DALLAS _ Last fall, Jack Randall and his longtime friend Rex Tillerson were having drinks at a hotel bar on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, where they met in the 1970s.
Over a Jack Daniel's, the Exxon Mobil CEO told his oil banking pal Randall that he was looking forward to an upcoming career move.
Retirement.
"His wife was very much looking forward to it, too," Randall said. After 41 years at Exxon, Tillerson had earned it, "in terms of putting in horrendous hours and traveling a whole lot."
But retirement would have to wait. A month later, Randall's former marching band mate was chosen to fill the role of secretary of state by President-elect Donald Trump.
It was a move that caught many by surprise _ including Randall. "But the more I heard about it, the more I thought: 'That's a good idea.' Trump went up in my eyes when he picked somebody like Tillerson," he said.
Tillerson, 64, is in many ways an unorthodox choice for the nation's top diplomat in an incoming administration that has signaled a willingness to chart a new path on foreign policy.
The Wichita Falls, Texas, native has devoted himself to the mission of Exxon Mobil, helping lead the world's largest publicly traded energy company in its pursuit of oil, gas and profits in far-flung and often hostile corners of the globe.
On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to open a two-day confirmation hearing, where Tillerson's business dealings and relationships with foreign leaders will be closely scrutinized.
Democrats are expected to put up a fight over Tillerson's ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but lack the votes to block the confirmation by the full Senate barring the unlikely defection of at least three Republicans.
Tillerson's had extensive dealings with foreign leaders as the head of a $361.5 billion organization that has its own intelligence arm and operates in some four dozen countries. But he lacks the political background held by his recent predecessors, who include two former senators, a retired general and a former national security adviser.
Those who know Tillerson consistently describe a disciplined and effective communicator with an engineer's logical approach to solving problems and the ethical compass of a Boy Scout.
"What you see is what you get," said John Stuart, a longtime Dallas banking executive who has known Tillerson for a decade. "He's a straightforward, honest, honorable person."
But so far, nearly all of what's been seen of Tillerson has been filtered through the lens of Exxon and its singular pursuit of natural resources around the world.
Critics question his ability to separate himself from the interests of the only company he's ever worked for, a place that emphasizes loyalty and sacrifice for the greater good of the corporation above all else.
As secretary of state, he'll be asked to shape fundamental ideas and relationships for the United States across the world.
"There's no theory of the world he's articulated except on behalf of Exxon," said Steve Coll, author of the book "Private Empire," which details Exxon's history, global rise and influence.
"The secretary of state has been somebody who has their own ideas of what balance of power should be," Coll said. "What alliances matter? How far are we willing to go to defend an expanded NATO? Is he prepared to accept Russia's place in Ukraine? What does he believe about China's relationship with Taiwan?"
