University of Texas at El Paso
DigitalCommons@UTEP
Combined Interviews
Institute of Oral History
6-19-1996
Interview no.911
Ruperto G. Aguilar
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Part of the Oral History Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons
Recommended Citation
Interview with Ruperto G. Aguilar by W. Noel McAunulty, Jr., 1996, "Interview no.911," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas
at El Paso.
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Mining in Mexico
OraI History Project
Ruperto G. Aguilar
By W. Noel McAnulty,
,June 49,
wit.h Ruperto
in
mining
G. Aguilar
in
Irm in Mexico City
about his
Mexico.
introduction,
Ruperto,
visiting
remembrances of his
coul-d you
career
just
tell,
how you came to Texas College
teIl
what. you remember about your
n.
1-996
fToday's date j-s] June 19, 1996.
M:
Jr.
as an
of Mines and
school- days?
Wel-l, the reason I went t.o Texas College
of Mines was the f act
that
Guanajuato
I
was not
Mines due to
Universit.y
the
to
fact
there.
what we call
several
able
come into
up there
subjects
that
I
the
School
I missed a few requisites
that
Since
the
my prep
had finished
for
the
school,
ot
high
school,
in
I had not
studied
here in Mexico or
t.he States
of
f
had
in
the States.
M:
So you grew up in Mexico?
7\.
I
grew up
in
Mexico,
reason,
to that
was very
little
of any kind,
fact,
actually.
was manly
mining
possibilities,
And that. was all
other
that
And besides,
there
of going
elsewhere
And, actuaIly,
the only
enough at
like
that
kind
and so due to
I went to EI Paso.
possibility
thought
have any
Ju6,rez, yeah,
in
f
of
that
time
geology
or
at
as
I
school
think,
f
a career
that. I
career
metallurgy
remember was,
engineeri-ng
into
recall.
was one in
or
mining.
they
didn't
I
don,t
quite
recall
exacLly,
engineering
And when did
A:
College of Mines?
M:
I n A 9 4 2-
A:
In
I
ll9l42.
since
actuaIly,
grade
started
due
that
at
M:
E1 Paso and
f
What was the
college
There
very
were
soldi-ers.
remember,
technical
I
to
I
went
like
we
schooling.
the
St.ates,
the
only
problem
of
in
school,
all
years-
second
seventh
summer school_
f
regular
t.hen
as
I
the
l,
started
I
went.
said,
I
of
subjects
College
during
About
to
was- and then r had my four
a Iot
as
of my prep
I start.ed
Look
three
students
at
f
years
three
recall
Texas
few
together
two or
That was
don't
And,
think
Lhat
half,
it
lacked
went
I
all
in
was out
And
And
school.
but
f
fact.
and a
Guanajuato,
students
years
Cathedral-
engineering
E] paso.
grammar school-, but
in
how many years
years
of Mines?
here and part
So when
three
throughout....two
exactly
grammar school
As soon as I got. language
to
any other
or mathematics,
aL Texas College
Lamar School in
at
Mexico.
and within
grade,
There was physics
had my grammar school
was language.
were not
I can remember, so I had to go there.
I did
in
f
there
I79142.
I think
here
think
school
studied
I already
school
that
you start
M:
I
there.
careers
but not engineering
grammar.
but
tried
so
the war years?
we
more or
went
an
into
back
to
Were there...
soldiers,
were
fess,
engineering
a hundred
get
to
I
f or
Mines.
of
except
time
Iook
to
only
a
six
1ot
hundred
remember.
or
and twenty
some
of
And,
of
and only
this
four
I
of
us came out.
Most
they
were
that
was a 4-F,
four
of
myself
to
sent
very
few
that
moment
war.
I
Some of
remember.
,Jerry
Mu11er,
graduated
in
us:
who
other
in
f or
f inished
with
f ew t.hat
their
of
7946?
A:
Of
179)46.
during
take
So,
I
months was to
try
commencement.
r thought
f wouldn't
get
to
salary,
when r
but
then
The whol-e thing
some surveying.
three
that
a job
if
while
in
I did
months
us until
one or
f
and
in
time
that
had
So
the
two subject.s
i-946.
