Gene Allan Ahrendt, 1973 College of Forestry graduate and forester on the Tongue Ranger District of the Bighorn National Forest, was killed September 9, 1983 in the crash of a chartered plane near Dayton, Wyoming. He had been scouting for hot spots from a fire in the Smith Creek area near Dayton.

Gene was born December 14, 1951, reared, attended grade school and graduated from high school in 1969 at Luverne, Minnesota. He was active in Boy Scouts and participated in cross country, track and wrestling. Much of his forestry career was spent on the Medicine Bow National Forest. From 1972 through 1973, he worked in the regional office in Denver and on the Gunnison and White River national forests in Colorado. He became a temporary forestry technician at Medicine Bow until accepting a temporary forester position with the North Central Experiment Station in 1976. In 1978, he was assigned to the Tongue Ranger District as a GS-5 forester. An SAF member, Ahrendt was promoted to GS-11 forester in August 1983.

Gene was awarded the Regional Safety Award, USDA Certificate of Merit and a life membership in the American Forestry Association for his work in Forestry Conservation. He was a director of the Sheridan Employees Federal Credit Union and was member of the Sheridan Lions Club. His interests were hunting, fishing, water skiing and coaching the Women’s Forest Service softball team. He is survived by his parents, three brothers and one sister.