| Alumni
and Friends Leave Legacies at Mines Bequest
\bi-'qwest\ n That which is left by will, esp. personal property; a legacy; also, a
gift.
Webster’s definition doesn’t begin to tell the whole story. In recent months,
Colorado School of Mines Foundation has received remarkably generous bequests from four
individuals.
The gifts will benefit Mines and its students for generations.
Parents Help Fulfill Son’s Legacy
 According to those who knew him best, Gordon R. Lacy, Jr. was a
modest man.
Dick Teater, a long-time friend of Lacy, said, "He was always observant and
intellectually sharp, which enabled him to see and interpret things that others
couldn’t. His insight and sensitivity made him a valuable and trusted confidante to
his friends and colleagues."
Upon graduating from Mines in 1963 with an Engineer of Mines degree, Lacy worked as an
assistant plant engineer for United Gypsum in Indiana. He then served in the U.S. Navy
Civil Engineer Corps from 1966-74.
Lacy’s career grew through a variety of senior positions with such companies as
Morrison-Knudsen, Kiewit Construction Group and Martin K. Eby Construction.
Before his death in November 1996 in Wichita, Kan., Lacy established a revocable trust
that included a bequest of $2.6 million to the Colorado School of Mines Foundation.
Lacy’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon R. Lacy Sr. immediately made available a cash
gift of $689,215 from their son’s estate to establish the Lacy Family Endowed
Scholarship Fund.
The trust will support the elder Lacys until their deaths, at which time an additional
$1.9 million will be added to the fund.
A Graduate’s Vision to Give Back to Mines
 Fred Kirby ’22 began his career as a service engineer and salesman with
Goodman Manufacturing Co. where he worked for ten years.
In 1934, he joined a small company in West Virginia which grew rapidly during the mining
activity of that era and eventually merged with McGraw-Edison Co.
Kirby retired in 1966 as president of the National Electric Coil Division of
McGraw-Edison.
Despite deteriorating eyesight in recent years, Kirby corresponded with the School’s
leadership and often expressed appreciation for his Mines degree.
He passed away last March, leaving a bequest of $1,000,000 to the CSM Foundation.
When he died, Kirby may have been one of Mines’ oldest living alumni, but he was by
no means the least lively: He was well-known and often greeted on his daily walks through
the nursing home where he resided in Columbus, Ohio.
He called his trust company every business day to chat with advisors and find out the
state of the stock market. "I think I can speak on behalf of everybody here whose
lives he touched; each one enjoyed Fred’s visits, conversation and positive attitude.
He was a truly delightful gentleman.
On several occasions he shared with me his pride in Colorado School of Mines and I am
guessing that this very significant gift is Fred’s way of expressing his appreciation
and hope that others will have the opportunity for an education in such a fine
school," said Mary Ten Eyck Taylor, vice-president and manager of The Ohio Company.
Mining Legend Shows Respect for CSM
 Frank W. "Mac"
McQuiston, Jr. was not a graduate of Mines but of the University of California at
Berkeley, specializing in mineral engineering.
In 1934, McQuiston began a 50-year career with Newmont Mining in Grass Valley, Calif.
Subsequently, he became a research supervisor for a Newmont laboratory.
Through Newmont’s philanthropic affiliation with Mines, McQuiston grew fond of the
School and began to direct his personal gifts to the CSM Foundation.
McQuiston made many notable contributions to metallurgy research.
He assisted in installing one of the first carbon-in-pulp plants at the Getshell mine in
Nevada—work that resulted in the first patent for a screen to separate carbon from
pulp.
McQuiston and colleague Robert Porter made major contributions to the use of ion exchange
resins for the recovery of uranium from South African gold ores.
A prolific writer on the subject of extractive metallurgy, he authored several technical
papers and contributed to many handbooks and mining volumes.
After a long, distinguished career as an internationally known mining executive and
researcher, McQuiston died in 1987.
When his widow, Frances, passed away in 1997, the two left a bequest of nearly $1,500,000
for student support in mining and metallurgy at CSM.
Noble Gift from a Graduate
 Times were tough for Miners during Bruce M. Ganek’s senior
year.
The campus had a housing shortage due to the large post-war enrollment; many married
students lived with their families in cramped quarters of trailer houses set up in the
field house.
Single students also found it difficult to obtain lodging—even the old armory was
converted into a dormitory.
Nevertheless, Ganek graduated from Mines in 1947 with a Geological Engineer degree and
went on to a distinguished career in exploration for Chevron Overseas Petroleum.
Ganek was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Sigma Gamma Epsilon professional
engineering fraternity in the fields of mining, geology and petroleum.
When Ganek died in January 1997, he bequeathed in excess of $1,400,000 to the CSM
Foundation.
"Bequests of this magnitude greatly enhance the School’s ability to attract
talented students, create new academic programs, and to procure state-of-the-art
equipment," said Vice President for Institutional Advancement Steve Pougnet. "We
are very fortunate to have friends who leave such legacies for the benefit of Mines. |
