Sierra Samaritans - National Ski Patrol

in memoriam
❚ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 56
opened, Bob was asked to leave Hyak and
move to Alpental to become the first
patrol leader there and to organize and
train a whole new group of patrollers. In
recent years, we were pleased that Bob
came back to Hyak for alumni ski days
and dinners. He was in great spirits,
happy to share the news of his recent
marriage to Marian, and planned to come
up to Hyak to visit again.
GARY M. BURKE AND SHIRLEY CUMMINGS
HYAK SKI PATROL, WA
LINDA LESTER
The Western Appalachian Region said
goodbye to one of its finest patrollers on
October 12, 2004, when Linda Lester lost
a six-year battle with cancer in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She was 56.
Linda was born in Braddock,
Pennsylvania in 1948. She met and married
her husband Lee, with whom she
raised two children. In 1991, she joined
the Boyce Park Alpine Ski Patrol in
Southwestern Pennsylvania and later
became an EMT and an OEC instructor.
She often visited neighboring patrols to
help teach candidate courses. When the
Boyce Park Nordic Patrol formed, Linda
became the patrol director and is remembered
for her drive and dedication.
When she wasn’t on the mountain,
Linda was running Perfection Sewing
shop, which she owned. She also worked
at the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
When work began to conflict with her
patrol duties at Boyce Park, she joined the
Courtesy Patrol at Seven Springs, where
Lee worked as a safety ranger.
Even in failing health, Linda tried to
help whenever and wherever possible.
When she ended her active patrolling
career, she joined the alumni patrol and
was a member until her death.
Linda is survived by her husband, Lee,
and her two children, Michael and
Brooke. She will be greatly missed by all
who knew her.
GUY LOMBARDO
WESTERN SECTION CHIEF
WESTERN APPALACHIAN REGION
WILLIAM ROBINSON
William “Digger” Robinson, longtime
patroller with ties to NSP pioneers Minnie
Dole and Roger Langley, died on
November 1, 2004. He was 82.
In the 1920s, at the age of 10, Bill began
skiing with friends at various areas in New
Hampshire. He participated in local and
regional amateur jumping events, through
which he met and became close friends
with Roger Langley (National Appointment
#1), who was the head of the
National Ski Association. During an event
at Mt. Mansfield on March 4, 1938, Bill and
Roger met Minnie Dole, who told them
about the ski patrol he had formed at
Mansfield. Intrigued, Roger suggested
forming a national patrol committee as a
subgroup of his National Ski Association.
He asked Minnie to head up the program.
Bill became one of the first patrollers
in the system, although being just 16, he
was too young for official recognition. A
few years later when World War II began,
Bill enlisted in the Navy. After the war, Bill
officially joined the National Ski Patrol
and remained an active member for 56
years. In 1987 he received National
Appointment #6805.
After the war, Bill met and married
his wife Phyllis, with whom he had a son,
William Jr. Bill became the undertaker at
the Pillsbury Funeral Parlor in Barre,
Massachusetts, and remained there until
his retirement in 1987. One of the last
funerals Bill coordinated was that of
Roger Langley.
Bill shared his stories about the “good
ol’ days” of skiing with anyone willing to
listen. He loved the sport and he loved the
National Ski Patrol.
LAURIE PULIAFICO
PINE RIDGE PATROL, MA
REX McLEAN
Mt. High Resort in California lost a dear
friend when Rex McLean died of lymphoma
of the brain on November 27,
2004, at his home in Wittier, California.
He was 72.
Rex McLean was born on July 15, 1931
to Rowena and James McLean in Oxnard,
California. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1951
and served four years before being honorably
discharged. In 1957 he married his
bride and lifelong friend Normadale
“Nornie” Carlson. Rex graduated from
U.C. Santa Barbara with a degree in industrial
arts and later earned a master’s degree
at U.C. Long Beach. He and Normadale
had a son and a daughter.
For more than 40 years Rex worked as
a teacher and counselor with the Wittier
Union High School and is remembered by
peers and students for his friendship and
leadership. In 1962, he put those attributes
to work when he joined the National
Ski Patrol. He served as patrol director at
Mt. High and was the Wrightwood
Section chief for many years. He received
National Appointment #6817 in 1987.
As a memorial to Rex’s 40 years of
service, Mt. High Resort has announced
that it’s renaming the top patrol shack
“Rex” in his honor.
He is survived by his wife Nornie; son
Guy; daughter Sandra; two children; and
three siblings, David, Sandy, and Roy. He
will be greatly missed. Happy trails, Rex.
GARY BIEHL AND TERRY DIPPLE
MT. HIGH SKI PATROL, CA ✚
If a fellow patroller has passed away, the
national organization would like to help your
patrol pay its respects in Ski Patrol
Magazine.
To keep the In Memoriam department current,
please submit your write-up within
three months of the patroller’s death. Also,
please keep obituaries to 300 words or less
and include a daytime number where you
may be reached.
Send your submission to Ski Patrol
Magazine, 133 South Van Gordon St., Suite 100,
Lakewood, CO 80228-1700 or via e-mail to
spm@nsp.org. For more information please
call (303) 988-1111 or e-mail spm@nsp.org.
58 Ski Patrol Magazine | Winter 2005