Canadian Mining Hall of Fame inducts eight

The names of the eight individuals who will be inducted Jan. 6 into The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame were announced recently by the Hall’s board of directors.

The eight inductees were chosen from a nomination list of 16 candidates. The induction ceremony will take place at the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

Established four years ago, the Hall of Fame honors those legendary mine finders and builders who contributed to the growth of the Canadian industry to world-class status.

The eight inductees, one of whom survives, will join a group of 28 members honored in previous years.

Sponsors of the Hall of Fame are The Mining Association of Canada, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, and The Northern Miner (a member of the Southam Mining Group).

Matthew James Boylen — 1907-1970

Sometimes referred to as “the King of the Minemakers” at the height of his career, James Boylen was best known for the discovery and development of the volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits in the Bathurst area of New Brunswick in the early 1950s. Prospector, entrepreneur and financier, he was responsible for bringing into production at least eight mines, the most notable of which were the mines of Brunswick Mining and Smelting Corp. Neil Campbell — 1914-1978

Neil Campbell’s abilities at geological deduction were responsible for several important mineral discoveries, but it is the Pine Point mine on the south shore of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories with which he was most closely associated. Pine Point was one of the remarkable developments in Canadian mining, a partnership of government and private enterprise that returned handsome rewards to both.

A.O. Dufresne — 1890-1989

A.O. Dufresne, born April 10, 1890, devoted his 45-year professional career to Quebec’s department of mines. Upon his retirement in 1960 there were more than 500. He was responsible for creating the administrative structure within the Quebec government that fostered the spectacular growth of Quebec’s mining industry. His work led to changes in mining legislation and mine safety as well as to the development of mining towns and villages.

Horace John Fraser — 1905-1969

Horace John Fraser’s career was a varied one: a gifted student, a respected teacher, a wartime civil servant in the United States, and a senior mining executive in the private sector. During his private sector career he oversaw the merger of Ventures Ltd. and Falconbridge Nickel Mines into Falconbridge Ltd. and set the company on its greatest period of growth, ultimately becoming the Free World’s second largest nickel producer.

James Roycroft Gordon — 1898-1980

James Roycroft Gordon enjoyed a long and illustrious career with Inco Ltd., rising through the ranks to become the company’s first Canadian-born president. His accomplishments as a scientist include developing metallurgical breakthroughs that allowed the company to capture significantly greater amounts of minerals from its ores rather than discarding those minerals with the tailings or burning them off.

Oliver Hall — 1879-1954

Oliver Hall joined Noranda Inc. almost at its inception, responsible for both mine operations and exploration. His foresight and economic sense promoted the company’s rapid growth in the 1930s and 1940s to become one of the country’s greatest mining concerns. During the 1930s, seven new mines were added to Noranda’s list. The recommendation to take on what is now Gasp Copper was considered his greatest contribution to Noranda.

Sir William Logan — 1798-1875

Sir William Logan founded the Geological Survey of Canada in 1842, the first Canadian scientific organization, which has made a major contribution to the country’s economic growth. Logan and his staff laid the foundation for later mineral discoveries and studies in the United Cana-das. Through his published reports and exhibits, he was responsible for bringing Canada’s mineral potential to the outside world’s notice.

Arthur W. White — 1911-

Arthur White was an active mine financier who, with his partner, raised millions of dollars for developing several mines including two of the most prolific producers in Ontario’s Red Lake gold camp — the Campbell mine and its neighbor, which bears his name, the Arthur W. White mine. He believes that Canadians will supply risk capital for mining prospects if they have confidence the money is being used to the best advantage.