Acceptance of the Society of Economic Geologists Ralph W. Marsden Award for 1999

Abstract

Thank You, Tom. Mr. President, members of the Society, ladies and gentlemen: I am deeply honored to have been selected as the Ralph W. Marsden Award recipient for 1999. This award has additional significance for me as Ralph gave me my first job in the mining industry—a memorable summer as a mapping party chief on the Negaunee Iron Range for the Oliver Mining Company division of U.S. Steel. So I have special memories of Ralph and the support that he and the others with whom I worked gave me that summer. If someone would have told me when I accepted the position of Executive Secretary in 1992 that in eight years we would have achieved half the accomplishments mentioned by Tom, I probably would have thought that person was from another planet—or had been using some mind-altering substance. Those accomplishments, however, represent the volunteer efforts of many, and clearly illustrate the power of voluntarism. The Society has a long and strong history of voluntarism. This is well-documented in the Society’s history volume, 75 Years of Progress: 1920 –1995 . As far as I know, no SEG officer ever received direct compensation, that is, a salary, for services performed on behalf of the Society. We are where we are today because of the actions and services—all voluntary—of our predecessors. As Society members, we are, and have been, bound by our common, deep-seated interest in mineral resources and ore deposits—whether from the aspect of scientific research, in which we have a proven track record of excellence (our Penrose Medalist today, Julian Hemley, is a terrific example), or the application …