John Richard Hoskins Papers

John Richard Hoskins Papers, 1947-1989

Overview of the Collection

Creator: John Richard Hoskins, 1919-
Title: John Richard Hoskins Papers
Dates: 1947-1989 (inclusive)
19471989
Quantity: 6.5 cubic feet
Collection Number: MG357 (collection)
Summary: Correspondence, reports, and other material concerning field trips, short courses given at the Northwest Mining Association annual meetings, and other activities as head of the Mining Engineering and Metallurgy Department at the University of Idaho, as a professional engineer, and as a teacher.
Repository: University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

John Richard (Jack) Hoskins was born June 9, 1919 in Brewster, Washington. After graduating from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Mining Engineering in 1947, he was employed as plant engineer and department superintendent for the U.S. Gypsum Company, Evans, Washington, mining and processing limestone into building materials. He left there in 1949 to work with ASARCO in Santa Barbara, Mexico, where he was employed as staff mining engineer and later mine shift boss and mine foremen in a one-thousand-ton-a-day lead, zinc, copper, and gold operation. In 1952 he went to the University of Alaska where he taught Mining Engineering for five years. Leaving Alaska in 1957, he continued his studies in applied mechanics, mathematics, and mining engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute under a special grant from the National Science Foundation. After completing his work at Virginia Tech in 1959, he attended the University of Utah at Salt Lake City where he completed his Ph.D. in 1962. He then moved to Denver to work as Mining Methods Research Engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Mines.He came to the University of Idaho in 1967 as Professor of Mining Engineering and the following year he became head of the Department of Mining Engineering and Metallurgy in the College of Mines and Earth Resources (COMER).

Hoskins is the author of many publications and presentations, and has worked on numerous research projects in rock mechanics, explosives, drilling and blasting, mine ventilation and health and safety. A member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, he served as Education Chairman and Program Chairman in the Alaska Section. He has also served on the Education Committee and Educational Board of the Society of Mining Engineers and was the American Institute of Mining Engineers representative to the Engineers' Council for Professional Development. He has also held membership in the American Society of Engineering Education Minerals Division, the Northwest Mining Association, The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of University Professors, the Idaho Academy of Science, and the Idaho Mining Association. He has been named an Outstanding Educator of America and has been honored by the Northwest Mining Association, the Society of Mining Engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Mines Spokane Research Center, University of Idaho Mining Students, and the Northwest Mining Association. He retired from the University of Idaho in 1989.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers of John R. Hoskins span the years 1947 to 1989, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1968 to 1986.

The papers include administrative files reflecting his activities as head of the Mining Engineering and Metallurgy department, material related to his teaching, other papers concerned with his professional activities, non administrative correspondence, and other material.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Some of the material in this record group was in labeled folders, other items were unfoldered or otherwise unidentified. With the exception of the administrative correspondence the papers were in no apparent order; therefore a series order was imposed during processing. Available folder headings were retained.

The first series reflects Dr. Hoskins' activities as department administrator and includes accreditation reports, information on several cooperative programs with Washington State University, and an alphabetical correspondence file. Spanning the years 1985 to 1987, the file contains copies of all outgoing departmental letters and occasional incoming letters. Also included are enrollment statistics, equipment and space allocation concerns, information on the various fellowships and scholarships available to students and which students received them, minutes of college and departmental meetings, and copies of research and grant proposals submitted by faculty members.

The second series concerns teaching activities and includes a class register, course evaluations and outlines, information on student field trips to mining companies, lecture notes, reserve room reading files and student papers.

Contained in the third series are the materials concerning Dr. Hoskins' professional interests. These include notes on the Senate Energy Committee hearings in Coeur d'Alene in 1986, correspondence and research notes on the cost of uranium mining collected for use by the legal firm representing the General Atomic Company in its arbitration suit against the United Nuclear Corporation, and information compiled for the short courses which he designed for the annual meetings of the Northwest Mining Association.

The general correspondence in series four contains many letters from congressional representatives, including Steve Symms, James McClure, and Tom Foley. Another group of correspondence reflects his interest in education in the mineral industry. Other letters were written to obtain information for his Minerals and Man course, or to give information to a correspondent about miners' lamps. The "Gimme" letters are requests to industry for equipment.

The final series contains material on Alaska lands, appointment calendars for the years 1977 to 1989, reprints of articles on various subjects, a copy of the SME-AIME guide to minerals schools which is interleaved with updated information, a proposal for a new calendar written by colleague C.E. Gregory in 1972 and information on technical writing.

