Richard Geren, OC (1917–2002), was an American

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

who was a key member of the team that defined high-grade iron ore deposits in the Knob Lake area of northeastern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. The deposit's magnitude and significance led to the formation of the

Iron Ore Company of Canada Iron Ore Company of Canada (often abbreviated to IOC) () is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American firms, the largest being the M.A. Hanna Company. It is now owned by a c ...

(IOCC) in 1949. Geren led pre-production studies and became Manager of IOCC's operations at

Schefferville Schefferville () is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km (1¼ miles) from the border with Labrador o ...

, where he faced numerous challenges associated with building a large mining operation in isolated sub-Arctic conditions. Geren was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. His interest in mining originated in 1935 by a chance meeting with two geologists in northern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He earned his B.Sc. degree in geology from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. Then he returned to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and started his career in the

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...

gold-mining area. During the Second World War, he served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

. Afterwards he was employed by the Labrador Mining and Exploration Company. He received a mandate to confirm iron ore deposits of sufficient size in

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

and northeastern

to justify building a mine and railroad. More than 400 million tonnes were proven in the Knob Lake area in

, which led to the creation of the

and the construction of the

Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on ...

(QNS & L) and the Town of

. Geren became the supervising geologist and chief mining engineer and then Mine Superintendent from 1954 to 1961. In 1961, he became Assistant Manager of IOCC. He became an Executive Vice-President of IOCC in 1976, a position he held until his retirement. During retirement, Geren and another former IOCC employee, Blake McCullogh, collaborated in writing a corporate history of the Iron Ore Company of Canada titled '' Cain's Legacy: The Building of Iron Ore Company of Canada (1990).'' In 1983, Geren was awarded the Inco Medal by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIMM) in recognition of a "legacy of pioneering spirit and leadership that has helped the iron ore industry weather economic difficulties and rekindle hope to meet the challenge for survival." In 1984, Geren was invested as Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, Canada's highest civilian honour. In 2001, he was inducted into the

Canadian Mining Hall of Fame The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by Maurice R. Brown as a way to honor Canada's mine finders and builders, in recognition of accomplishments by leaders in the Canadian mining industry. The Hall was established in 1988; in 2023 it ha ...

References

External links

Hall of Fame (Mining)

Order of Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Geren, Richard 1917 births 2002 deaths Canadian military personnel of World War II 20th-century Canadian geologists Officers of the Order of Canada Scientists from Columbus, Ohio