Willard Stivers honored for lifetime of service

To Willard Stivers, being a part of Glenwood is more than just an address.

Stivers has dedicated most of his adult life to serving the community he calls home. For more than 40 years, Stivers served on the Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department, the last 30 as the department's chief. Since 1955, Stivers has held a seat on the Glenwood Library Board, crusading to keep the library free and growing with the ever fickle library consumer.

Last month, Stivers retired the seat on the board he has held for 53 years.

"Its been 50 years - its time to put the horse to pasture," said Stivers, 91, in the den of the Glenwood home he has shared with wife Betty for nearly four decades.

A series of strokes have taken away some of his mobility but not his memory and recall of his more than 50 years of service to all things Glenwood.

In his years on the library board, Stivers spearheaded the acquisition of a neighboring home to use as the library's annex for public meetings and earning state accreditation as a community library. All the while championing the cause of the free public library

"It was intended as a 'Free Public Library,'" Stivers said. "Well, we both know good and well that's not entirely how it is, but the people have always been very supportive of the library. I always felt like if the library was in need and the wants were made known, then they would be met by the community. That's just the kind of community this is and why this is such a great community."

Over the years, board members and library agendas have come and gone. The one constant has been Stivers.

"He has always been the nicest person to work with," said Denise Crawford, Glenwood Library Director since 1992. "He's always been so supportive, looking out for you and the library. He's always been a take-charge guy and when he said he'd do something for the library, he always followed through."

Crawford could always count on Stivers keeping up with library trends, attending workshops on library policy and staying up with the latest technological advances. He was honored in 1998 by the Iowa Library Association as its library trustee of the year.

"He always wanted to see the library change with the times but always free. He used to say the free public library was important and information should be available to everybody," Crawford said.

"Automation" at the library, Stivers said, was the biggest change in his 53 years

"Libraries used to just be books, period," Stivers said. "Of course it grew with technology. It's a pretty vibrant place now. More things go on there than people probably realize."

Betty Bales served on the Glenwood Library Board beside Stivers for 17 years before she retired last year. She recalls Willard as a quick-witted board member who got along with everybody and was always willing to lend a helping hand to the library and beyond.

"If anything needed to be done, Willard always volunteered to do it or found someone to do it," Bales said. "If a fourth of the people in Glenwood did a fourth of the volunteering Willard has, Glenwood would be a pretty wonderful place."

The irony of Stivers' service to the library board is he doesn't consider himself a bookworm. When former Mayor Frank Wallace originally appointed him to the board in 1955, Stivers' interest in the library was limited - he just wanted to contribute to the community. It was that same sentiment that sent Stivers to the Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department as a 24-year-old in 1942.

Stivers was working at Safeway Supermarket across the street from the fire station in what is now the Family Dollar store just off the Town Square when he joined the fire department. He would go on to work 30 years in the grocery business while volunteering with the fire department.

"They were right across the street," recalled Stivers. "It was just a natural thing for me to be a part of the department."

Being a member of the 15 member Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department back then wasn't much different that it is now, he said, except for when they weren't fighting infrequent fires they were helping out the community however they could.

"The fire department was the lifeline of the community back then," he said. "They were the grandfathers of the town. They were there and established and supported by the tax bodies. They sponsored carnivals and community events and helped out wherever they could.

"They were an energetic group. I used to say there was nothing they wouldn't do to you or for you. If there was a need, you could always count on us."

Stivers recalled once responding to a fire at the library following an incident with a teenager and a Molotov cocktail. The fire took hours to get under control and the damage to the library's lower flow was extensive. Stivers fought the fire and the after effects.

"I guess you could say I was protecting my own interests," Stivers joked.

Stivers served as Glenwood's chief from 1958 to 1988. Current Fire Chief Butch Fidler served under Stivers from 1981 to 1988. Fiddler said even more than a decade after he retired, you could still count on Stivers showing up at fires.

"He was always the first guy in the station when he was on and when he retired, you could always count on Willard showing up at the scene to lend a hand," said Fidler, Glenwood's Fire Chief since 1997. "He was always trying to help - that's just the kind of guy he is."

Stivers may not be an active member of the fire department or make it to many scenes anymore, but he still keeps his dispatch scanner tuned in 24 hours a day. Old habits die hard, he said. But he's come far since the days his wife of 50 years, Betty, had to stop him from jumping in the car to chase a fire every time a call came in.

"It's a disease," Stivers joked about his attachment to the scanner. "That was a good share of my life. It's sort of my pacifier."

A series of strokes in the last few years has claimed some of Stivers' mobility, but not his sharp mind and sense of humor. He does lament he can't be out there with the crew, fighting fires like he used to, but he's not complaining.

"Sometimes life captivates you. I've been lucky," he said.

Source: http://www.opinion-tribune.com/articles/
2008/12/03/news/news01.txt

Secret Millionaire' Premieres Tonight on FOX

The FOX network, once the home of salacious fare with titles like When Animals Attack 4: Bloodthirsty Zebras on the Rampage, moves into the world of kinder, gentler reality television with tonight's two-hour premiere of Secret Millionaire. The new series takes America's wealthiest individuals away from their sprawling mansions and moves them to some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. Their mission? To go undercover as regular people, living on minimum wage and working side-by-side with members of the community they'd never interact with otherwise. On the final day of the experiment, the millionaires will reveal their true identities and pass on at least $100,000 to those who most inspire them.

Source: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/secret-millionaire/
secret-millionaire-premieres-t-25004.aspx