WHEREAS, Mark E. Skiles, a retired coal industry executive and avid outdoorsman, died on December 25, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Mark Skiles, a graduate of Carmichaels High School in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, earned a degree from Pennsylvania State University; and

WHEREAS, a third-generation coal miner from southwest Pennsylvania, Mark Skiles finished his career as a senior executive at the Mine Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor; and

WHEREAS, Mark Skiles was instrumental to advancements in mine safety and operations, writing several safety training manuals, producing safety training videos, and consulting on critical safety and ventilation issues in the mining industry both within the United States and overseas; and

WHEREAS, Mark Skiles was the recipient of several awards for various safety innovations throughout the years, including being named the National Safety and Training Innovator of the Year in 1997 and the Holmes Safety Association Coal Safety Leader in 1998; and

WHEREAS, during his career in mining safety and operations, Mark Skiles led many daring mine rescue operations, including the Quecreek Mine rescue in Somerset, Pennsylvania, in July 2002; and

WHEREAS, in his later life, Mark Skiles retired to the mountains of West Virginia to pursue his passion for hunting and fishing; and

WHEREAS, as an avid historian, Mark Skiles was fond of reading and researching various periods of American history, including the Civil War and World War II; and

WHEREAS, Mark Skiles will be fondly remembered by colleagues, friends, and neighbors and dearly missed by his family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Mark E. Skiles, a cherished member of the community whose professional achievements profoundly impacted the lives of many in the coal industry; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark E. Skiles's wife, Kim B. Skiles, and son, David A. Skiles, as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.