Thomas V. Falkie

Thomas Victor Falkie (September 5, 1934 – November 1, 2019) was an American mining engineer and educator. He served as the 14th director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

Early life Thomas Victor Falkie was born on September 5, 1934, in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania to Victor and Aldona Falkie. Victor Falkie was a coal miner and Aldona Falkie was a factory worker. Falkie was the first PhD recipient in the United States in the field of operations research/management science applications in mining engineering. In 1977, he joined Berwind Natural Resources Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as president and chief executive officer from 1977 to 1998, chair of the board from 1998 to 2003, and then served on the board of directors until 2010.

Falkie served as the president of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration in 1985. He served as vice president of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) from 1977 to 1978 and as president in 1988. Falkie was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2018, he was awarded the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America Gold Medal.

Falkie and his wife established the Thomas V. and Jean C. Falkie Faculty Fellowship in Mining Engineering at Pennsylvania State University in 1999.