US National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum to induct four new members

The 2011 National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum (NMHFM) inductees in the U.S. represent a cross-section of the industry from the coal, marble and lead sectors to metallurgical and processing research and development.

William Diamond, Wayne Hazen, Redfield Proctor and Jeffrey Zelms will join 210 American mining industry pioneers when they are formally inducted into the hall at the 24th Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony on Sept. 10, 2011 in Leadville, Colo.

NMHFM said this year’s inductees were selected for being visionaries, leaders and ambassadors both within their sectors and across the industry at large.

“We are very proud to have the opportunity to honour these luminaries of the mining industry by inducting them into our hall of fame,” NMHFM executive director Bob Hartzell said in a statement. “Each has made an indelible contribution to mining, and they join the company of some legendary mining figures in the hall of fame.”

William Francis Diamond (1914- )

Diamond had an illustrious engineering and managerial career that spanned four decades with Island Creek Coal. He was responsible for the engineering and construction of the deepest coal mines producing in North America at the time.

Wayne Colby Hazen (1917-2009)

Hazen founded Hazen Research in Golden, Colo., and served as president and CEO of the company for 22 years, growing it from a one-building laboratory to the largest private metallurgical and processing research and development contractor in the U.S.

Redfield Proctor
(1831-1903)

Proctor founded Vermont Marble, which became the world’s largest marble company by the beginning of the 20th century. He also had a notable career as a public servant, serving as Governor of Vermont, Secretary of War in the cabinet of U.S. President Willian Henry Harrison, and Senator from Vermont.

Jeffrey L. Zelms (1944- )

As CEO of Doe Run, Zelms helped keep the American lead industry alive during the most volatile period in its modern history: the collapse of the lead market in the 1980s, and the recession in the 1990s. Zelms ensured that lead mining remained a viable industry in the U.S.

Prazen recipient announced

The 2011 Prazen Living Legend of Mining Award recipient is the Ohio Aggregates and Industrial Minerals Association (OAIMA), which undertakes a wide variety of programs and projects to educate the public about the minerals industry. 

The Prazen award recognizes organizations and individuals who excel in informing the public of the vital importance of mining and minerals.

One OAIMA initiative is Project Science Teaching for Ohio’s New Economy (STONE), developed in partnership with Wright State University. STONE is an earth- and space-science inquiry-based professional development program for Ohio earth science teachers, which also informs teachers about related career opportunities for students.  

“It is through the excellent work of organizations such as OAIMA that the industry can continue to increase public awareness, perception and understanding of the impact that mining has on everyday life,” Hartzell said. 

The Prazen award will also be presented at the September ceremony.