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MSA MEETING PROGRAM & PLACE

Franciscan Renewal Center, (Piper Hall),

February 19, 2026 @ 7.30 pm Arizona time

"The Arizona State Mine Inspector's Role and Arizona’s Mineral Heritage”

Presented by

LES PRESMYK

Les Presmyk

FEBRUARY

Mineral of the Month:

PSEUDOMORPH MINERAL

(Okay to bring 1-2 examples)

* Please bring refreshments to share.

* MEETING will be (In-Person and Zoom).

Mineralogical Society of Arizona (MSA) is excited to feature a luminary of our hobby for our February 19th program on “The Arizona State Mine Inspector's Role and Arizona’s Mineral Heritage” presented by MSA’s own Les Presmyk. Les will review historic Arizona mining operations who took a proactive role in allowing collection and preservation of mineral treasures for science and future generations.  Les will discuss his role as Arizona State Mine Inspector and his office's focus on safely securing abandoned mines and training miners to ensure they’re operating safely. 

Les Presmyk grew up in our club and sharpened his collecting & competitive edge at Mineralogical Society of Arizona as a junior member before advancing to regional and national platform to compete and win at several major gem & mineral shows across the United States.  He is currently Exhibits Chairman for Phoenix Heritage Mineral Show produced by Mineralogical Society of Arizona. 

Les Presmyk was appointed to serve as Arizona State Mine Inspector in September 2025. Les retired 8 years ago as the Principal Mining Engineer for Salt River Project, Arizona’s second largest electric utility. He and his wife of 49 years, Paula, are Arizona natives and are both graduates of the University of Arizona. Les has been actively involved in his community of Gilbert, Arizona for over 30 years, serving as the Islands H.O.A. president, Planning Commissioner, and Town Council Member for 12 years and additional roles since 2011. Most recently he founded the Veterans Advisory Board and is the current chairperson.

Les started collecting at the age of 10 and just attended his 63rd straight Tucson Show. Their displays have received AFMS Regional and National Trophies, along with the Prospectors and Pearl Trophies in Denver, the Desautels, Lidstrom and Bideaux Trophies at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and the Bob Jones and David Shannon Trophies at MSA's Phoenix Heritage Mineral Show. They have been the featured exhibitors at the East Coast Gem & Mineral Show in Springfield, Massachusetts twice.

He is a past president of Mineralogical Society of Arizona (1989-1990), a past president of Tucson Gem & Mineral Society, current Chairman of the Flagg Mineral Foundation, a founding member of the University of Arizona Mineral Museum Advisory Board and appointed by Governor Ducey to the UArizona Mining, Mineral and Natural Resource Education Museum advisory board. He has served on the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show Committee for 40 years, including competitive exhibits and judging chairman for this entire period.

Les received the 2002 A. L. Flagg Distinguished Service Award is a charter member of the 2014 Mineralogical Society of Arizona Hall of Fame, recipient of the prestigious 2017 Carnegie Mineralogical Award and recipient of the 2024 John S. White Educational Award.

He has explored and collected in a number of localities in Arizona, Missouri and Mexico and provided engineering expertise at the San Francisco mine in Sonora, Mexico, the Brushy Creek mine in Missouri and the Red Cloud mine in Arizona. Les has written numerous articles and co-authored “Collecting Arizona”. He has spoken at the Dallas Symposium, the Yale Symposium, and the Northwest Friends of Mineralogy Symposium, along with numerous Arizona and New Mexico Symposiums, the Tucson, Springfield, and Denver Shows, and clubs throughout the United States.

Thank you, Les, for sharing your passion and knowledge about Arizona mining history, preservation of historic mineral specimens and your role as Arizona State Mine Inspector!

Meeting starts at 7.30PM Arizona time.