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Leo P. Compton ( McCall 1947 )

posted: Aug 1, 2022

Leo, 96, died July 5, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. He was born in a farmhouse in Middle Water, Texas, on February 5, 1926. The family moved to Kuna, Idaho, in the late 1930s. After graduating from high school in 1945, Leo enlisted in the Army during WWII and was assigned to the Army Air Corps where he was trained to be a B-17 pilot. After the war Leo enrolled at Boise Jr. College and played two years of football and baseball. Leo then received a football scholarship to Idaho State University and was captain of the 1950 team. He jumped at McCall in 1947 and got eight fire jumps. At Idaho City in 1948, Leo got two fire jumps.

Leo was injured on a fire jump in Idaho when his chute was collapsed by a tree and he dislocated both ankles and a wrist. He has to wait 24 hours for a rescue team to jump in and carry him out.

Leo graduated from Idaho State University with a degree in education and returned to Kuna H.S. as a teacher and coach. In 1952 he moved to Oregon where he taught until 1964. He received his master’s degree and
Went to Nampa, Idaho, as Athletic Director. In 1967 Leo moved to Boise and founded Image Building Advertising and in 1981 started Eagle Publications until he retired in 1991. Leo then substitute taught at Bishop Kelly H.S. until he was 84.