Verna Grahek Mize

Verna Grahek Mize (April 25, 1913 – January 1, 2013) was an American environmental activist. From 1967 to 1980, she led a campaign to prevent a mining company from dumping taconite tailings into Lake Superior. For her efforts, she was given the title "First Lady of Lake Superior", and was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.

Early years and career Mize was born in Houghton, Michigan, in 1913. She attended Calumet High School, graduating in 1940. She worked for many years for the federal government, including positions with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A friend took her to Silver Bay, Minnesota, where she observed the environmental degradation of Lake Superior, The "gray gunk" was clouding the water for miles around.

Mize organized and led the Save Lake Superior campaign to stop the dumping. By 1970, she had written thousands of letters to politicians, scientists, newspapers, and government officials. She also submitted a detailed plan showing that it was feasible to dispose of the waste on land. She was a sharp critic of Reserve's attorneys, telling a reporter she did not understand why they were not wearing masks and adding, "I think they'd be ashamed to come in and show their faces." The litigation continued for years, and in 1980 the company was finally required to cease dumping into the lake. Also in 1980, a park in Houghton, located across the street from the house where she was born, was named in her honor.

In 2013, Mize died in Potomac, Maryland, at age 99. She was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.