Oklahoma native John A. Brock was raised in Oklahoma City and graduated from Classen High School in 1948. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1953 with a B.S. in Geological Engineering. He served in the U.S. Army Artillery in Korea from 1953 to 1955 and began his career in the oil business with Shell Oil Company in 1955. He returned to Oklahoma in 1968 to become executive vice president and general manager of LVO Corporation in Tulsa, followed by president of Southport Exploration, chairman of Medallion Petroleum, Inc., and chairman of Brighton Energy, LLC. In addition to his success in the energy industry, he is a member of nine petroleum industry associations and serves on the board of directors of a variety of business enterprises. He also created the Tulsa Innovation Center to help establish new businesses in northeast Oklahoma and was a member of Tulsa Angels Investment Group. He endowed the Brock International Prize for Education and Brock Symposium for Education in 2001 and organized Tulsans for Education Excellence. He endowed the Brock Chair of Energy Economics and Policy and the John A. Brock Endowed Chair in Engineering Leadership at the University of Oklahoma. He also established the Brock Chair for Education Leadership and the Brock Chair for Education Innovation at Oklahoma State University.