Engineer, businessman, consultant. Born– August 31, 1882, Birmingham. Parents– Jacob and Fannie (Kahm) Fies. Married– Rose Mayer, January 1, 1907. Education– Columbia University, School of Mines, B.S., 1904. Worked for Republic Iron and Steel Company as resident engineer, superintendent of mines, general superintendent, 1904-1910; general superintendent of mines, Birmingham Coal and Iron Company, 1910-1912; vice president of DeBardeleben Coal Company, Birmingham and Walker County, 1912-1944; consulting engineer after 1944. Consulting engineer and manager of coal operations for Alabama Power;  handled the Alabama Power Company’s first experiment in underground gasification of coal in the U.S. Member  Southern Association  of Science; Southern Research Institute; American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical
Engineers. Active in civic affairs; member and chairman of the Walker County Board of Education for ten years. Leader and supporter of the Boy Scouts of America. Appointed postmaster at Lipsey, Walker County, 1913. Received an honorary D. Sci., University of Alabama, 1936. A Masonic lodge in Jefferson County was named in his honor. Died October 20, 1970.

Source:

Owen’s The Story of Alabama, Vol. 5.

Publication(s):

The Man With the Light on His Cap. Birmingham, Ala.; s.n., 1960.

Joint_Publication(s):

The Second Underground Gasification Experiment at Gorgas, Alabama. S.l.; U.S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with Alabama Power Company, 1949

Strippable Coal in the Fabius Area, Jackson County, Alabama. University, Ala.; Division of Economic Geology, University of Alabama, 1970.