The Friends of Mineralogy

The Friends of Mineralogy (FM) is an organization devoted to the advancement of serious interest in minerals and related activities. It consists of mineral collectors, professional mineralogists and curators of public and private collections. The bond uniting these people is a love of mineral specimens and a desire to spread appreciation and knowledge of minerals. FM was formed in 1970 in Tucson, Arizona. An initial project was the establishment of The Mineralogical Record. The FM has had a close and continuing association with The Mineralogical Record and with Rocks & Minerals Magazine. One of the organization's important activities has been support of the two magazines as vehicles for the preservation and dissemination of mineralogical information.

Goals of the Organization

• To preserve and protect mineral specimens for education and research.
• To promote the preservation of valuable specimen localities and mining deposits.
• To encourage the collection of minerals for their research and educational value.
• To advance programs of mineral study and the educational activities of amateur groups.
• To promote the dissemination of information about minerals, mineral localities, collections and mineral studies.

How Does FM Work

FM is a non-profit, educational and scientific corporation, incorporated in the state of California. FM has an international membership and is run by a board of 18 directors. Directors are elected (6 at a time, for 3 year term) by ballot by the members. Elections are conducted by mail the first of each year. FM currently has about 600 members, three quarters of whom belong to one of eight local chapters: Colorado, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Pennsylvania, Southern California, Mississippi Valley, Southeast, and Tucson Society. The remainder are National Members. Membership in a local chapter is an option.

An annual meeting for all members is held in Tucson during the Tucson Gem & Mineral show each February. Communication with members throughout the year is accomplished by a quarterly newsletter edited by the secretary. In addition there are occasional FM columns in The Mineralogical Record and articles in the Rocks & Minerals magazine.

An annual meeting of the directors is held in February in Tucson, Arizona, at which time the directors elect, for the coming year, a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.

Why Join FM?

FM members include in their ranks some of the most eminent mineralogists and museum curators in the world, but also scores of collectors who claim nothing more than a love of minerals. FM spreads information about the mineral collecting environment, collecting trips and localities. Through our local chapters you can participate in mineral collecting trips and symposia. Through our national membership you can participate in the annual meeting and symposium in Tucson. Committees at the national level work on all aspects of the mineral collecting hobby.

FM is open to your suggestions. The keys to its success are individual enthusiasm and the synergism that comes from association with people with a common goal.

Text by Credo Schwab, Mike Kokinos and Nelson Shaffer