LEO, OUR AMBASSADOR, PART 2

By Gordon Reese

At some time in Leo’s earlier years, (Leo was from the New England states) he visited Montana on some type of back-country trip. Andrew thought it may have been a hunting trip, possibly in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area, using horses and mules. This event sparked Leo’s interest and attraction to Montana.

I shared some of the Leo stories from his long association with our ski club when he joined, probably our second year. He was already part of a small group of skiers that got together on Saturday mornings during the winter and car pooled somewhere in the valley to cross-country ski. As our trails at Chief Joe started to receive more use, this group became regular Saturday visitors.

Ron Osborn, one of the Club’s founders, had created a newsletter. Before too long Ron decided that he needed to give it up and Leo took it over. He wrote, edited, got it printed, folded, stuffed, addressed, and mailed! At some point when the job got to be really big, he organized a few club members to get together to help with the folding, stuffing, addressing, and mailing. He continued to be part of this group for a number of years.

With only a few members in our first years, but with a rapid member increase as the word got out about Chief Joe and the Ski Club, Leo saw the need for a membership coordinator and so he took that on. He computerized this list and at the beginning of each season, would do a super job of keeping track of who was a current member, their address, phone number, etc. Leo continued both jobs until about 2004, when Art Seifert took over editing the newsletter and Jack Losensky took over the membership job.

Leo was very active in our workdays. He thought pot lucks were a strong attraction and he always brought a pot of beans! He enjoyed sipping on Blackberry Brandy!

In 1994, the club and the U.S. Forest Service collaborated on the renovation of the May Creek Cabin. Leo was one of the hard-working volunteers. He drove his camper to May Creek campground and walked in to the cabin each day. He said he would like a job that he could work on at his own speed and start it and finish it. So he took on the digging of the hole for the outhouse. When he finished, on his second day of digging, we had to put a ladder into the hole for Leo to climb out!!

In April of 1995, Leo was one of six club members that traveled to Wisdom to meet with the District Ranger for our yearly get-together meeting. High on the club’s agenda was getting Dennis Havig to agree to begin the necessary analysis and evaluation as to whether a warming hut type structure on the Chief Joe trails would be a positive addition for both winter and summer users. There was a lot of discussion and Leo shared his well-thought beliefs that older skiers would certainly benefit by having a place to get warm and so would younger families with children. In hindsight, Leo’s thinking was right on!

Our club constitution and by-laws certainly have Leo’s fingerprints all over them. He constantly reminded the club that this was a task that needed to be completed. I believe he wrote the first draft and he probably typed the final draft! He also prodded us to proceed with the process and paperwork to secure non-profit (501 C-3) status. Thanks to the diligence of Mel Mooers, this was also accomplished.

I could write a whole article on the stories, the joy, and excitement that Leo shared with me when I happened to stop by his house the day after he had returned from shooting an elk and packing it out. He was really jacked up! Truly a happy camper!

I will conclude this tribute to a really amazing person that I don’t believe we knew very well. After I spoke at his service, some of his retired Marine Corps friends came to me and told me that they never knew that Leo skied!

What we do know was that when Leo came up to ski, especially after the warming hut was completed, he never missed an opportunity, in the parking lot, on the trails, or at the Hut, to be an ambassador for the work and mission of the club. He was very proud of what a group of volunteers had accomplished with the U.S. Forest Service on public land, for the use and enjoyment of the public. As a conversation would come to a close, he would almost always reach into his pocket and bring out a club membership form and offer it with a word of encouragement for people to join in the project. In his strong, gently, dedicated way he was special. Leo we miss you.

/s/ Gordon Reese