This web page honors Dr. Art Montgomery and his life of teaching and philanthropy. Arthur Montgomery was born in New York City, December 2, 1909. He graduated from Princeton in 1931 where he studied mineralogy with A.H. Phillips. After that he enjoyed an exciting career of mineralogy collecting, mainly in the western United States. In 1947, he began studies at Harvard with Charles Palache, Harry Berman, Clifford Frondel and Esper S. Larsen. He received his Ph.D. in 1951, and his dissertation, "Pre-Cambrian geology of the Picuris Range, north-central New Mexico" presaged a life-long involvement with the people and geology of northern New Mexico.
Art's philanthropy in support of mineral collecting and mineral sciences included help in founding the Friends of Mineralogy in 1970 and support for the creation of the Mineralogical Record.
In 1974, Art approached the University of New Mexico with an offer to donate the Harding Pegmatite Mine to the University so that it might be preserved as one of the State's unusual natural assets for the purposes of public education, teaching and research. Initially, the University leased the property from Montgomery, as it included both patented and unpatented claims. The deeding of the title to the property was complicated because it required the transfer of federal lands to state lands. Finally, this required an "Act of Congress" (Senate bill 1403). The bill was signed by President Carter as part of Public Law 95-550 on October 30, 1978. In addition to the mine property, the University of New Mexico maintains an extensive research collection of rocks and minerals from the pegmatite and an archive of research materials, maps, and photographs, as well as correspondence, oral histories and video recordings. This has only been possible through the generosity and continued support of Art Montgomery. This web page is an extension of his efforts and vision on behalf of mineralogy and public education.
Photographs of Dr. Arthur Montgomery visiting the Harding Mine in 1994.
Dr. Art Montgomery died on December 31, 1999 in Albuquerque, NM. Click here to read a Memorial by Dr. Rodney C. Ewing published in American Mineralogist in 2000 (Adobe Acrobat PDF, 239 KB).
For additional information on Art Montgomery see:
For additional information on the Harding Pegmatite see: