Earl F. Chandler
1922-2017
Earl Francis Chandler, age 94, passed away on April 11, 2017, at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise, Idaho. Earl was born on May 13, 1922, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, the youngest of seven children of Oren and Emma Chandler. Earl learned the importance of hard work as he helped his parents and siblings run the family farm during the Great Depression. His chores covered the full range of a self-sufficient farm and included milking cows, logging timber, thrashing wheat, hunting wild animals, and butchering pigs, deer, and steers.
After graduating from Bonners Ferry High School, Earl attended the University of Idaho on a four-year football scholarship while also competing in basketball and track. The University of Idaho was then affiliated with the Pacific Coast Conference, which in 1943 bestowed honorable mention upon Earl as a running back. At the University he met his future wife, Kathleen Jones. Kathleen and Earl were married on February 26, 1944. Together they raised three sons who Earl loved unconditionally and mentored in business.
As a member of the ROTC at the University, Earl was called to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945. He became a National Field Representative for the American Legion, helping veterans obtain their benefits and inspecting veterans' hospitals in Idaho, Utah, and Montana.
While traveling for the American Legion, Earl noticed the difficulties building material yards had in obtaining lumber and the problems lumber mills had in finding buyers. Although he had no cash, credit, or established business, Earl convinced a Boise lumber yard to buy a truckload of lumber, found a mill to sell the lumber, and arranged for the shipment. In making his first sale, Earl pioneered modern lumber brokerages. The business grew with proceeds from one sale funding the next. In 1956 Earl established a small wholesale lumber yard on the corner of Fairview Avenue and Cole Road in Boise. Within ten years his small company developed into Chandler Corporation, comprised of thirteen distribution centers and lumber remanufacturing plants in ten states. Under Earl's leadership, Chandler Corporation was the industry's innovator. Earl continuously improved the supply chain, with a trading floor at its headquarters matching lumber mills with retail customers, just-in-time delivery of lumber nationwide using pioneering rail shipping methods, and holding inventory on hand for customers. Earl's reputation for constant innovation, however, was eclipsed by Earl's upmost respect for his employees. With his farm background and his college and army experiences, Earl could bond with the common laborer as well as professionals and encourage their dreams. He gave his employees the freedom to be creative and develop their own talents. A generation of employees began at Chandler Corporation and then made their way in the lumber industry throughout the region.
In 1979 Earl sold his lumber distribution business and retired from active participation in his other businesses. In 1980 the Chinese government asked Earl to consult regarding modernizing its lumber industry. During his trip to China, Earl learned how to toast with baijiu during innumerable lengthy banquets, and he was one of the first Westerners to visit the recent discovery of terra cotta sculptures depicting the armies of the first Emperor of China. During retirement Earl and Kathleen travelled extensively, visiting 42 countries and 35 states. His true love was his eight grandchildren, for whom he was a mentor, confidante, and role model. Earl instilled in his grandchildren a strong work ethic while working beside them as the landscaping crew at the Orchard Place property during the summers.
Earl was continually serving his community. He was a member of the Development Council of the University of Idaho College of Forestry, American Legion, American Legion State Finance Commission, and Disabled American Veterans. Governor Smylie appointed Earl to the Idaho Veteran Affairs Commission in 1958. He served for more than nineteen years under three successive governors and was chairman for fifteen years. Earl was proud of his role in designing and constructing, and then expanding, the new Idaho State Veterans Home located at Fort Boise, which in 1966 replaced the Old Soldiers Home on State Street. In 1963 Earl was appointed as a trustee of the Boise Independent School District, and he was instrumental in building Capital High and other schools. He served for years on the board of directors of Bogus Basis Recreational Association. As chairman of the association in 1964, Earl led the expansion of the ski area to Shaffer Butte with the financing and construction of the original Morningstar and Superior chairlifts. Earl served as a board member for the Boise Philharmonic, Idaho Associated General Contractors, Boise Rotary Club, St. Alphonsus Hospital, First United Methodist Church, Highland Community Center, and Crane Creek Country Club. Earl was recognized as a Distinguished Citizen by the Idaho Statesman in 1965, and he was inducted into the University of Idaho Hall of Fame in 1980.
Earl is survived by his wife of 73 years, Kathleen, two sons, Kenneth and Thomas, and wife, Eve, daughter-in-law, Lynnette, eight grandchildren, Claire, Michelle, Lisa, Carolyn, Stephanie, Eric, Jane, and Ben, and two great grandsons, Dylan and Cohen. He was preceded in death by his parents, Emma and Oren, siblings, Cora, Ferne, Edna, Clyde, Arnold, and Charles, and son, Scott.
The family commends the exceptional care Earl received from the Idaho State Veterans Home staff, and especially the insightful attention from nurses Ken and Matt.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, April 23, 2017, at 4 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Rockies, 717 N. 11th St., Boise, Idaho. Earl will be laid to rest at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Allen S. Janssen Engineering Endowment Fund at the University of Idaho, the Warren Brown endowment at the Idaho Community Foundation, or a charity of choice.