Leonard Solomon BEAR, the son of William Franklin "Frank" and Anna Pearl (SHELDEN) BEAR, was born in Kellerton, Ringgold County, Iowa on August 28, 1907. He married first Helen BARBOUR on July 8, 1926, Mount Ayr, Iowa. Helen (BARBOUR) BEAR was born in Garden Grove, Iowa, on February 26, 1909, and died August 24, 1999. Leonard Solomon and Helen (BARBOUR) BEAR were the parents of one son, Dr. William "Forrest" BEAR, born February 11, 1927, Beaconsfield, Iowa, and died of cancer at his home on March 14, 1999, Arden Hills, Ramsey County, Minnesota, with interment at Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Ramsey County, Minnesota.

Dr. Forrest BEAR graduated from Beaconsfield High School, May 1944. He worked at M-G-M in Des Moines, IA, until enlisting in the U.S. Navy February 6, 1945, serving from 1945-1947. He helped Kenneth WELDON start a cafe in Winterset, Iowa during the fall months of 1947, sold mens clothing at Montgomery Ward in Des Moines, Iowa, for the Christmas season and started to Iowa State College winter quarter 1948. He received a B.S. degree in March 1951, and taught vocational agriculture at Earlham, Iowa, from 1951-1954 and at Sumner, Iowa, 1954-1957. He returned to Iowa State College as a Teaching Assistant, earned his M.S. degree in 1959 and the Ph. D in 1963 (two days following the death of President John F. KENNEDY). He was promoted to Assistant Professor and remained on the staff until July 1965 when he joined the staff at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, as the Agricultural Mechanics Teacher Educator, Associate Professor and full professor was earned and remained in this position until his retirement on December 31, 1992. Hobar Publications was first proposed when Tom HOERNER and Forrest were graduate students at Iowa State. One manual on concrete and a round fiberglass hog trough consisted of the original inventory. After moving to Minnesota, Maxine BEAR stopped teaching school and started managing Hobar. The company was Incorporated and owned and managed by Forrest and Maxine BEAR and Thomas A. and Carol HOERNER.

Dr. BEAR married Maxine Marie BURLEY, and they were the parents of five children: Jeanne Anne, William Andrew, Michael Forrest, Martha Marie, and Mary Frances.

Leonard Solomon BEAR married second on April 4, 1931, Leon, Decatur County, Iowa, to Audie Marie RAUCH. Audie Marie was born in Lamoni, Iowa, on February 26, 1913. Leonard died on June 5, 1952, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California. Audie died on January 22, 1999, Mt. Shasta, Siskiyou County, California. She was cremated and interred with Leonard at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California.

Leonard Solomon and Audie Marie (RAUCH) BEAR were the parents of one daughter, Norma Jean BEAR. Norma Jean married Robert Charles SANDAGER, and they became the parents of three children: Alison Kristie, Kristin Heidi, and Joel Lars SANDAGER.

Photographs courtesy of the Bear Family