I didn't
three
but
at
May.
or
was waiting
the exercises,
And
commencement
four
for
r had a job before
my passport
that
the
time
take the job
to go to Bol_ivia...good
every
there
other
day.
So
was a revol-ution.
see?
AS&R at, Charcas.
was in
Fresnillo
Of course,
119146- a year before
for
some work in
during
that
wel1,
those
had revol_utions
was stopped,
that-
[19] 45 r took
about.
for
I got a job with
Final1y,
for
they
for
one
So only
,Januarv.
to
during
I had an offer
getting
started
year before
that
even be there
as soon as possible.
a job
at
in-
that. period
did
except
,Jdureguj_,
make
,Jduregui took
whaL I
Army and
engineering.
didn't
were deferred
think,
Actually,
of
school
up
the
Mull-er.
Luis
were graduating
the second semester of
any.
out
they
credits
commencementexercises
Porres,
year
by
reLurn
was Jerry
Arturo
so
over
them didn't
had finished
January,
the
taken
That
that
P-Doggies
exerci-ses
M:
them were
of
the
the
vacation
that
a
in
summer where r did
plant
time.
I
was there
That
was
in
1L9145 when the
war
ended.
AS&R.
went
over
in
in
Wadley
ds
with
recall
and then
wel-l,
I was there
I
said,
f was there
job
in
one of
had
as
was
the
their
a job
took
there
unit
units
company-
a
I
119)46
when the
only
Compaflia Mineras
in
. .
Fresnillo
in
a few months
I
howmany-
different
you
for
Potosi.
What do you remember about.
term
in
a company,
San Luis
I don't
companyM
time
a job
to
Mexicana,
years-
ended.
So then,
that
At
war
but
in
it
oh,
was the
was
few
The same
same owner.
flrst
the
engineer
a
potosi
San Luis
Oaxaca.
So, reaIly,
graduate
and then
Refinadora
for,
in
with
longer
with...was
it
Wadley?
A
No,
the
longest
M
No,
flo,
when you
A
The longest
M
No,
but
the
late
were
WeII,
M
Did
A
As
you
think
Irve
as
it
t.here
I
t.o Wadley
there
was
was good
at
one.
Wadley.
the
with
at. Wadl-ey at
colonia
company
the
I
didn't
living.
to
work
would
remember about
good as far
in
was good.
It
went
were pretty
l-ive
working
What do you
like
l-ast
was Nukay.
first
[fg]+Os.
long
started
That
when you
they
camp.
first
one?
condit.ions
A
one was Frisco...the
the
have
been
Wadley?
What
time?
as personal...
there
I
ar. . .
lived
out
have any argumenLs
I have very
few gripes
there
in
about
the
it.
about
where
been.
M
What was access
A
The what?
M:
Access.
Physical
l-ike,
for
access.
example,
dt
Wadley
at
that
I
t.ime?
7\.
WeII,
it
was fairly
and then
the
a pickup
have
terminal-,
horseback
Lhe
for
What was the
A:
I
M:
What were
A:
They were a little
drive
time
get
to
tougher.
far
M:
Wel-1, that
A'
Hlln
M:
Was it
A:
No, no.
me over
then
half
in
tougher
bad
walk
an hour,
worked
Oaxaca?
up to Wadley
to
what
up
or
up to
at
in
we calr
ride
the
on
mine.
Oaxaca?
for
And up
strip
or
about
there,
four
we'd
hours
rlo possibility
something,
was just
that
was probably...
That
in Wadley because
than
road
there.
think
and
on a train
recal-l .
like
an air
I
as
don't
pretty
a
having
been
I
take
mj-ne you
the
conditions
on
highway
.
a jeep
or
minutes,
name of
recall
go over
I,d
tramway,
twenty
M:
don't
good.
so
about
that
have to
off
the
at
that
was a little
t.he worse
place
I,ve
as communications.
was kind
in
of
a rain
forest,
Loo,
wasn't
it?
/
a jungle?
in
up there,
M:
This
7\.
Yalh
,
the
east
And,
is
i i -v
L
of
t.he hioh
tq
sierra
*a t, t r r " f f y
It
was rather
cold
course,
M:
So then
lat.er,
?\.
