Wayne Hazen, who headed a leading mineral process research company, died July 1, three weeks after his 92nd birthday.
At his request, no service will be held.
Hazen, a native of Berkeley, Calif., and his father, the late Lew Hazen, started a company near Golden in 1961, Hazen Research Co., which does work for chemical, mining and environmental industries. One of their early successes was development of a copper solvent extraction process. It’s used worldwide, said his son Nick Hazen, now company president.
“He was a brilliant chemist, very creative and an innovative problem solver,” said Terry McNulty of Dolores, a former president of the Hazen company.
“Wayne was a genius in his field, in my opinion,” said Jerry Bryant, who twice was on the Hazen board of directors.
“Most major mining companies in the world are or have been his clients,” Bryant said. The company’s research is aimed at getting the useful elements — such as copper, uranium, gold, silver or nickel — out of the ore that is mined.
“He was a stickler for details and accuracy,” Bryant said, and “curious and interested in everything.”
Hazen was an accomplished pianist, loved to ski, scuba dive, hike and fly planes, and got his helicopter license on his 70th birthday.
He was such an avid hiker that if he didn’t get enough hiking during the day, he’d take a night hike, Bryant said.
“I’m younger than he was, and I couldn’t keep up with him,” Bryant said.
Hazen turned over leadership of the company after 44 years but didn’t retire until he was 88. He told the board of directors he “planned to find employment with a company where there was a greater chance of advancement,” said his son.
Wayne Hazen was born June 10, 1917, and earned a chemistry degree at the University of California. He worked for the federal government during World War II, helping to develop sources of manganese, which was used to make steel, said Nick Hazen.
For seven years, he worked at the Los Alamos, N.M., scientific lab, helping to develop plutonium processes.
He later worked for Kerr-McGee Corp. to construct the first major solvent extraction recovery plant producing uranium for the Atomic Energy Commission.
He was awarded the Medal of Merit from the American Mining Hall of Fame in 2005.
In addition to his son, Hazen is survived by his wife, Norma Hazen; two daughters: Lise Hazen of New York City and Zoe Brungard of Longmont; and four other sons: Lee Jette of Virginia, Jonathan Hazen of Lafayette, Jeffrey Hazen of Spokane, Wash., and Chase Le Blanc of Lakewood; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
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Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
