Dr. Nestor John Sander
December 5, 1914-February 11, 2012
Nestor J. Sander was born in Oakland, CA. He attended public schools including Oakland High School. He graduated from the University of California, Berkley with a BA, followed by an MA in Paleontology in 1938. That same year "Sandy" was hired by Standard Oil Company of California. After a short time in the Los Angles office he was sent to Saudi Arabia. The trip by train and boat took nearly a month. His work as a Geologist and Paleontologist became his life. In a land little known geologically he was given responsibilities from the start that many geologists of much greater experience would have coveted. He along with a team of geologists discovered oil in Abqaiq-No.1. He headed the group assigned to map the subsurface contours of a major anticlinal fold. It is now the largest oil field in the world, Ghawar. Sandy left Saudi Arabia in June 1941 on a leave due to shortages of equipment and food. Traveling was difficult. WWII broke out, and Sandy accepted a commission in the United States Army. As a Major he was assigned to intelligence in the European Theatre till 1945. Sandy could speak and interpret French, Spanish, German and Italian. During the war he married Georgette Cordin in Paris. Georgette Sander died in 1992.

Sandy returned to Saudi Arabia in 1946, (ARAMCO), and continued working for Standard Oil. He also resumed research which took him to New York and then to Paris-Sorbonne University, where he received his PhD in 1952 in Paleontology. In 1955, he resigned from ARAMCO, and went to work for Conorado Petroleum, Ohio Oil Company. He continued his petroleum exploration in the Mediterranean basin including North Africa. In 1962 he was hired by AMOCO which is now BP Petroleum. He retired from there in 1967. In all Sandy lived for long periods of time in six countries of Europe, Africa and the Middle East and visited over 30 more.

Sandy moved to Modesto in 1994, liking the mild weather and being close to colleagues of ARAMCO that lived here and in the Bay Area. His passion for Paleontology did not end with his retirement in Modesto. During his life time he wrote many dissertations on petroleum exploration, geology and paleontology. His book entitled Ibu Saud - King by Conquest was published in 2002. With the development of the World Wide Web, he established over 30 You-Tube videos and currently was writing for Carnets de Geologie at the University de Bretagne Occidentale.

Nestor Sander was a very kind and generous person throughout his life time. He loved his country joining ROTC in high school and in college. He was a member of SIR. Burial is pending at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery.

Remembrance may be made to Hospice Foundation 4368 Spyres Way Modesto, CA 95356. www.cvobituaries.com