Oral Histories

John F. Havard was a mining engineer and executive for the U.S. Gypsum Company, Potash Co. of America Pabco, Fibreboard Corp and Kaiser Engineers from 1935 to 1981. Havard attended high school in Tacoma, Washington and began working during the Depression years in the mines in Montana. He then enrolled in the Montana School of Mines where he split his time between classes and part time jobs. In 1935 he became the chief engineer of mines for the U.S. Gypsum Company where he worked on gypsum and perlite projects in Oklahoma, Montana, California, Newfoundland, and the Dominican Republic. In 1952 he was hired as manager for Potash Company of America for the Carlsbad, New Mexico mines before moving to Fibreboard Corporation where he was vice president. Finally in 1965 Havard began working for Kaiser Engineers where he was part of the minerals and divisions projects in the U.S., Canada and Australia. In this interview, Havard discusses his background in Montana and Tacoma Washington, the Depression years and mine employment, Montana School of Mines, continuous mining machines, union contract negotiations, developing selenite gypsum, solving management problems, and the failure of Kaiparowits Plateau power plant project.