David Coffin

My brother David Coffin died tragically and suddenly in February of 2012. We worked together for most of our adult lives and were as close as two brothers could be. David and I were partners in the endeavor that is Hard Rock Analyst. I have reproduced the Eulogy from David's funeral below. As that eulogy notes, Dave was a generous man in many respects. David's friends and family chose to continue that spirit of generosity in his name. Thanks to many donations from friends and a great fundraising dinner in June of 2012, we have been able to endow a bursary is David's name in the geology department of the University of British Columbia. I chose a bursary rather than a scholarship because Dave understood that the times it makes the most sense to be studying geology are the times it's toughest to make a living at it. Besides, the entry marks needed to get into the program are so high that everyone in it would earn a scholarship just about anywhere else.

The link below goes to the donations page for David's bursary fund at UBC. I'm happy to report the David J. Coffin Memorial Bursary in Geology will award just over $7000 in bursaries in the 2013-2014 academic year. Awards of roughly this level will be awarded in perpetuity in David's name.

David's UBC Bursary Donation Page

David was a big believer in the power of the mining sector to improve the world. Where others just saw unattractive holes in the ground David saw a business that was often the primary employer in depressed regions and the sole provider of needed infrastructure and services. Dave saw most of the world and was acutely aware of the challenges facing many regions. David's friends and family set up a second fundraising effort in his honor that recognized his concerns for some of the areas he visited. Funds raised in David's name have been used by TheWaterProject.org to fund a sand dam project in Kenya. This project will create a year-round source of clean fresh water to a village whose residents had to walk for kilometres every day to get this vital resource. Please visit the project page below to learn more about this project and comments from the people whose lives it's helping to change.

David's Kenyan Sand Dam Project

To read David Coffin's eulogy please click here...