Berle Eldon Davis died on March 7, 2003. He was born Nov. 23, 1922, and grew up on the family homestead and attended school in Judith Gap, Mont.

He was in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and served in the Philippines, New Guinea and Japan and graduated from Montana State University in 1957.

Over the course of his life he worked many jobs, including the Forest Service, where he was a smokejumper, firefighter, fire control officer, straw boss and aerial observer. Later he ran the Town Pump stations in Big Timber and Great Falls. He retired in 1988 while working for MSU.