Oscar Wyatt, Gruff Energy Mogul and War Hero, Will Turn 100 This Month

Oscar Wyatt, Gruff Energy Mogul and War Hero, Will Turn 100 This Month

Oscar Wyatt and friend on the roof of his Coastal oil and gas company in Houston in 1990

ONE OF HOUSTON'S most prominent and at times controversial businessmen will turn 100 next week. Oscar Wyatt, oilman and World War II hero, will meet the century mark July 11.


Wyatt, husband of world-famous socialite and philanthropist Lynn Wyatt, is a former Aggie football lineman and used car salesman who took out an $800 loan against his Ford truck to start a company that would later be worth billions.

The couple, which celebrated his 99th birthday and her 88th at a posh Petroleum Club dinner last summer, have represented the pinnacle of Texas society at home and abroad since they were married some 61 years ago. The cheeky idea was to get ahead of this year’s 100th, just in case. Perhaps unsurprising to those closest to Oscar, it looks like aviation enthusiast and longtime pilot will indeed meet the milestone.

CityBook visited with the Wyatts at home in River Oaks in 2021, and presented this in-depth profile of Oscar as he was to be honored at the Lone Star Flight Museum’s “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars” gala that fall.

Happy Birthday, Oscar!

Business+Innovation
Thrive & Inspire: Alchemy’s Arquella Hargrove ‘Inspired by People Making an Impact in the World’

Arquella Hargrove, Chief Culture Officer and Owner of the Alchemy Consulting Group

WHAT IS THE secret to running a successful business? The secret to a successful business is a rockstar team. With a rockstar team, clients experience the transformation within their culture. This also is connected to other success factors — a commitment to relentless change, communicating courageously, and collaborating to win. The ultimate goal is to be the change for our clients and to create a culture where team members thrive and grow exponentially.

Keep Reading Show less

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment