CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 4, 2024 / Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. ("EPL":TSX-V, or "Eagle Plains") announces that Robert (Bob) Termuende has recently passed away peacefully at age 94. Bob was a founder of Eagle Plains and remained a powerful ambassador and loyal shareholder of the company to the end.
Bob was born in Kenton, Manitoba in 1930 in a room above his parents' store. He considered himself a "Depression Baby" and was always proud of his prairie roots, returning home almost annually for the past 20 years. He moved with his parents to British Columbia in 1945 and completed high school in Surrey. During the summer of 1951 he worked for a relative in Spokane, Washington and by chance, was drafted into the US army. He served as a tank commander in the 114th Medium Tank Battalion within the 7th Army in post-WWII occupied Germany. He always spoke fondly of his military service and the structure and regimen it instilled in him. He was honorably discharged in 1953 and returned to Canada, earning a bachelor's degree in geological sciences at the University of British Columbia on a scholarship provided by the US GI Bill.
His early years in the resource industry saw a brief stint working with Chevron in California, then memorable summers mapping rugged BC stratigraphy by horseback with the Geological Survey of Canada. He married in 1958 and spent years based out of Calgary/Cochrane with his growing family, working in the Canadian oil and gas sector. He was Exploration Manager for Great Plains Development Corp. in the mid-1960's and was one of the early explorers for uranium in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan. Great Plains also had teams working in BC, with the original Red Chris claims staked on his watch. In 1970 he founded Rio Alto Exploration and found early success in a remote area of the Yukon at a project named Rusty Springs, located near the Arctic Circle some 160 km west of Eagle Plains. Rio Alto was ultimately purchased by Canadian Natural Resources in 2002 for $2.4B. Bob founded Kenton Natural Resources in the early 80's. Kenton was later renamed Pacalta Resources and thanks to the skill and tenacity of Mike and Bruce Chernoff, was eventually acquired by Alberta Energy Corp (now Encana/Ovintiv) in 1999 in a deal worth close to $1B. In 1992, he and son Tim re-staked Rusty Springs and co-founded Eagle Plains Resources and Miner River Resources which amalgamated in 1999, at which time Bob retired. Both companies listed on the Alberta Stock Exchange in 1995, and Eagle Plains continues as one of the oldest companies on the TSX-V. Bob had other brushes with mining success throughout his career, being associated with projects including Bullmoose Mountain (coal) and Snip (gold).
Bob was the one of the last of the old-school promoters and spent many lively lunches (afternoons) in the Jolly Taxpayer pub in Vancouver making deals and telling tales. Though Bob was a man of honesty and deep integrity, he was always testing the limits, and for a time, was on a first-name basis with the nice folks in the compliance department of a major Canadian brokerage firm.
In his retired life, Bob enjoyed many idyllic years at Wild Horse Farm in Fort Steele, BC. with Orma, his wife of 66 years. Over those decades, he experimented with various agricultural projects, "thinking outside the box" as he always did. He later became an enthusiastic member of Rotary International and gave generously his time, funding and endless energy for many years, earning the Cranbrook club's Rotarian of the Year award in 2023. Bob was very recently awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, "recognizing those who have made significant contributions to Canada and their home province", joining a list of distinguished recipients including mining legend and philanthropist Ross Beatty and former BC premiers Gordon Campbell, Christy Clark and John Horgan.
He was a constant wanderer, racking up hundreds of thousands of kilometers on his countless road-trips travelling the world. Journeys included driving from Canada to the deep south of Mexico with Orma, three kids and a dog in a VW camper van in the early 70's, driving with Orma from Fort Steele through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to Costa Rica just shy of his 70th birthday, and most recently, driving solo to Mazatlán, Mexico just days after his 90th birthday.
Bob often quipped that his primary goal in life was to "make the world a better place". It is safe to say that as long as he was here, it really was. The legacy he left behind, in his deeds and interactions with others, his curiosity, generosity, optimism, courage, determination, humour, kindness and genuine concern, will help the world to stay that way.
Bob had always said, and firmly believed that "the journey is the destination". On behalf of the Board, shareholders, brokers, investors, regulators, friends, neighbours and all others that were touched by him- we wish him well on his eternal journey. Godspeed Grassy.
Click here for a collection of photo's chronicling Bob's personal journey.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Eagle Plains
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
