President Turner’s summit brings CEO of Hunt Oil Co.

Ray L. Hunt, president and CEO of Hunt Oil Company, visitedMonday to speak to a packed room as the second speaker in PresidentTurner’s Leadership Summit. Hunt briefly covered his theorieson success and eagerly fielded questions from the audience.

“Anyone who came expecting a speech is going to be sorelydisappointed,” said Hunt.

And indeed, a speech was just what the crowd didn’t hear.Hunt outlined what he thought were five principles for success inany part of life and used each as a “springboard” forthe subsequent conversations.

“I personally believe that life is governed by arelatively small number of principles,” he said.

Referring to adaptability, corporate culture and other ideas, henoted that “principles over time don’t change,conditions change,” an idea that applied to his views on theMiddle East, where Hunt Oil carries out some of its operations.

“I see the possibility of an optimistic future,” hesaid, adding, “[It] could be fundamentally different in a fewshort years.”

However the company didn’t go international overnight.

Hunt’s grandfather began the company in East Texas, anarea not originally considered to be rich in oil.

“Some people would say he was lucky,” he said, alsonoting how creative and ingenious his relative was.

“He started doing things that business schools are justnow giving names to,” said Hunt, who eventually took over thecompany after graduating from SMU, where he met his wife Nancy.

“A lot of good things in our life happened here,” hesaid, which is one of the reasons that the two have dedicatedthemselves to many of SMU’s endeavors.

Hunt has served as a trustee, president of the SMU board and inmany other capacities, taking an active part in the leadership ofthe university.

“The perfect leader is one who has authority, influence,and leads by example,” he said.

The Hunts also established the Nancy Ann and Ray L. HuntLeadership Scholars Program at SMU in 1993, which allows studentsto “combine learning and leadership” according to theprogram’s description.

“The real blessing in our life is that they love thisuniversity,” said Turner, who also called Hunt “theheart and soul of the SMU board.”

As for advice on a student’s time at the institution, Huntencouraged all to “take advantage of the opportunities youhave to volunteer.”

Before graduating in 1965, Hunt also participated in many otheractivities at SMU, but the one he said has stayed with him was hisstudy of calculus, saying it helped him to always “make sureto define the problem correctly,” a lesson that hastransferred into his business.

But perhaps Hunt’s most valuable piece of advice from theevening pertained to influence. “Don’t let other peopledefine who you are,” he said.

President Turner’s Leadership Summit will continue in thespring semester with two speakers who have yet to be announced.