Vol. 3 Issue 1
Fall/Winter 2014-15
1956 Mining Engineering Alumnus gives back Pedro (BS Mining Engineering ā56) and Maxine Denton recently made a very generous donation to CEM of original oil paints depicting mining history in Alaska. The collection was unveiled at the CEM Alumni reception in Anchorage in late September. It is a visual testament of our alumni giving back, and sharing their knowledge with future generations of engineers to come.
Pedro is a wonderful example of how our alumni continue to give back to the University in so many ways. Mr. Denton credits Dean Earl Beistline for inspiring him to focus on a career in mining engineering, and this inļ¬uence continues on with his children. Collectively, this active family holds four degrees in engineering from the university system over the period of forty years: Pedroās BS Mining Engineering degree; Steve Denton, (retired) manager of Usibelli Coal Mine, BS Mining Engineering ā75; Tina Buschmann, BS Mining Engineering ā82; and Kyle Denton, BS Civil Engineering ā96 from UAA. His brother-in-law, Bert Varnell, also graduated from the University of Alaska in 1962 with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering.
At least six of Pedroās grandchildren have attended the University of Alaska, and now his great-granddaughter Sierra is enrolled in the Biological Sciences program at UAF. Pedroās legacy continues on at the University! Pedro has captured history with his in-depth knowledge of the mining industry in this series of oil paintings depicting some of the old mines throughout Alaska, as well as a number of pieces that depict the intricate details of underground mining in the profession. The collection of paintings includes Independence Mine at Hatcher Pass from the 1940s; an old mill site (Mohawk Mine) on Ester Dome in the 1950s; undercutting and caving frozen overburden at Gold Hill in the early 1950s; and the old town of Pedro on Pedro Creek soon after Felix Pedroās discovery of gold in 1904. The collection also includes a painting of the ļ¬rst oil well in Alaska at Katalla, depicted around 1902. As per the donorsā wishes, these pieces will soon be on display in special areas throughout the Duckering Building for all to enjoy.