Perhaps it's only fitting that a boat launch would be named after William Studebaker.

Studebaker, who drowned July 4 while kayaking on the Salmon River, will be remembered not only by his poetry, outdoor articles and love for all things nature, but now by the rafts that take to the water from the William Studebaker Memorial Boat Launch, located on the Snake River near the Lower Salmon Falls Dam in Hagerman.

Idaho Power, which owns the site, permitted a group of rafters to place the metal sign - with white lettering and green background - dedicating the raft put-in to Studebaker's memory.

Mike Luna of Hagerman, whose wife Amy was a niece of Studebaker's, was instrumental with others in getting the signage. But it was Studebaker himself who was instrumental in getting the boat launch built.

After Studebaker's death, Luna began brainstorming with Randy McBride and Wayne White, both of High Adventure River Tours in Hagerman, about how to best memorialize their friend.

"Since he was instrumental in getting the ramp installed, I felt it was an appropriate memorial," said Luna, noting that before Studebaker's push for the put-in's installation, rafters would have to park in weeds and traverse a goat trail to the river below. Now there's a "concrete monolith with stairs, handrails ... and it's a whole lot safer," Luna said.

Idaho Power built the concrete launch in spring 2007, but it was only recently named after Studebaker.

"We were happy to work with the whitewater users group to do this," said Idaho Power spokesman Dennis Lopez. He said he's not sure if the memorial sign meets the company's design and color standards, but the memorial sign will likely remain in place. "We recognize that this is important to a lot of people."

Studebaker, 61, drowned while kayaking on the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River near Yellow Pine. He was born in Salmon, taught at the College of Southern Idaho for more than 30 years, and authored books of poetry and non-fiction, including "Short of a Good Promise," a 1999 reminiscence of growing up in the remote Idaho backcountry following World War II.

A memorial service for Studebaker was held July 12 at the Herrett Center on the CSI campus, where hundreds of people paid respects to their friend and mentor.

"To me he was always just Uncle Bill," Luna said, "but to everyone else he was something else. It still blows me away how many people he was intertwined with. He was a mentor to anybody who wanted to learn about the river and how to raft."

Andrew Weeks may be reached at 208-735-3233 or aweeks@magicvalley.com.