Horne, Timmins head list of Hall of Fame inductees

One was born two years before Confederation; another is working in his office this morning. The eight men recently inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame span the history of Canadian mining and include some of its storied names — and some of its most colorful personalities.

The Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, the Mining Association of Canada and The Northern Miner, now has 71 members. They were selected for their accomplishments in exploration, mine development, technology, or corporate management, and for their contribution to the industry and Canadian society in general.

Tribute was paid to the eight most recent members in a dinner and induction ceremony at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. More than 450 representatives of Canadian mining were on hand to pay their respects.

This year’s list of inductees is nothing if not illustrious: * Prominent among them is Edmund Horne (1865-1952), pioneer prospector of Quebec’s Noranda camp. Horne was recognized for his persistence in exploring the Osisko Lake area, beginning with his first trip in 1914 to his discovery of the Horne orebody in 1921. Accepting the honor on behalf of his late great-uncle was Patrick Horne, who recalled that, on visits to the Horne home, his father would unaccountably disappear with Uncle Edmund, not to reappear until the end of the evening. “My aunt didn’t permit drinking or smoking in the house, but in the cellar would be a good bottle of Johnnie Walker and a box of Havana cigars — mystery solved.”

* Also inducted was financier Noah Timmins (1867-1936), who had a hand in the development of the LaRose mine at Cobalt, Ont., in 1903 and the Hollinger mine at Timmins, Ont., in 1909. Great-grandson Thomas Timmins accepted the honor for the man who helped bring three of Canada’s richest precious metal mines — LaRose, Hollinger and Siscoe — into production.

* William Wright (1876-1951) was the image of the independent prospector of his time — staking and exploring ground he could reach from the Timiskaming Railway, on limited funds, and persevering to make the first discoveries in the Ontario’s Kirkland Lake camp, including the Wright-Hargreaves, Lake Shore and Sylvanite mines. His award was accepted by Joan Hargreaves-Craig, his niece and the daughter of his prospecting partner and brother-in-law, Edward Hargreaves. She said Wright was a genial man who taught her to deal her cards carefully.

* Prof. Donald Hogarth, Jr. spoke of his father, Donald Hogarth (1878-1950) as a man of great integrity who loved Canada deeply. And while best known for his contributions to the mining industry, Hogarth was a dominant figure in public life as well.

* Promoter Joseph Hirshhorn (1900-1981) was recognized for a lifetime of financing achievements, including developments in the Geraldton, Kirkland Lake, Timmins and Blind River camps of Ontario, as well as the Athabaska district of Saskatchewan. His son, Gordon, was stranded by the snow in New York City, but managed to send a note of thanks. He said Hirshhorn would have been delighted at the honor, as he expected to be remembered only as a patron of the arts.

* Prof. Lloyd Pidgeon (born 1903), who attended the dinner, was honored for his development of metallurgical techniques for the extraction of light metals, especially magnesium. His daughter, Ruth Bryson, accepted the award and thanked the Hall of Fame for recognizing her father’s achievements as a metallurgist and distinguished teacher of the craft.

* Also on hand was Paul Penna (born 1922), who was recognized for having built Agnico-Eagle Mines from a struggling silver producer in 1962 to the much stronger producer status it enjoys today. Penna, who is president and chairman of the company, credited his staff for the achievement and reaffirmed his commitment to mining in Canada, saying: “We don’t go anywhere where they don’t wear overcoats in winter.”

* Joan Hallbauer accepted for her late husband, Robert Hallbauer (1930-1995), whose career in the industry was marked by development of the Craigmont, Newfoundland Zinc, Niobec, Afton, Highmont, David Bell and Red Dog mines. A mining engineer, Hallbauer championed the mining industry in British Columbia and throughout the country.

Four previously inducted Hall of Fame members — Harold Seigel, Charles Michener, Maurice Brown and Georges Dumont — were also in attendance.

Master of Ceremonies Robert Ginn praised all members of the Hall of Fame as individuals whose drive and ambition were framed by an overarching goal to serve society by contributing substantially to Canada’s mining industry.