Norman F. Dahm

 Revered Boise State Professor Passes On

Norm Dahm, 97, passed away on July 12, 2023. Born January 17, 1926, to Frank and Emma Dahm, farmers in Fort Morgan, CO, Norm did not become a farmer. Frank served 12 years on the local school board, and his older son instead became a talented and dedicated educator. A product of Fort Morgan public schools, Norm lettered in football and basketball and was valedictorian and senior class president.

Norm entered the V12 officers training program of the US Navy at Colorado College, but the end of WWII cut the program short. Taking advantage of the opportunity to enlist in ROTC for an engineering degree, he received a Navy Commission upon graduation from the University of Colorado. He married fellow student and Army veteran, Gladys Reeves, and after he completed a Master of Education degree, the young couple moved to Ontario, Oregon, where high school teacher salaries were more lucrative. He remained a Colorado export thereafter. When he sought a position with a junior college to have an opportunity to teach engineering skills, Boise Junior College jumped at the chance to add talent to their program.

The engineering program at Boise Junior College was a two-year feeder program for four-year engineering programs. Outstanding preparation of students for transfer, and later to enter the engineering profession, was always a source of great pride for Professor Dahm; he enjoyed hearing Deans of engineering schools brag about the preparation of Boise Junior College and Boise State College transfers, and he avidly followed the careers of his former students. He also worked hard to prepare the university for growth and take advantage of opportunities to expand into new areas. He guided the development of the extraordinarily successful four-year construction management program at Boise State and served as chair of the School of Technology. When the engineering program was elevated to a four-year undergraduate and graduate program after his retirement, he worked hard to ensure the success of the search committee in finding its first Dean. He was proud of the fact that all of the Engineering Deans took time to meet him and get to know him. Educating engineering professionals was a value close to his heart.

Norm was appointed to serve as the faculty athletic representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for Boise State serving for 19 years starting in 1974. He checked and certified the eligibility of Boise State athletes. He also continued to teach a core engineering course for 6-1/2 years after retiring in 1991, bringing him back to the classroom. He credited growing up on a farm with giving him the work ethic to contribute to the success of educational programs. He was proud to be an engineer and served as President of the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers in 1981. Both Norm and Gladys loved music and were active in fundraising and volunteering for the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts after it opened. They also enjoyed international and national traveling with friends after his retirement. Norm and Gladys moved to Garden Plaza of Valley View in 2001 and Gladys passed away in July of 2003. Norm subsequently met Bette Stone at Garden Plaza of Valley View where they became close companions and dear friends until her passing in 2019.

Norm is preceded in death by his wife and his younger brother, Leroy, and survived by two sons, Cliff and Rhea (Graham) of Placitas, NM; Stan and Sue (Parker) of Dowagiac, MI; two granddaughters, Katharine Dahm and Miguel (Rocha), and Kristina and Jesse Schroffel, and one gr-granddaughter, Keira, all of Golden, CO. In addition, he will be missed by many friends at the Garden Plaza of Valley View and The Bridge at Valley View, where he was the longest tenured resident.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church – Cathedral of the Rockies. 717 N. 11th Street, Boise.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Boise State University Foundation for the Norm and Gladys Dahm Engineering Scholarship, 1173 University Drive, Boise, ID 83706 or to the Norman Dahm Memorial Fund, Cathedral of the Rockies, 717 N 11th Street, Boise, ID 83702.