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Dale was born on March 8, 1925, in San Jose, California. This was when the present “Silicon Valley” was the greatest fruit producing area of its time. Dale got his first lesson in land abuse as he watched these deep agricultural soils become covered with concrete and asphalt to make way for the computer age. His father, Douglas Jones, was an electrician, “a man of the trade,” who struggled like most through the depression, but had a passion for the pursuit of wildlife that dominated Dale’s main interest in life from the time he was able to follow his dad until the present. After serving with the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II, Dale attended San Jose State and Utah State Colleges in pursuit of his career in wildlife management. In 1950, he was employed by the Utah Fish and Game Department as a game biologist. He later became a regional manager, assistant chief of game management, and chief of game management. It was during this time that his mentors (Harold S. Crane, Dr. D. I. Rasmussen, and W. Leslie Robinette) molded in Dale’s words a “bucket-assed” college kid, who thought he knew it all, into an ecologist with a questioning mind and a dedication to improve habitat for wildlife and fish. In 1958, the U.S. Forest Service needed someone to work on the elk/livestock issues confronting the Shoshone National Forest. After four years of clipping cages that were horse packed into the wilderness and counting elk pellet groups, his “fun” assignment was over and the family was transferred to Denver where Dale had a position on the range and wildlife staff. In 1965, he headed the range, wildlife, watershed, and multiple use staff on the San Juan National Forest in Durango, Colorado. He then became director of wildlife and fish in the regional office at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in 1977 was honored to become director of Wildlife, Fish, and Endangered Species for the Forest Service. Dale has been active in The Wildlife Society, serving as president of two chapters, as southwest region council representative, vice president, and president for two terms of the parent society. He also was active with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, several other professional societies, and other wildlife advocacy groups. In 1977, Dale received the American Motors Conservation Award, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Conservationist Award, and the New Mexico Game and Fish Department Conservation Award. He has authored or coauthored several important publications on mule deer ecology and management, including The Oak Creek Mule Deer Herd in Utah, which received The Wildlife Society’s Monograph of the Year Award in 1978. Dale was elected to the Washington Biologists’ Field Club in 1981 and served on several committees. He became a non-resident member in 1985. Dale’s family consists of his bride of 58 years, Lois, the willing wife that permitted him to pursue the career he loved; daughter Darlene, who has her own business and resides with her husband in Fredericksburg, Virginia; son Derris, who has worked for the Utah Fish and Game Division for the past 27 years; and son Del, who writes for the Money Section of USA Today. Dale also has four grandchildren. He is very proud of his entire family and enjoyed celebrating his Golden Wedding Anniversary with them by floating the Grand Canyon from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Powell. It was a great experience that he recommends highly for a Golden Anniversary celebration.