31 December 2018

CIM is more than an organization – it is a community of people who share a common passion for the mining industry. We would like to extend our condolences to friends and family of the deceased as we remember those who have passed away. Though they are no longer with us, their work and accomplishments live on.

We do our best to publish all the names of recently deceased CIM members and apologize if there are any we have missed. Please send notices to membership@cim.org.

 

Roland Bergman passed away on March 27, 2018, at the age of 89. A pyrometallurgist by trade, Roland enjoyed a long career in metallurgy at Falconbridge and served as a member of the technical advisory team at Jaguar Nickel Inc. since 2005. Roland joined CIM in 1966, and became a Life Member in 1997.

 

Mac (Malcolm N.) Brodie passed away in January 2018 at the age of 91. In 1998, Mac received the D. McParland Memorial Medal in recognition of his vast experience in the application of electrical engineering in the design of mineral processing plants. Mac joined CIM in 1971 and became a Life Member in 1999.

 

Raymond Hoffman passed away on Aug. 8, 2018, at the age of 85. Raymond was a metallurgical engineer for Falconbridge Nickel Mines. He joined CIM in 1957 and became a Life Member in 1996.

 

Howard L. Jackman passed away on Feb. 9, 2018. He joined CIM in 1972 and became a Life Member in 2010.

 

Bill James passed away on Sept. 4, 2018, at the age of 89 in Oakville, Ontario. Bill served as CEO of Falconbridge in the 1980s. During his tenure, Bill flew to Zimbabwe to confront Prime Minister Robert Mugabe after miners at Falconbridge’s gold mine were under fire from rebels. Mugabe ceded and provided the miners with food and security. Bill was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2002. He joined CIM in 1969 and became a Life Member in 1999.

 

André Leclerc passed away on Feb. 17, 2018. He joined CIM in 1964 and became a Life Member in 1996.

 

Ken Major passed away on Feb. 21, 2018. He was the director of silver mining company Great Panther Silver Ltd. During his 40-year career in the mining industry, Ken was the recipient of many awards, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Mineral Processors society. He joined CIM in 1976 and became a Life Member in 2015.

 

Dale Melnbardis passed away June 18, 2018. Melnbardis’ family immigrated to Canada from their home in Latvia after World War II. During the day, Melnbardis worked at the crusher at the East Sullivan mine in Val-d'Or, Quebec, and at night he worked at the Jenson Laboratory in Bourlamaque, a Val-d'Or neighbourhood. In 1973, he purchased the Jenson Laboratory and two years later the business evolved into the Laboratoire d’analyse Bourlamaque Ltée. (Bourlamaque Assay Laboratories Ltd.)

 

Michael Osoko passed away on Jan. 10, 2018, a few months shy of his 90th birthday. Michael joined CIM in 1952 and became a Life Member in 1990.

 

Owen Owens passed away on October 7, 2018. Born on March 30, 1925, Owens grew up in Montreal and studied at McGill University, where he received his PhD in Geology. Owens, who became a CIM Member in 1955 and a Life Member in 1990, was awarded a CIM Fellowship in 1992 and the Selwyn G. Blaylock Medal in 1996.

 

Rimas Pakalnis, a CIM member since 1987, passed away on Oct. 18, 2018. A mining engineering professor at UBC, he worked in 169 mining companies across all continents during his lifetime, and was named a Fellow of Engineers Canada.

 

James (Jim) A. Robertson passed away July 17, 2018, at the age of 83. Jim worked as a field geologist for the Ontario government in the Department of Mines. He joined CIM in 1967 and became a Life Member in 2002.