Robert M. McFarlin was born in Texas and was a student at Waxahachie’s Marvin College for two years before becoming a farmer in Vernon, Texas, in 1888. He moved to Norman in 1892 and farmed near there until a severe drought force him to move his cattle to a ranch in Hughes County. In 1901, the family moved to Holdenville, where they lived until 1915, when they came to Tulsa. McFarlin’s first and wildly successful oil venture came in November of 1906 when he joined several other men in drilling an oil well in the Glen Pool District. The McMan Oil Company was organized in 1912 and soon became one of the largest production companies in the Mid-Continent field. After the company was sold, McFarlin organized the McMan Oil and Gas Company to engage in the production of oil and gas and manufacture casing-head gas products. A legendary philanthropist, he and his wife were the chief contributors of such landmark institutions as the University of Tulsa and McFarlin Memorial Church in Norman.