Les Presmyk retired eight years ago as the Principal Mining Engineer for Salt River Project, Arizona’s second largest electric utility. He and his wife, Paula, are Arizona natives and are both graduates of the University of Arizona. They just celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary. Les has been actively involved in his community of Gilbert, Arizona for over 30 years, serving in many capacities, the most recent being the Veterans Advisory Board.

Les started collecting at the age of 10 and just attended his 62nd straight Tucson Show. Their displays have received AFMS Regional and National Trophies, along with the Prospectors and Pearl Trophies in Denver and the Desautels, Lidstrom and Bideaux Trophies at the Tucson Show. They have been the featured exhibitors at the East Coast Gem & Mineral Show in Springfield, Massachusetts twice.

He is the immediate past president of the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society, is a former President of the Mineralogical Society of Arizona, current Chairman of the Flagg Mineral Foundation, a founding member of the University of Arizona Mineral Museum Advisory Board and appointed by Arizona Governor Ducey to the UArizona Mining, Mineral and Natural Resource Education Museum advisory board. He has served on the Tucson Show Committee for 39 years, including competitive exhibits and judging chairman for this entire period.

Les received the 2002 A. L. Flagg Distinguished Service Award, is a charter member of the 2014 Mineralogical Society of Arizona Hall of Fame, and the recipient of the 2017 Carnegie Mineralogical Award. In February of 2023, he was awarded the John S. White Mineral Legacy Award.

He has explored and collected in a number of localities in Arizona, Missouri and Mexico and provided engineering expertise at the San Francisco mine in Sonora, Mexico, the Brushy Creek mine in Missouri and the Red Cloud mine in Arizona. Les has written numerous articles and co-authored “Collecting Arizona”. He is an accomplished speaker as well.