Dale Arthur Hein

Dale Arthur Hein was born April 21, 1933, at Redmond, Oregon, to Howard W. Hein and Enid L. Muma Hein. He grew up alongside his siblings Lois, Ivan, Harry, and Donald (all now deceased).

Dale attended public school in Hillsboro, Oregon, and graduated from Hillsboro High School in May 1951. Dale graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Management from Oregon State University in 1959. He received his master's and Ph.D. degrees in Wildlife Management, with minors in statistics and forestry, from Iowa State University in Ames, in 1962 and 1965.

Dale served in the U.S. Air Force (photo reconnaissance and interpretation) for two years, February 1954 to February 1956, as an Aviation Cadet.

Dale Hein married Marilyn Kilzer on September 5, 1965, in Ames, Iowa, at Collegiate Presbyterian Church. To this union two daughters were born: Mari Lyn in 1967, and Holly Kay in 1970.

Dale taught biology at Wake Forest College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1965–1968, after which he joined the faculty at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, as a professor of Wildlife Biology (Warner College of Natural Resources), where he remained until his retirement in 1999. He especially treasured his summers teaching at the CSU Mountain Campus for many years – some of them as Director of the program.

In 1976, Dale received the Distinguished Service Award for Undergraduate Advising at Colorado State University. He was a member of the National Wildlife Federation and was elected to the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. He was voted a "Best Teacher at CSU" and won a State Board of Agriculture Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award in 1999.

Dale retired from CSU in 1999 after 34 years of teaching, advising, service, and scholarship. In retirement, Dale was an active participant and teacher at Front Range Forum in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Throughout his life, Dale enjoyed exploring the world of ideas and challenging his imagination. He said, "Teaching and learning have been my greatest satisfaction. If I had it all to do over, I would do it all again."

Dale passed away on February 21, 2025. He is survived by his loving wife, Marilyn, and his daughters Mari Beegle (Bernard) and Holly Hein (Elizabeth Turgeon) as well as many other relatives and friends.

Contributions can be made to the Dale and Marilyn K. Hein Scholarship at Colorado State University: give.colostate.edu/campaigns/43503 or (970) 491-3816.

A celebration of life will be held for Dale at Colorado State University's Lory Student Center, Longs Peak Room (room 302), on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.