Stewart Blusson
Encyclopedia
Stewart Lynn "Stu" Blusson, OC
(born 1939) is a multimillionaire and philanthropist. He co-discovered billion-dollar Ekati Diamond Mine
, 300 kilometres from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
, Canada
. He is President of Archon Minerals Ltd. In 2002, Blusson donated key start-up funds necessary for Quest University Canada in Squamish, British Columbia. In 2006, Blusson donated $10 million for the Archon X PRIZE
to develop a quick and inexpensive way to sequence the human genome. Blusson had a net worth
of $660 million CDN in 2006.
(1960) and a doctorate in geology
at the University of California, Berkeley
(1964).
attack. In 1969, Chuck Fipke, a geologist
, needed to be rescued from the side of a mountain where he had been stranded for close to a week. Blusson was the helicopter
pilot that saved him. From this first encounter, Fipke and Blusson became friends and prospecting partners.
He left the Geological Survey in 1979 to explore the modes of formation of mineral deposits from Mexico
to the Arctic. He discovered a number of important occurrences of gold
, copper
and other metals.
Blusson married his wife, Marilyn, in 1980.
In 1981, he and Fipke began searching for diamonds in the Northwest Territories
, concentrating their search on indicator minerals commonly associated with kimberlite
, a host rock for diamond. They found kimberlitic indicator minerals near Lac de Gras
in the Northwest Territories in 1985, and their first kimberlite at Point Lake in 1991.
In 1998, Ekati opened, a joint venture between BHP Diamonds Inc. (51%), Dia Met Minerals (29%), Fipke (10%), and Blusson (10%). Blusson's net worth in 2002 was estimated to be $295 million (US).
In 2004, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada
and was presented with the Logan Medal
, Geological Association of Canada
's highest honour.
. The prize is named after the ancient Archean
Craton
core plate beneath Canada where diamonds were discovered. The prize will go to the person or group that can develop a quick (100 people in 10 days) and inexpensive way to sequence
a human genome
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born 1939) is a multimillionaire and philanthropist. He co-discovered billion-dollar Ekati Diamond Mine
Ekati Diamond Mine
The EKATI Diamond Mine is Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine. It is located north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and about south of the Arctic circle, near Lac de Gras. EKATI is a joint venture between BHP Billiton Canada Inc...
, 300 kilometres from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is President of Archon Minerals Ltd. In 2002, Blusson donated key start-up funds necessary for Quest University Canada in Squamish, British Columbia. In 2006, Blusson donated $10 million for the Archon X PRIZE
Archon X Prize
The Archon X Prize for Genomics, the second X Prize to be offered by the X Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, was announced on October 4, 2006. The Archon X Prize in genomics is a joint effort of the X Prize Foundation and the J...
to develop a quick and inexpensive way to sequence the human genome. Blusson had a net worth
Net worth
In business, net worth is the total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company. For a company, this is called shareholders' preference and may be referred to as book value. Net worth is stated as at a particular year in time...
of $660 million CDN in 2006.
Early life
Blusson was born in Vancouver, BC. He completed an undergraduate degree at the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
(1960) and a doctorate in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
(1964).
Career
After school, he joined the federal Geological Survey of Canada, leading regional geological mapping and research programs in the central Yukon and parts of British Columbia. During that time he survived a serious helicopter crash and a Grizzly bearGrizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
attack. In 1969, Chuck Fipke, a geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, needed to be rescued from the side of a mountain where he had been stranded for close to a week. Blusson was the helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pilot that saved him. From this first encounter, Fipke and Blusson became friends and prospecting partners.
He left the Geological Survey in 1979 to explore the modes of formation of mineral deposits from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to the Arctic. He discovered a number of important occurrences of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and other metals.
Blusson married his wife, Marilyn, in 1980.
In 1981, he and Fipke began searching for diamonds in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, concentrating their search on indicator minerals commonly associated with kimberlite
Kimberlite
Kimberlite is a type of potassic volcanic rock best known for sometimes containing diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond in 1871 spawned a diamond rush, eventually creating the Big Hole....
, a host rock for diamond. They found kimberlitic indicator minerals near Lac de Gras
Lac de Gras
Lac de Gras is a lake approximately 300 km north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Lac de Gras was the centre of the Canadian diamond rush of the 1990s. There are two working diamond mines in the area, Ekati Diamond Mine, and Diavik Diamond Mine.It was called Ekati by aboriginal...
in the Northwest Territories in 1985, and their first kimberlite at Point Lake in 1991.
In 1998, Ekati opened, a joint venture between BHP Diamonds Inc. (51%), Dia Met Minerals (29%), Fipke (10%), and Blusson (10%). Blusson's net worth in 2002 was estimated to be $295 million (US).
In 2004, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and was presented with the Logan Medal
Logan Medal
The Logan Medal is the highest award of the Geological Association of Canada. Named after Sir William Edmond Logan, noted 19th century Canadian geologist. It is presented annually to an individual for sustained distinguished achievement in Canadian earth science.-References:*...
, Geological Association of Canada
Geological Association of Canada
The Geological Association of Canada promotes and develops the geological sciences in Canada. The organization holds conferences, meetings and exhibitions for the discussion of geological problems and the exchange of views in matters related to geology...
's highest honour.
Archon X Prize
In 2006, Blusson donated the largest medical prize in history, $10 million (US), for the Archon X PrizeArchon X Prize
The Archon X Prize for Genomics, the second X Prize to be offered by the X Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, was announced on October 4, 2006. The Archon X Prize in genomics is a joint effort of the X Prize Foundation and the J...
. The prize is named after the ancient Archean
Archean
The Archean , also spelled Archeozoic or Archæozoic) is a geologic eon before the Paleoproterozoic Era of the Proterozoic Eon, before 2.5 Ga ago. Instead of being based on stratigraphy, this date is defined chronometrically...
Craton
Craton
A craton is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere. Having often survived cycles of merging and rifting of continents, cratons are generally found in the interiors of tectonic plates. They are characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock, which may be covered by...
core plate beneath Canada where diamonds were discovered. The prize will go to the person or group that can develop a quick (100 people in 10 days) and inexpensive way to sequence
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
a human genome
Human genome
The human genome is the genome of Homo sapiens, which is stored on 23 chromosome pairs plus the small mitochondrial DNA. 22 of the 23 chromosomes are autosomal chromosome pairs, while the remaining pair is sex-determining...
.
Philanthropy
- 1998- $50-million (Cdn) to the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
for genetic research performed by Michael SmithMichael Smith (chemist)Michael Smith, CC, OBC, FRS was a British-born Canadian biochemist who won the 1993 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.-Biography:...
, Nobel laureate - 2002- $32-million to Quest University Canada in Squamish, British ColumbiaSquamish, British ColumbiaSquamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
- 2006- $5-million (Cdn) to Vancouver AquariumVancouver AquariumThe Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Vancouver, the aquarium is a centre for marine research, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation.The Vancouver...
for an educational program - 2006- $10-million (Cdn) to the Spinal CordSpinal cordThe spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
research centre backed by activist Rick HansenRick HansenRichard M. Hansen, CC, OBC is a Canadian Paralympian and an activist for people with spinal cord injuries. Following a car crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the waist down. Hansen is most famous for his Man In Motion World Tour... - 2006- $10-million (US) to Archon X PRIZE
- 2007- $12-million (Cdn) to the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...