La Salle’s Edward C Hegeler to be inducted to the Mining Hall of Fame

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum announced the 2025 National Mining Hall of Fame inductees and the Prazen Living Legend of Mining Award, including Edward C. Hegeler of La Salle.

He will be inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame on Sept. 6.

The 38th induction ceremony will be held at NMHFM and the Colorado Mountain College Climax Molybdenum Leadership Center in Leadville, Colorado, with the return of Stephen Enders as emcee and a new edition of Western wear for the dress code.

Hegeler will be inducted for his pioneering design of the retort furnace that enabled commercial scale exploitation of zinc in the U.S. in the 1800s, which technology enabled commercial scale zinc production globally. For his early leadership in providing employee benefits before their time and providing worker welfare programs for employee health care, accident compensation and education. For establishing the Open Count Journal, an innovative platform for discussion on science, religion, philosophy and ethics.