Al & Sue Liebetrau
We both grew up in Wisconsin. Al is a retired teacher and statistician with degrees in math and statistics; Sue taught English and worked as a technical editor. We have collected rocks, minerals, and fossils together since our marriage 60 years ago. Sue started collecting as a child and “corrupted” Al, who was not keen about digging rocks because he had grown up on a dairy farm situated on the moraines of the Wisconsin glacier where hauling rocks from the fields was a springtime ritual.
As beginners, we were encouraged to collect good minerals by Burnell Franke (Burnie’s Rock Shop) and we gained valuable experience about collecting and exhibiting from members of the Elgin (Illinois) Rock and Mineral Society, especially Lloyd Akins. Ben Clement took us under his wing and showed us the wonders of fluorite and fluorescent minerals. In the 1960s, when we made five round trips from the Midwest to Oregon, we stopped at every rock shop and at numerous collecting sites along the way. We have since lived—and collected—in many areas of the U.S. and Europe, where we learned the importance of historical provenance from Lindsay and Patricia Greenbank.
We have been active in the Friends of Mineralogy, where Sue was Secretary, and the Fluorescent Mineral Society, where Al was President. He currently leads the effort to organizing a major exhibit of fluorescent minerals for the 2021 TGMS show. Sue has worked as an editor for Lithographie and is a co-editor of the American Mineral Treasures book in 2008.
We enjoy showing our collection and are proud to have won several major awards. We were honored to be the featured collectors at the Tucson Westward Look show in February 2014.
At home, we enjoy collecting with fellow Central Oregon Rock Collectors. Indeed, the many friends we have made while pursuing our addiction are perhaps the best collection of all!
Silver (“Christmas Tree”), 4.5 cm, from the New Nevada mine, Batopilas, Chihuahua, Mexico. From Gene Schlepp, Western Minerals
Azurite and cuprite on malachite, 11 cm, from the Czar shaft, Copper Queen mine, Bisbee, Warren district, Cochise County, Arizona. Collected ca. 1895, ex Ben Williams collection. Winner of the Richard Bideaux award for “Best Arizona Mineral Specimen in Competition” at the 2014 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. From Robert & Stephanie Snyder (Stonetrust).
Fluorite, 14 cm, from the Ojuela mine, Mapimí, Durango, Mexico. Winner of the Miguel Romero award for the “Best Mexican Mineral Specimen” at the 2013 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. From Marshall Sussman (Crystal Cellar).
Stibnite, 15 cm, from the Xikuangshan antimony deposit, Lengshuijiang County, Loudi Prefecture, Hunan Province, China. Winner of the Walt Lidstrom award for the “Best Mineral Specimen in Competition” at the 2010 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. From Ross Lillie (North Star Minerals).
Fluorite with calcite, 6 cm, from the Blackdene mine, Ireshopeburn, Stanhope, County Durham, England. This fluorite is daylight-fluorescent. From the Lindsay and Patricia Greenbank collection, LG.352; Joe Budd photo.
Fluorite on sphalerite, 9 cm, from the Elmwood mine, Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee. From Alain Martaud (Martaud Minéraux).
Sodalite, 11 cm; from Tunulliarfik South, Ilímaussaq complex, Narsaq, Kujalleq, Greenland. (left) In daylight, (middle) under longwave ultraviolet light, (right) under daylight, showing tenebrescence. From Kerry Cooper; Mark Mauthner photos.
Fluorapatite in magnetite, 27 cm, from Iron Mountain, Iron Springs district, Iron County, Utah. Shown under medium wave ultraviolet light. From Jim Horste (Jim’s Obscure Stuff ); Mark Mauthner photo.
Ruby in marble, 8 cm, from the Bai May mine, near An Phu, Luc Yen district, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam. (left) In daylight, (right) under longwave ultraviolet light. From Dudley Blauwet (Mountain Minerals International).
Barite (“Halleluiah!”), 8.5 cm, from the Denton mine, Hardin County, Illinois. Ex Heck collection, from Marshall Sussman (Crystal Cellar).
(below) Galena, 8.5 cm, from the Blackdene mine, Ireshopeburn, Stanhope, County Durham, England. From the Lindsay and Patricia Greenbank collection (LG.16).
Fluorite, 7 cm, from the Le Four mine, Puy-St-Gulmier, Herment, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. From Alain Martaud (Martaud Minéraux).
Topaz, 6 cm, from the Sakangyi pegmatite, Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin district, Mandalay region, Myanmar (Burma). The crystal contains a phantom that is visible only under longwave ultraviolet light (right).
From Bill Larson (Pala International).
Copper, 5 cm, from the Central mine, Central, Keweenaw County, Michigan. From Steve and Beverly Rice (Colorado Nuggets).
Copper, a spray of spinel-law twins and cubic crystals, 11.4 cm, from the Itauz Satpayev, Karaganda region, Kazakhstan. From Brad van Scriver (Heliodor Minerals).
Pyromorphite, 6.5 cm, from the Bunker Hill mine, Kellogg, Coeur d’Alene district, Shoshone County, Idaho. From Bob Jackson (Geology Adventures).
Silver, 7 cm, from the Sophia mine, Böckelsbach Valley, Wittichen, Schenkenzell, Black Forest, BadenWürttemberg, Germany. From Rob Lavinsky (The Arkenstone).
Fluorite, 15 cm, from the Minerva No. 1 mine, Ozark-Mahoning group, Cave-in-Rock, Hardin County, Illinois. From Brian Kosnar (Mineral Classics).
Copper-in-calcite on copper, 9 cm, from the Quincy mine, Hancock, Houghton County, Michigan. Collected ca. 1912. From Jeff Krasnov (Geokrazy Minerals); Joachim Callén photo.