Leslie "Les' Arthur Burnell, 79, passed away in Marin County, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2009, after a long bout with lung cancer. He was born in Kalispell on June 5, 1929. He received his early schooling through Kalispell's public school system, which he often praised for having provided excellent groundwork for his further education.

As many others have done, he gave special emphasis to Flathead County High School's Dorothy Schoknecht for having been his most outstanding and influential teacher.

Although Les had made his home in Cupertino, Calif., for the past 45 years, he never forgot his Kalispell roots. He honored those by supporting the Museum at Central School and the Northwest Montana Historical Society with his lifetime membership there.

Les graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and later earned his master's in the same field from Santa Clara University. Most of his working life was spent in Silicon Valley's Sylvania and GTE corporations as project manager for the development of military defense communications systems. While there he was awarded GTE's prestigious Warner award for his invention of the Magic Mast Communication System for military purposes.

Les is survived by sons, Bob Burnell of Eugene, Ore., and Alex Burnell of Petaluma, Calif.; daughter, Jan Panter, of Eugene; and a stepson, Chris Skogland, of Napa, Calif. His sister, Lucille "Pee Wee" Graham, of Kalispell and brother, Harry Burnell, of San Francisco, also survive him; as well as two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Memorials in Les' name may be made to the Dorothy Schoknecht Gallery, in care of the Museum at Central School, 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell, MT 59901.