A. Plourde

A. Earl Plourde KINGSFORD - A. Earl Plourde, 84, of 137 Lyman St., Kingsford, died Monday, Sept. 22, 2003, at Freeman's Convalescent Home in Kingsford. He was born on May 15, 1919, in Crystal Falls. He graduated from Iron Mountain High School in 1936; from St. Norbert College in West De Pere, Wis. in economics in 1940; from Officer Candidate School (Corps of Engineers) in Fort Belvoir, Va. in 1943; and Mich Technological University in Houghton with a bachelor of science degree in forestry in 1950. During World War II, he was assigned to the 1392 Engineer Forestry Co. As a first lieutenant in the European Theater, he supervised the operation of three Army portable sawmills, logging and logging equipment. He also coordinated the production of approximately 50 French civilian sawmills supplying the U.S. Army. After the war, he worked for the Gibbs City Lumber Co. in Hancock as woods superintendent and assistant mill superintendent and the Ahonen Lumber Co. in Ironwood as woods supervisor. In 1957, the family moved to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho where Earl became the assistant state forester for the Idaho State Forestry Department responsible for the management and the timber sales of 750,000 acres of state lands in northern Idaho. In 1959, the family moved to Anchorage, Alaska where Earl became the first Alaska State Forester for the new state. In this new job, he was not only responsible for nearly 105 million acres of public lands, he was also responsible for setting up all the programs for managing the Forestry and Parks and Recreation Departments - branches of the Alaska Division of Lands. To his credit, many of the management procedures that he established are still in operation to this day. In 1970, the family moved back to Gladstone, where Earl became the director of operations for the Habitant Fence Division of Habitant Shops, Inc. in Bay City, lower Michigan. He was instrumental in instituting better safety procedures and more efficient manufacturing processes. In 1977, Earl became the executive director of Trees for Tomorrow. He continued in this position until he retired and moved to Kingsford. Earl's affiliations included: The Society of American Foresters; The American Association for the Advancement of Science (Alaska Division); The Forestry Task Force of the Federal Field Committee for Economic Development; The National Association of State Foresters, The National Conference of State Parks, The National Association of State Park Directors; The American Forestry Association; The Rotary Club, and the Elks Club. Earl is survived by his wife, Miriam I. (Nicko) Plourde; his daughter, Miriam N. Combs of Seattle, Wash. and grandsons, Shawn and Kiell Plourde of Berkley, lower Michigan. A memorial will be established in his memory at the Iron Mountain/Kingsford Rotary Club, P.O. Box 82, Iron Mountain, Mich. 49801. The family has entrusted the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain with the funeral arrangements.

A. Plourde

September 22, 1919 - September 22, 2003