Clinton Copple

Clinton Rockne Copple died in Billings on December 25, 2010. He was 79.Rock was born on April 2, 1931 in Bancroft, Nebraska. He was the seventh child born to Claire and Clint Copple. Bancroft, while a small town, provided him opportunities in agriculture, football, and lifelong friendship. He eventually played football for Wayne State College, where he was inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame along with his undefeated 1949 teammates.In 1952 he enlisted in the USAF. It was in Pusan, Korea [K-9] that Rock developed an enduring interest in both travel and Eastern thought. Following his discharge he attended the University of Northern Colorado, where he earned his B.A. (1955), M.A. (1957), and finally Doctorate in Education (1963). It was at UNC that Rock met his future wife, Rebecca Rombach. They were married on June 2, 1956 in Denver. Rock's professional work started as a high school teacher and coach in Montrose, Colorado. He worked as a school psychologist in Dover, Delaware and Lafayette, Louisiana, but his main position was as a professor of psychology, special education, counseling, and human services at Montana State University - Billings. Active in establishing faculty collective bargaining, in-service workshops, and extension classes, he was named professor emeritus in 1993 after 30 years of service. He was instrumental in establishing, at MSU-B, the state's first elementary counselor program.While at MSU-B he took two sabbaticals. One, from 1969-71, took Rock and his family to Tokyo for two years, where he worked for the Department of Defense as a school psychologist and guidance consultant. They returned home the long way, via Siberia,the Eastern Bloc, and Western Europe. A second sabbatical in 1976 took him and his sons to Kashmir, Pakistan, and Nepal, where he studied the effects of Eastern thought on counseling.Rock loved fishing, cooking, backpacking, and watching sports. He amassed a large collection of ethnic and antique masks that he had found during his travels. He was devoted father, a friend to many, and a loving husband. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Copple; his son Nathan (Ellen) and their daughters Kira and Sonia, of Arcata, CA; his son Benjamin (Eileen) and their children Nora, Adam, and Helen, of Barrington, RI; his sister Janice Salestrom, of Kearney, NE; and nephews and nieces Chuck, Jim, and Tom Salestrom; Billie Hackert, Bobbie Ruehling, Chris Copple, Janny Copple-Nelsen, Jay Copple, Roxanne Mumaw, Patricia Obrey, and Bruce and Bradford Knott. He was preceded in death by his siblings Ransom, Charlotte, Mary Belle, William, and Theresa. We want to thank the staff of the Vintage Suites memory unit and Rocky Mountain Hospice for their loving care of Rock in the last year of his life. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the C. Rockne Copple Graduate Studies Scholarship, c/o MSU-B Foundation, 1500 University Drive, Billings MT 59101, or to the American Humanist Association, 1777 T Street, NW,Washington, DC 20009. Service: A memorial service for Rock will be held at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship in Billings, 2032 Central Avenue, on Sunday, 1/2/11 at 1 PM.