April 3, 2026 - Sylvia Yvette Gengler - RIP

The SME community is saddened by the passing of Sylvia on April 3rd, 2026. She was born in Bisbee, Arizona in February 1961. Yvette grew up in a mining family and divided her time between Bisbee and Chile, where her mother was from. She graduated in the top 10 of her class at Safford High School in 1979, where she served on the student council and was a member the National Honor Society. Yvette's experience traveling across Chile combined with her father's career as a mining engineer inspired her to study engineering at the University of Arizona, graduating in 1983. Yvette began working as a Senior Geological Engineer in 1985 as Employee #1 at Independent Mining Consultants, remaining with the company through 2024. Her presence truly is missed at IMC.  

Yvette’s travels took from sites in Mexico to the jungles of Indonesia. She was one of the first women to work at PTFI’s Grasberg mine in Indonesia, the world's largest copper and gold mine.

Yvette was preceded in death by her mother (Silvia Iriarte Riddle) and father (John "Jack" Albert Riddle). Survived by husband, Matthew Gengler; daughter, Devan Ortega (Isaias); son, John L. Gengler; brother, Sergio Riddle (Uli); and sister, Anita Riddle (Steven).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Yvette Riddle Gengler scholarship with the Safford High School Foundation, or the Yvette Riddle-Gengler scholarship with the Bisbee Foundation. She was a true friend of the SME Tucson Section over the years and was a common fixture at the annual MMEF dinners. She was a true credit to our industry, and a great friend to many of us.

March 14, 2026 - Lauch of our Quarterly Newsletter

Hello SME Tucson Section members and friends! We are excited to announce the release of our quarterly newsletter. Our first newsletter highlights board leadership updates, monthly dinner speakers between January and March, and continued engagement across our local mining community. We invite you to take a few minutes to visit our Section Newsletter page and read through our first quarterly newsletter. We welcome you to provide your feedback and ideas - your input will help shape future content and ensure the newsletter continues to add value and serve our community well.

March 5, 2026 - Upcoming March Dinner Meeting

Happy Thursday! Please join us for our March 11th dinner meeting with guest speaker, Les Presmyk, the current Arizona State Mine Inspector. He will be giving us some insight on his role and the mine inspector's mission to continue ensuring the health and safety of mine workers, public safety around abandoned mines and responsible land reclamation. See event page to register!

January 7, 2026 - First Event of the Year!

Happy New Year to all of our SME friends! The SME Tucson Section is recharged and ready for a great year of events! Please join us for our first dinner meeting of the year scheduled for Wednesday, January 21st. We're kicking off with Kris Brandt from Darling Geomatics, who will be presenting on sensor fusion for improving accuracy and understanding of the built environment.

August 14, 2025 - Fall Scholarship Application Now Open!

The Fall 2025 Scholarship application period is now open! Submit your applications before 5pm on Monday, September 8, 2025. For more information go to our Scholarship Website or go directly to the Scholarship Application Form.

The SME Tucson Section would like to wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year! We hope you had a happy and safe holiday season, were able to rest and recharge your batteries, and hope to see you at our 2025 events!