Golfing for oil
Private archive of the Thomas family.
A total of nine separately catalogued items: a set of 7 programmes of the Protestant Fellowship, 2 programmes of a choir and theatre group, 2 membership cards of the Ras Tanura Golf Association, 2 autograph Christmas and birthday cards, a calling card, 2 identification cards, and a sew-on patch.
€ 2,800.00
Private material collected by the Aramco employees Orlin Orace and Velma Thomas during their years in Ras Tanura. The collection portrays the couple as avid golf enthusiasts, including their membership cards for the Ras Tanura Golf Association and - perhaps the most uncommon item - a sew-on patch of the Golf Association: woven with gold, blue and black thread, it shows two camels wandering the Saudi Arabian desert surrounded by a set of golf clubs, an oil rig, and a palmtree.
The Thomas family were active members not only of the golf scene, but also of the Protestant Fellowship; their archive further comprises several programmes for Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Christmas service.
2 autograph Christmas and birthday cards addressed to Mrs. Honeycutt in Tulsa, Oklahoma, signed by the Thomas family, document the expats cultivating their relationship to their native home.
The remaining items include an insurance ID verifying Thomas's claim to have medical expenses covered under the Aramco medical payment plan, a permit to use retail services in the Ras Tanura Camp, as well as the programmes of a choir and theatre performance in Ras Tanura.
An intriguing set documenting the diverse activities of Aramco expats in Saudi Arabia. Detailed list available on request.
