The Shoemaker Lectures are meant to bring outstanding leaders of the energy and mineral resource industries to the Penn State University Park Campus to discuss with students and faculty issues of critical importance to the mineral industry. The inaugural Shoemaker Lecture was presented on April 3, 1992 by B. R. Brown, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Consolidation Coal Company.
About the lecture series
The G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture Series in Mineral Engineering was established in 1992 by Mercedes G. Shoemaker to honor the memory of her husband, a Pittsburgh civic and industrial leader dedicated to supporting higher education. G. Albert Shoemaker graduated from Penn State in 1923 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and led an eminent career in the mineral industries. After working as an engineer with Babcock and Wilcox, he joined Pittsburgh Coal Company, a predecessor of CONSOL Energy, where he worked for 35 years, retiring as president of the company in 1966. After retirement, he continued to consult with many companies developing interests in coal. Al engaged in many civic and philanthropic activities, including serving on the boards of several corporate and non-profit organizations. He was elected a Distinguished Alumnus of Penn State and served on the Board of the Penn State Foundation for ten years and as a member of the University Board of Trustees for over twenty years, from 1957 to 1978, and as board president from 1970–73.