Dr. Howard L. Hartman was a renowned author, editor, and Professor of Mining Engineering known world-wide for his work as Senior Editor of the monumental, 2,300-page SME Mining Engineering Handbook, Second Edition. Working with six associate editors, twenty section editors, and 242 authors, Dr. Hartman completed this two-volume work during the first years of his retirement. The Handbook was published in 1992 and continues to be one of the world’s most widely distributed mining engineering books.
Dr. Hartman also authored two outstanding mining engineering textbooks, Mine Ventilation and Air Conditioning, which has been in print for more than 45 years in three editions, and Introductory Mining Engineering, which has been available for more than twenty years in two editions.
During his distinguished career, Dr. Hartman organized the first symposia in the United States on rock mechanics, rapid excavation, surface mining, and mine ventilation. In 1989, SME created the Howard L. Hartman Award to honor him and recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of mine ventilation. He was the award’s first recipient. SME also honored Dr. Hartman with its Distinguished Member Award (1982), its Daniel Jackling Award (1990), and its Howard Eavenson Award (1993). In 1994, Dr. Hartman was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, an honor that recognizes significant contributions to the advance of the engineering sciences and technology.
Howard Hartman received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mining Engineering from Penn State in 1946 and 1947. He worked for Phelps Dodge in Bisbee, Arizona, and for the Arizona Mine Inspector’s Office in Phoenix during the 1948-1950 period. He then attended the University of Minnesota, where he earned his Ph.D. in Mining Engineering in 1953. In 1957, he returned to Penn State as Professor and Head of the Department of Mining Engineering.
Between 1963 and 1980, Dr. Hartman held administrative positions at the College of Engineering at Penn State (1963-1967), the School of Engineering at California State University, Sacramento (1967-1971), and the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University (1971-1980). He created the first work-study program in mining engineering at Penn State and helped establish a new program in socioengineering at Cal Sacramento. He joined the University of Alabama in 1980 as the first holder of the Garry Neil Drummond Endowed Chair in Mining Engineering, retiring there in 1989 with the Emeritus title.
Dr. Hartman was an outstanding engineer and educator, who made pioneering contributions to rock mechanics, mine ventilation, excavation and tunneling, socioengineering, engineering education, and federal and state agencies related to mining. He served with great distinction as a professor, mentor, leader, advisor, author, and colleague to more than five decades of mining engineers.
