FRIENDS OF ASH HOLLOW
WHO ARE THE "FRIENDS OF ASH HOLLOW"?
DEANN BEARD
President
DeAnn Beard, born Mary DeAnn Beard was born and raised in Lewellen Nebraska and states that Ash Hollow was her favorite place as a child. She and her three siblings picnicked in the park with her family and loved to hike up to the caves in the bluffs and pretend to be Native Americans on the plains; hunting buffalo and riding like the thunder on wild, Native American ponies. DeAnn attended school in Lewellen, nursing school in Scottsbluff, NE and joined the Navy Nurse Corp in 1975. She was stationed on the east coast and loved the history of the Boston and Williamsburg, Va areas. There her love for history was born. Upon leaving the Navy, she worked a summer at Ash Hollow State Park in Lewellen before she attended the University of Nebraska that coming fall. That summer the Visitors Center was commemorated and she played an active role in planning for the ceremony. As a teen in Lewellen, she also participated in the large pageant in Ash Hollow that celebrated Nebraska’s 100th birthday. She is now actively working with others to plan a 150th event in Ash Hollow. DeAnn was a part of the early organizational committee and was elected President of the board of Directors. She believes strongly in the power of consensus building in groups and works diligently to allow participants to have a voice in making policy.
DON ENGEL
Operations Officer
Don was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and raised in the Columbus, Nebraska area. He attended the Black Hills State University and received his bachelors of science degree in Secondary Education. He became a deputy sheriff in Dance Wyoming until he finished his degree. He and his young family then moved to the Columbus, Nebraska area, where he taught at St Mary’s high school in O’Neil, Nebraska. He and his wife Melissa later moved their family of 3 boys and 2 girls to Ogallala, Nebraska. Don worked Ogallala Motors then in 2001 accepted a position as a park worker at Ash Hollow State Historical Park.
Don was the driving force that eventually shut down the plan of the Nebraska Game and Parks to build an ATV Track in Ash Hollow State Historical Park. In 2015 he learned of the intent by the Game and Parks.
Saving the park, was his purpose. Don, then wrote a letter to the “big boys” at the Nebraska park system and went to Lincoln to meet with them, knowing full well that his position at the park would probably be terminated. He bluntly told them that “they were stirring up a hornets nest.” When he returned home, feeling that plans were already in full swing for the ATV park, he organized a community coalition that sent out letters and circulated petitions to halt the project. Don and his community followers won.
He believes that saving this park was his purpose.
Don says that “once your passion becomes your purpose, you know you have hit a home run!”
CLINT LIVINGSTON
Member of Friend's Board of Directors
Clint Livingston was born and raised in south central Nebraska . He attended Chadron State College and received a bachelor of science degree in education. Clint farmed for a few years in his home town and then was hired by the Lewellen Rural High School to teach drivers ed., history and coaching. His wife of 30 years, Hazel, was offered a position as English teacher. They raised their family on a farmstead in Lewellen instilling the values of hard work, love of the out of doors and horses.
Clint was a beloved teacher and principal at the Lewellen schools. One of his students’ mothers always asked him, “I don’t understand why my naughty son loves you so much, when you are so hard on him.” Clint believes in tough love and the fact that his students respect him, yet feel he is their best friend, speaks to the value of his style of teaching. Clint’s favorite teaching subject was the “fur trade years” and he taught the subject with great drama and energy. When school redistricting and consolidation became a reality in Garden County, he saw the writing on the wall and had to make very difficult and unpopular decisions regarding doing what was best for the students. Once the consolidation was complete, he had to give up his position as head teacher and went to teach history and drivers ed. in a nearby school. He retired from teaching early because his wife was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and he was her steadfast companion to the very end; taking her all over the country for care. Clint has since remarried and his new wife enjoys the many aspects of out-door life that he treasures. In addition to trading fur at mountain man rendezvous, he owns and operated Blue Creek Traders where he tans hides of all kinds and sells them in his travels. His items are exquisite and many are hand painted.
EMPLOYEE BIOS EXPLAINED
I chose to do employee bios because it humanizes an organization. I can give all the facts, event info, what they do, why they do it but until you put faces to an organization like this, all that is just words. They want to see people, especially people in action; doing the things that you say they are doing. The bios help people connect with the organization by telling stories to which people can relate. Showing an organization’s personality makes people root for the company and the cause.
The objective of this campaign is to increase awareness of Ash Hollow, increase visitation, and inform people of the history. I believe that once people learn about the Friends of Ash Hollow and what they are about it might not seem as intriguing as it should. When you tell the members’ stories it appeals to people’s emotions. It makes the cause seem more important when you understand how this park has affected the people in its community and how it will devastate them if it is destroyed.
When people realize how important it is to the community it will intrigue them to go there and find out why. After that, this acts as a domino effect. One person goes and realizes how amazing this place and they tell their friends. Then those friends tell their friends, and so on.