Outstanding Alumni

We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Alumni Awards, which honors Orediggers for their exceptional contributions to Mines. Congratulations to all!

2023 Alumni Award Recipients

Outstanding Alum Award

This award recognizes an alum who has contributed meritorious service. Click here to browse past recipients.

Hugh E. Harvey, Jr. ’74, ME ’80

Hugh ’74, ME ’80 and Michelle Harvey are two of Mines most significant philanthropic supporters of students. In 2009, their family foundation started the Harvey Scholars Program, which provides full tuition and fees plus study abroad funding. The program granted 162 awards through 2022. Hugh has been active in many Mines’ committees, is a member of the Mines Foundation Board of Governors, is the recipient of Mines’ Distinguished Achievement Medal and, with Michelle, was honored with Mines’ Inaugural Tourmaline Award for outstanding philanthropic achievement.

Hugh received a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering then worked in copper ore mining in British Columbia until he returned to Mines for a master’s degree in petroleum engineering. In 1994, Hugh co-founded Intrepid Oil and Gas, LLC, a horizontal drilling technology company that extracts potash from mines. The company went public in 2008 as the largest U.S. potash producer. In 2020 Hugh received the Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal from the Association of International Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. You can often see Hugh on campus meeting with students or supporting alumni-related events.

Melville F. Coolbaugh Award

This award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution toward improving the image and enhancing the reputation of Colorado School of Mines. Click here to browse past recipients.

Jim Thorson ’85 & Joe Dumesnil ’08 (Joint Recipients)

Jim Thorson ’85 and Joe Dumesnil ’08 co-chair the Alumni Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Interest Group. Over the past few years, they have built it into one of Mines most active and successful interest groups. They are tireless in their networking, referring multiple E&I partners to Mines. They have also planned and executed two highly attended and inspiring E&I Showcases. What’s more, they are active as mentors and advisors to the E&I Ecosystem.

Jim received his bachelor’s degree in geophysical engineering. Following graduation, he worked as a geophysicist for Shell until 1997. Jim has been involved in many oil and gas ventures, serving as a director for multiple energy research companies. He is currently principal at Free Radical Ventures, LLC.

In 2018, Jim helped found the E&I Interest Group. He is also a 2019 alum of the Energy Fellows Institute of the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association and an advisory board member for J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities and Energy Management.

Joe earned his master’s degree in mineral economics at Mines, followed by a master’s degree in petroleum business management from Institut Francais du Petrol. He has worked in the petroleum industry for 20 years, including six years at Halliburton, where he focused on technology implementation for achieving economic success in wells around the world.

In 2016, Joe became managing director of geoscience and new ventures at Denver-based Overland Oil & Gas. He also serves as a board member for the Denver Earth Resources Library. He is active with industry organizations, including Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers, American Association of Petroleum Geologists and Energy Tech Hub.

Alumni Academic Involvement Award

This award is given by the Mines Alumni Board each year to a member of the Mines community who goes above and beyond to support the rigor of a Mines education. Click here to browse past recipients.

Damian Friend ’75

From 2016 to 2019, Damian Friend ’75 was the Mines Foundation's first executive director of alumni relations following the merger of the Mines Alumni Association and Mines Foundation in 2015. Damian is a passionate volunteer. He supports the geology and geophysics department’s programming and advancement initiatives and sits on the reunion planning committee. He also serves on the Mines Alumni Board, as an M Club and interest group leader, as a Mines Magazine Editorial Board member and as a Welcome Party host for incoming Orediggers.

Damian earned his bachelor’s degree in geological engineering. Since then, Damian has garnered more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He served for many years as a technical geological engineer and in management roles with various companies, including Tenneco, Prima Energy, Cabot Oil and Gas, Southwestern Energy, and his own company, Damian C. Friend Geological Engineering. He currently works as a geological engineer and entrepreneur as well as an executive coach for Core Leaders, LLC.