Published material was sent to subject librarians for review and duplicate copies of near print materials were also removed from the collection, thus reducing the bulk by 3 cubic feet.

Acquisition Information

The papers of mining professor John Richard Hoskins were donated to the University of Idaho Library in July 1989.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I. Administrative Files , 1968-1989Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	Academic Administrators Workshop 11 items	1980
1/2-3	Accreditation ECPD (Engineers' Council for Professional Development) 41 items	1975-1980
1/4-8	Accreditation ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) 150 items	1980-1988
1/9	COMER publications and brochures 10 items	ca. 1980-1985
1/10-11	Cooperation with Washington State University 32 items	1974-1986
1/12	Coal Research Lab 33 items	1977-1979
1/13	Cooperative work study 12 items	1970-1988
1/14-20	Correspondence and memos 488 items	1985
1/21-28	Correspondence and memos 670 items	1986
2/29-38	Correspondence and memos 633 items	1987
2/39	Course development 4 items	1979-1984
2/40-42	Course evaluations 121 items	1974/1975-1987/1988
2/43	Course outlines 19 items	1976-1989
2/44	Crisis plans 11 items	1974-1986
2/45-46	Data on faculty, students and department 43 items	1968-1988
2/47-49	Enrollment statistics 57 items	1968/1969-1987/1988
2/50	Equipment 34 items	1974-1988
2/51	Equipment: x-ray 26 items	1981-1985
2/52-53	Evaluations, tenure, and competency reviews 71 items	1970-1988
2/54-55	Fellowships and scholarships, General 137 items	1974-1981
2/56	Bunker Hill 10 items	1976-1981
2/57-60	Health, Education & Welfare Domestic Mining and Mineral and Mineral Fuel Conservation 201 items	1975-1977
3/61-64	Health, Education & Welfare Domestic Mining and Mineral and Mineral Fuel Conservation 109 items	1978-1982
3/65	Mitson 3 items	1975
3/66-67	Mineral Industry Educational Foundation 162 items	1971-1982
3/68	Newmont 42 items	1975-1979
3/69	Graduate Program Defense 22 items	1986-1987
3/70	Honorary degree nominations 24 items	1973-1978
3/71	INEL & NRTS education program 40 items	1969-1986
3/72	Materials-Metallurgy proposal 5 items	1985
3/73	Materials science 65 items	1982-1988
3/74-76	Meetings: COMER 62 items	1976-1988
3/77-81	COMER Advisory Board 68 items	1983-1985
3/82-85	COMER Executive Committee 195 items	1981-1987
3/86-90	Department of Mining Engineering and Metallurgy 150 items	1978-1989
3/91-95	Mining and Minerals Resources Research Institute 170 items	1977-1981
4/96	Old curriculum forms 8 items	1971/1972-1977/1978
4/97	Ph.D. information 9 items	1970-1989
4/98	Position descriptions 8 items	1986
4/99	Recruiting 5 items	1981-1986
4/100-104	Research proposals and grant requests 31 items	1968-1984
4/105	Samuel S.M. Chan 59 items	1970-1978
4/106	Reduction of high mine resistance values in underground metal mines 29 items	1972-1973
4/107	Ventilation studies and escape plans for mines in the Coeur d'Alene district of Idaho 17 items	1972-1973
4/108	Copper wire 8 items	1976
4/109	Data base for mine fire symposium 3 items	1975-1976
4/110	Grant from the U.S. Congress 4 items	1986
4/111	Salary surveys, national 12 items	1979-1987
4/112	Salary surveys, University of Idaho 20 items	1975-1986/1987
4/113-115	Space needs 66 items	1971-1988
4/116	ABET problems 1 item	1985
4/117	Laboratory rehabilitation 37 items	1981
4/118	Student information 30 items	1976-1986
4/119	"The supply and demand for mining engineers" 1 item	1982
4/120	University core curriculum 15 items	1984
4/121	WICHE 18 items	1983-1988
4/122	Work plans (5 year plan) 4 items	1977-1978

