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MSA MEETING PROGRAM & PLACE
Franciscan Renewal Center, (Piper Hall),
May 21, 2026 @ 7.30 pm Arizona time
"Purple Passion Mine:
A Fluorescent Collector’s Paradise”
Presented by
BILL GARDNER
MAY
Mineral of the Month:
FLUORESCENT MINERALS
(Okay to bring 1-2 examples)
* Please bring refreshments to share.
* MEETING will be (In-Person and Zoom).
Mineralogical Society of Arizona (MSA) is excited to feature a luminary of the fluorescent mineral world for our May 21st program on “Purple Passion Mine: A Fluorescent Collector’s Paradise” presented by Bill Gardner. Bill’s talk explores how a mine once known for elusive wulfenite became a birthplace of modern UV‑fluorescent mineral collecting, and how Gardner’s curiosity transformed both his own path and the tools used by enthusiasts worldwide. Located eight miles northeast of Wickenburg, Arizona, the Purple Passion Mine, originally the Diamond Joe, was pursued for its promising wulfenite in 1996. Though the hoped‑for pockets of wulfenite never materialized, everything changed in 1997 with a simple question: “Does any of this fluoresce?”
Collector Steve Stuart encouraged Bill to test the material under UV light, revealing a hidden world: brilliant flashes of red, green, blue, and white erupting from minerals previously considered ordinary. That discovery redirected Bill’s path. He began collecting and selling fluorescent minerals, then UV lamps, and soon recognized the need for better, more affordable lighting technology.
Mark your calendars for this illuminating program by a fluorescent‑mineral and UV light luminary!
First Way Too Cool Lamp Image of Purple Passion material.
Bill Gardner photo.
Purple Passion Mine 2015. Mark Mauthner photo.
Fluorite, Calcite & Willemite, 8"
Purple Passion Mine, Wickenburg, Yavapai County, Arizona, USA.
Photographed using Way Too Cool 18 Watt Short Wave UV lamp.
Chris Whitney-Smith photo.
William G. Gardner III, widely known as Bill Gardner, is a pioneering inventor, engineer-geologist, and entrepreneur whose innovations in ultraviolet (UV) lighting have transformed the way collectors, researchers, and museums experience fluorescent minerals. As the founder and CEO of Way Too Cool LLC, Bill has spent more than two decades advancing UV technology and making high quality fluorescent lighting accessible to audiences worldwide.
Bill’s fascination with UV fluorescence began in 1996 while collecting minerals at the Purple Passion Mine in Arizona. Bill, Ed Davis, John “Mac” McClelland, Gaylord “Jay” Hayes, Gary Spraggins, and Scott McCloed filed a claim and spent the first-year pursuing wulfenite, ultimately sinking a 55‑foot shaft into the mineralized vein. Although the group uncovered many interesting specimens, high‑value wulfenite proved elusive and the team gradually dispersed.
Everything changed in 1997 when collector Steve Stuart asked whether any of the Purple Passion material fluoresced. After borrowing a UV lamp to investigate, Bill witnessed brilliant flashes of red, green, blue, and white erupt from the minerals. That moment proved life‑changing. He began selling fluorescent minerals and UV fixtures and soon realized the field needed better, more efficient, and more affordable lighting tools. This insight led him to establish Way Too Cool LLC in 1998, a company that would become a cornerstone of the fluorescent mineral world, advancing the tools, accessibility, and excitement that continues to define the fluorescent hobby today.
Under Bill’s leadership, Way Too Cool introduced a full line of innovative UV lamp fixtures ranging from handheld flashlights to custom built specialty units, designed for collectors, museums, educators, and scientific professionals. The company became the first to offer filtered UV LED flashlights specifically engineered for fluorescent mineral work, setting a new industry standard. His UV systems are now used in fields as diverse as forensics, biological research, fossil verification, and non-destructive testing.
Before entering the UV industry, Bill built a distinguished career in nuclear power. Beginning in 1984, he became a licensed Nuclear Regulatory Commission Reactor Operator at Yankee Atomic Electric Company in Rowe, Massachusetts. He later joined the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona, retiring in 2024 as a Senior Nuclear Auxiliary Operator after nearly 40 years in the industry. He holds an AS in engineering and a BA in geology with a specialization in mineralogy, a rare blend of technical and scientific expertise that underpins his innovations.
He is also the holder of multiple UV related patents, many of which involve wavelength transforming materials and absorption filter technologies that allow precise control of UVA, UVB, UVC, and visible light output. These inventions have been licensed to several companies, accelerating research and innovation across the UV lighting and fluorescent mineral communities.
Beyond engineering, Bill is widely respected for his commitment to customer support and education. Way Too Cool offers trade‑in and upgrade programs, refurbished fixtures, repairs, and custom solutions tailored to specialized applications. His work has helped democratize access to high‑quality UV lighting, empowering everyone, from first‑time rockhounds to major museums, to explore the hidden world of mineral fluorescence.
Bill Gardner stands as one of the most influential figures in modern UV lighting for mineral fluorescence. His blend of engineering skill, geological insight, and entrepreneurial vision has reshaped how the world discovers, studies, and appreciates fluorescent minerals.
We thank Bill for his friendship and decades of dedicated research and development in UV illumination, which has unveiled the mineral kingdom’s fluorescent secrets and profoundly benefited the Mineralogical Society of Arizona and the global collecting community.
Meeting starts at 7.30PM Arizona time.
