Waugh recognized for years of volunteer service
Paul Spurgeon, Roaring River Hatchery manager (left) and Brad Farwell, assistant manager (right), presented David Waugh (middle) with a special award for his years of volunteer service with the park, including Kids’ Fishing Day each spring and fall.
August 26, 2015
Charlea Mills
After years of dedicating countless hours to the families of Roaring River State Park, David Waugh received special recognition from the Missouri Department of Conservation at the fall Kids’ Fishing Day event last weekend.
Waugh, general manager for MO Parks Inc., has been with Roaring River for 11 years. MO Parks, Inc. is the concessionaire at the park. In total, he has been working in parks for 19 years after starting at Bennett Springs. However, his passion for fishing and the outdoors started when he was just nine years old the first time he picked up a pole. That love of fishing and the outdoors has stuck with him throughout his life, and now he does what he can to instill that passion for the upcoming generation.
Hatchery manager Paul Spurgeon presented Waugh with the award, appropriately on a plaque in the shape of a fish, after the MDC made the decision to acknowledge his efforts. Each year, Waugh teaches fly casting classes at both the spring and fall Kids’ Fishing Days, but he also works behind the scenes, cooking and serving hot dogs to hungry pint-sized anglers and their families. His efforts don’t stop there, but extend to any time the park has needed him over the years, including helping with evacuation during times of danger or emergency.
Waugh said, “I just do whatever needs to be done. Over the years, it’s been maintenance, cooking hot dogs, the fly casting class. I help where I’m needed.”
Year after year, Waugh helps families learn to fish the crystal, cool waters of Roaring River. At times, that meant kids’ parents had never touched a fishing pole before. He explained how emotional the experience can be, “When you teach an adult how to fish, they are grateful, but when you teach their kid to fish, they’ll never forget.”
Those lessons lead to relationships that span through the years of volunteering with the park. He said, “You see these repeat kids every year. Each time, they’ve grown a little more, and they keep coming back. It’s amazing to see that.”
It’s that love of the outdoors that Waugh wants to foster in the next generation of park goers. When talking about his own involvement with the park and the families that have visited over the years, he is quick to shirk the gravity of his involvement. He quickly said, “There’s a lot of people who put in a lot of work into kids’ day. Paul [Spurgeon], Brad [Farwell], the Mako Fly Fishing team guys, you can’t even name them all. It’s not any one of us who makes it happen, because no one could do this alone.”
Spurgeon added, “That’s the great thing about it, it’s the collaboration of everyone who puts in the time to make it happen.”
However, even while being humble about his own service to the park, it’s clear that the award’s gesture has special meaning to Waugh. He said, “I appreciate this. You have no idea how much.”
Spurgeon replied, “You’ve been doing this so many years, you deserved it.”
When asked why he spends so much of his energy helping out at the biannual event, Waugh said, “Let me ask you a question, why not volunteer? These trout parks are meant for families. It’s worth it to invest in them.”
Waugh added, “It’s the next generation of park goers that we’ve got to teach. If we could get our kids fishing instead of playing on computers, video games and phones, we would have less crime. It’ll make a better world, I’m sure of it.”
Waugh reminisced about a time when families would make camping an annual tradition. He said, “People used to come to the park, play Scrabble in their cabins and turn off their phones. Now, people want to know what cable package they can get. We’re trying to create memories with these families of them spending time together. That’s what Kids’ Day is all about.” A day geared toward teaching children and their parents to have a new found appreciation for the outdoors is one of the ways to keep families going out to the park together, with no technology to distract them.
This past year, the fall event brought out over 1,000 kids to fish Roaring River’s trout-filled waters. Efforts like Waugh’s mean that those kids walk away with a lasting memory of how awe-inspiring a morning of fishing with your family can be.
Waugh’s plaque will be displayed at the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center at Roaring River State Park, serving as a reminder of the impact that a single volunteer can make over a number of years
Charlea Mills
After years of dedicating countless hours to the families of Roaring River State Park, David Waugh received special recognition from the Missouri Department of Conservation at the fall Kids’ Fishing Day event last weekend.
Waugh, general manager for MO Parks Inc., has been with Roaring River for 11 years. MO Parks, Inc. is the concessionaire at the park. In total, he has been working in parks for 19 years after starting at Bennett Springs. However, his passion for fishing and the outdoors started when he was just nine years old the first time he picked up a pole. That love of fishing and the outdoors has stuck with him throughout his life, and now he does what he can to instill that passion for the upcoming generation.
Hatchery manager Paul Spurgeon presented Waugh with the award, appropriately on a plaque in the shape of a fish, after the MDC made the decision to acknowledge his efforts. Each year, Waugh teaches fly casting classes at both the spring and fall Kids’ Fishing Days, but he also works behind the scenes, cooking and serving hot dogs to hungry pint-sized anglers and their families. His efforts don’t stop there, but extend to any time the park has needed him over the years, including helping with evacuation during times of danger or emergency.
Waugh said, “I just do whatever needs to be done. Over the years, it’s been maintenance, cooking hot dogs, the fly casting class. I help where I’m needed.”
Year after year, Waugh helps families learn to fish the crystal, cool waters of Roaring River. At times, that meant kids’ parents had never touched a fishing pole before. He explained how emotional the experience can be, “When you teach an adult how to fish, they are grateful, but when you teach their kid to fish, they’ll never forget.”
Those lessons lead to relationships that span through the years of volunteering with the park. He said, “You see these repeat kids every year. Each time, they’ve grown a little more, and they keep coming back. It’s amazing to see that.”
It’s that love of the outdoors that Waugh wants to foster in the next generation of park goers. When talking about his own involvement with the park and the families that have visited over the years, he is quick to shirk the gravity of his involvement. He quickly said, “There’s a lot of people who put in a lot of work into kids’ day. Paul [Spurgeon], Brad [Farwell], the Mako Fly Fishing team guys, you can’t even name them all. It’s not any one of us who makes it happen, because no one could do this alone.”
Spurgeon added, “That’s the great thing about it, it’s the collaboration of everyone who puts in the time to make it happen.”
However, even while being humble about his own service to the park, it’s clear that the award’s gesture has special meaning to Waugh. He said, “I appreciate this. You have no idea how much.”
Spurgeon replied, “You’ve been doing this so many years, you deserved it.”
When asked why he spends so much of his energy helping out at the biannual event, Waugh said, “Let me ask you a question, why not volunteer? These trout parks are meant for families. It’s worth it to invest in them.”
Waugh added, “It’s the next generation of park goers that we’ve got to teach. If we could get our kids fishing instead of playing on computers, video games and phones, we would have less crime. It’ll make a better world, I’m sure of it.”
Waugh reminisced about a time when families would make camping an annual tradition. He said, “People used to come to the park, play Scrabble in their cabins and turn off their phones. Now, people want to know what cable package they can get. We’re trying to create memories with these families of them spending time together. That’s what Kids’ Day is all about.” A day geared toward teaching children and their parents to have a new found appreciation for the outdoors is one of the ways to keep families going out to the park together, with no technology to distract them.
This past year, the fall event brought out over 1,000 kids to fish Roaring River’s trout-filled waters. Efforts like Waugh’s mean that those kids walk away with a lasting memory of how awe-inspiring a morning of fishing with your family can be.
Waugh’s plaque will be displayed at the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center at Roaring River State Park, serving as a reminder of the impact that a single volunteer can make over a number of years