I was pleased to learn this week that Frederic Sewell is doing very well after having unexpected heart bypass surgery last fall (he thought he had gone in for another medical procedure). In December, Fred retired from a long and distinguished career building Netherland, Sewell & Associates, the Dallas and Houston reservoir engineering consulting firm where he was most recently CEO and chairman. He and Clarence Netherland formed the firm 38 years ago. On January 1, he formally launched a longtime dream, his new E&P company, Sovereign Resources LLC. Fred says he intends to do both acquisitions and prospecting. "I've had a passion to do this for a long time," he told me. He has lured back from either retirement or other jobs, seven colleagues who used to work for Netherland, Sewell. He is officing in Thanksgiving Tower in Dallas, just a few floors below the old gang. Good luck, Fred!