American Mining Hall of Fame announces 2026 awardees

The 44th Annual American Mining Hall of Fame Awards Banquet and Fundraiser, sponsored by the Mining and Minerals Education Foundation (MMEF), will be held Dec. 5, 2026, in Tucson, AZ. Proceeds from the event will fund an Education Outreach Program managed through The University of Arizona School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources. Each year, the MMEF honors a slate of individuals and companies who have made notable contributions to the advancement of the mining industry. Edward C. Dowling Jr., Inductee. Dowling joined Compass Minerals as president and chief executive officer in January 2024. He continues to serve on the company’s board of directors, serving since March 2022. Dowling has more than 30 years of leadership experience and international mining expertise. Prior to joining Compass Minerals, he served as the president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of SSR Mining Inc., formerly known as Alacer Gold Corp., a publicly traded hard-rock mining company from 2008 to 2012, and was chair of the board from 2013 to 2020. He was president and chief executive officer of Meridian Gold Inc. from 2006 to 2007, executive director for mining and exploration at De Beers S.A. from 2004 to 2006, and executive vice president for operations at Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. from 1998 to 2004. Additionally, he formerly served as chair of the board of PJSC Polyus and of Copper Mountain Mining Corp., and on the board of directors of Teck Resources Ltd. He currently serves on the board of directors of Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. A former petty officer in the U.S. Navy, Dowling earned a bachelor of science in mining engineering and mineral processing, a master of science in mineral processing and a doctorate in mineral processing from Pennsylvania State University. Robin J. Hickson, Medal of Merit. Hickson is an independent mining consultant and mining author with some 60 years of experience building mines around the world. He provides senior management consulting services, expert advice and analysis to entities involved in the development, expansion and operation of both underground and surface mines. Hickson served as president of three mining organizations, was the senior mining executive for four engineering/construction firms and spent 38 years in the field directing operations and projects at some 160 mines in over 30 countries. He obtained his B.Sc. degree from the Royal School of Mines in England. He went on to receive his M.B.A. with honors from Tulane University in Louisiana. He is a Chartered Engineer and a certified Qualified Person in mine engineering. David L. Kanagy, Medal of Merit. Kanagy served as the executive director and chief executive officer of SME for 21 years. In that role, he worked with 22 SME Presidents, traveling the world to represent the society. He has been to six of seven continents while leading the society on a journey from a struggling association in 2004 to the largest and the most influential professional mining society in the world. Kanagy helped to create new programs including OneMine.org, the world’s foremost online mining research library. He enhanced legacy programs and increased collaboration with international organizations. He is a visionary leader who made difficult decisions while remaining open to new ideas and opportunities. One of his first accomplishments as the executive director was to streamline the SME board of directors from 29 members to nine, making it much more effective. With a keen financial sense, he was able to add value while cutting excess to expand the society in every measure. As the leader of SME, he helped facilitate much of the society’s growth and innovation as the world’s largest mining-related organization. Kanagy has a B.S. degree in industrial education from the University of Maryland and an M.S. degree in technology education from Eastern Illinois University and is a certified association executive by the American Society of Association Executives. Julia Potter, Medal of Merit Under 40. Potter is the director of the Geotechnical Center of Excellence (GCE) at The University of Arizona. Since 2022, she has led a team for applied research and developed professional development programs for the mining industry. Her work has focused on advancing geotechnical monitoring and analysis technologies for openpit mining for openpit mining applications, while expanding globally recognized training programs. Potter spent 12 years with Call & Nicholas Inc. in Tucson, AZ, ultimately becoming a shareholder and the first woman in the company’s history to hold that role. During this time, she conducted geotechnical modeling and analysis to support safe and efficient mining operations on projects around the world. Potter has also helped bring geotechnical professionals together from around the world through leadership roles in major international conferences focused on slope stability, rock mechanics and geomechanics. Her work with Women in Mining (WIM) has been exemplary. As president of WIM Arizona (2020-2022), she played a key role in expanding the organization’s reach and impact. She was later elected vice president and president of WIM USA in 2022 and 2025, respectively. Under her leadership, both organizations experienced significant growths in membership, conference participation, programming and fundraising. Epiroc, Industry Partnership Award. Epiroc is a global productivity partner for mining and infrastructure customers, and accelerates the transformation toward a sustainable society. With groundbreaking technology, Epiroc develops and provides innovative and safe equipment, such as drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment and tools for surface and underground applications. The company also offers world-class service and other aftermarket support as well as solutions for automation, digitalization and electrification. In addition, Epiroc has a strong operational and service presence across the United States, with production facilities, distribution centers and Competency Centers supporting key mining regions. Epiroc is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has about 19 000 passionate employees supporting and collaborating with customers in around 150 countries. Mining’s Past The following honorees from Mining’s Past will be recognized at the event: Alexander Agassiz (1835-1910), engineer/mine superintendent. Agassiz was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and immigrated to the United