Arnold W. Siegel, BHS 1950

Arnold W. Siegel, BHS 1950

March 23, 1932 – June 23, 2017

Arnold (Arne) W. Siegel, a resident of Montana and West Yellowstone, and formerly of Encino, CA, has always followed, in both his personal and professional life, the motto “Give a little, take a little, and we’ll all have some.”

Mr. Siegel had received the Montana Ambassador’s Plenipotentiary Award for his work in STEM Education throughout the State. He had served on the Montana Community Foundation Board and he and his wife Stephanie are the Founders of the West Yellowstone Foundation. Since its inception 25 years ago, the Foundation provides scholarships for local students who graduate and go onto additional education for one, two, four, or five year programs. In addition, the organization grants funding to other non-profits in the West Yellowstone/Hebgen Basin area. For several days a week, a Foundation bus provides round-trip transportation for seniors and others who have medical appointments and other needs in Bozeman. He was also on other boards in West Yellowstone, including the Library Board, Medical Board and the Founder and a Board member of the Yellowstone Historic Center (Transportation Museum), a member of the West Yellowstone Chamber Board and also the Co-Chair of the Little Ranger Learning Center Board.

Arne was a pioneer in the field of automotive safety innovation. His research has led to numerous safety technologies that are now standard, consumer-demand features in production vehicles. He helped to lead research initiatives on barrier, side-impact, rollover, head-on, motorcycle, and pedestrian crashes. He built the first infant and child crash dummies and designed the first rear-facing infant safety and child booster seats.

As a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Arne had served on its International Board of Directors and also on its Foundation Board. He was a Fellow in that organization, a recipient of and had initiated several awards there --- the Abelson Leadership Award, the Arnold W. Siegel Humanitarian Award, and the Medal of Honor recipient. The A.W.  Siegel International Transportation Safety Award gives an honorarium and gold medal annually at the Honor’s Convocation.

Arne Siegel loved life, his family, and the community of West Yellowstone and Montana. He spent time fly fishing, enjoying a cup of coffee with friend, and gardening during the summers. Arne passed away on June 23, 2017.

Arne was preceded in death by his parents and his son, Jonathan. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie, his children, Carrie, Ethan and Oren and his grandchildren, Joshua, Jennifer, Justin, Abigail, Samuel, Julia, Alexa, and JJ.

Published in the Burbank Leader, June 2017