Frank Kottlowski (NMMA Hall of Fame—2006)
On April 18, 2001, the New Mexico mining industry lost a dedicated support when Frank Kottlowski passed away at the age of 80. Frank was born on April 11, 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is survived by his wife Florence, 3 daughters and their spouses, 5 grandchildren and their spouses and 4 great grandchildren.
Frank was a business major at Butler University when World War II interrupted his plans. Like so many young men of that day, Frank left college, enlisted and from 1942-1945 he was an aerial navigator and photographic interpreter for the 8th Air Force, receiving 5 service medals. His curiosity in geology was sparked by the many aerial photographs he interpreted. He returned to Indiana University and with one semester left to complete his certified public accountant degree, Frank changed his major to geology after taking a geology course.
Frank received his B.A. in Geology in 1947, MA. in structural geology in 1949 and Ph.D in economic geology in 1951, all from Indiana. Eugene Callaghan, one of Frank’s influential professors, became Director of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources (now know as the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources) in 1949 and in 1951, offered the position of economic geologist to Frank. As we all know, Frank accepted the position, to the benefit of the mining industry in New Mexico. Over the next few decades, Frank was a facility associate and then adjunct professor at New Mexico Tech, associate director and acting director of the Bureau before becoming director in 1974 and later State Geologist, both of which he held until his retirement in 1991.
Frank was instrumental in mentoring and supporting countless geologists, mining engineers and other scientists during his distinguished career. His early training in accounting served well as he found money to support many of us as students and temporary staff at the Bureau until they found other employment in the industry. His many significant contributions in defining the stratigraphy and mineral resources of New Mexico have passed the test of time. Even today as exploration geologists and prospectors return to New Mexico to look for valuable commodities, Frank’s publications (more than 200) are still sought after, used and cited. From limestone deposits (used in cement and concrete) in the state to his significant contributions on identifying and delineating coal resources in New Mexico, Frank left a legacy of mineral resource data.
As director of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Frank’s kind, encouraging and generous character really shined through as well as his support of the state’s mining industry. How he was able to control a bunch of headstrong geologists, engineers, and other scientists as Director was a marvel to most everyone, but he did and the result was spectacular. Some of the early work on microbes and their importance in mineral deposits and recovery of metals by Coralie and James Brierley was supported by Frank through the Bureau. Early research of in situ leaching, electrowinning, cyanide leaching, and other metallurgical methods of ore recovery were funded by metallurgists at the Bureau during the 1970’s. Many of these researchers have gone on to become successful businessmen, professors, or industry consultants. The Bureau became recognized as a model for a successful, non-regulatory state geological survey for many states in the country.
Many of the successful programs at the Bureau today that the mining industry depends on found their roots during Frank’s tenure as Director. Frank realized the significance of geologic mapping as important to understanding the geology and mineral resources of the state and supported geologic mapping, not only by students but also by Bureau staff. Frank seemed to always find a few dollars to support geologic mapping. Today, the Bureau’s mapping program (State Map) is funded in part by Congress and has completed 120 quadrangle maps as well as numerous additional maps at varying stages. The Petroleum core and cuttings library and geophysical well logs were greatly expanded during Frank’s tenure and these data collections form the basis for delineating the state’s petroleum, coal and uranium resources. The library also includes numerous cores and cuttings from metallic and nonmetallic mineral deposits. Frank realized the importance of old mining records and encouraged several of his staff to archive these valuable records – Bob Eveleth, metallic minerals; Gretchen Hoffman, coal; George Austin and Jim Baker, industrial minerals and Virginia McLemore, uranium data. Today many geologists use these records to aid in looking for new mineral deposits in the state. But these records have also proven important in establishing premining and early mining conditions for environmental reports and greatly improve our understanding of the environmental affects of mineralized areas, both mined and unmined. The Bureau’s mineral museum grew through the efforts of Robert North, Bob Eveleth, and later Virgil Lueth under Frank’s tenure and it is now recognized as one of the better state mineral museums in the country.
Frank served on numerous professional society and governmental committees, including the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Mining Association. Frank did not just serve on these committees, he was a worker and served as president or secretary in some cases, and always shared his thoughts and advice throughout his terms. He was on the New Mexico Mine Safety Advisory Board, the Mine Advisory Board for the State Land Commissioner, the New Mexico Coal Mining Commission, San Juan River Regional Coal Team and others. You may not see Frank’s name on the various rules and decisions, but he was behind the scenes helping to shape our industry for the better.
The New Mexico mining industry greatly benefited from Frank’s generosity of time and knowledge, professional integrity, fairness and geologic knowledge and ability to integrate mineral resources with the real world. He was a true gentleman. We can see his direct influence on the mining industry of New Mexico in his many publications and his direct influence in the number of students and professionals he mentored, advised and supervised throughout the years.
Frank was inducted into the New Mexico Mining Hall of Fame on September 14, 2006.
