Established on 07.15.2024 by the Estate of Arne R. Moen '49
Arne R. Moen was born on October 9, 1924, and was a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle,
brother, neighbor, and friend of those who knew him. As the fourth of seven brothers and sisters, Arne was
raised on a farm in Fargo, North Dakota. His father drove a Ford Model-T and parked in the barn. When asked
his feelings about the changing technology of today, he told the story of -20-degree Fargo winters, when he
would have to drain all the fluids from his father’s Ford into pans and place them under the wood stove inside
every night to keep them from freezing solid. Then, every morning, he would take them out and pour them back
in the car again so his father could drive to work. “Technology isn’t all bad,” he’d say.
Though he rarely spoke of his time in the U.S. Army, Arne couldn’t wait to turn 18 so he could join the fight in
World War II. He served in the 75th Infantry Division, 275th Engineer Combat Battalion, Third Platoon in
Europe. Arne fought in the Battle of the Bulge during the winter of 1944-45, where he later joked that one night
it got so cold that all his hair fell out and never grew back. A buck sergeant, he earned a Bronze Star and a
Purple Heart in service to his country.
After the Army, Arne attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and finished his education at
Mississippi State College with a Bachelor of Science from the School of Engineering in August 1950. He built
many buildings with his father /across the Western United States, including his own home of over sixty years.
Arne raised his family of three children, Arne Jr., Jim, and Nora, in Bellevue, Washington, in a house he
designed and built in 1962. Self-reliant and handy, he carefully maintained his home and fixed his cars himself.
Neighbors claim he was still getting up on the roof at 98 years old, cleaning his gutters. He skied, rode a
motorcycle, and walked three miles a day with a repurposed ski pole. Arne also tended roses, geraniums, and
over 40 rhododendrons of every color but admitted the yellow rhodies were his favorite.
An engineer by trade and a manager at the Boeing Company, Arne is remembered fondly by those who worked
with him as someone who expected his teams to work hard, do their best, and get the job done. He chose a
career at Boeing after working on construction projects with his father because he was tired of moving and
figured Boeing “basically stayed in one place.” He was a methods engineer on the B-50 and C-97 tankers and
an industrial engineer and program planner in Renton, SST, and Everett. The development and first flight of the
Model 707 were his most memorable events at Boeing, but the narrow-body 727 airliner was his favorite
airplane “because it was such a successful new concept.” He also worked as a financial estimator and on the
model 757. In 1984, he moved to the Program Management Organization in Renton and worked in the Materiel
Division until his retirement in the 1990s. At work, he’s remembered for his great sense of humor, the twinkle
in his eye and his hearty laugh.
Arne found peace on the trails and in the mountains, especially Mount Rainier, hiking and skiing well into
retirement. He loved visiting Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks in Montana and ski towns like Vail and
Aspen, Colorado. He knew all the best places along the way for “a nice cup of soup” or a good slice of pie –
especially at nearby Crystal Mountain.
In the last months of his life, Arne enjoyed hot cups of coffee with new friends at Bellewood in Issaquah,
strawberry milkshakes, and watching his cowboy shows. He loved to remark, “He had it coming!” Any salty
language was followed by “Pardon my French!” Arne believed it was better to give than to receive; he valued
hard work and a good education, and he loved his family. Because of these beliefs, Arne is establishing this
scholarship from his estate.