In 2018, Charlotte Branham and Suzanne (“Suzi”) Decker ’71 (Home Economics – Extension) made a unique gift to the ҹɫÊÓƵ to honor the lives and legacies of their late husbands, Alan Branham and Donald J. Decker ’72 M.S. (Geology). As the owners of Wonder Minerals, a mineral exploration company focused on the western United States, Charlotte and Suzi donated more than 6,500 acres of land in the Wonder Mining District with a clear and intentional purpose: to support the future of economic geology through the Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology (CREG).
The donors structured the gift so the University could sell the land and use the proceeds to create an endowed faculty position within CREG. The gift reflected not only generosity, but also the deep personal and professional ties that Donald and Alan shared with Nevada, the mining industry and the University.
Donald Decker earned his master’s degree in geology from the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering in 1972. He went on to build a distinguished career in mining, founding multiple companies and acquiring a lease from the University to operate the Marigold Mine. Donald remained committed to the Mackay School, serving on its executive advisory board for 16 years and helping guide the next generation of geologists.
Alan Branham spent 20 years as a geologist with Newmont Gold Mining Company before becoming president and CEO of Midway Gold Corp. He later founded American Vanadium Corp. and played a key role in the discovery of several major gold deposits along Nevada’s Carlin Trend.
In 2011, Donald and Alan partnered to form American Innovative Minerals (Wonder Minerals is a subsidiary of American Innovative Minerals), which included the Wonder Mining District property that would ultimately become the transformational gift to CREG. After Donald’s passing in 2012, Alan led the company until his own passing in 2015. Since then, Suzi Decker and Charlotte Branham have managed and sold company assets, culminating in the donation in 2018 of the Wonder Mining District property to the ҹɫÊÓƵ.
“Don and Alan are perfect examples of the impactful and successful exploration geologists that we strive to develop at CREG,” said Simon Jowitt, former director of CREG and current Nevada State Geologist. “Their legacy will certainly enable the education of numerous economic geologists well into the future.”
The Wonder Mining District, located adjacent to Naval Air Station Fallon, sold in mid-2025 to the U.S. Navy for just over $6 million. After settling remaining fees, $5.5 million is being allocated to provide CREG faculty and student support. While Suzi and Charlotte originally intended the gift to establish an endowed chair position, the sale price made an even greater impact possible. The University instead chose to endow the CREG director position.
“This is the first endowed director position we’ve had at the University, which speaks to the significance of this gift,” Leigh Fitzpatrick, development director for the College of Science, said.
The endowment will generate more than $240,000 annually, giving the CREG director flexible resources to support faculty recruitment, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, research travel, fieldwork, equipment and innovative research initiatives.
“This gift was an act of vision by the families,” Fitzpatrick said. “It supports the next generation of explorers and leaders in economic geology while giving back to the Silver State where Donald and Alan found so much opportunity.”
CREG itself stands as a testament to generosity and partnership. Established in 1996, the program brings together the Mackay School, Nevada’s mining industry and the U.S. Geological Survey. Its founding donor, Ralph J. Roberts, moved his endowed program from Harvard University to the ҹɫÊÓƵ after Harvard ended its economic geology program. Roberts’ groundbreaking research contributed to the discoveries of both the Carlin and Marigold mines — work that Donald and Alan would later help advance.
“The generosity of the Decker and Branham families ensures that CREG will remain one of the most impactful economic geology programs in the United States,” Jowitt said. “Their gift will support new generations of students and researchers for decades to come.”
