Alaska Mining Hall of Fame Foundation Inducts Gordon and Marilyn Herreid
AMA President Lorali Simon Represents Alaska in Washington, D.C.
The Alaska Mining Hall of Fame inducted Gordon and Marilyn Herreid on April 19. Gordon was born in Santa Maria, Calif., on Oct. 24, 1924, to Walter B. Herreid and Florence Weed, both from families of Norwegian immigrants who immigrated to the United States. Gordon’s father Walter played collegiate football at Washington State University; his team improbably beat Brown University at the first Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, Calif., in 1916. Walter would later coach football for Dan Diego State University in the 1930s before passing unexpectedly from an infection in 1941 when Gordon was 17 years old. Gordon served in WWII in the 10th Mountain Division in Italy and was severely wounded in combat. Upon his discharge from the military in 1946, he traveled to Alaska for both adventure and education at the University of Alaska, where he graduated with a Geology degree in 1949. Marilyn was born Marilyn Hahn in St. Chales, Ill., on April 19, 1928, to Jennie and Walter Hahn. She remembered an idyllic childhood
Gordon’s world of ideas, his simple lifestyle, and his love for the great outdoors. Marilyn graduated from the University of Alaska with a ‘Pre- Med’ degree in 1950, the only one awarded by the institution at that time. During the 1950s, Gordon worked as a consulting economic geologist in both Canada and Alaska, and in 1958, was appointed chief geologist of the Red Devil mercury-antimony mine in southwest Alaska. In 1961, Gordon became Alaska’s first state geologist, who designed and implemented programs to acquire knowledge about the geologic framework and mineral resource endowment of the 49th State. Marilyn was always there to help carry out the strenuous chores related to geological field work that included evaluations in more than a dozen remote locales in the 49th State. Whereas Gordon was a creative man full of ideas, Marilyn insured that those ideas bore fruit. Marilyn and Gordon were inseparable, and his successes in life had a lot to do with her often-stern guidance. — Compiled by Tom Bundtzen
where music, friends, and academies were her passions. Marilyn studied pre-med at Grinnell College in Iowa with the intention of becoming a pediatrician. In 1947, after two years at Grinnell, Marilyn transferred to the University of Alaska in search of adventure. This she found, especially in the person of Gordon. Marilyn was greatly inspired by and embraced
Lorali Simon, Vice President of External Affairs at Usibelli Coal Mine and AMA President, was invited to the White House in April for President Donald Trump’s announcement of executive actions aimed at protecting and growing America’s coal industry. Thank you, Lorali, for all that you do for Alaska coal mining and for AMA!
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May 2025 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I May 2025
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