McPherson Memorial Lecture
Simon McPherson was one of the founders of the Institute and its first General Secretary and magazine editor. It was through his determination that the Institute became established and branches were formed throughout Britain.
To recognize his efforts the McPherson medal competition was started in 1948 and gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the authors of technical papers. After Simon McPherson's death the medal competition was replaced by the McPherson Award, which was endowed in his memory. The first prizes were awarded in 1963 and the last in 1971, when the terms of the endowment were changed by Council to provide a sum of £1,000 for a speaker of note to give the triennial McPherson Memorial Lecture. The first lecture was given at the Annual Conference in 1974.
McPherson Memorial Lecturers
| 1974 | B.J. Gee | 'Of minerals and men' |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | G.A. Hannah | 'Optimizing quarry performance' |
| 1980 | R.H. Morray-Jones | 'Quarrying and society - forward to 2000' |
| 1983 | R.A. Robson | 'The nature of business risk' |
| 1986 | B.G. Fish | 'Quarrying and the community' |
| 1989 | Dr. D. Bellamy | 'Capability Green' |
| 1993 | D. Taylor | 'Quarrying, past, present and future' |
| 1995 | W. Grayson | 'Looking after corporate health' |
| 1998 | Dr. M. Geiker | 'The Great Belt Fixed Link' |
| 2001 | R. McLellan | 'Culture and leadership - the 5th generation in safety' |
| 2004 | P. McKie | 'Visible felt leadership' |