David Bentley
Please tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’m a graduate of the Univ. of Florida’s School of Journalism. Immediately thereafter, I went to pilot training in the U.S. Air Force and flew from 1968-73 in a variety of aircraft. As I mentioned above, I was a combat pilot in Viet Nam for a year before being hired by American Airlines. I first came to Vail in the winter of 1969-70, skied (sorta) down Pepi’s Face, had a beer at Donovan’s Copper Bar and knew I had found a home. I still had my military and airline obligations to fulfill but I moved to East Vail full-time in 1978 and commuted to wherever I was based to fly my trips until I retired in 2005. I met my wife Tracey who was a flight attendant on one of my trips to Brussels in 1995 and we have been inseparable ever since. Tracey was 8 months pregnant when we found our home in Cordillera in 2006. Our 16 year old son AJay is a sophomore at Battle Mountain High School.
Why do you want to join the ECPS Board of Directors?
During my over forty years of living in Eagle County, my family and I have personally experienced issues requiring ECPS services, unfortunately, all too often: heart attack on the mountain, head injuries, broken bones and the like. I have always been so deeply impressed with the professionalism and compassionate care of all of the skilled paramedics in getting us safely to wherever hospital we needed at the time. It was never just a job, it was clearly a passion to provide those services with kindness, sensitivity and the utmost care. I would be honored and proud to participate in the governance of this organization that is so essential to our community.
What are some of your prior board leadership experiences?
I have been involved with the governance of the Cordillera community for the last 12 years. I have previously been president of the Cordillera Property Owners Association and from 2018 to last May, president of the Cordillera Metro District. I also served for seven years on the Vail Mountain School’s Board of Trustees as a member of of the Executive Committee, completing my term last October.
What skills, connections, resources, and expertise do you have to offer to our organization?
From my year as a forward air controller in Viet Nam to my many years as an international airline captain I have had to deal first hand with acute, time sensitive crisis situations, not on the medical side but on the management and judgment side. I have a deep understanding of the stress of knowing that lives are at stake depending on the actions I take and the decisions I make: Where do I land if a passenger is having symptoms of a stroke? What resources are available? How fast can I get there and not endanger the other 300 people onboard in the process? Those experiences give me a enormous sense of respect for what ECPS paramedics do every single day.
I would hope to apply my Metro District governance experience and knowledge of Colorado Special Districts law to the oversight duties and responsibilities of the Board.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Hobbies and interest are much the same as most of us that live in this wonderful mountain area: skiing, hiking, biking, and golf. AJay and I have skied the Talon’s Challenge at Beaver Creek since he was eight years old despite our 60 year age difference (but we’ve missed the last couple because of injuries to one or the other). We also have a dependable UPS delivery front door alarm by way of our dog, Lafay, a fluff ball breed called a Coton.