Businessman T. Boone Pickens Dies At 91

Pickens made and lost billions, advocated for shareholder rights and signed a pledge to give most of his fortune to charity.

By Laura Rice & Miguel PerezSeptember 12, 2019 9:51 am, , ,

On Wednesday, billionaire businessman T. Boone Pickens passed away at 91 in Dallas. Pickens was actually an Oakie by birth. He gave hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to his alma mater, Oklahoma State. The university named the football stadium in PIckens’ honor. But he spent most of his life in Texas – first in Amarillo and later Dallas.

The Texas Standard’s Wells Dunbar talked with Pickens at the Texas Tribune Festival in 2016. 

Dunbar and Pickens talked energy, politics and how Pickens would like to be remembered.

“Well I played basketball pretty good in high school,” Pickens said. “How will I be remembered? They’ll make a greater contribution as we go forward.”

Besides being a philanthropist, Pickens will most be remembered as an oil man.

KERA North Texas has more on Pickens’ life and career.