Oral Histories

Frank F. Aplan was a Mineral Education Generalist and a professor of Metallurgy and Mineral Processing. Aplan was born in Boulder Colorado in 1923 but moved to South Dakota soon after where he spent the rest of his childhood and early education. From 1941 to 1950 he attended the Montana School of Mines but had his education interrupted due to the war. After graduating he began working at Climax Molybdenum Company before deciding to return to school for graduate studies. Beginning in 1957 he worked for the Union Carbide Corporation where he remained for ten years researching chrome, manganese, and columbium/niobium. Aplan then spent the rest of his career teaching at Pennsylvania State University until 1998. In this interview, Aplan describes his early life in South Dakota, his pioneer family, the Great Depression , Montana School of Mines, research projects, Climax Molybdenum Company, teaching and graduate studies, Kennecott Copper Corporation, Union Carbide Corporation, and his professional organization activities and awards.