The years went by and the voice of Dave Manning became stronger. He was associated with other projects, Big Horn Tullock Farms, Utility Builders of Great Falls, Line Builders, Montana Electric Supply of Billings and the Bitterroot Creosote Co., of Hamilton.
The area he represented in Montana now took in 14,000 square miles and included Treasure, Rosebud, Garfield, part of McCone and part of Dawson Counties.
For several years Dave Manning was the longest-serving legislator in the United States, an honor that went well with the work he had done. During his many years serving the State of Montana, his deeds spoke well for the man behind the scenes. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives, Majority Floor Leader of the Senate, President Pro-Tem of the Senate and acting governor under three governors. Dave had served 53 years when he retired in 1985 because of illness. He had served 11 governors.
The dream of Dave's life was a water project that would have saved the Yellowstone River's spring flood waters to produce hydro-electric energy. Energy that would have been equivalent of tens of millions of barrels of oil. And water that would have irrigated millions of acres of land in Montana when it was needed the most.
Dave explained his project to the Hysham Echo in 1982: "With our proven state-of-the-art technology in hydraulic engineering and construction, there is much we can do and undo to create a great net in non-polluting energy.
"We need not place dams across live river channels for impounding flood water that to any degree at all inundates fertile soils.
"We can design major stations at which we cut into river banks, draw off excessive flood water; confine it in a buried conduit, deliver it by gravity with a portion of the ample slope in our terrain and fountain it with the silt it carries into a high head man-made storage on our poorest ground; release it from there to controlled, year around channeling, through turbines back to the stream."
The most sensible dream a person could imagine . . . and Dave Manning worked diligently on that dream until his retirement.
It remains a dream . . . but perhaps one that someone else will pick up some day. To use when the rushing high waters pour past the Yellowstone's banks into other states.
Dave Manning was preceded in death by his son, David, who was killed in 1944 in the Battle of the Bulge in Germany.
He is survived by two daughters, Shirley Mouat of Billings and Vivian LaSalle of Hamilton; five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
He was an active member of St. Joseph's Church, Chamber of Commerce and Hysham Lions Club. He also belonged to the Contractor's Association and the Democratic Party and represented Montana at a number of national presidential nominating conventions.
He was a friend to all people. He believed that he represented each person in his district . . . none too small, none too large.
His 53 years in government will always be a service to the people, but his caring about them
will be his legacy.
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