L.P. “Ike” Kindler (1924-1948)

Biography

Langdon Paul Kindler, also known as Ike, was born on April 20, 1924, in Waco, Texas. He attended Texas A&M University and graduated from the wildlife management department. Additionally, Kindler was a member of the U.S. Army and fought with the field artillery in Central Europe during World War II. On September 7, 1948, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) hired him as a refuge manager for the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. He leveraged his previous experience working with outboard motors, and he gained recognition for his public relations work with local hunters and anglers during his time with the Service.

Cause of Death

On December 5, 1948, Kindler drowned at the mouth of Fergeson Lake approximately 9 miles above the Imperial Dam. Kindler had volunteered to show some hunters a better location for their prey and climbed onto their boat, but the boat capsized on the way to the hunting location. Although Kindler initially made a safe return to the boat, he went back into the water to rescue a drowning member of the group. Survivors of the incident reported the two men missing, and the Service initiated a search for them, which ended on January 8, 1949,1 when two fishermen found Kindler’s body 3 miles above Imperial Dam in a small side slough of the Colorado River. Both Kindler and the man he had tried to save drowned, and Kindler’s family had a memorial service for him in Waco, Texas.   

Footnotes

1. This date is inconsistent with the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge Narrative Report, which states the fishermen found Kindler’s body on January 9, 1949. However, this entry lists January 8, 1949, as the date of discovery because The Yuma Daily Sun talks about the discovery of his body within the issue from January 8, 1949.

Sources

• “VII. Other Items.” Imperial National Wildlife Refuge Narrative Report, 1949.
• “Langdon Paul Kindler.” Find A Grave
• “Those Who Died In The Line of Duty.” Received by the National Conservation Training Center.
• The Yuma Daily Sun, 8 Sep. 1948
• The Yuma Daily Sun, 8 Jan. 1949

Key Fields

Born 1924, Died 1948, Age 24, Male, Refuge Manager, Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, Boat, Drowning, Army, World War II