Union Pacific Coal Company's Sigma Tau Epsilon Mine Safety Fraternity

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1941

Charter Members of the Union Pacific Coal Company's Sigma Tau Epsilon Mine Safety Faternity (UNCCEM, April, 1941)

Left to Right:
Front Row--Geo. Wales, Wm. Lahti, Richard Arkle, Charles Grosso, Wilkie Henry, Pete Marinoff.
Second Row--Thos. Foster, R.T. Wilson, R.C. Bailey, Nick Conzatti, Sr., A.B. Dixon, James Law, A.M Johnson, John Krppan, Milan Painovich.
Third Row--Arthur Jeanselme, Geo. L. Addy, Wm. Wilkes, Sam Canestrini, Sam Evans, Ernest Besso, A.M. Strannigan, Thos. Overy, Jr., John Bastalich.
Fourth Row--F.V. Hicks, Charles Kampsi, Wm. Fox, Edward While, Gus Collins, Ben Cook, Wm. Greek, James Hearne, R.W. Fowkes, E.R. Henningsen.
Back Row--Adam Flockhart, Ed. Overy, Sr., Grover Wiseman, R.V. Hotchkiss, DeForest Nielson, Matt Marshall, Wm. Benson, Geo. Blacker, Geo. A. Brown
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The Union Pacific Coal Comany's Sigma Tau Epsilon Fraternity Pin (UNCCEM, April, 1941)

Union Pacific Coal Company's Sigma Tau Epsilon Mine Safety Fraternity

Meetings will be held at Rock Springs in the months of February, May, August and November of each year, and ten committees, consisting of one man from each mining district, or five men on each committee, will be appointed by the President of Sigma Tau Epsilon at the first quarterly meeting in each year, each committee to diligently study accident prevention methods, the real work of the ten committees that of observing bad practice, making recommendations regarding same, thus anticipating and preventing accidents.
 
Those who addressed the organization meeting were:
Remarks by Toastmaster
Mr. I.N. Bayless,
General Manager, The Union Pacific Coal Co.
Purpose of the Organization
Mr. Eugene McAuliffe,
President, The Union Pacific Coal Co.
 
Mr. McAuliffe, in explaining the purpose of the organization, that of honoring the men who qualified for membership and still further extending the work of mine accident prevention, advised the members that specially designed keys of solid gold, bearing the letters STE in the Greek alphabet, and the name, The Union Pacific Coal Company, on the face, with the name of the member and the year 1941 on the reverse side, are now being manufactured. The keys bearing the names of the forty-three charter members will also bear the letters CM, indicating charter membership.
 
Mr. McAuliffe further said that he saw no reason why other coal and metal mining companies who are anxious to further the cause of mine accident prevention should not organize chapters of Sigma Tau Epsilon, setting up their own bylaws and qualifications for membership, in which event The Union Pacific Coal Company mother chapter might adopt the name of Alpha Chapter, it not improbable that within a few years, numerous chapters, with a coordinating grand chapter, might come into being.
 
All in all, the evening of Thursday, February 27, was an eventful one, marking a new high in accident prevention work, Safety Engineer Knill able to inform the members of the new society that if no accident occurred on the property in the succeeding twenty-four hours, the Company’s nine mines will have passed the first two months of the year without a lost-time accident. Mr. Knill’s prayer was answered, and no accident occurred on February 28, to mar a full two months’ clear record.  (UPCCEM, April 1941)

FRANK HEARNE AT END OF SHIFT AS NIGHT WATCHMAN AT THE #2 MINE. (DATE UNKNOWN) (JACK HEARNE FAMILY COLLECTION)

Mr. Frank Hearne, member of the Union Pacific Coal Company's Sigma Tau Epsilon Mine Safety Fraternity and his membership pin.