States in 1849, joining his father Louis. His father thereupon enrolled him in the Cambridge High School, and he then entered Harvard University at the age of 15. He graduated from Harvard in 1855, subsequently earning a B.S. degree in engineering and chemistry in 1857. In 1866, his brother-in-law, Quincy Adams Shaw, and friends invested in a rich copper lode discovered on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, called the Calumet Mine. In 1866, Agassiz visited the outcrop and noted that the Calumet Conglomerate was a porphyry almost 14 ft wide, dipping to the northwest at 35 degrees. The rich deposit convinced Shaw to purchase the land to the south, forming the Hecla Mining Co. Agassiz was made treasurer of both companies and superintendent of both mines, and arrived on site in March 1867. One of the first projects he undertook was to change the openings of both mines so “the rock could be extracted with legitimate mining methods.” Further investments were made in the mills and almost five miles of railroad. By September 1868, Hecla was producing 185 t of ingot and the Calumet 140 t, and both mills were stamping 4,000 t of rock per month. In May 1871, the Calumet and Hecla Mining Co. was formed after consolidating with the Portland and Scott Mining Companies. In 1883, Agassiz innovated the mine by installing a giant engine, known as the Superior, which was able to lift 24 t of rock from a depth of 1,200 m (3,900 ft). He also built a railroad, dredged a channel to navigate water and installed state-of-the-art hoisting engines. Daniel Moreau Barringer (1860-1928), geologist. Barringer graduated from Princeton University in 1879 at the age of 19, and in 1882 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. He later studied geology and mineralogy at Harvard University and at the University of Virginia, respectively. In 1892, Barringer and others purchased a gold mine near Cochise, AZ. Barringer later discovered the Commonwealth Silver Mine in Pearce, AZ. These mining ventures made him wealthy. In 1902, Barringer learned of the existence of a large (1.5 km in diameter) crater, located 35 miles east of Flagstaff, AZ. Upon hearing of the existence of the crater and the meteoritic iron, Barringer became convinced that the crater was of meteoritic origin. With both scientific and monetary aims in mind, Barringer created the Standard Iron Co. to mine the crater for the iron that he assumed must be buried below its surface. The Standard Iron Co. conducted drilling operations in and around the crater between 1903 and 1905 and concluded that the crater had indeed been caused by a violent impact. It was unable to find the meteorite, however. In 1906, Barringer and his partner Benjamin C. Tilghman presented their first papers to the U.S. Geological Survey outlining the evidence in support of the impact theory. The papers were published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. By the late 1920s, Barringer had convinced most of the scientific community that his impact theory was correct. The theory has been further confirmed with new evidence since then, most notably by Eugene Shoemaker during the 1960s. Clara Kinney (1849-1931), mineowner/investor. Kinney was born Clara Maichon in Austria in 1849 and immigrated to the United States in 1873. In 1880, she was widowed after the death of her first husband and was living alone in Globe, AZ, managing a hotel. In May 1881, she married Alfred Kinney, who is well known for his public service roles as a mayor in Globe. She invested in mining, purchasing in 1889 the Bryan group of mines located near Kelvin in Pinal County. Under her management and ownership, significant workings were developed, with ore shipped to the Humboldt smelter near Prescott. After two decades of ownership, Kinney sold the Bryan group for an impressive sum of $90,000 in 1906. After the sale of the Bryan Mine, she patented 23 mineral claims within the Globe district between 1907 and 1919. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, opportunities for women in the mining industry were extremely limited. Kinney was the most prolific and successful woman mineowner in the Globe-Miami District in her time. Ralph Leo Hennebach (1930-2008), metallurgist/mining executive. Hennebach graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1941 as a metallurgical engineer and received an M.S. degree in industrial management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1953. He joined Asarco in 1941 as a chemist in the company’s EI Paso plant laboratory and subsequently was an assayer and plant metallurgist. After serving in World War II, Hennebach returned to Asarco as assistant supervisor of its copper smelter in Hayden, AZ. In 1948 he transferred to EI Paso to start up a slag fuming plant and in 1953 was assigned as an ore buyer in the New York office. Over the next two decades, he rose to assistant general manager of the Western department in Salt Lake City, UT, and assistant to the executive vice president and then vice president, smelting and refining, in New York. Elected a director in 1964, he became executive vice president in 1966, president in 1971 and chairman of the board in 1982. He was awarded the AIME Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal in 1983. The National Mining Museum includes the Hennebach Wing, which opened in February 2005 and is named in honor of Hennebach, retired chairman of Asarco. Formerly Leadville Junior High School, the Hennebach Wing encompasses more than 15,500 sq ft of floor space in two stories. Special citation The Asarco Mineral Discovery Center (AMDC) is dedicated to advancing public understanding of mining, natural resources and the essential role mining plays in modern society. Through immersive tours of active mining operations, educational programs for students and teachers, interactive exhibits and community outreach initiatives, the AMDC connects the public with the importance of responsible domestic mineral development. Opened in February 1997, the AMDC welcomed more than half a million visitors and has become a leading partner in mining education and outreach in Arizona. The center continues to evolve as a modern hub for education, workforce development, sustainability, innovation and public engagement focused on the future of mining. A major renovation of the facility is scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed later in the year, ensuring the AMDC continues to inspire and educate future generations.

American Mining Hall of Fame announces 2026 awardees

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