He has an older sister, Anita Henrie Bittle. He was raised in the San Luis Valley, Center CO, attended the Center schools, graduating in 1952. He participated in athletics, winning eleven letters in football, basketball, and track and was a member of the 1950 basketball team that won the Colorado Class B state championship. He was active in Center's FFA programs, competing in the state contests conducted at Colorado A & M, now Colorado State University (CSU).
Following high school graduation, he attended Colorado A & M and lettered on the A & M freshmen football team of 1952. Bernie joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953. He was stationed at several U.S. bases and in Madrid, Spain where the U.S. had recently agreed with the Franco government to build several air bases. After completing four and a half years in the Air Force, he returned to CSU. In 1960 he graduated with honors and as a distinguished AFROTC cadet which resulted in receiving a Regular Air Force commission. He served in the Air Force's Space Command and the Air Force's Intelligence Command in Turkey.
After serving for four years of commissioned service, Bernie transferred to the active Air Force Ready Reserve. He served a total of thirty nine years of Air Force active and reserve duty retiring as Colonel in 1992.
In 1964 Bernie joined CSURF, CSU Research Foundation, the arm of CSU that at that time administered the University's research contracts and grants, which included several international programs. He served with CSURF for five years and because of his interest and participation in international projects, he was recruited by CIMMYT, the International Wheat and Maize Center located near Mexico City to service as Chief Financial Officer and Administrator. There he worked with Dr. Norman Borlaug who was known as "Father of the Green Revolution" for his development of the Mexican dwarf wheats that changed the world's food production outlook. Dr. Borlaug received the Nobel Peace prize in 1970 for his outstanding work.
In 1974, Bernie returned to CSU where he served for five years as the University Treasurer. During this time he often flew the CSU president and other staff members in the CSU aircraft to meetings around the state. He was a certified Commercial, Multi-engine, Instrument pilot.
In 1979, CSU's Dean of Agriculture, Dr. Don Johnson who was serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Consortium for International Development (CID), asked Bernie to join CID as a program manager. CID was formed by CSU and several western land grant universities in the early 1960’s to cooperate on international projects that were larger than a single university wished to undertake. CID's headquarters was at Utah State University in Logan, UT. CID was negotiating on several major international projects at that time in Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and in Latin America.
Bernie married Joan Minero in 1979 and they moved to Logan, Utah to join the CID headquarters. He remained a CSU employee, assigned to the CSU Dean of Agriculture on "loan" to CID in which status he remained for the next eight years while working on international projects. After being in Logan for just over a year, CID's Directors decided to move the office and Tucson, AZ was selected as the new site. The job of moving the CID operation to Tucson fell on Bernie as the entire headquarters staff chose not to move. The year 1980 was a very busy year as new projects were being negotiated, a new office had to be rented, new staff hired, and all the CID headquarters facilities moved to Tucson. New project leaders from various CID universities were being brought on board.
At CID during the years 1979 to 1985, Bernie was project manager for activities in Egypt, Niger, Gambia, Upper Volta (now Brikina Faso), Peru, Bolivia, Honduras, and Pakistan. During his years in international programs he visited and travelled in over 65 countries.
In 1985 Bernie was recruited by CIAT, the International Tropical Agriculture Center, in Cali. Colombia to serve as Associate Director General, responsible for contract management, and as administrative and financial officer. CIAT is a sister institution of CIMMYT and approximately twelve other centers located around the world, each having responsibility for certain areas of expertise such as wheat/maize, rice, cassava, potatoes, beans, irrigation, livestock health, policies, etc. During the next three years he was involved with projects in a number of countries including Colombia, Kenya, Rwanda and many others. He served on the committee from several of the centers on matters pertaining to their common management concerns.
Bernie retired from CSI. in 1987 with this assignment to CIAT being the last. He continued serving as a consultant for more than ten years working with a number of international groups such as the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP), World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, USAID, and several universities. He was heavily involved serving in the Air Force Ready Reserve program until 1992.
Joan and he returned to Ft. Collins where they spend six summer months and six winter months in their Tucson home.
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