That
sea
in
like
of Oaxaca?
where
and west
the
something
over there.
actua11y.
course,
one
no jungle
No, there's
Sierra
Oaxaca,
side,
after
Oaxaca,
that..
the
two
Madre,
main
chains
join
practj-caIIy
south
all
is
all
mountainous.
you
left
Refinadora,
I
think,
It
was
was under
the
of
of
where
Compaflia
of
mounLains,
Mexico
it
Cit.y.
except,
did
Minera
same company.
of
you work?
Oaxaca
I
or
think
l-at.er, or just
National
at about the time
just
Lead at
I quit.,
about
that
Nukay
after
i_t was bought off
time
when r
by
came over
to
Nukay.
M:
So you
n.
Yeah,
went
went
to
work
r was there
over
to
ru ry l . r
n n r l ; f\t .
recalI.
for
a royalty
I
used
time
in
his
ore body.
to
name of
live
there
in-
No.
on was pure galena,
seventy-six,
finished.
for
rt
in
was it?
r
1itt1e
mine and
WeIl,
was twent.y-three,
high
was gone.
grade.
we used ro pay
. actua]ly,
pure
galena
a good yieId.
read.
or somet.hing like
that.
about five
came down to eight
the
that
or
time
percent
years
of l-ead came down to nine cents,
of
the
what year
but it. gave us quite
I think,
because
of
practically
galena is
the t.ime it
also,
Chihuahua
Very high grade ore.
up to seventy-five
when it
sosaya
rt. was owned by someone in EI paso.
was about seventy-four,
start.ed
with
r
the mine?
Very little,
the price
t.here
years.
name- Gardner?
so r mined there
from
Aguilar,
in
part
working with
when we got there.
what we st.arted
the
,Ju6rez,
working
La Amel-ia.
recaff
And then
my own associated
guy by
about five
name of
was Amelia,
I don't
of
But f started
What was the
rt
the
r started
I was there
M:
of
that?
years.
six
mine
So
lrv!
chihuahua.
about
and another
Ju5,rez. . .part
don't
for
a little
and vi]lasefror
f rom
at
with
The
high
we mined it
out,
cents.
cents.
cents we couldn't
grade
pure
sosaya until
or eight
twenty-four
It.
we
And by
work it...nou
had
already
but we were workinq
on 1ow grade mat.erial .
not
flotation-
wellr
it
down.
And then
Minero
construction
there
the
Zincamex
of
mechanical
wasn't
economical,
down.
came over
p1ant.
in
and
to
Sal-tillo.
f
was
And then
for
quit
I
l-950, I believe,
about
In the Saltillo
A:
No, no.
for
years.
about
planted,
twenty-five
about thirty
t.he construction
that
time,
year.
actuallyp1ant,
obsolete
of
lproducingJ
this
still-
it
even
plant
working.
has already
now since
it
and I
it
up.
farmed
r did
a hundred
and some odd
two of t.hose four
acres
of
pefioIes.
ago- with
the
years
strawberries
in Mexico.
sixty-five
in
Torre6n
we
for
And then
started
r took
in Mexico-
tons
of
zinc
peflol_es was-
SaItiIIo,
about six
The system
t.he first
ac
Zincamex, which was
thousand
That one in
was obsolete.
for
second zj_nc plant
been shut down for
before
some farming
good production.
new- the new plant
And
believe
started
r came back to Mexico City
years
over
During
hundred
so we had a pretty
previ-ousIy
produce
per day.
Then from there
time-
of Michoac6n.
we used to
tons of strawberries
had
of
area?
over in the state
four
charge
years.
four
M:
I
(chuckl_es)
and went farming.
Fomento
in
And I worked with it...construction...and
was.
we
I
plant
that
flotation
it
pIant.-
flotation
cents or so it
We shut
from
owned
up a l-ittle
1res,
But at eight
concentration.
so we shut
We put
per
is,
the Zincamex
or eight
we used
construction,
years
there
was
but
the
government wanted it
was obsolete
that
it
already,
after
manager of
different.
in
operations'
mines.