Series II. Teaching and Related Material , 1970-1984Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
4/123	Class register 1 item	1975-1978
4/124	Course evaluations 5 items	1982
4/125	Course outline, Mining 400 18 items	1982
4/126	Course outline, Mining 499 3 items	1983
4/127-128	Field trips: planning and correspondence 132 items	1970-1981
4/129	Bethlehem Copper Company 2 items	ca. 1975
4/130	Craigmont Mines 8 items	ca. 1975
4/131	Lornex 12 items	ca. 1975
4/132	Similkameen Mining Company 3 items	ca. 1975
4/133	Teck Corporation 3 items	ca. 1975
4/134	Cominco 23 items	1979
4/135	Kaiser Resources 5 items	1979
4/136	Boundary Dam project 2 items	1980
4/137	Giant Mascot Mine 5 items	1980
5/138	Home Economics School Days talk 10 items	1984
5/139	Lecture notes 5 items	ca. 1981
5/140-141	Reserve reading, Mining and Metals 110: Acid rain 69 items	1966-1984
5/142	Reserve reading: Oil Shale 14 items	1973-1974
5/143-145	Student papers: Oil Shale 5 items	1977
5/146	Mining 110 1 item	undated
5/147	Mines 502 2 items	1980-1983
5/148	Visiting lecture series 9 items	1981-1983

Series III. Professional Activities , 1963-1989Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
5/149	American Institute of Mining Engineers. Council of Education 11 items	1977-1978
5/150	AIME Annual Meeting programs 3 items	1982-1986
5/151	Armour Institute data 4 items	1963
5/152	Career guidance, recruitment 5 items	1967-1972
5/153	Senate Energy Committee hearings, Coeur d'Alene 1 item	1986
5/154-160	General Atomic Company vs. United Nuclear Corporation. Correspondence and related data 162 items	1978-1980
5/161	Generic Institute 1 item	1985
5/162	National Council of Engineering Examiners. Questions 9 items	ca. 1979
5/163	National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum 35 items	1986-1989
5/164	Northwest Mining Association 9 items	1985
5/165	Education 8 items	1982-1984
5/166	Session on Education's changing role 17 items	1984
5/167	Short course: Mining Cost Estimates 71 items	1976
5/168-171	Short course: Mineral Regulations and Permits 126 items	1977
5/172-173	Short course: Mineral industry costs 25 items	1986
5/174	Training sessions 8 items	1980
5/175	Workshop: Are you listening 3 items	1982
6/176	Paper reviewed 11 items	1965
6/177	Papers and talks by John Hoskins 5 items	1975-1982
6/178	Society of Mining Engineers 23 items	1973-1987
6/179	Session: Underground mining 23 items	1987
6/180	Spokane Mining and Research Center. Travel vouchers 27 items	1976-1982
6/181	Minneapolis trip 16 items	1978
6/182	Correspondence, evaluations, pay stubs, diary 62 items	1977-1982
6/183	Washington D.C. trip 27 items	1985
6/184	Washington D.C. trip 19 items	1987

Series IV. Correspondence , 1968-1989Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
6/185-189	General correspondence 239 items	1968-1989
6/190	Bureau of Mines budget 8 items	1985
6/191	Education in the mineral industry 47 items	1969-1971
6/192	Eugene Skinner 12 items	1986-1988
6/193	"Gimme" (requests) 18 items	1975-1986
6/194	Minerals and man course 23 items	1982
6/195	Miners' lamps 9 items	1969
6/196	Possible students 35 items	1974-1975
6/197	Visiting speakers 33 items	1968-1987

Series V. Other Material , 1947-1989Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
6/198	Alaska lands 11 items	1979-1987
6/199-204	Appointment calendars 126 items	1977-1989
6/205	Articles and talks by others 6 items	1978-1986
6/206	Articles : Silver 4 items	1968-1976
6/207	Brochures 8 items	1968-1988
6/208	Career opportunities in mining and metallurgy 1 item	1983
6/209-212	Explosives - Shaped charges 77 items	1947-1956
6/213	Gillette, Wyoming 2 items	1979
6/214	Mineral industry 6 items	1976-1985
6/215	Mineral industry of Idaho 6 items	1961-1983
6/216	"My conservative file" 22 items	1972-1982
7/217	"Philosophy, psychology, logic 36 items	1930-1970
7/218	Plasticity statics 3 items	undated
7/219	References (bibliographies) 16 items	undated
7/220	SME-AIME guide to minerals schools, with additional information 1 item	1981
7/221	Stress around openings 7 items	1933-1963
7/222	The time is now beckoning to frame a proper frame of time reckoning, by Dr. C.E. Gregory 1 item	1972
7/223	Vita of John R. Hoskins 1 item	1977
7/224	Wilderness vs. minerals 7 items	1970
7/225	Writing 15 items	1977-1985
7/226	Technical Writers Institute, Denver, Colorado 21 items	1967

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