U.S. mining’s Hall of Fame conducted in grand style

Our U.S. neighbors have a reputation for doing things up in a rather big way. This would have to include their National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, already a quantum leap ahead of our Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. Both were launched about the same time. For starters, they operate on a budget 10 times ours. Sure, they have a much larger population to draw on. But when comparing the stature of these two industries, one notices that the spread is narrow. And the same may be said about inductee accomplishments to get into the respective Halls. Both have the same goal — to pay lasting homage to the men and women who have made outstanding contributions in founding and developing the mighty mining industries we see today.

I was recently privileged to attend their third annual induction banquet in New Orleans, La., as a head table guest. That accorded me an excellent insight into just how they operate — and I was impressed. Held in the plush Westin Canal Place Hotel on the banks of the Mississippi, it was quite a gala affair.

But I came very close to missing the reception, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dewey (president of Molycorp). With their Hall’s function timed to mesh with the big annual convention of the American Mining Congress, this hotel was quite busy. I couldn’t even get into my room until almost six o’clock, with the reception billed for 6.30 p.m., dinner at 7.30 p.m. And when in a hurry and anxious to meet my host Richard Moolick, the Hall’s chairman and retired president of Phelps Dodge, things could get hectic. Without the help of my wife, dressing proved just that.

Even trying to put studs into a new formal shirt proved arduous, for I soon discovered there were “temporary” white buttons that I had to file off because I had no scissors. Then in my haste I broke the laces on both shoes. And I couldn’t for the life of me get the cuff links eyed and closed. So at 6.20 p.m. I headed for the reception rendezvous, sheepishly asking the first lady I saw (a waitress) if she would close those links for me.

Unable to locate Moolick in the crowd, I headed for the ballroom where he had just been seen. There, standing at the podium reading some notes was a black-tied gentleman. “Are you Mr. Moolick,” I asked. “No, my name is Dick Osborne. I’m the master of ceremonies and chairman of Asarco.” Minutes later the doors opened and some 400 guests flowed in, including my new found friend Moolick.

From then on everything went smoothly and thoroughly enjoyable. The actual induction ceremony was quite similar to that of our Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, which will be holding its third annual ceremony and banquet in Toronto’s Royal York Hotel, Jan. 7, 1991.

In each of the past three years they have made 25 inductions — all deceased. But that number is to be cut back sharply next year, I was told. We will be bringing in eight at the upcoming Canadian function — two living and six posthumously for a total of 28. The number of annual inductees into the CMHF, too, will likely be reduced in subsequent years.

Beautiful metal plaques were made of each U.S. inductee, permanently recording their contributions to their mining industry. These are on exhibit at that Hall’s massive museum at Leadville, Colo., which is proving a real showcase of the U.S. mining industry. It is visited by many thousands of tourists and others each year. There is an admission charge.

I was especially impressed with the diversification of the American inductees. Whereas Canadian inductees to date have been almost exclusively mine discoverers and builders, recent U.S. inductees included a financial analyst who founded Dow Jones; the founder of the U.S. Bureau of Mines who coined the “safety first” motto; and the wife of Herbert Hoover — mining engineer and 31st U.S. president — a geologist and scholar who helped him translate Agricola’s De Re Metalla, a great Latin work on mineralogy.

The new inductees also included the inventor of the famous water- flushed Leyner rock drill that revolutionized mining technology; the first diamond driller (Longyear) on the Mesabi iron range 100 years ago; a labor leader; a journalist; and a professor of economic geology who published over 100 papers and books.

But the most unique inductee was a 12-year-old farm boy who, skipping Sunday School to go fishing, found a 17-lb. gold nugget in a creek in North Carolina in 1799 that triggered America’s first gold rush. His father, unable to recognize what it was, used it as a doorstop for three years before selling it for $3.50 (probably worth $3,600 at the time).

Realizing his error, the farmer did start prospecting along that creek and soon turned up a 28-lb. nugget. This led to the development of the Reed mine, the nation’s first gold producer. It operated for over 20 years and is now a state-run historic site which attracts 75,000 visitors annually.

But it’s their corporate setup that really distinguishes the U.S. Hall of Fame. A federally chartered, non-profit corporation, it has a 30-man board of directors — a veritable who’s who of the U.S. mining industry. As well, there is an 8-man board of governors, a 33-member board of trustees, and lengthy lists of founders, life members, benefactors, logo participants (including Noranda), foundations, and contributing members. Also, they sell public memberships, with 11 separate categories ranging from $5 for students to $25,000 for corporate sustaining.