And then
and worked there
for
So when you worked for
well,
out
mines,
at
the
because the
wasn't
last
were you in
Well,
of course,
percent
very
r'd
the
I had to go over to
very
go to Torre6n,
comfortably,
then
get one of the
t.hem, weIl,
looking
over
the
. .eval-uation. And in the beginning wlth Frisco
r worked
with
Angeles,
one of
worl-d, for
silver
data we got
thousand
percent
biggest
alone.
a day.
the
sil-ver
And r think,
from diamond dril]s
tons
lead,
the
in
And the
approximately,
evaluation
open pit
that
mine,
we projected.
on
helping
projects.
ord6flez
so it
pranes...depending
And r worked with
and
City?
company had planes,
go.
[JorgeJ
ds
of the time r wou]d be
where we had to
mines
Mexico
comfortably,
twel-ve years
the
mines,
I was seventy-one.
They had two or three
in
different
n l -r . r
they told
hard to get. around.
out
something like
and lookincri
from
I
twelve years or so until
company pranes.
them
in farming
r went to
maybe, fifty
but
insj-sted
there
Frisco
Most of the t.ime, yeah.
the mines.
pef,oles for
the
it
so.
years
of the plant
me I wasnrL any good anymore.
M:
those four
And r worked for
them out
was used, they
and so we did
also...construction
and helping
Frisco
wit.h it
as f said,
went t.o Pefrofes.
years,
way even though we tol_d them that
the system that
be constructed
And then,
six
that
of
mines
new
itsel_f
Real
de
in
the
from aIr
the
ten years
ore was one percent
at ten
zinc,
one
and about eight.y grams of sirver.
But it. was economical-.
doing
That was the f irst
some- what do you call--
with
the
time we had start.ed
computers,
the
tests
of ...
M:
Computer
modeling?
Wel-l-, y€S,
grade,
M:
n.
but
another
changing'
That
was about
Te1I
me a rittle
That
must
that
you
mine
that
size.
v r nr
rl .r 'riyarhr
-i11767
DII
v s!
a=
sixteen
bit
been
we made that
Tt was just
1980, so I
quite
over
twelve,
that
but
something like
Tn
l-ha
TJrrni-
Yeah, that's
figured
it
too.
t.he plant
was the
that.
of
the
fact.
grades
for
economics
I don't
a
based
of
But,
at that
[price]
silver
it
at
that
vears
time
was somethinq
forty-eight
the early
recall.
rL was sixteen
r think
or
was
like
seventy-five,
[fg]AOs.
r z voqar rl .. r
J
But we didn't
or
six
figure
dollars
or
we had a good help with
There was a littre
wel-l,
low
time.
de Angeles.
because
what was it?
the price
in
on five
and lead.
Real
on a six dollar
doll-ars.
right.
And, of course,
estimate
think
p,
first
the
:
about-
that,
at
relatively
thing?
had been up to
\ / av qa! r c
J
such
the
agio we did
evaruation
was the one that-
six
it
years
interesting
was the
nrina?
I/! ruE
I think,
that
changing
was about
eighteen
with
what
sensitivity,
That
rea1ly
dealing
the silver
d9o,
or
about
Actually,
time.
. .doing
prices.
the
have
were
thing.
it 's still
going.
bit
on those prices.
something
like
the prod,uction
of cadmiun,
so that
We
thaL.
of zinc
helped,
rt 's st.il-r going because once
was in and the whole operation
had been put
to work
with
al-l the equipment needed...
must have been economical,
shut
down for
they
seemed to
thousand tons
M:
was that
ore
a whi1e
M:
production
go back and Lalk
oh, that
and grades it
a year,
or
but
twenty
t.hat.
to make to put that
low grade
the
about
physical
conditions
wich
came out.
a bit
just
seen in
mining
or
was the
sensitivity
rt
did
come our.
some of
the
changes made
mining
like,
those
for
in
the years.
example,
what
when you were
at La Amel-ia?
was a very
necessary
Which
They
rate...maybe
decision
Actually,
Let's
operating
a year
a higher
because of
working.
qood?
on prices
you've
at
difficul-t
tests
were the
A:
maybe half
The economics were.
that
stil_l
a day or something like
a particurarly
body in
so they're
be working
economics fair]y
A:
for
Then lower grade material
small- mine.
equipment
would
to
have
rt
be abl-e to
been...you
was ours.
we iust
brinq
ore.
were
our
drilling
had the
That
with
was
air?
