Art Sallee RIP

Art Sallee 

06/16/1929-03/04/2017

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Art In The Commo Trailer At A Florence Lake Search

As near as I can figure now I became a part of the Mountaineering Unit of the Fresno County Sherriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team about eleven years ago. A team member, Dave Calvert, told me to get in touch with Art Sallee. Dave and I had crossed each other’s paths on skis near Tamrack Ridge.

I met with this kind of crusty John Wayne type who had been involved in search and rescue for years at that time and was the unofficial Mountaineering Team leader even when someone else was the team leader. There was no official process for getting on the team at the time but Art made the rough ways smooth by helping me to initiate a background check with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and introduced me to the other Mountaineering Team members at their monthly meetings.

As the years passed we both became less active because of the infirmities that come with age. Art still conducted the Man Tracking Class but we both opted out of the arduous work of off trail searches.

We often met with other team members for lunch for an informal debrief of searches. Then it became Art and me with an occasional visit from Lieutenant Curtice.

Many of Art’s friends will talk about their relationship with him via the SAR organization that was so much a part of his life for so long but our friendship remained and developed long after we were a part of SAR.

Art was a storyteller and he had more stories than you can shake a stick at. I don’t believe I ever heard the same story twice. Most of his stories were self-deprecating and full of personal foibles. There was no self-aggrandizement and posturing. I was listening to the real unvarnished humble man who had a heart to help others in need. He was generous to a fault and loved to give things away. He was driven by his compassion for others and sometimes made the wrong choices. He was more into forgiveness than permission. 

Art was introspective and sometimes guilt ridden about things he had failed to do. I was always quick to suggest reconciliation or pronounce God’s forgiveness.

Art was quite a sportsman and especially a fisherman who loved base camping in his earlier days. I am a backpacker and he could never understand why I didn’t go fishing in any of the many lakes I camped near along the trails. I would send him an article I wrote with photographs and he would always respond with, “…but did you wet a line?”

Art was not a complainer and in his final days it was obvious that he was in a great deal of pain and having difficulty breathing. His body was pretty much used up. He sat patiently through my ‘organ recitals’ but rarely complained about his many physical problems.

He worked ‘pulling’ sign permits up to the very end and drove his Toyota 4 Runner proudly for over 400 thousand miles. Many of the miles took him to and back from his beloved cabin on a river near Mt. Shasta. He bought a game camera and the only wildlife he photographed was him relieving himself on his lawn at dusk. He spent time at his cabin and took his dogs with him wherever he went. Their exercise was the first item of the day but they suffered from many ailments also. I think Art may have helped finance one of his veterinarian, Dr. Waterhouse’s many trips to Africa.

Art and I had Christ in common and it is comforting to know that we will see one another again. A portion of  “The Great Thanksgiving" in our Liturgy states, “…and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.” That is my hope.

RIP MU 12

Father Dale Matson

From Nick Kohli

 Nick Is In The Center

Note: (03-31-17) Art's Memorial Service Can be Found Here:

http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2017/03/art-sallee-memorial-service-northwest.html