Born in Lafayette, Alabama, David's family moved to Sleepy Hollow in the Chino Hills of Southern California. He graduated from Chino High School in 1948 and after his family moved to Badger, CA, he finished his Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He spent his college summers working as fire crew with the Forest Service in the Kings Canyon area near Badger.
Always an avid outdoorsman, Dave fished and hunted all his life. He bought his beloved 30-06 rifle by digging, with pick and shovel, the basement under a church across from his parents’ home/business. His passion for hunting was further stoked by the time he spent with noted outdoorsman Jay Bruce helping him to hunt mountain lions for the State of California. That passion was passed to his four children and many great memories of hunting camps and adventures were the result.
Dave married Helen Iest, whom he had known all through grammar and high school. They married on his birthday, June 6, 1953 while in the Navy as a Lieutenant Junior Grade on the destroyer USS Orleck in the final years of the Korean War. He was Gunnery Officer on the ship and many sea stories of his Naval career were shared with family and friends. He maintained close friendships with several crew mates and attended several Orleck reunions after she was made a museum in Orange, Texas.
Dave and Helen raised four children: Steven, Tina, Curtis, and Bruce, who all graduated from Meridian High Schools and were raised to share Dave’s passion for sports and the outdoors. Besides teaching the kids to hunt, fish, and camp, he has coached baseball and little league football on his sons’ teams over the years. He coached 12 winning seasons of Optimist Little League Football including two undefeated seasons.
Beginning when he fought forest fires for the Forest Service in the Kings Canyon area to running a 1200 acre cattle ranch in Modoc County, California, Dave has been active in working to improve management of America’s natural resources in conjunction with state and local governments. He worked with the BLM, the Soil Conservation Service, the Forest Service, University of California Extension, and others to modernize farming and ranching techniques in Modoc County.
After getting his real estate license, Dave moved to Idaho and found his varied resume fit perfectly with a position managing grazing leases for the Idaho Department of Public Lands. Working with ranchers all over the state, he helped modernize grazing practices to not only preserve but improve the public lands he helped supervise.
This brought him to the attention of a governor he had worked with in California and so Ronald Reagan brought Dave to Washington DC to the Bureau of Land Management and a job overseeing the grazing leases of the BLM. Working with ranchers and public officials, Dave put this multiple-use philosophy into practice. Staying in Washington for eight years, he also helped start the wild horse adoption program to help preserve the wild horse and control the overgrazing that mustang overpopulation was causing.
After returning to his beloved Idaho, Dave continued to work with groups and individuals to facilitate better relationships with the BLM and other public agencies. He resumed hunting and fishing with his grown children and started teaching his grandchildren the joys of the outdoors in addition to attending as many of their activities as possible. Dave, with his wife of 67 years, Helen have been the anchoring nucleus of the Tidwell family.
Dave was an incredible friend that was noted for staying in touch. He maintained friendships with many of his high school friends and attended Chino High reunions for over 50 years. He and Helen always made time to attend events like USS Orleck reunions, the Eagleville BBQ, Hangtown Fry get-togethers, and Newport Wine and Seafood Festivals. Their trips to Europe touring and visiting family led to lasting friendships with relatives and friends that were very dear to Helen and him.
Family was always a priority to Dave. His children and grandchildren were always made to feel special. Dave also was close to his brother Bob Hanson, and cousin Gary Tidwell and their families.
Dave has left a legacy of great family values, personal integrity, individual responsibility, and a love of the outdoors. He has left a great many people better for knowing him.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Dave’s honor at https://www.alzinfo.org/