Handmucking?
Handmucking, ri-ght,
handmucking.
we had a compressor,
had a fift.y-ton
that
over.
capacity
littre
here
course,
mil-l-,
and a littre
so it
because
away, but
of
water
town south of El paso,
hoist.
truck.
was not
we were a ways from the mine.
abouL two kilometers
over
of
And we had a littre
we onlv
hard
to
At the mirl
we preferred
and facil-ities.
to put
carry
we were
the plant
we were
in
oh, about. a hundred kiromecers
a
south.
A littre
south
of
El
north
of
casas
Eagle
Pilcher
Grandes.
get water
out of
mine.
so
it
that
that
A:
We had Frisco,
M:
From their
a pipe
a very...a
reason
for
for
gets
t.he plant
which
is
to your
just
about
Frisco
as far.
and,
to the prant.
the
main
suppliers :
crose to Sal_tit1o,
r think
those
The Avalos
as good.
and
were the
concentrat.e.
area of peflol-es at this
was just
Frisco
was san Francisco?
had a very good zlnc
memory- Aval-os Mine.
good.
there
t.here at saltilro?
Frisco
buL t.hose were
one from the zacatecas
fairly
it
waLer in
one, and pefro1es.
recall,
main suppliers.
other
1ot of
and
at saltil_l_o what were the
mi-nes over in chihuahua?
don't
congreso
d.own there
we put
Pefloles from Zacatecas, which is rather
Frisco,
the
was easy to get people over andback
supply
just
t.ime when we started
to put
the zinc plant
kiromeuers
[Chihuahua]
what was that-
ft's
was the
major sources of ztnc
r
the-
the mine.
and fifty
Corralitos,
so r was ab]e
when you constructed
well-,
a hundred
And at
was working
there,
besides,
about
San pedro
Paso in
Mj-ne right
that
M:
over
The
mine- age
Mine used to be
we used to havo rrnnrr
zinc.
M:
n.
were you at all
plant
once it
Yes.
we]l,
plant.
was built
r was not
When the
inaugurated
Prince
involved
Albert
by
with
the operation
of
the
zinc
in Saltillo?
invo]ved
plant
lMexican
of Belgium,
was
in
finished
president.
since
11
Lhe operat.ion
Adolfo]
in
of
the whole
[lg] 64
it
L6pez Mateos
was
and
the know-how was suppl-ied by
Lhe
Belgians.
And
Belgium.
He came over to inaugurate
time.
think,
r
about
ten
half
of
Prince
1-964.
l-eft
furnaces.
Torreon.
7\.
oh,
Was that
yes.
That
originalry.
r
assimul-ate
there.
king,
of
one furnace
furnaces
together
r left
Bel_qium
president
with
was only
on other
a
actuaIIy,
the plant
r t.hink,
at
and., r
there
were
when we had about
the
planning
to
a completely
was the
Belgium
operation
erectrol-ytic
p1ant,
brought,
that
employee.
of
obsolete,
that
it
what
are
that
The principle
of course,
year
p1ant.
to
salt.il_lo
be
able
to
They had a plant
figuring
and
one we suggested,
an
abandon
the
technology
we
government's
Fomento Minero
everything
in mininq
a
for
the
was the
principle
process?
of
would
woul_dn't work. ..it's
the
construction
they were already
a prant
in
for
their
time,
to
Everyone
different
with
one we had suqgested
was in
construct,
but
you were involved
that
But., even at that
career
was
them working.
Peflol-es in
Later.
the
The operation
And,
for
M:
not
when we had about...al-l
then,
Later.
A1bert,
Then we kept. on starting
The zinc p]ant,
A:
l.
contractor
[?].
that
M:
general
company,
L6pez Mateos in
M:
Lhe
go to
which
orders.
knew it
r
was an
was already
proof
electro]ysis.
shut down now.
changes
t.hat
you
have
seen
in
your
in Mexico?
change is
that
equipment
has been introduced.
the companies have had the economic possibilities.
