichita, Kansas and enjoyed membership in the area rowing team. He travelled to meets on the east coast as a competitive rower. He also worked for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. He later formed his own company, G and T Petroleum Consulting and Management, LLC. There, he worked in partnership with Jim Rutherford and the late Earl Gunnels.
