Carlton Hunter

Carlton "Carl" L. Hunter was born January 1, 1932, in Concordia, Kansas, the only child of George and Mildred (Johns) Hunter. He graduated from Concordia High School in 1950. In January of 1951, he joined the US Navy. After boot Training in San Diego, he was assigned to the USS Bairoko CVE 115, an escort aircraft carrier. He was assigned to "B" division in the Engineering Department. The ships assignments were anti-submarine warfare training in the South Pacific near Okinawa, then on to the Yellow Sea with a contingent of US Marine Corsair fighter aircraft during the Korean War until the armistice. In 1954, the USS Bairoko was one of the ships assigned to "Operation Castle", in support of the Atomic Energy Commission for the first Hydrogen bomb test near Eniwetok Island of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific. After discharge from the Navy he worked at several jobs in the San Diego area including; blueprint delivery, telephone installer, and aircraft part manufacturing. In 1955, he married Barbara Murray of San Diego, CA. They had one son, Craig. The marriage ended in divorce. Securing a job with the US bureau of Reclamation, he worked on the Twin Buttes Dam near San Angelo, Texas. While there he married Koleta Wilks. He worked on the San Luis Dam near Los Banos, CA. This was part of a water diversion and storage system to divert and move water from the Bay area, south along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and eventually took water to the Los Angeles area. Moving to Casper, Wyoming, he worked on soil foundations for a 230 KV Transmission line from Glenrock Power Plant to a substation near Stegal, Nebraska, where it tied into several grid systems. He also worked with Core Drilling Investigation on several other facilities for water and power distribution. For a year, he worked at the Casper Job Corp located in Natrona County Airport, as a program Supervisor. Mr. Hunter transferred to Basalt, Colorado, where he worked on material control for Ruedi Dam and tunnel system to collect and move water through the continental divide to the eastern slope of the Arkansas River. He resigned from the USBR and moved to Austin, Texas to work for the Texas Water Development Board in planning water resources facilities and proposed construction. He returned to Wyoming in 1968, to work for the Water Development Board in Cheyenne under the State Engineer, in planning for water development throughout the state for areas that were going to be needing water, where to get it and how to move it to those needed areas. In 1971 he was asked to move to Casper to be North Platte River Hydrologist for the State if Wyoming. He remained in the position until he resigned in September of 1987. After a brief retirement he returned to work in 1988 as manager of Casper-Alcova Irrigation District, remaining there for three years. During the period between 1964 through 1990, he has a member of the Wyoming Air National Guard, Civil engineering Squadron with various assignments, retiring as Pavement and Heavy Equipment Section Chief as a Senior Master Sergeant. During his yearly two week training, his Squadron traveled to various bases in other states: MS, LA, FL, NJ, AZ, and TX. In addition they went to Spain once and to Hawaii twice. He was a lifetime member of the Kansas VFW Post %**. In the fall of 1954 he was sworn in by his father, George Hunter, a former President of the Post. He also had a lifetime membership in the Wyoming National Guard Association. He developed a passionate interest in Amateur Radio and was a member of the Casper Amateur Radio Club. He participated in Ham Conversations, Hamfests, and and annual Field Days. For several years he was the local representative for the Air Force MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Service). Survivors include his wife, Koleta of Casper; three sons, Craig (Joyce) Hunter of Spring Valley, CA, Lee Hunter of Casper, Marc (Amy) Hunter of Casper; one daughter Clarice Jenson of Ft. Collins, CO; 7 grandchildren, Melonie Bivens, Trisha, Charles, Taryn, and Kylie Hunter; and 3 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and a son, Eric. Memorial contributions in Carl's honor may be made to Central Wyoming Hospice 319 S Wilson St, Casper, WY 82601 or Camp Hope 3920 West 45th St., Casper, WY 82604.

Service

Monday, April 25, 2016 1:00pm

Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery

Curtis Street

Evansville, Wyoming 82636

Visitation

Sunday, April 24, 2016 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Bustard's Funeral Home

600 CY Avenue

Casper, Wyoming 82601