Young Alum Award

The Mines Alumni Board presents this award for notable service to Mines and unlimited potential for lifelong success. Click here to browse past recipients.

Elena Dutcher ’14

Elena Dutcher ’14 graduated from Mines with a bachelor’s degree in geophysical engineering. She joined Schlumberger after graduation, where she was a geophysicist, project manager and product champion. In 2022, Elena moved to Cisco as product manager of security tools, where she maintains the product vision and roadmap and communicates to a global audience of stakeholders.

Elena is an energetic alumni volunteer in the Houston area. She has been an admissions representative, a Houston M Club leader and an instrumental contributor on the Houston Endowed Scholarship Golf Tournament committee since joining in 2016. Elena truly exemplifies what it means to be a Mines alum who enthusiastically supports the school any way she can.

Alum of the Future Award

This award is given to a student for the embodiment and dedication to furthering the mission of Mines. Click here to browse past recipients.

Hannah Harling (Class of ’25)

Hannah Harling embodies the spirit of Mines as an outstanding student who is heavily invested in the school's mission. A natural leader, Hannah serves as the communications director in Undergraduate Student Government, received the 2021 oSTEM Chevron Scholarship and received a President's Scholarship. She has served as a resident advisor and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, the Association for Computing Machinery, and Kickstart, a group dedicated to promoting community through inclusive discussion.

Hannah is a third-year student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in business. She expects to graduate in 2025. She plans to continue her Mines career by earning a master’s degree in engineering and technology management.

Honorary Member of Mines Alum Award

This award recognizes someone who has rendered distinguished service to Colorado School of Mines. Click here to see past recipients.

M Club Leader of the Year Award

This award recognizes an alum who are M Club Leaders in their area and go above and beyond to support Mines and fellow Orediggers. Click here to browse past recipients.

Additional Awards

Colonel Wendell Fertig Award

The Colonel Wendell Fertig Award is conferred annually by the Colorado School of Mines Alumni Board upon a Mines graduate military veteran who best personifies the attributes of physical and mental toughness, selfless service, and perseverance. Click here to browse past recipients.

Richard Hodgson '65

Richard Hodgson '65 enlisted in the U.S. Army to attend Infantry Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia immediately after graduating from Mines. He was then commissioned in the Army's Corps of Engineers. He completed Airborne training at Ft. Benning, and Lt. Hodgson was assigned to Company D, 92nd Engineer Battalion at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. In January 1967, D Company deployed to Vietnam; while there, Lt. Hodgson oversaw the construction projects of D Company.

Upon completion of his military obligation, he began working for Texas Gulf Sulphur as a mine engineer at their underground potash mine near Moab, Utah. He held jobs with FMC Corporation and Tenneco Oil Company. It is rare that an engineer gets to design and operate a new mine in the same formation where he has years of experience. He later became VP of Operations at Tenneco Minerals. In 1992, the Green River operation was purchased by Solvay America and the headquarters was moved to Texas.  During this time until his retirement in 2003, Hodgson remained responsible for the Green River operation and oversaw another major expansion in 2000. He has continued to work on a limited basis with Solvay. 

He has been a lifelong member of SME and has been a contributor for many years to the MEC (Minerals Education Coalition), believing that education is necessary to increase the public's understanding of the mining industry. Hodgson served for two years as a board member of the Wyoming Mining Association.  He was instrumental in the formation of the Industrial Minerals Coalition North America in 2001-2002. He has been a longtime supporter and participant in the United Way, both in Wyoming and Texas. In the fall of 2020, he created the Richard Hodgson Current Use Scholarship Fund to be used by the Mining Department to recruit and retain students in mining engineering.

Awards Given in Past Years

Note: You'll find short bios and photographs for some individuals, but this is a growing collection. If no information is provided and you are able to supply a bio and photo, please do so. We prefer this be sent via email, but U.S. mail also works: PO Box 4005, Golden, CO 80402-4005.