a miable a nimated a dvocate a dvisoR
a dventuRous a ccountable a cademic
a mazing a mbitious a ppRoachable
n ovel n imble n ice n eRd n onchalant
n otewoRthy n otable n o - nonsense
o pen - heaRted o RediggeR ! o mniscient
o stentatious o ppoRtunistic o peRative
m oxie mines! o RdinaRy o pen - minded
m otheRly
o utRageous o Rganized o utgoing
With the retirement of Dr. Graves, CSM has lost a great professor and an amaz-
ing person. Out of all the teachers and professors that I have had throughout my
academic career, Dr. Graves has unquestionably made the greatest impact. From
the first day of her reservoir rock properties class, Dr. Graves exuded a no-non-
sense approach which promoted important values such as grit, ownership, disci-
pline, dedication, and passion. These values stuck with her students, allowing for
REMENT
the development of many young Petroleum Engineers who are not afraid of hard work or a challenge.
a dmiRed
RAMONA AVES
Not only was Dr. Graves an amazing professor in the classroom, but she was also
a great mentor outside it. I saw firsthand how many of my peers would consult
Dr. Graves on a wide variety of topics including internships, jobs, industry
esattdhotteaaaddtusegtpwaihmaitPtrehathmnDsCdheosenttlhtouherdhaaeelsdianvoadetcs,aShasncinhedhdveoueehopdvaloesownnifhmtguMaprataianldlmyceutsaaeandtDyiniesgav,na/st o , uotlpowpothokoart,ththpuocaonosviseutesileiidibnnsslp.seiiDgogmshrh.sttiisGnsbortlayaorbvsbh,eoeessul’tetpuixnmdppvyieeencsapttthboemardinoet.tanIIndttwhmiepnaysrdhonoieg’rtwerraacnsmwtteiuoasxdnr,peeaeonnorftidfsemnmwgycryeecasn,adestrulheffa.eaetSrrwe.hbaesescyuhaosobneolddel
o utstanding
gas industry is immeasurable.
Dr. Graves truly left a legacy of excellence at CSM, and I’m for-
ptions were limited. After graduating from Kearney she became a high school math teacher. She quickly
ever grateful that I had the chance to learn from such an out-
standing person during my time at CSM.
ggested she would make a great engineer, she start- mical engineering. It didn’t take long to realize this too
Steve Benfield ‘18
r of other programs. In the end she came to Mines and
arn a PhD in Petroleum Engineering.
st job offer was to teach in the department. She will tell ing a job in industry would force her to travel too much ooked back.
N 308, i.e. “Rock Props”, from Dr. Graves, further solidify- face of petroleum at Mines. Teaching has never been her n research as the director of Laser/Rock Interaction and nics and Characterization (CEMMC). She also currently ctor of Academia, is a distinguished member of SPE, as ry Committee. This all on top of her many other awards rom Oil and Gas Investor .
The first time I met Dr. Graves I was in need of de- partment approval to start my PE courses without having completed a required pre-requisite. A friend of mine was in tight with Dr. Graves and set-up the meeting for me. The conversation started with me explaining my situation. The response is classic Dr. Graves:
Me “So, can I please have approval to take RRP and EPICS II simultaneously?”
a uthentic
o Riginal
he university are losing a great asset, partner,
is one that only those she has taught can ful-
Dr. Graves “Are you stupid or just don’t pay atten- tion?”
as taught many! To honor this amazing wom-
Me, after about 20 seconds of thought with a dumb-
ents from alumni, colleagues and friends to
founded look on my face, “It’s probably a little bit of
retirement and the next chapter of her life.
both.”
this is not goodbye, instead it’s until we see
Dr. Graves “That was the only suitable answer.” She signed the paperwork and told me “Get out of my sight!”
Petroleum Engineering School of Mines
To this day, she is still one of my favorite people and truly one of
a few key people that are responsible for any semblance of suc-
cess I have. A retirement much deserved as there are many of us “special” kids that had no chance without her help.
Levi Harris ‘09
Because of Dr. Graves, I
mentally “grade” my coworker’s tables and charts... no borders? -10 points. Missing units? -10 points. I still have my 308 binder on my desk for quick refer- ence.
Ashley Reed ‘12
We invite you to view this retrospective interview
with Dr. Graves
https://youtu.be/S5beIiAN-mQ
m ischievous m emoRable
a musing
o ptimistic
PETROLEUM .MINES. EDU 15
https://petroleum.mines.edu/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5beIiAN-mQ&feature=youtu.be