Community loses two stalwarts

Inter Lake editorial

The logging industry and the ALERT helicopter service lost a great friend and benefactor last week.

Clyde Smith was 82 when he died April 9.

But he leaves a huge legacy behind. It's a legacy we should appreciate every time ALERT takes off on a potential life-saving mission or a loaded logging truck drives by.

That's because neither would be what they are today without the efforts of Smith.

Not only did he help found the Montana Logging Association in 1976, but Smith also was the driving force behind ALERT acquiring its first aircraft in 1980. Smith and his family put their logging business on the line - literally - by underwriting a loan to buy a new helicopter for the fledgling air rescue service.

It's fitting that this week is the annual ALERT banquet that helps raise money to keep the air ambulance flying. In 1979, Smith and others held the first such banquet to benefit ALERT.

He was known as "Mr. ALERT" for his efforts, and annually the ALERT Foundation bestows the Clyde Smith Award to those who go beyond the call of duty in service to the air-ambulance cause.

During his illustrious career, Smith also was a successful logger and state legislator and he was known and admired for his deep community spirit.

So the next time ALERT flies overhead, give a silent prayer of thanks for people like Clyde Smith.

Another community leader also passed away recently.

In a day when many people expect the worst from public officials, it was refreshing to read of the life of LeRoy "Mac" McDowell, the former mayor and police chief of Kalispell, who died recently at the age of 78.

McDowell was born and bred in the Flathead and it certainly showed in both his love of the community and the values that he exhibited in his long career of public service.

In addition to working his way up through the ranks of the Kalispell Police Department, McDowell had also put himself in harm's way as a member of the Army Air Corps and then served 40 years in the Montana National Guard.

A touching tribute written to McDowell by his longtime friend and colleague Duane Larson said it best: "The city of Kalispell [has] lost one of its finest citizens."