Michael Gary Belville was born in Missoula, Montana, on a warm July day in 1957 and attended Hamilton schools through high school. Learning was a way of life for Mike. Though not always the model student in high school, he received a strong educational foundation from the Hamilton schools and went on to excel in life.
During his time in the United States Army he was charged with Records Management in the 2nd Armored Division, Mike continued learning beyond his responsibilities. He had an aptitude for medicine which prompted his fellow soldiers to refer to him as “The Doctor” for his skill dressing wounds in the field.
While in Texas, Mike completed a Health Care Assistant Program in Electrocardiography in the Houston Community College System. He went on to Texas State Technical College in Waco completing a course in Machining Technology where he was on the President’s Honor Roll all 4 quarters with a grade-point average of 4.0. Mike remained close to his high school classmates and enjoyed recalling the memories he made as a Hamilton High Bronc.
He passed out of this mortal life on the cold Montana morning in December 2018 after a courageous 5-year battle with pancreatic cancer. It is the family’s hope that this scholarship will give a deserving student that leg up to follow their dream.
