60 Minutes Segment on Forrest Bird

(CBS--60 Minutes) A viewer wrote 60 Minutes a while back and said we really should take a look at the life and times of a man named Forrest Bird. 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer did and found, in the panhandle of Idaho, a remarkable American original.

Over the last eight decades, Bird has seen enough history and rubbed elbows with enough legends to rival that other Forrest, Forrest Gump.

Chances are Bird's invention has saved the life of someone you know, maybe even your own. And though he may not be a household name, when inventors get together Bird stands literally head and shoulders above the rest...
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The above is 60 Minutes' opening to the segment on Forrest Bird, who lives an hour or so north of us in Idaho. Forrest is a fascinating man. His place up near Sandpoint is large, with all the toys a man could possibly want, including about 20 airplanes. Forrest is 88 years old and still loves to fly. And he still works on his inventions every day.

His Bird Museum is on the property, displaying airplanes and all kinds of inventions, including Bird's own medical respirators. It's an interesting place. My husband, Mark, a private pilot and flying enthusiast himself, is a once-in-awhile volunteer docent at the museum, managing to serve two, maybe three days a year.

Pam and Forrest Bird are wonderful, big-hearted folks. Watching them interact with people, you'd never guess the extent of their success.

60 Minutes' segment on Bird has been a popular one. By viewer demand, it's re-running this Sunday night. Pamela Bird was informed of the rerun through an email from the show.

Watch it. You'll enjoy the segment. And you'll learn something, too.