124 Utrau INTERNATIONAL: A BIOGRAPHY OF A BUSINESS language: “Nothing but our own limitations can stop us from making a record in construction, in mining, in land development, in fields yet un-ventured that will bring to all those who contribute ... a genuine sense of satisfaction for a job well done.” Before the new organization was a year old, vice president Tony Mecia and Homer Mann, manager of mining services, were killed in January 1960 when their company plane, en route to Cedar City, crashed near Minersville. Keith Wallace, also on board, survived and would become very important to Utah’s success in mining. With Mecia’s and Mann’s deaths, Littlefield lost two longtime and respected colleagues, and the loss temporarily crippled the mining division. Mecia’s passing struck Littlefield particularly hard. He remembered that, soon after his appointment as general manager, Tony had asked approval for undertaking a technical mining project. Surprised that Mecia, with his expertise, would even ask, Littlefield answered, “You know more about mining than I do. Why do you seek my approval?” Mecia quickly replied, “ve never had the authority to proceed without the specific approval of the general manager.” Littlefield responded: “You do now!” Littlefield recounted this story to illustrate Mecia’s insight, but it also revealed Littlefield’s operating style. He appraised his team’s expertise and then felt perfectly confident delegating decisions and authority. “It is critically important to be aware of the knowledge and skills of others,” he said. “You can’t keep a highly competent individual around as a vassal, because he won’t stay.” Realizing how difficult it would be to replace the men, Littlefield even looked outside the company for individuals equal in competence and experience. In the meantime, Vice President Alexander M. (Bud) Wilson, moved forward with stepped-up “technical capabilities and the drive to make decisions.” The more Littlefield searched for replacements, the better the insiders looked. Seven months later, on August 1, 1960, Wilson was named general vice president in charge of the Mining Division, with exploration activities under the supervision of Wes Bourret, also a general vice president. Littlefield later called these promotions an illustration of men being thrust into the front lines of the company at a very young age. “A man of thirty-two years of age would have the responsibilities that a man of forty-five would have at other firms.”