I2
They've
small
M:
used
miners,
you
Were
during
A
In
1960,
it.
I
[19] 61,
at
that
didn't
You di-d not?
A:
No.
M.
wnv I
7\.
I
M:
Did you get
n.
No,
M:
what
know.
to
to
I didn't
beqin
didn't
any
the
of
companies
I
was.
Wel-l_, I
have anything
to
was in
do with
with.
l_ike it.
where you liked
is
your
opinion
something
They didn't
about
that
it
do bad.
r
think
Beginning
As a matter of fact,
to be paid
J-n pesos.
t.hat
was good
End of
A:
with
recal-l- where
No,
I-iust
course,
period?
don't
it
of
can.
involved
time.
l-ike
and,
better
years
as the
went
on?
no.
Was it
n.
I
available
do what. they
Mexicanization
M.
don't
they
technology
particularly
the
Sa1lill-o
new
all
after
for
it.
Side
of
have
dorlars?
of
about
13
Mexico?
been
the
same.
Ihro
Mexicanization
why pay us in pesos if
in
period?
One
That r didn't
for
Mexicanization
mining
would
Side
dollars.
course,
whole
it
of mining we started
like.
The companies ger
was a habit
twenty
years
the
to be paid
in
peso was so
stable
that
the company started
we'11- start
fifteen
M:
A:
when the
instabil-ity
problems
for
the
it
of
the schooling
for
companies buying
to
be
is
too
long-term
effects
personal
small-.
r
having
seem to think
change that,
it
that
world's
beginning
ago about world
first
world of nations,
fai]ed,
a littre
won't.
f t's
like
a state.
or
see it.
kids
not
do anything
you know,
now.
think
L4
the
wlll
to
the
wor]d
have to come.
it,
Nations now.
will
Maybe you'11
or
not,
nrcrhl96,
The
the League of
too good either.
see it
a d i f f i n r r lI
there's
politicians
And each country
wilf
is
r read a book several
rt
t.hat.
this
races.
r
get.ting
think
we have the united
it,s
be good.
f t's
is
make a unit.
work.
r feel
Maybe your
The world
or whatever you call
but
new
by foreign
r don't
sma]l
government.
better,
have to
dif f icu1t..
to
didn't
the
ownership
we11, r canrt
too
we may not
years
to keep
be of
nationalities-
nationality
necessary.
the
be a unit.
will-
opinion.
think
this
is
but
Europeans are
just
a l_ot of
j_n Mexico?
in
event.ually
for
or keep up your standards.
any point
rtrs
created
saving,s to be able
okay- are not worth a damn.
Nations,
so
But then after...
a hundred percent
properties
a very
your
into
personal,
will
pesos. ,'
in
was alright.
of the kids
the
provide
this
equivalent
the employees.
what do you think
Look,
"okay, we're Mexican.
the peso came that
somet.imes you had to dig
laws that
7\.
you
or twenty years
on paying
M
paying
to say,
rt,l-I
just
be
see that..
r
but
don't
mining
I
know.
will_
M:
(chuckles)
go on.
still
overall,
when you entered Texas colrege
with
idea of being
the
a mining
n.
n
Yeah.
M:
Have you been pleased with
A:
No.
Actua11y,
go ersewhere
offered
that
for
the profession
anything
erse.
these
was a vocati-onal
you've
that
that.
r wanted a littl-e
same.
r heard one of
technical-
chosen?
r coul_dn't
The most r could
have been
trainings.
r think
paso street
school- on El
they would teach you carpentry
Texas college
engineer?
r wanted some kind of engineering.
was maybe one of
there
of Mines did you enter
where
or mechanics or something like
more t.han that.
those was four
of Mines was twenty
The cost
dol-lars
five
was the
a month and the
dollars
a semester,
so
I chose that.
r had very
A's
any
throughout
one
to
(chuckles)
good grades
my four
me at
No girls,
So r
Another
val-edict.orian.
percenl
n i n e f w - f c r r! rv u !
aa
n rds
q
would stil-l
fun.
It
schoor.
