National Mining Hall of Fame names 2020 inductees

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum (NMHFM) elected five new members to the National Mining Hall of Fame.

The 33rd annual National Mining Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held Oct. 24 in Denver.

The 2020 National Mining Hall of Fame inductees include Alberto Benavides, Roshan Bhappu, Hugh Evans, Raymond Threlkeld and Spencer Titley. The inductees were selected by the NMH’s board of governors from a pool of nominations.

Benavides, a graduate of the National Engineering University (1941) and Harvard University (1944), began his mining career at U.S.-owned Cerro de Pasco Corp. While there, he served as resident geologist and become the company’s first exploration chief.

Bhappu, who published more than 100 technical papers and co-authored several books on mineral processing, metallurgy and environmental remediation, was globally recognized as an authority in extractive metallurgy and a pioneer in biohydrometallurgy.

Evans, who served as a member of the U.S. Army during World War II, attended the Colorado School of Mines, where he earned an engineer of mines degree. He built a 36-year career from grassroots exploration to large-scale mining operations that have become some of the world’s largest producers.

Threlkeld, a geologist with more than 40 years of experience in mineral exploration, mine operations and construction, and acquisition and senior executive management, is credited as co-discoverer of the Bear Track gold deposit in Idaho. In addition, he led teams through exploration, construction and operations of gold mines across the world.

Titley, who served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, earned his doctorate in geology from the University of Arizona. He joined the school’s faculty in 1960, rising through the ranks to become Distinguished Professor of Geosciences. In addition, his research in the search for the origin of porphyry copper deposits took him to more than 30 different countries.

“We are pleased to honor those selected for induction this year into the National Mining Hall of Fame,” says David Brown, president of NMHFM. “Their contributions to the mining industry are immense. This year’s honorees are educators, inventors, geoscientists and astrogeologists, and each has established prominence in the discovery and mining of metals and industrial minerals around the globe and beyond.”

In addition, the 2020 Prazen Living Legend of Mining Award, named after mining artist Gary Prazen, will also be presented at this year’s induction banquet to the Minerals Education Coalition.

“We are also delighted to honor the Minerals Education Coalition with the Prazen Award recognizing their outstanding efforts in providing education materials to our schools and promoting public understanding of the critical importance that mining of raw materials has in everyone’s lives and wellbeing,” Brown says.

In addition to this year’s inductees, Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame inductees are also represented at the NMHFM in Leadville, Colorado.