William H. Dresher

(1930-2014)

2001 Medal of Merit Recipient

William Dresher was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in 1953. He received a Ph.D. in Metallurgy from the University of Utah in 1956. After graduation, he worked for Union Carbide Corporation where, as Assistant Director of Research, he supervised Research and Development on the extraction and purification of uranium, vanadium, tungsten, molybdenum, and asbestos.

In 1971, Dr. Dresher became the Dean of the College of Mines of the University of Arizona, where he increased the College’s enrollment and research income, established a degree program in Mineral Economics, and successfully lobbied the State Legislature for the establishment of a formal state geological survey.

In 1981, Dr. Dresher became President of the International Copper Research Association, Inc. (INCRA). He supervised product development and provided the leadership that made INCRA an effective organization to promote and defend the use of copper worldwide. In 1989, he became Vice President of Technology of the International Copper Association, Ltd. (ICA). In 1995, he retired from ICA to establish his present consulting practice.

Dr. Dresher has represented minerals technology in the National Research Council and was a member of Ronald Reagan’s Transition Team in the field of Minerals Policy. He is a past president and current counselor for Arizona for the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America, a past member of the Board of Directors of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), and a "Distinguished Member" and a past regional counselor for the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME). He has been a member of the Mining Foundation of the Southwest since 1971, where he has served on the Board of Directors, and in 1999, as Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee.

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