The Highlight of His Career
Growing up in southern Oregon was the foundation for Dad’s life’s work: a 30-year career with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife—work that took him all over our beautiful state.
As a machinist he did many things: built fish screens and paddle wheels for our river systems, constructed tanks and installed refrigeration units for the fish liberation trucks, scuba dived for a river diversion project, checked licenses during hunting and fishing seasons, and drove trucks from fish hatcheries to lakes and streams.
The highlight of his career came when his name was chosen for the “High Lakes Cascade” trip where everything was packed in on horseback. Annually, biologists did research in areas only accessible by foot or horse. Names were on that list for years. Dad felt so fortunate that, just once before his retirement, he was able to fly fish on lakes so few people had even seen.
Although he was born in Michigan, Dad considered himself a native Oregonian. His mother was born in Medford in 1897 and he returned with his parents and sister while he was still a baby. Except for his military service during World War II, he lived his life in Oregon.
