DONORS:

The Archives of Falconry Legacy Circle, Susan Bowman, friends and family of Don

Heidt, The North American Falconers’ Association

Donald William Heidt was born on February 9, 1938 in Davenport, Iowa to

Willard Leslie and Gladys Bond Heidt. After a long illness, Don passed away

on February 24, 2015.

Don was active in Boy Scouting in Arlington, TX, receiving the Explorer

Silver Award. One of his favorite Boy Scout experiences was attending Junior

Leader Training at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Wildlife and the

outdoors were a big part of Don’s life.

Don completed his application for the Bird Study Merit Badge in 1955 and

thereafter birds became a special interest. In the 1970’s he found a sponsor,

David Williamson, and his passion became falconry. Don spent many hours

tromping in the woods with his hawks. His ﬁrst birds were Red-tailed Hawks

and later he had Harris’s Hawks that he trapped in South Texas.

Don joined the Naval Reserves and served 7 years at the U.S. Naval Air

Station Dallas, TX, traveling the world in his job as radio operator for his squadron. While in the reserves,

he completed courses in aviation electronics. Don went on to graduate from Arlington State College

(which would become UT

Arlington) in 1966 with a

BS in Electrical Engineering.

Don was hired by Texas

Instruments (TI) where he

had the great fortune of

working in Jack St. Clair

Kilby’s laboratory. Kilby

would go on to win the

Nobel Prize in physics in

2000 for inventing the ﬁrst

integrated circuit. Don met

Susan Bowman while both

were working at TI in the

early 1980’s. They fell in

love and married in 1986 in

Monument, CO.

Throughout his 43 year career Don was known for

his technical expertise and innovative ideas. His

straightforward communication style was legendary.

While at TI Don became an Engineering Manager and

Senior Member of the Technical Staff, co-authoring

two patents related to manufacturing equipment and

process technology. After leaving TI, Don become a

founding partner of two other businesses. During this

time, two more patents were co-authored. A modest

man of marvelous intellect, Don freely shared his

knowledge with others but rarely talked about his own

accomplishments.

An avid bibliophile, Don was always on the lookout

for falconry and archaeology books in used book

stores. One day he ran across an interesting-looking,

old, leather-bound volume with many added original

photographs and hand painted lithographs. It was

Falconry in the British Isles. Don spent many years

researching the provenance of this book and ﬁnally

concluded it had belonged to Francis Henry Salvin, one

of the authors. The book was donated in 2008 to the

Archives of Falconry to be enjoyed by many.

After many trips to Colorado over the years, Don and Susan retired, moving to Colorado Springs in 2002.

Always the avid book collector and researcher, in retirement Don began studying archaeoastronomy,

spending time with his friend and sponsor David Williamson at a remote petroglyph site in the panhandle of

Oklahoma. His research was presented at a symposium in 2009 and he continued to study and be fascinated

by this ancient calendar. Don was a kind and generous man who was deeply loved and is greatly missed by

family and friends.

in memory of Donald Heidt

Don Heidt with petroglyphs

Don with his three children