Oral History Center, the Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley
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Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley Oral History Center University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Global Mining and Materials Research Oral History Project Robert Kendrick: Mine Design, Planning and Supervision from High Mountain to Deep Jungle, 1950s-2000s Interviews conducted by Paul Burnett in 2019 Copyright © 2019 by The Regents of the University of California Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley ii Since 1954 the Oral History Center of the Bancroft Library, formerly the Regional Oral History Office, has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral History is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is bound with photographs and illustrative materials and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ********************************* All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Robert Kendrick, dated July 8, 2019. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Excerpts up to 1000 words from this interview may be quoted for publication without seeking permission as long as the use is non-commercial and properly cited. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to The Bancroft Library, Head of Public Services, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000, and should follow instructions available online at http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/collections/cite.html It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Robert Kendrick, “Robert Kendrick: Mine Design, Planning, and Supervision from High Mountain to Deep Jungle, 1950s-2000s” conducted by Paul Burnett in 2019, Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2019. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley iii Robert Kendrick Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley iv Robert Kendrick was a mine executive whose career spanned five decades and five continents. He holds a degree in mining engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and is a graduate of Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program. He was Chairman of Oro Gold, CEO of Monarch Resources, Ltd. in Venezuela, Senior Vice-President of Operations for AMAX North America, Manager of the Environmental Service Group at AMAX, and mine superintendent at several large mines in Colorado and Arizona. While at Climax Molybdenum, a subsidiary of AMAX, Kendrick helped develop the cavability index, used in mining worldwide. He served in the International Executive Service Corps, co-founded the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, and taught at the Colorado School Mines. Acknowledgements The Oral History Center wishes to thank the Freeport Foundation and Stanley Dempsey for supporting the Center and making this oral history possible. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley v Table of Contents—Robert Kendrick Interview 1: February 25, 2019 Hour 1 1 Born and raised in Leadville, Colorado — Paternal relatives’ escape from Chicago — Mother’s side from Iowa — Wife and her family’s move to Aspen— Maternal grandparents eventual settlement in Twin Lakes, Colorado —Henderson project incident—Leadville mine banquet prior to Kendrick — Deputy sheriff grandfather traveled to Utah to prospect for minerals — Grandfather taking family to Oregon to prospect — Family tragedy in a blizzard — More saloons than churches in Leadville; labor strike in Leadville — Living independently during childhood — Kids of Leadville learning to skate in backyard rink — Making homemade skis — Bill Copper — Old Man McMillan — Going down Mount Elbert — Nightmares of avalanches — Leadville district mostly of silver — Tragic death of brother Frank III from pneumonia — Military funeral for Frank III — Working summer jobs during high school — Working in blizzards and making parents worried — Going to Colorado A&M and then to Mines — Meeting wife Marian at Colorado A&M and marrying her in 1954 — Joining SAE Fraternity —Recruited by Climax following graduation — First job with Climax at the Resurrection Mine — Yellow Streak Muck Train Hour 2 18 Slusher drift system fingers of the Climax Mine — Goal to get free-flowing muck — Putting bombs in the B Finger — Working as a timberman — Avalanche chutes — Working as a foreman — Working at Urad in Denver — Urad ore pass mined by Alimak Raise Climbers — Cousin Jack’s tutelage made operation successful — Working with “pancakes” of the Bureau of Mines — Using ANFO and Primacord — Overcoring work — Strong knowledge of metallurgy, geology, chemistry — Developing cavability index of rocks with RQD — Presenting paper with Urad in Tokyo — Rock mechanics’ meeting at the Colorado School of Mines — Meeting and working with Barry McMahon on the cavability index — Hosting a cocktail party for the minister of mines of Taiwan — Difficulty in distinguishing Taiwanese peoples’ last names — Working with inefficient slusher — Elzie Ray at Resurrection — Martin Marietta cement company — — Vulcan Slushers sold by John Jett — Cutting 630 Mucker in half to get rid of muck — Urad experience — Everett Mine — Driving spiling — Using twelve- by-twelve timber to hold up mine — Old Ray’s innovative thinking in the mines — Finding a part of mine in Silver Plume Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley vi Hour 3 39 Lagging off timber and cleaning [gobbing out] of rediscovered section of mine — Rediscovered mine now a tourist attraction — Shaping effective, contained blast above the Urad — Henderson deposit discovered — Boyles Brothers bumping into the Vasquez Fault — Running into a shear-zone fault — Diamond drilling process to explore fault — Striking Vasquez Fault, losing equipment but no men — Crossing Continental Divide faults four times — Crediting South Africans for Henderson mine engineering — Using gyroscopes — Checking work in Eisenhower Tunnel — Building rock bolt jumbo — Potable water and port-a- potties for underground workforce Interview 2: February 26, 2019 Hour 1 55 Urad cave starting on 1100 Level — Wider cave puts stress on rock in place — Fatal air blasts from drilling — Personally breaking the news of deaths to workers’ families — Post-air-blast inspections — ANFO factory in flames at Climax — MSHA in control following Climax fire — Orienting cave on Henderson deposit — Working with [LHD] load-haul-dump units — Contingent of Japanese men visiting Henderson Mine — Henderson Mine, exemplar of modern mining — Experiences with load-haul-dump units — More on Vasquez Fault — No formal training for emergencies at Mines Hour 2 72 Concrete in the mines — Risk-taking trait in family — Urad workforce —South- African miners — Cultural divisions in earlier Leadville community — Dealing with discrimination at URAD —Copper mine opportunity in Miami, Arizona — Trying to use a form of in-situ leaching — Failure to seal the geological formations to get the leaching operation to work —Fracking — Managing Environmental Service Group at Amax — Molybdenum usage in steelmaking Interview 3: February 26, 2019 Hour 1 85 Ian MacGregor, chairman of Amax — Powder River Basin — Environmental impact statement — Environmental Service Group work at the MacMillan Pass — Neil Sterritt — Stanley “Stan” Dempsey — Mining Canada Tungsten, Canol Road — Minnamax — Visiting the Fijian islands for ESG work — Fijian drink, people — Crocodiles and feral pigs — Stan Dempsey in quicksand — Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley vii Jungle growth in equipment a dangerous hazard — Demise of Bougainville Copper — Snake River trout Hour 2 101 Return to Climax as the General Manager of the mine — Repainting of industrial buildings — Efforts to improve Climax — Introducing yieldable steel — Rehabilitating and modernizing Climax mine — Advanced Management Program at Harvard and cohort of program participants — North American Senior Vice President of Operations for Climax — Climax, mining molybdenum as well as rare earths — Challenge of Crested Butte — Attending reviewing sessions of Amax Coal in Washington — Transition from Climax to Monarch Resources — Marian’s skiwear business — Traveling to office of the local operation in Caracas, Venezuela — Traveling through Venezuela with Marian — Simon Catchpole — Kendrick, the latest CEO of Monarch Resources — A summons to London, UK — Edward Shackleton — Issues with Monarch Resources in Caracas Hour 3 124 Apartment