In Memory of David Hill, Sr.

1939 - 2019

By: Dave Hill Jr.

Born in Springfield Missouri, Dave Hill Sr. attended MarquetteHigh School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. before heading west to Idaho to visit his Grandfather “Poppy” in Pocatello. Hill loved fly fishing and hiking so he spent his first day at Idaho State University in the forest ranger program. Though he quickly reoriented his studies to business and economics. Hill credited his Economics 101 class with Fritz Hoffman (aka Corky) for igniting his passion for education and more specifically business management.

Legend has it that Hill was voted “College Campus Dream Man” and was recognized as the biggest man on campus at 6’4” 230lbs. Nonetheless, Hill loved sports and was a track star at Idaho State throwing shot put and discus.

A natural leader, Hill joined the Army after attending ROTC classes as a second lieutenant and after basic training went to Germany where his division was assigned to guard two Nazi Generals at the famous Spandau Prison. After four years of service, Hill was ready for civilian life, but the Army had other plans as they informed him he would be among the first troops sent to Vietnam. Stationed in Pleiku and promoted to Captain, Hill had 50 troops under his responsibility and saw plenty of action throughout his tour, earning both a Bronze Star and Air Medal. When talking about his experiences, Hill would be quick to credit the Army’s training and people first leadership lessons that he carried into his business life. After leaving the Army, he started a career in sales and soon came to the cardboard box industry, where he would devote the next 50 years. Staying close to Idaho, Hill was hired by Boise Cascade first as a Salesperson and then worked his way up to General Manager of multiple plants. In 1981, Hill founded The BoxMaker, a sheet plant in the Seattle area which grew steadily over 38 years under his watch with over 200 employees, seven branch offices and an innovative approach to digital printing.

Hill also made it a priority to give back and was proud of the endowment he established at ISU. He wanted these funds to help future business people empower themselves with an education they can take into their future.