This bench has been placed at the viewpoint that overlooks the Superfund site which Leonard devoted much of his time to in later life, all volunteer time. Leonard was trained as a geologist, receiving a master’s degree in geology at UC- Berkeley. He spent most of his working life with Shell Oil, remaining there for 32 years and following this with 12 more years as an independent geophysical consultant. After moving to Missoula in 1986 he began donating his time and expertise to the
Milltown Superfund cleanup. Leonard passed away in 2010 at the age of 94.
The 500 acre park extends from the Clark Fork River, just north of the confluence, up the slope to forested lands above. Much of the park is still undergoing restoration and is expected to be fully open by 2015. The viewpoint has an excellent view of the cleanup site, including the old dam site. Though the dam has been mostly removed, its footings remain under water and the old powerhouse to the north of the dam remains in place. From this viewpoint one may also see the 1921 roadway bridge in the distance as well as two of the original Great Northern railway bridges.
Leonard Schombel
January 4, 1916 - January 18, 2010: MISSOULA – Leonard died at Community Medical Center early in the morning due to complications from a fall.
He was born in Seattle to Gus and Rose Stumble. His family moved to Los Angeles in his late childhood, where he graduated from Alhambra High School and got a bachelor’s degree from CalTech, majoring in geology. After a short time working for a small oil company, he went back and got a master’s degree in geology at the UC- Berkeley. He met his future wife, Eunice Lambert, shortly after graduating from Berkeley.
Leonard was hired by Shell Oil Co. in 1941, exempted from the draft because of very poor eyesight. This was his career, working for 32 years for Shell, Rocky Mountain Division, first in Wyoming, then in Billings and finally in Denver. He rose quickly from party manager to district geophysicist, and left Shell with the title of senior geophysicist. Leonard remembered the days in Billings as being some of the busiest and happiest of his life. He and his crews made several large oil discoveries in the Cedar Creek Anticline near Glendive. When Leonard retired from Shell in 1973, he worked another 12 years as an independent geophysical consultant.
A sharp downturn in the early 1980s caused him to cut back on his consulting work, and he and Eunice moved to Missoula in 1986. He is best remembered in Missoula for his volunteer work with Meals on Wheels, RSVP and the Senior Forum. He devoted much of his time and energy to groups involved in the Milltown Superfund cleanup, sharing his research knowledge with the Clark Fork Coalition and Montana Trout Unlimited. He was especially involved with the Milltown Technical Assistance Committee (now the Clark Fork River TAC), and the Friends of Two Rivers. Leonard received much praise for his work from the Environmental Protection Agency, Missoula city and Missoula County, as well as from staff and officers of the above groups.
Instead of flowers and gifts, his children ask people to make donations to one of the groups Leonard was involved with.
Leonard was preceded in death by his wife, Eunice; and is survived by his three children, Steven Schombel and Linda Andrus of Missoula, and Trudy Denton of Independence, Kan.; and by three grandchildren, Wendy Ferry, and Genevieve and Patrick Andrus.
His children remember him best as a great father and wonderful family man. He enjoyed gardening, golfing, pheasant hunting, trout fishing, camping and hiking, and always tried to get the family involved in these activities, not always voluntarily. And he always tried to share his knowledge of geology and details of the Milltown cleanup and dam removal with anyone interested.
From Tributes