And, of
the
:
q
cathedral
had very
r liked
was straight
r didn't
High
good
have
school.
grades.
r
was
guy by t.he name of Armando Fuentes was
average during
yn vn l' ri rnu+ -
rt
course,
He beat me by a quarter
ninety-four
it..
years.
distract
sal-utatorj-an.
r liked
in high
v !v
something
the
oh, y€s,
a point .
four
like
school very much.
be in school-.
of
years
that.
rf
r liked
r had a
and he had
rt
was
fun.
r had been rich
studying.
rt
was
was fun.
And in
college,
of course,
15
I
r had a 1ot of distracti_ons.
And
the
best
[LroydJ
the
r
"speedy"
best.
they
both
Dean
were really,
of
them.
give
sweep the
buildings
or
assistants
in
very
really
ft
There
fl-oors
clean
c1ean
M:
male
speedy had a fund there,
pay until-
r r w h e ny o u g e t p a i d ,
but
euinn,
us
cash
a
boy,
f remember
give
so
so
they
us a check
fherrrd
-ive
us
and
we'd
swee'
what. do they
carr
them-
or engineering
were realIy
ifty
And,
of
us money.
we got out of schoor.
so r doubt that
or
cents an
good.
which would lend
|ou give us a rittre
more. "
course,
students,
coul_dn't
. . chemistry
they
were
well_,
of
close.
are
they
were. .
They'd give us cash...f
Boy,
love
me,
And,
windows.
be-
t.he laboratories.
we'11 give you a little
like
they
or
of
Graham and speedy ,
give
windows,
for
[HowardJ
few
the
They'd
was good.
and
very
l_ot
people.
to us...very
because
or
a
think,
students.
were
us a job
sometimes we wouldn't
said,
with
and they
nice
close
metal-l-urgy or whatnot.
course,
r
Thomas
with
(chuckles)
hour.
remember
Graham.
[EugeneJ
l-ess personal
coufdnrt
to
Ne]son
them...very,
was
l-ittIe
r
They were good professors
remember
there
professors
more. r'
But he
"okay,
anybody failed
that.
You t.ark about. speedy Nerson.
students
Did you as st.udents...did
cal-1 Dr. Ne1son 'rSpeedy"?
A:
Of course.
M:
Was that
A:
Sure.
M:
fs that
the
name he went withl
rioht?
_LO
the
7\.
Sure.
M:
Where
n.
I
M:
But it
did
don't
Do you know?
name come from?
know.
wasn't
No, no.
Prof
that
It
Dr.
Nel-son or anything?
was Speedy.
Graham-
(chuckles)
No, Speedy, no.
r
didn'L
but
about.
They were good professors.
at least
and sit
in
two . . . we had a lot
their
office
my time
anyway.
no.
He
Thomas or
d.o, a 1ot
t.o talk
when we had any problems-
talk
probrems I'd
about
seen some interesting
it
this
They were good professors,
wel-l-, yourve
speedy,
to
up to you, but r think..."
something.
He was
him.
have much with
when r had any personar
down in
it's
"well,
with
No, not
Quinn,
well,
those
was Speedy.
Graham was something else.
You had Lo be serious
was a good professor.
It
go to them
and
lwas totd]:
or that.
That was
very nice.
times
there
in
t.he change
of the mining business.
A.
oh,
r
think
if
r were to
and, maybe, wi-th a lot
my spanish.
so,
r'd
much.
r'm
put
rt's
live
again
more r don,t
forget.t.ing
much more of
myself
of
Mines doesn't
go to
know what-
my English.
into
been a good profession,
Texas college
|d
it.
r
have that
it's
got metalrurgy
yet,
well,
r'm
a metalrurgist
myself.
My major
but
spent
about half
subject,
f,ve
of it. in mining and half
1-,
rrm forgetting
riked
ic
very
r'm sorry
that
career
think
That was my major
again
r can speak French.
very good.
stil-],
mining
anymore.
and geology.
is
Too bad.
metallurgy.
most of
r
my time,
of it. in metallurgy,
so it
complements
it.self
very
nicely.
M:
You have
A:
No.
M:
WeI1, I thank you very much for
something
el-se you'd
like
say?
your time.
comments.
Alright.
End of
to
Int,erview
I appreciate
your