Louis W. Cope Award

Lou Cope was a happy, approachable and easy to talk to man. He traveled to many many places, could communicate in several languages, and was always just getting back from a trip.

Lou was conversant in both mining and metallurgy. He helped smaller operations and those back in the countryside more than the big companies. He wrote about the people, the social settings and the political background of the places he visited, and he wrapped it around the mining and metallurgy of the operation. He was an operator, a problem solver and a writer.

Lou started his university education at the University of Texas in Austin, however World War II claimed him for three years. He returned to university studies at the Montana School of Mines and finished his BSc degree at the Texas College of Mines, now UTEP, in 1950. He did graduate work at the Colorado School of Mines.

After 20-years in operations and engineering, he became an independent consultant, which he did for the remaining 40-years of his life.

Lou became a writer later in his career, with assignments for Mining Engineering and Engineering & Mining Journal.

He was very down to earth, saying "If you want to be a good supervisor, you have to walk in the shoes of the laborers."

Lou was a friend to many in the mining fraternity. The success of the man was the result of being a good listener and knowing what his employees were facing.